Monarchs And Milkweed Research Paper

Monarchs and Milkweeds: Pathways of Energy Flow

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is native to both North and South America. The monarch butterflies are unable to with stand the freezing winters that North America has so to survive they travel down to South America, which there they lay eggs to form offspring to travel back in the spring. The monarch butterflies journey begins in late summer, August to September, and can take several months, with the majority of monarchs reaching Mexico in early November (Wildlife). In order for the monarch to be able to travel this long distance it needs to conserve enough energy to travel. The energy in which the monarch conserves for this travel comes from the nectar of milkweed (Asclepius humistrata).

The milkweed plant consist of different speciation’s such as perennial, evergreen, and the majority, which are deciduous. These flowers typically bloom late spring and the end of the summer, which is what allows the monarch’s to travel, because they conserve the energy from the nectar of the flower, which is glucose. Glucose is a simple sugar that is an energy source in living organisms and is a component of many carbohydrates. The process of the milkweed flower begins with photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process in which light energy is converted into chemical energy, which consist of sugars and organic mixtures. The process of photosynthesis involves multiple chemical reactions that require carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O) and chemical energy stored to form the organic sugars which the monarch will use as energy. In the milkweed plant photosynthesis takes place in the

Oxidation phosphorylation is when ATP is synthesized from ADP and phosphate. The enzyme that is catalyzed in the reaction is called the ATP synthase. The ATP synthase gives energy to the cell to synthesis ATP. As a result from the Electron Transport Chain a gradient is formed on the mitochondria. With this gradient the hydrogen ions are able to go across the membrane because of ATP synthase. From this process lipids are created, in which the energy for the monarch are stored. Lipids or fats are stored in cells throughout the body principle in special kinds of connective tissue called adipose tissue or depot fat. The butterflies live off their stored lipid. They gained this fat while they were caterpillars and during the fall migration. At the end of the overwintering season, there must be energy left for mating activities and the spring migration northward (Wildlife) We can see through these pathways that the Monarch butterfly is able to conserve enough energy to travel for months to one continent to the