Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Creative Commons License
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Date of Graduation
Fall 2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Advisor(s)
Anthony Tongen
Abstract
The migration pattern of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) consists of a sequence of generations of butterflies that originate in Michoacan, Mexico each spring, travel as far north as Southern Canada, and ultimately return to the original location in Mexico the following fall. We use periodic population matrices to model the life cycle of the eastern monarch butterfly and find that, under this model, this migration is not currently at risk. We extend the model to address the three primary obstacles for the long-term survival of this migratory pattern: deforestation in Mexico, increased extreme weather patterns, and milkweed degradation.
Recommended Citation
Hunt, Emily, "A periodic matrix population model for monarch butterflies" (2014). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 51.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/51
