Pieris Project
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all things science =)

From our post on Invasivore.org: Sometimes the net is mightier than the fork (longer version)

9/9/2014

6 Comments

 
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Invasivore.org has had fun developing novel ways to engage the public with invasive species, but what do you do with those invasives that aren’t so filling? Answer: Put down your fork and pick up your butterfly net! We’ll at least when the invasive is a butterfly. Invasive species are not only tasty, but can be useful to study how organisms adapt to new environments and climate change. This has led a group of PhD students (us!) to use an invasive butterfly species to do some good…science! By understanding how an invasive butterfly – the cabbage white (Pieris rapae) – has adapted as it spread across North America, they can gain insights as to how other butterflies may adapt to similar environmental changes. The citizen scientist creation they are calling “Pieris Project,” is a partnership with the public (you!) to collect this invasive butterfly from across the US, and soon the world! But, they are just getting started and need your help.

The cabbage white is believed to have invaded the entire US and most of North America as well as many other parts of the world including Australia, New Zealand, and Japan; it’s pretty much everywhere but Antarctica. In North America, it all began in the late 1800s, as the butterflies were introduced from Europe and spread from eastern Canada across North America within only a few decades (there is also some evidence that there may have even been a few that invaded even earlier than the 1800s with the help of the Spaniards!). The caterpillars feed on many of our agriculture crops (plants in the mustard family such as broccoli, cabbage, kale and brussels sprouts), which is in part why they have been able to invade many parts of the world; these invasives are eating our food!

This year, the Pieris Project wants to collect at least 20 butterflies from each US state and as many countries from across the world as they can.  Helping them reach this goal is easy, partly because these butterflies have invaded everywhere, including your backyard! To get involved is easy: visit the website (pierisproject.org) to learn how to catch them, where to send them and what cool things we hope to learn about these butterflies, such as: How are these butterflies adapting to changes in their environment? Where did this butterfly really come from – was it introduced from multiple countries and have they invaded multiple times? In order to answer these questions, and many more, they need your help. By catching a few from where you live you can join the many citizen scientists that are helping to use this invasive species to learn how other native species of butterflies will respond to changes in their environment, such as climate change, habitat destruction, and changes in land-use (e.g., effects of excess nitrogen in the environment).


6 Comments
Vitaly Charny
10/8/2014 05:55:29 am

I think this is could be interesting research and the participants will master their skills and learn a lot. With stress on INVASIVE species and ADAPTATION to environment I was surprise with the selection of the object for the study – Pieris rapae.

That species is not kudzu or fire ant… they as much invasive as introduced Brassica oleracea cultivars. They just follow those vegetables, with not much if any adaptation to local environment.

My opinion is based on many years of butterflies observation in Europe and America. For example I counted to this day 3925 butterflies while documenting Alabama butterflies this year in protected natural habitats and among them I have just 7 Peiris rapae and those were found in proximity to vegetable gardens. However we have places where one can count many dozens of them in couple hours. It is not adaptation or invasion to Alabama – but just following cabbage related crops.

Of course Pieris rapae is the EASIEST species to collect from different states and countries. If select another species then the study could take too long to wait for results good enough for PhD program :0

The same time we do have American species that naturally populate good part of the country and could be studied for their adaptation skills.

Vitaly Charny
Birmingham, AL

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Sean Ryan link
10/8/2014 12:01:25 pm

Hello Vitaly,

Thanks for the comment. You're our first =)

I agree at first glance P. rapae seems a little boring, but I think we will find it is much more interesting than it lets on. Although P. rapae is still feeds primarily on crucifers in people's gardens, it has adapted to native species (apparently, wild mustard is one). There's probably more adaptation (although maybe subtle) going on than you might think - plant defense chemicals can be quite variable and this can have a substantial impact on the caterpillars.

Also, if you think about the distribution of the butterfly - ranging from Florida to Alaska, climate is quite different in these areas (along with many other things). So it's likely that P. rapae has adapted to these very different conditions.

But we are not just interested in the US, we are actually going to look at them from all over the world - lots of cool questions emerge when we do this. For example, which populations (countries) did P. rapae come from when it invaded the US? Did it come over multiple times and from multiple different countries? We can ask these questions for the other countries it invaded as well. But your right, we also chose this butterfly because its everywhere for most of the season and easy to catch. Also, they are in large numbers - they have a large "effective population size" - meaning that the effects of selection are probably fairly prominent so local adaption may be more likely in this species as opposed to others with small populations. It also means that we won't hurt the species (or more specifically each population) by taking a few; they are probably the most abundant butterfly on the planet!

BTW, we don't have any in AL yet....;) If you send some in, we can sequence then and see how different they are from those people have sent in from other parts of the US.

Also, I actually do plan on expanding this project to other species, but we had to start somewhere =) I have a few in mind, but I would be happy to take suggestions.

Reply
Vitaly Charny
10/23/2014 04:30:12 am

Thank you, Sean!

First of all I didn't received new comment notification. Just see your information on e-butterfly.org and remember about...

I agreed with all your PRO points about P. rapae. My CON point is that if to simplify - the butterfly does not really adapt to local habitats but just follow cabbage. Practically after 15 years of regular monitoring butterflies in Alabama with more than 800 counts I didn't find any significant presents of this species in natural habitats, just wandering or blowing away individuals, not really wild population.

It looks for me that P. rapae didn't adapted to local nature, instead they are locally domesticated (pest) with whatever changes by the way. They like any breeding species changes after while and for this species it can go different way with such wide distribution.

I would be really happy to follow your research, and to learn if you found a source of N. American population. More interesting if you will pin point the area of P. rapae origin. This research and it methods could be used as a model for farther study with different species.

I will try to find somebody to collect for you.

Vitaly Charny
Birmingham, AL

Reply
Vitaly Charny
2/5/2017 08:46:20 pm

.. continue after while.

Last year I documented in regular counting for several nature preserves around Alabama 5750 butterflies of 107 species and among them Pieris rapae - totaling 5 individuals.
Of course much more could be found in populated area, around gardens with original. food supply. And I have similar data for many years. Conclusion -
1) This species do not radiate into natural habitat. On very limited occasions they wondering into wild but do not build any population that base on native food plants and have no records of adaptation to natural habitat (at least up to now and in Alabama)
2) The same time they do adapts to any kind of climate where find cabbage and related food plants planted by humans

You have my permission to include this data to your study results

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Trent Riley link
12/10/2020 12:51:36 am

Nice shaare

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Office Movers Columbia link
5/15/2024 01:42:38 pm

Great blog thanks for posting this

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