Analysing Phenology and Migration of Amazonian Butterflies under Climate Change

Migration is a widespread adaptation to seasonal environments in insects. Despite this, insect migrations in the tropics remain poorly understood. Panacea prola is an Amazonian butterfly that migrates seasonally in Southeastern Peru. Biodiversity in the Amazon is being lost at an unprecedented rate, due to climate and land-use changes.

By understanding the drivers of migration, and the connectivity of different populations of the same species, we can better predict how insects will respond to climate change, which is reducing the predictability of environmental cues that may induce migration.

In this project I aim to determine 1) how patterns in butterfly species diversity and abundance are affected by seasonality; 2) how widespread the migration of Panacea prola is; and 3) how the migration of P. prola is induced, focussing on the phenology of its host plant.

I will achieve these aims through mapping species occurrence and looking for correlations with climate data; using stable isotope analysis to determine the natal origins of migratory individuals; using whole genome sequencing to look for gene flow between local and distant P. prola populations; and using remote sensing data to track host plant phenology and relating this to P. prola migration timings.