University of Minnesota Monarch Reproduction Research Projects:

Diapause in Monarchs

Liz Goehring & Karen Oberhauser
University Scientist
University of Minnesota
St. Paul MN

Overview of Diapause Research    |  Reproduction Home

Overview

Monarch butterflies that migrate to Mexico each fall are in a state called reproductive diapause. When they emerge from the pupa, they look like summer butterflies, but will not develop mature ovaries or testes for several months. In some ways, they are arrested in a juvenile state, and most of them remain this way until the following spring when they become sexually mature. Liz Goehring studied many aspects of monarch diapause during her master’s thesis work at the University of Minnesota. Read more about these studies, and learn about insect diapause in general.

• Background on diapause
• Effects of photoperiod, temperature, and host plant age on induction of reproductive diapause and development time in Danaus plexippus
• Environmental Factors Influencing Postdiapause Reproductive Development in Monarch Butterflies

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