How Painted Lady Butterfly Cross 4200 Km of Atlantic Ocean
Non-stop journey of Painted Lady butterfly’s about 4,200 km transatlantic flight mapped by researchers
The butterflies could only complete this flight by alternating between energy-intensive active flight and wind-assisted gliding
Without the wind, the butterflies could have flown a maximum of 780 km before depleting their energy reserves
First, the research team reconstructed wind trajectories for the period leading up to the arrival of these butterflies
By sequencing the genomes of these butterflies and comparing them to global populations, the researchers found a closer genetic relatedness to African and European populations
The researchers used an innovative combination of next-generation molecular techniques. They sequenced the DNA of pollen grains carried by the butterflies
Additionally, they analyzed hydrogen and strontium isotopes in the butterflies’ wings, which act as a “fingerprint” of their region of origin
This discovery suggests that natural aerial corridors connecting continents may exist, potentially facilitating the dispersal of species on a much larger scale