Wildlife Corridor (Lisa Hellinger)

Author:

Lisa Hellinger, AP Biology Teacher, Immaculate Heart High School

NGSS Engineering Standards:

HS-ETS1-1: Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems - Criteria and constraints also include satisfying any requirements set by society, such as taking issues of risk mitigation into account, and they should be quantified to the extent possible and stated in such a way that one can tell if a given design meets them.
HS-ETS1-2: Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
- ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution: Criteria may need to be broken down into simpler ones that can be approached systematically, and decisions about the priority of certain criteria over others (trade-offs) may be needed.
HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as wells as possible social, cultural and environmental impacts.

Problem, Design and Optimization Plan:

PROBLEM

Loss of milkweed in the U.S.,due to herbicide use, is contributing to the decline in Monarch Butterfly populations that stretch from Mexico to the U.S.
"In 2004, an estimated 550 million completed the winter migration, while in 2013, only 33 million arrived. Between 2012 and 2013, there was a 43.7% decrease in the area occupied by the butterflies in their winter sanctuaries (Smith, 2014). Monarch Butterfly's Reign Threatened by Milkweed Decline

DESIGN

Students will design areas around campus that will be planted with native milkweed and other blooming plants to support Monarch reproduction and migration.
Successful design will attract Monarchs for the purpose laying eggs and to provide food for the Monarch larvae. Areas should also include a variety of early blooming plants to support the spring migration north and late blooming plants to support the fall migration south.
Students should research the use of tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, its connection to the protozoan Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) and how an OE infection can impact Monarch pupa and adults.
Constraints include: administration approval of sites and cost.

OPTIMIZATION

Students will evaluate which sites on campus showed the most Monarch butterfly use.
Students will refine and redesign sites to optimize the potential for Immaculate Heart High School to become a Monarch Butterfly wildlife corridor.

Materials needed:

1. California milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)

2. Sunny sites around campus

3. Flat rocks for butterfly basking

4. Additional soil if necessary. Soil should be well-drained, not clay.

5. Gloves and shovels

Procedure:

Research the needs of Monarch butterflies
Determine sites on campus that would meet the requirements
Write and present a proposal to administration to obtain approval for garden sites
Prepare planting sites
- clear area of non-native plants
- remove weeds
- add soil
Plant milkweed and other plants Back to Natives Nursery
- large swathes of color, mostly red, orange, yellow and purple are best
Set up Journey North App on phones and create an account Journey North Mobile App
Set up schedule to observe garden sites and count butterflies and caterpillars

Questions:

1. What is a wildlife corridor?

The main function of a wildlife corridor is to connect wildlife populations to habitat that is essential for their survival. Due to human development, such as roads, housing, agriculture, logging, mining, etc., many natural habitats have become fragmented.

2. Why are wildlife corridors important?

Fragmentation separates populations of organisms from the biotic and abiotic factors that they rely on and can put some populations at risk. Without access to food sources, water, or breeding sites species are unable to thrive. Fragmentation also separates gene pools and can cause a loss of variation populations due to isolation. Some species require large, continuous corridors, otherwise they will not use it. Other species like birds may only require regular resting and feeding sites spaced at a given interval.

3. What other species might benefit from creating a butterfly corridor?

Wildlife corridors benefit more species than just the target species. When natural habitats are connected by wildlife corridors many other ancillary species move in to use the newly created niches. Other butterfly species, moths and various insects and invertebrates will take up residence in a butterfly garden providing food for birds and mammals. The habitat created for butterflies will also support the declining bee population. Plants themselves will benefit because butterflies pollinate plants across large distances which helps increase genetic variation in many plant populations which in turn can help the populations to be more resilient and resistant to disease.

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