Eukaryote Group-Group Vs: Case Study Notes On Monarchs

1. What sort of cells does your organism have (Eukaryote-group-level description)

• Multicellular organism

• Has tactile setae which are hairs that cover through a butterfly 's exoskeleton and are attached to nerve cells. Setae play a vital part in helping the Monarchs sense the location of their body parts. Setae is also located on the Monarch’s antennae and aid in touch and smell.

• Chemoreceptors are nerve cells that spread onto the surface of the exoskeleton and respond to the presence of different chemicals in the surroundings. When a chemoreceptor runs into a chemical, it locks it in and sends a signal to the brain.

• In Monarchs, chemoreceptors are sited deeply on the antennae.

• The males release a chemical called pheromones and females

What is your organism’s body plan (basic shape and anatomy)?

• The Monarch butterfly has brownish-orange wings with black to dark brown on the margins.

• The wings also have two rows of orange and/or white spots and veins outlined in black.

• Males possess a black scent pocket on their hind wings that is not present on the female.

• Have six jointed legs, 3 body parts, a pair of antennae, compound eyes, and an exoskeleton.

• The three body parts are the head, thorax (the chest), and abdomen (the tail end).

• The four wings and the six legs of the butterfly are attached to the thorax. The thorax contains the muscles that cause the legs and wings

• Have compound eyes that are made up of thousands of ommatidia, each of which senses light and images.

• The straw-like proboscis is the butterfly’s tongue, through which it sucks nectar and water for food. When not in use, the butterfly curls up its proboscis.

4. What habitat is your organism found in?

• The Monarch ranges from Southern Canada south through the United States, Central America, and most of South America. The monarch is also present in Hawaii, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Monarchs are found in eastern Washington, where they feed on milkweed plants.

• Monarchs can be found in open habitats, including fields, meadows, marshes, and along roadsides.

5. How does your organism feed?

• Adults feed on nectar from milkweeds. Nectar from flowers, which is close to 20% sugar, provides most of their adult food.

• Monarchs are not very picky about the source of their nectar, and will visit many different flowers.

• They use their vision to locate flowers, but once they land on a potential food source, they use taste receptors on their feet to find the