In Sonora and southern Arizona, chiltepíns grow in microhabitats in the transition zone between mountain and desert, which receives as little as ten inches of rain per year. (fieryfoodscentral.com)
«We expect that a closer look at ant - other arthropod relationships will yield numerous examples similar to ours and provide a better understanding of the complexities of microhabitat choice and its ecological ramifications.» (sciencedaily.com)
1) losing most of their obligatory reproductive host Milkweed plant species in N America (lucky for them, one species has thrived as a roadside weed); 2) extensive logging in Mexico over the past 50 years 3) the ability of the Western Monarchs to switch from Monterey Pines (chopped to local extinction) to Eucalyptus as an overwintering species — luckily Eucalyptus took over and provide similar enough microhabitats for overwintering adults in California; (dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com)