As landscapes change, mobility patterns of species may alter. Different mechanistic scenarios may, however, lead to particular patterns. Here, we tested conflicting predictions from two hypotheses on butterfly movements in relation to habitat fragmentation. According to the resource distribution hypothesis, butterflies in more fragmented landscapes would have higher levels of mobility as resour...

To test if migratory monarch butterflies use polarized light patterns as part of their time-compensated sun compass, we recorded their virtual flight paths in a flight simulator while the butterflies were exposed to patches of naturally polarized blue sky, artificial polarizers or a sunny sky. In addition, we tested butterflies with and without the polarized light detectors of their compound ey...

Eyespot patterns of nymphalid butterflies are an example of a novel trait yet, the developmental origin of eyespots is still not well understood. Several genes have been associated with eyespot development but few have been tested for function. One of these genes is the signaling ligand, wingless, which is expressed in the eyespot centers during early pupation and may function in eyespot signal...

Butterfly eyes consist of three types of ommatidia, which are more or less randomly arranged in a spatially regular lattice. The corneal nipple array and the tapetum, optical structures that many but not all butterflies share with moths, suggest that moths are ancestral to butterflies, in agreement with molecular phylogeny. A basic set of ultraviolet-, blue- and green-sensitive receptors, encou...

air pollution is a problem in kathmandu, nepal. particulate matter concentrations often exceed threshold values at which human health is severely affected. the problem is serious since it is in the valley topography wherein the meteorological parameters role is significant. this study addresses the linkages between meteorological processes and air pollution in the lower atmosphere of the kathma...

Butterfly Effect is a 3D puzzle game using augmented reality. The key motivation was to create a game that leverages the structure of the physical world during gameplay without requiring the computer to have a detailed model of the space. The butterflies are virtual, but the space the player navigates is physical. The player travels her environment, collecting the butterflies. For butterflies t...

Trying to get the nursery proper and all of blooming plants—bright colors, heady smells, early summer at its best—Mona almost walked past his table. It was one those fold-up numbers with foldout legs. Portable. Impermanent. The young man standing behind table dressed in a gray plaid shirt tucked into neatly ironed chinos, hair cut but not too short or neat.Maybe I should stop see what he's abou...

Santiago Ramón y Cajal had referred to neurons as the 'mysterious butterflies of the soul.' Wings of these butterflies--their dendrites--were traditionally considered as passive integrators of synaptic information. Owing to a growing body of experimental evidence, it is now widely accepted that these wings are colorful, endowed with a plethora of active conductances, with each family of these b...

protected areas are major tourism assets for a nation, particularly for developing countries providing sustainable benefit to the local community while funding for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the protected areas themselves. valley of flowers national park is naturally meant for the conservation and study of western himalayan flora. it became national park in 1982 and after that livest...