The dynamic vehicle routing problem (DVRP) is a variant of the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) in which customers appear dynamically. The objective is to determine a set of routes that minimizes the total travel distance. In this paper, we propose a monarch butterfly optimization (MBO) algorithm to solve DVRPs, utilizing a greedy strategy. Both migration operation and the butterfly adjusting oper...

Threats to several of the world’s great animal migrations necessitate a research agenda focused on identifying drivers of their population dynamics. The monarch butterfly is an iconic species whose continental migratory population in eastern North America has been declining precipitously. Recent analyses have linked the monarch decline to reduced abundance of milkweed host plants in the USA cau...

The monarch butterfly is famous for its annual fall migration from eastern North America to central Mexico, but it has also been an important model for studies in long-distance migration. Now, Zhan et al. present the genome of the monarch, opening up the detailed characterization of the butterfly's navigational system and unique social life.

The development of reverse-genetic tools in "nonmodel" insect species with distinct biology is critical to establish them as viable model systems. The eastern North American monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), whose genome is sequenced, has emerged as a model to study animal clocks, navigational mechanisms, and the genetic basis of long-distance migration. Here, we developed a highly efficien...

The migration of the colorful monarch butterfly provides biologists with a unique model system with which to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying a sophisticated circadian clock. The monarch circadian clock is involved in the induction of the migratory state and navigation over long distances, using the sun as a compass.

The monarch butterfly annually migrates from central Mexico to southern Canada. During recent decades, its population has been reduced due to human interaction with their habitat. We examine the effect of herbicide usage on the monarch butterfly’s population by creating a system of linear and non-linear ordinary differential equations that describe the interaction between the monarch’s populati...

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is emerging as a model organism to study the mechanisms of circadian clocks and animal navigation, and the genetic underpinnings of long-distance migration. The initial assembly of the monarch genome was released in 2011, and the biological interpretation of the genome focused on the butterfly's migration biology. To make the extensive data associated wi...

Effects on monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus L., after continuous exposure of larvae to natural deposits of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and non-Bt pollen on milkweed, were measured in five studies. First instars were exposed at 3–4 and 6–7 d after initial anthesis, either directly on milkweed plants in commercial cornfields or in the laboratory on leaves collected from milkweeds in corn plots...

We present the draft 273 Mb genome of the migratory monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and a set of 16,866 protein-coding genes. Orthology properties suggest that the Lepidoptera are the fastest evolving insect order yet examined. Compared to the silkmoth Bombyx mori, the monarch genome shares prominent similarity in orthology content, microsynteny, and protein family sizes. The monarch genom...