Pollination of endangered Cuban cycad Microcycas calocoma (Miq.) A.DC.

Vovides, Andrew P.; Ogata, Nisao; Sosa, Victoria; Peña‐García, Esperanza

doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1997.tb02254.x

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The species is entomophilous which accords with that reported for other Neotropical cycads (Tang 1987;Norstog and Fawcett 1989;Vovides 1991;Vovides et al 1997b). …”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Demography of the cycad Ceratozamia mirandae (Zamiaceae) under disturbed and undisturbed conditions in a biosphere reserve of Mexico

et al. 2006

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The cycad Ceratozamia mirandae is endemic to Chiapas, Mexico. Demographic studies were made in two of its populations in the Sepultura Biosphere Reserve under different conservation conditions; in the nucleus zone ''Tres Picos'' (conserved) and buffer zone ''La Sombra'' (disturbed and under management). Spatial distribution of C. mirandae was aggregated, showed a clumped local distribution on shallow soils on steep slopes and male and female cones appear to be synchronous in both populations. The population structure was of type I (Bongers) for both sites. Individuals between the sites showed differences in growth pattern. The oldest plants (80-90 cm tall) were estimated to be about 490 years at ''La Sombra''. The finite growth rate (k) in the buffer zone population showed a tendency for decrease whilst in the nucleus zone this estimate remained stable. The highest elasticity values lied in the transition of the first three classes of the ''La Sombra'' population, in ''Tres Picos'' this corresponded to adult plants between 20 and 30 cm tall. Given the above, it is proposed that in the nucleus zone, reproductive adults should be of highest conservation priority, whereas in the buffer zone seedling reintroduction should be carried out regularly until the population increases. We recommend an IUCN Red List category of Vulnerable (VU C, 2a), largely due to difficult-to-control destructive annual forest fires that occur in this Reserve.

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“…The species is entomophilous which accords with that reported for other Neotropical cycads (Tang 1987;Norstog and Fawcett 1989;Vovides 1991;Vovides et al 1997b). …”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Demography of the cycad Ceratozamia mirandae (Zamiaceae) under disturbed and undisturbed conditions in a biosphere reserve of Mexico

et al. 2006

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“…A disruption of such a relationship has been observed: the pollinating beetle (still unidentified) of an endangered Cuban cycad became extinct and the remaining, cultivated individuals of this species now only produce seeds after artificial pollination, a common technique in botanical gardens (Vovides et al 1997).…”

Section: Sexmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cycads: their evolution, toxins, herbivores and insect pollinators

Schneider¹,

Wink

Sporer

et al. 2002

Naturwissenschaften

132

125

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Palaeobiological evidence indicates that gymnosperms were wind-pollinated and that insect pollination began in angiosperms in the Lower Cretaceous (ca. 135 mya) leading to close associations between higher plants and their pollinators. Cycads, which were widespread and pervasive throughout the Mesozoic (250-65 mya) are among the most primitive living seed-plants found today. Because pollination by beetles and by thrips has now been detected in several modern cycads, it is attractive to speculate that some insects and cycads had already developed similar mutualistic interactions in the Triassic (250-205 mya), long before the advent of angiosperms. We also draw attention to another key factor in this insect-plant relationship, namely secondary, defensive plant substances which must always have controlled interspecific interactions. Cycads mainly produce toxic azoglucosides and neurotoxic non-protein amino acids (e.g. BMAA), which apparently are crucial elements in the development and maintenance of mutualism (pollination) and parasitism (herbivory) by cycad-linked herbivores. We now add new results on the uptake and storage of the main toxin, cycasin, of the Mexican cycad Zamia furfuracea by its pollinator, the weevil Rhopalotria mollis, and by a specialist herbivore of Zamia integrifolia, the aposematic Atala butterfly Eumaeus atala.

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“…Insects appear to be the pollination agent in most cycad species (Norstog, 1987;Ornduff, 1991;Vovides, 1991;Vovides et al, 1997), yet no pollinators were observed for C. seemannii and it appears that the species is wind-pollinated. Even if its ancestor had been insect pollinated, the pollinator may not have had the ability to cross the ocean with the cycad seeds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%