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Title:
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Geographic and population variation in pollinating seed-consuming interactions between senita cacti (Lophocereus schottii) and senita moths (Upiga virescens) |
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Author:
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Fleming, Theodore H; Holland, J Nathaniel
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Abstract:
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Interspecific interactions can vary within and
among populations and geographic locations. This variation
can subsequently influence the evolution and coevolution
of species interactions. We investigated population
and geographic variation in traits important to pollinating
seed-consuming interactions between the senita cactus
(Lophocereus schottii) and its obligate pollinating
moth (Upiga virescens), both of which are geographically
restricted to the Sonoran Desert. Female moths actively
pollinate senita flowers and oviposit onto flowers.
Their larvae consume developing seeds and fruit of flowers
pollinated by females. Traits important to this interaction
include fruit set from moth pollination, fruit survivorship,
and costs of fruit consumption by larvae. We
studied these traits for five populations at two widely
separated geographic locations. On average, 37% of
flowers set fruit, 22% of flowers produced mature fruit,
and larvae consumed 25% of immature fruit pollinated
by female senita moths. Senita cactus and senita moth interactions
were strongly mutualistic in all populations
that we studied. Although one population had statistically
lower fruit set and fruit production than the other four,
all five populations were qualitatively similar in fruit
production, costs, and patterns of fruit survivorship.
Hand-pollination experiments suggested that fruit set
was resource-limited in all but this one population. Apparent
pollen limitation in the one population explains
the quantitative differences in fruit set and fruit survivorship
among the populations. As predicted by theory and
exemplified by the senita mutualism, specialized and/or
obligate interactions vary little among populations and
geographic locations. |
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Description:
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journal article |
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Citation:
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Holland, J.N. and T.H. Fleming. 1999. Geographic and population variation in pollinating seed-consuming interactions between senita cacti (Lophocereus schottii) and senita moths (Upiga virescens). Oecologia 121: 405-410 |
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Citable link to this page:
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http://hdl.handle.net/1911/21701 |
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Date:
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1999 |
