Distant populations of a Xanthosoma (Araceae) species have different floral scents but the same cyclocephaline beetle pollinators

Abstract

We report on the reproductive biology, pollinators, and thermogenesis of the widely distributed Araceae species, Xanthosoma striatipes. We analyzed the floral scent in one population and compared it to a previous study. Xanthosoma striatipes was studied at three sites in Brazil, São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Maranhão. The results showed constancy of the reproductive biology and main pollinator species across sites. The pollinators at all three sites sites were two species of cyclocephaline scarabs, Cyclocephala atricapilla and C. ohausiana. The scent composition of the strongly scented inflorescences of plants of a site in São Paulo differed from plants recently studied in Central Brazil. Of the 39 and 23 compounds detected, in the present and the previous study, respectively, only seven compounds, were in common. We discuss that the two main constituents identified in samples at both sites, the aromatic compound methyl salicylate and the terpenoid (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, alone seem to be sufficient for the attraction of the beetles. However, it is also possible that different compounds are involved in attracting the same beetle species to plants of the different populations.

Pollination ecology and floral scent chemistry of Philodendron fragrantissimum (Araceae)

“…Madison (Gottsberger et al 2020). Moreover, at Barro Colorado Island, C. brevis is also documented as an effective pollinator of co-flowering Dieffenbachia longispatha Engler & K. Krause, Xanthosoma helleborifolium (Jacq.)…”

“…Although these highly specialized scent-oriented pollinators have been documented in association with the inflorescences of Caladium Ventenat (Maia and Schlindwein 2006), Dieffenbachia Schott (Valerio 1984;Young 1986Young , 1990Cuartas-Hernandez 2006;Gibernau 2015aGibernau , 2015b, Gearum N.E. Brown (Gonçalves and Maia 2006), Montrichardia H. Crüger (Gibernau et al 2003), Syngonium Schott (Beath 1998), Taccarum Brongniart ex Schott (Maia et al 2013), andXanthosoma Schott (Garcia-Robledo et al 2004;Gottsberger et al 2020), it is the megadiverse genus Philodendron Schott with ca. 490 species that draws most attention to the diversity of such plant-pollinator interactions (Boyce and Croat 2020).…”

Morpho-physiological Characterization and Genetic Diversity of Cocoyam Accessions (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott)

“…Pada Xanthosoma daguense pembentukan biji membutuhkan serangga penyerbuk (García-Robledo et al, 2004). Menurut Gottsberger et al (2020), pada Xanthosoma striatipes,…”