Geographic Variation and Succession of Arthropod Communities in Inflorescences and Infructescences of Xanthosoma (Araceae)¹

Abstract

Phytotelmata, small aquatic ecosystems within different structures of terrestrial plants, occur in the inflorescescences and infructescences of Xanthosoma (Araceae). This study reports changes in composition and abundance of arthropods during the anthesis of inflorescences and in the developing infructescences of three species of Xanthosoma at three different geographic locations: (1) X. undipes in a tropical cloud forest of Costa Rica, Central America; (2) X. daguense in a tropical cloud forest in the central Andes of Colombia; and (3) X. poeppigii in the Peruvian Amazonas. All Xanthosoma species displayed similar interactions with the main pollinators, dynastine beetles. We observed a succession from terrestrial to aquatic arthropods as inflorescences aged and set fruit. However, community composition varied among different Xanthosoma species. Some arthropods recorded in Xanthosoma phytotelmata have also been reported as inflorescence visitors of the dynastine‐pollinated terrestrial genus Dieffenbachia and of vines from Philodendon and Syngonium. Further research may elucidate if phytotelmata similar to those described for Xanthosoma could occur among dynastine‐pollinated genera of Araceae, both in the understory and the canopy of Neotropical forests.

Interaction and Distribution of Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) Associated withHeliconia bihai(Heliconiaceae) Inflorescences

“…As the number of bracts increased in the inflorescences, abundance and richness also tended to increase. This change in the colonizing fauna has been reported previously (Seifert 1982;Richardson & Hull 2000;Garcia-Robledo et al 2005;Yee & Willig 2007) and recently, Benítez-Malvido et al (2016) have shown the influence of the fragmentation of the tropical forest on the phytotelmata arthropod biodiversity in Heliconia bracts. The habitat affects species abundance, and the diversity and composition were higher in continuous forest (Benítez-Malvido et al 2016).…”

“…In South America, nitidulids were reported in the bromeliad Aechmea distichantha Lem. (Bromeliaceae) in Argentina (Montero et al 2010), and in inflorescences of Xanthosoma Schott (Araceae) in Costa Rica (Garcia-Robledo et al 2005). In southeastern Brazil, nitidulids are associated with the bromeliad Vriesea inflata Wawra (Bromeliaceae) in fragments of the Atlantic Forest (Mestre et al 2001).…”

Local‐ to continental‐scale variation in the richness and composition of an aquatic food web

“…Bromeliads have a comparatively small geographic range, with some variation in trophic structure (Srivastava et al. , 2008), but the biogeography of bromeliad food webs has not been well studied (García‐Robledo et al. , 2005).…”

Nocturnal Plant Bugs Use cis-Jasmone to Locate Inflorescences of an Araceae as Feeding and Mating Site

“…130 genera/3300 species, the Araceae are a speciose family of monocot angiosperms with a mostly tropical distribution and enormously varied pollination strategies. Pollination is achieved by many different kinds of insects (e.g., flies, beetles, bees), with large cyclocephaline scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastidae) playing a significant role in Neotropical genera, such as Dieffenbachia , Philodendron , and Xanthosoma (e.g., Garcia-Robledo et al 2005 ; Gibernau et al 1999 ; Young 1986 ). These scarab beetles arrive at night, attracted by intense floral scents (with emission supported by thermogenesis), use the inflorescences as feeding and mating sites, and effect pollination by their activities (e.g., Pereira et al 2014 ).…”