Visiting and feeding behavior of sap beetles (Carpophilus lugubris) in the flowers of a chiropterophilic columnar cactus (Pilosocereus leucocephalus)

Miranda‐Jácome, Antonio; Fernández-Tlapa, Fátima; Munguía‐Rosas, Miguel A.

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104482

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, in several cases they were not considered genuine pollinators by the authors and were said to behave as thieves or damage the flowers (Parfitt & Pickett, 1980;Casas et al, 1999aCasas et al, , 1999bReyes-Ag€ uero et al, 2006;Blair & Williamson, 2008;Mandujano et al, 2014). Thus, further studies that involve exclusion experiments are needed to elucidate their role as pollinators in cacti (de Menezes & Sampaio, 2021;Miranda-J acome et al, 2021). Furthermore, although it is not a common feature among cacti, wind can also be a pollinating agent, as has been demonstrated for the Caribbean columnar cactus Harrisia portoricensis (Rojas-Sandoval & Melendez-Ackerman, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latitudinal gradients in biotic interactions: Are cacti pollination systems more specialized in the tropics?

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biotic interactions are said to be more specialized in the tropics, and this was also proposed for the pollination systems of columnar cacti from North America. However, this has not yet been tested for a wider set of cactus species. Here, we use the available information about pollination in the Cactaceae to explore the geographic patterns of this mutualistic interaction, and test if there is a latitudinal gradient in its degree of specialization.• We performed a bibliographic search of all publications on the pollination of cacti species and summarized the information to build a database. We used generalized linear models to evaluate if the degree of specialization in cacti pollination systems is affected by latitude, using two different measures: the number of pollinator guilds (functional specialization) and the number of pollinator species (ecological specialization).• Our database contained information about the pollination of 148 species. The most frequent pollinator guilds were bees, birds, moths and bats. There was no apparent effect of latitude on the number of guilds that pollinate a cactus species. However, latitude had a small but significant effect on the number of pollinator species that service a given cactus species.• Bees are found as pollinators of most cactus species, along a wide latitudinal gradient.Bat and bird pollination is more common in the tropics than in the extra-tropics. The available information suggests that cacti pollination systems are slightly more ecologically specialized in the tropics, but it does not support any trend with regard to functional specialization.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latitudinal gradients in biotic interactions: Are cacti pollination systems more specialized in the tropics?

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The evolution of pollen feeding habits of pollinating beetles has attracted increasing attention [ 4 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ]. However, the morpho-functional adaptability of Meligethinae, which feeds exclusively on pollen, has not been studied yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological Study of the Alimentary Canal and Malpighian Tubules in the Adult of the Pollen Beetle Meligethes (Odonthogethes) chinensis (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)

Chen

Liu

Giulio

et al. 2023

Insects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Meligethes (Odonthogethes) chinensis is a highly specialized species of Nitidulidae in China that takes pollen as its main food source, and its main host plant is Rubus idaeus L. (Rosaceae). In this study, the structural morphology of the alimentary canal and Malpighian tubules of adult M. (O.) chinensis was observed under light, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy. The alimentary canal of adult M. (O.) chinensis is divided into foregut, midgut, and hindgut. The foregut is the shortest and consists of the pharynx, esophagus, proventriculus, and cardiac valve. The midgut is a straight, distended, cylindrical, thin-walled tube. Numerous blunt-fingered gastric ceca are distributed irregularly throughout the midgut. The hindgut is subdivided into the ileum, colon, and rectum. The ileum is coiled. The colon gradually enlarges posteriorly. The rectum is thickly muscled and followed by a membranous structure. The openings of proximal Malpighian tubules are evenly inserted into the junction of the midgut and hindgut, and distal Malpighian tubules are evenly attached to the colon to form a cryptonephridial system. In this study, we also compare the structure and infer the function of the alimentary canal and Malpighian tubules among beetles, as well as discuss the evolutionary and taxonomical implications.

show abstract

“…The Cactaceae family has ≈ 200 genera and 2,500 species, mostly adapted to xeric conditions, native to the American continent (Bravo-Hollis 1937), and commonly associated with nurse species (Flores & Jurado 2003). The giant columnar cactus Pilosocereus leucocephalus is one of the main components of food chains in Mexican tropical dry forests, since it provides nectar, pulp, seeds (Miranda-Jácome et al 2020, Vázquez-Castillo et al 2019, Miranda-Jácome & Flores 2018, and sites for animal reproduction (Miranda-Jácome et al 2020, 2021. This species exhibits a significant spatial association with woody species, which results in increased germination, survival, and growth during establishment, suggesting a benefit due to the attenuation of solar irradiance (Miranda-Jácome et al 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of plant size and neighboring plants on the herbivory of the columnar cactus Pilosocereus leucocephalus

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Plant-plant facilitation provides benefits to the protected species since the host species reduces the intensity of stressful physical conditions. However, it has been hypothesized that the outcome of the interaction could be regulated by the characteristics of the interacting species and that herbivores could counteract the benefits of protective plants. Question: Can cactus size and identity of neighboring plants influence the herbivory of the columnar cactus P. leucocephalus? Studied species / Mathematical model: Pilosocereus leucocephalus (Poselg.) Byles & G.D. Rowley /One-way ANOVA, Repeated measures ANOVA, Analysis of covariance and linear regression. Study site and dates: San Ignacio, Veracruz, Mexico. April to May 2019. Methods: We randomly selected 60 P. leucocephalus plants growing underneath the canopy of seven species of shrubs and P. leucocephalus plants growing ≥ 3 m away from other species and exposed to full sunlight conditions. We obtained the size of the P. leucocephalus plants (size of main stem from ground to apex) and determined the intensity (number of bites on the stem) of vertebrate herbivory. Results: The number of bite scars by small vertebrate species was significantly higher on the stems of cacti established in open spaces than on those underneath the canopy of seven shrub species and increased significantly with the stem size of the protected species. Conclusions: We conclude that herbivory damage by rodents on a giant cactus in a dry tropical forest depends on cactus size and the identity, but not the shade, of the nearest neighbor.

show abstract

Visiting and feeding behavior of sap beetles (Carpophilus lugubris) in the flowers of a chiropterophilic columnar cactus (Pilosocereus leucocephalus)

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

Latitudinal gradients in biotic interactions: Are cacti pollination systems more specialized in the tropics?

Latitudinal gradients in biotic interactions: Are cacti pollination systems more specialized in the tropics?

Morphological Study of the Alimentary Canal and Malpighian Tubules in the Adult of the Pollen Beetle Meligethes (Odonthogethes) chinensis (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)

Influence of plant size and neighboring plants on the herbivory of the columnar cactus Pilosocereus leucocephalus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About