Pollination ecology of Stenocereus queretaroensis (Cactaceae), a chiropterophilous columnar cactus, in a tropical dry forest of Mexico

Flowers of columnar cacti are animal-pollinated, often displaying a chiropterophylic syndrome. This study examined if the columnar cactus Stenocereus queretaroensis, a tropical species endemic to western Mexico, is bat-pollinated, by studying its pollination biology and the foraging behavior of potential pollinators. Flowers were produced in winter through spring, peaking in April. Anthesis was nocturnal, and stigma and anther turgidity began around 2200 hours. Production of nectar secretion and highest sugar concentration and energy supply were nocturnal, peaking between 2200 and 2400 hours. Manual auto-pollination and exclusion experiments showed that self-pollination yielded no fruits, while nocturnal pollinators resulted in high fruit set and seed set compared to diurnal pollination treatments. The nectar-feeding bat Leptonycteris curasoae (Phyllostomidae) was the main nocturnal pollinator with the highest effective pollination. Peak bat visitation coincided with peaks in nectar production. The high abundance of L. curasoae throughout the 4-yr study, suggests that it is a seasonally reliable pollinator for this columnar cactus. While pollination syndromes have been increasingly called into question in recent years, this study suggests that at least for this system, there is a fairly close fit between pollinator and pollination syndrome

Pollination ecology of Stenocereus queretaroensis (Cactaceae), a chiropterophilous columnar cactus, in a tropical dry forest of Mexico

Flowers of columnar cacti are animal-pollinated, often displaying a chiropterophylic syndrome. This study examined if the columnar cactus Stenocereus queretaroensis, a tropical species endemic to western Mexico, is bat-pollinated, by studying its pollination biology and the foraging behavior of potential pollinators. Flowers were produced in winter through spring, peaking in April. Anthesis was nocturnal, and stigma and anther turgidity began around 2200 hours. Production of nectar secretion and highest sugar concentration and energy supply were nocturnal, peaking between 2200 and 2400 hours. Manual auto-pollination and exclusion experiments showed that self-pollination yielded no fruits, while nocturnal pollinators resulted in high fruit set and seed set compared to diurnal pollination treatments. The nectar-feeding bat Leptonycteris curasoae (Phyllostomidae) was the main nocturnal pollinator with the highest effective pollination. Peak bat visitation coincided with peaks in nectar production. The high abundance of L. curasoae throughout the 4-yr study, suggests that it is a seasonally reliable pollinator for this columnar cactus. While pollination syndromes have been increasingly called into question in recent years, this study suggests that at least for this system, there is a fairly close fit between pollinator and pollination syndrome

Защита данных при последовательной норменной обработке информации

Understanding the structure and evolution of ecological communities requires an examination of the factors that influence plant-animal mutualistic interactions. These interactions are affected by factors that are both extrinsic and intrinsic to the animals. We used a meta-analysis technique to examine such factors affecting the interactions between frugivorous animals and the plants they feed upon, using 3 common Neotropical frugivorous bat genera (Carollia, Sturnira, and Artibeus) as a model. We assessed whether latitude, altitude, ecoregion, and bat body size were related to the proportions of the most important plant genera in the diet of the bats. Our results show that extrinsic factors did not affect the proportion of Piper in the diet of Carollia. The proportion of Solanum in the diet of Sturnira was positively correlated with latitude and decreased in the mountain, moist, and bahia interior ecoregions. The proportion of Ficus and Cecropia in the diet of Artibeus decreased in high-elevation ecoregions and was negatively correlated with altitude. The large Artibeus species featured more Ficus and Cecropia in their diets compared to the small species of this genus. Our work demonstrates that mutualistic interaction between Neotropical bats and their core plant taxa is mediated by geographic and morphological factors. 2013 American Society of Mammalogists

Female Orgasm(s): One, Two, Several

We report Musonycteris harrisoni (Phyllostomidae) and Tlacuatzin canescens (Didelphidae) feeding of flowers during the blooming period (March and April 2004) of Stenocereus queretaroensis, an endemic cactus showing nocturnal anthesis and chiropterophilic syndrome. Visits were considered legitimate because both mammals made contact with the stigma and anthers, although their visits were highly infrequent compared with the principal pollinator Leptonycteris curasoae. These mammals are usually associated with pristine tropical forests, although our study site showed high habitat fragmentation and extensive agriculture. It is likely that both mammals feed regularly on nectar of cacti in pristine tropical forests thus acting actively as pollinators. " 2007 Academic Journals Inc.",,,,,,,,,"http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12104/43233","http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-37649012424&partnerID=40&md5=a1fb6bccb04c47019c16ce812b778951",,,,,,"4",,"International Journal of Zoological Research",,"22

Noteworthy record of Musonycteris harrisoni and Tlacuatzin canescens pollinating a columnar cactus in west-central Mexico

We report Musonycteris harrisoni (Phyllostomidae) and Tlacuatzin canescens (Didelphidae) feeding of flowers during the blooming period (March and April 2004) of Stenocereus queretaroensis, an endemic cactus showing nocturnal anthesis and chiropterophilic syndrome. Visits were considered legitimate because both mammals made contact with the stigma and anthers, although their visits were highly infrequent compared with the principal pollinator Leptonycteris curasoae. These mammals are usually associated with pristine tropical forests, although our study site showed high habitat fragmentation and extensive agriculture. It is likely that both mammals feed regularly on nectar of cacti in pristine tropical forests thus acting actively as pollinators. © 2007 Academic Journals Inc

Genetic diversity and relationships among wild and cultivated Stenocereus queretaroensis populations in western Mexico

Stenocereus queretaroensis is an endemic, chiropterophilous, columnar cactus of economic importance in Mexico. To investigate the effect of artificial selection on genetic diversity, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to estimate the genetic variation of wild, orchard, and backyard populations of S. queretaroensis from two regions in western Mexico. Six primers were used to generate 62 bands, of which 39 were polymorphic (62.9%). The total genetic diversity was similar in the wild (HT=0.296) and orchard (HT=0.291) groups, and slightly lower in the backyard group (HT=0.281). Wild populations (FST=0.13) were less differentiated than backyard (FST=0.17) and orchard (FST=0.21) populations. The wild and backyard groups were genetically closer (0.015) than the wild and orchard (0.018) groups. A Mantel test revealed a positive correlation between genetic and geographic distances (r=0.433, p=0.002). In conclusion, gene flow and the prevailing management system have efficiently maintained genetic diversity and facilitated inter-population differentiation in S. queretaroensis. � 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Morphometric, karyotypic, and molecular evidence for a new species of Peromyscus (Cricetidae: Neotominae) from Nayarit, Mexico

Historically, specimens representing the Peromyscus boylii species group (from montane regions of western and southwestern Mexico) have been referred to as P. boylii or P. levipes. However, previous studies indicated that specimens from eastern Nayarit possessed a karyotype and mitochondrial DNA haplotype distinct from other members of the P. boylii species group. Together, these data precluded an assignment of these specimens to any currently recognized taxon in the P. boylii species group. Availability of additional specimens from this region provided an opportunity to reevaluate the taxonomic status of this complex. Analyses of 18 morphological characters demonstrated that specimens from eastern Nayarit possessed a significantly longer length of the nasals relative to the other species. Further, phylogenetic analyses (parsimony and likelihood) of DNA sequences obtained from the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene indicate these specimens form a monophyletic clade embedded within a strongly supported clade containing representatives of P. beatae, P. levipes, and P. schmidlyi. Together, these results indicated that specimens from the Sierra Madre Occidental region of Nayarit represent an undescribed species of Peromyscus. Zapotitlán 2014 American Society of Mammalogists

Helminth Parasites of Freshwater Fishes of the Ayuquila River, Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, West Central Mexico

This study presents results from the first survey of the helminth parasites of fishes in the Ayuquila River, Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, in the states of Jalisco and Colima, west central Mexico. Twenty-eight helminth species were collected from 14 freshwater fish species in July 2000 and February 2001. No helminth species collected is exclusive to the Ayuquila River: 11 are allogenic species, mostly Nearctic in origin, and 17 are autogenics. Three introduced species were recovered. Saccocoelioides sogandaresi (Trematoda) was the most prevalent and widespread helminth recovered. The fish helminth fauna of the Ayuquila River is dominated by trematode and nematode species with only a few monogenean and acanthocephalan species. The fauna exhibits considerable overlap with that reported for other freshwater basins in Mexico, and all helminths recovered have been reported previously from Mexico