AMORPHOPHALLUS PAEONIIFOLIUS (DENNST.) NICOLS. (AEACEAE: LILIOPSIDA): BOTANICAL CURIOSITY IN PUERTO RICO

AMORPHOPHALLUS PAEONIIFOLIUS (DENNST.) NICOLS. (AEACEAE: LILIOPSIDA): BOTANICAL CURIOSITY IN PUERTO RIC

The breeding system and effectiveness of introduced and native pollinators of the endangered tropical tree <i>Goetzea elegans</i> (Solanaceae)

The impact of introduced species on native organisms is one of the main conservation concerns around the world. To fully understand the effect of introduced pollinators on native plants, it is important to know the reproductive biology of the focal species, especially its pollination biology. In this study we examined the breeding system of the endangered tree <i>Goetzea elegans</i> (Solanaceae), and compared pollination effectiveness of the two main floral visitors, <i>Coereba flaveola</i> (an avian nectarivore), and <i>Apis mellifera</i> (the introduced European Honeybee). We assessed the breeding system of <i>G. elegans</i> by applying several pollination treatments to flowers of cultivated trees to test fruit set, seed set, and seed viability. We also examined the pollination efficiency of <i>A. mellifera </i>and<i> C. flaveola</i> , and compared all the treatments with positive and negative controls. Our results indicate that the introduced honeybee <i>A. mellifera</i> is as efficient as the native bird <i>C. flaveola </i>in pollinating the flowers of <i>G. elegans.</i> This study also showed that <i>G. elegans</i> requires cross–pollination for fruit and seed set, and to obtain high seed viability rates. Despite the fact that many studies report exotic species as detrimental for native organisms, we document a case where an introduced insect has a beneficial impact on the reproductive biology of an endangered tropical tree

Reproductive pattern of the reef-building coral Pavona gigantea (Scleractinia: Agariciidae) off southwestern Mexico

The reproductive biology of the massive coral Pavona gigantea has been studied along Mexico’s Pacific coast, but basic aspects such as its relation to local environmental variables and its variation on a mesoscale level have not been addressed. The reproductive cycle of P. gigantea was monitored monthly over a two-year period (2010–2012) at four sites along the coast of Oaxaca (southwestern Mexico). Except for one hermaphroditic colony, P. gigantea was gonochoric and exhibited asynchronous development. The data suggest that, in the study area, the species may reproduce seasonally, with minor interannual differences (May–September 2010, April–August 2011, April–May 2012). There were spatial and temporal variations in the percentage of reproductively active colonies and the presence of mature sex cells. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the percentage of reproductively active colonies was significantly explained (69.6%) by mesoscale variations in environmental variables such as sea surface temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, diffuse attenuation coefficient, percentage of lunar illumination, and photoperiod, the latter being the most relevant variable in the model. The data suggest that temporal mesoscale variations can exert a meaningful influence on coral reproduction in the study area.

Molecular Systematics of Threatened Seed Plant Species Endemic in the Caribbean Islands

A review of available Caribbean Island red-lists species (CR and EN categories based on the IUCN guidelines from 2001, and E category established according to the IUCN guidelines from 1980) is presented. A database of over 1,300 endemic species that are either Critically Endangered or Endangered sensu IUCN was created. There are molecular systematic studies available for 112 of them. Six of these species (in six genera) are the only members of early divergent lineages that are sister to groups composed of a large number of clades. Seven of the species (in seven genera) belong to clades that have a small number of taxa but are sister to species/genus-rich clades. Ten of the species (in six genera) are sister to taxa restricted to South America or nested in clades endemic to this region. Fifty-seven of the species (in 35 genera) are sister to Caribbean Island endemic species. Erigeron belliastroides, an Endangered (EN) Cuban endemic, is sister to the Galapagos genus Darwiniothamnus. The phylogenetic placement of four of the threatened species resulted in changes in their taxonomic placement; they belong to polyphyletic or paraphyletic genera. © 2013 The New York Botanical Garden