Insect pollinators of Jasminocereus thouarsii, an endemic cactus of the Galapagos Islands
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Date
2010-10
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Show full item recordAbstract
Jasminocereus is a columnar cactus endemic to the Galapagos Islands, and is distributed mainly in the lowland arid zones. Its only species, J. thouarsii, has several varieties on different islands. Observations of the variety J. thouarsii var. delicatus on Santa Cruz Island suggested limited recruitment. We therefore studied its floral biology, pollination requirements and seed germination to determine whether recruitment might be limited by seed production or seed quality. Flowers opened in the early morning, from 5h00 to 10h00. No seed was produced by flowers isolated in pollination bags. Pollination was allogamous, mostly brought about by the endemic Xylocopa darwini (Hymenoptera: Apidae), followed by the introduced Acrosticta apicalis (Diptera) and endemic Camponotus planus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Seeds germinated well, with the highest germination rate obtained from seeds that were soaked before planting.Journal
Galapagos ResearchVolume
67Page Range
21-25Collections