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Reproductive Consequences of Interactions between Yucca glauca (Agavaceae) and Tegeticula yuccasella (Lepidoptera) in Colorado

1994; Wiley; Volume: 81; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/2445762

1537-2197

Rhea Jean Dodd, Yan B. Linhart,

Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

American Journal of BotanyVolume 81, Issue 7 p. 815-825 Article Reproductive consequences of interactions between Yucca glauca (Agavaceae) and Tegeticula yuccasella (Lepidoptera) in Colorado Rhea Jean Dodd, Rhea Jean Dodd Department of Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0334Search for more papers by this authorYan B. Linhart, Yan B. Linhart Department of Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0334Search for more papers by this author Rhea Jean Dodd, Rhea Jean Dodd Department of Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0334Search for more papers by this authorYan B. Linhart, Yan B. Linhart Department of Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0334Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 July 1994 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1537-2197.1994.tb15562.xCitations: 18 Author for correspondence. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract For over 100 years the association between Yucca (Agavaceae) and Tegeticula (Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae) has been accepted as a quintessential example of an obligate mutualism. The yucca moth is purported to be the sole pollinator of Yucca, while Yucca flowers provide courtship and mating arenas, and Yucca seeds provide food for developing Tegeticula larvae. We studied Yucca glauca in northern Colorado, comparing the reproductive ecology and breeding systems of Yucca in plains populations, the "preferred" habitat of Yucca, with "marginal" sites at the edge of the local elevational distribution. Tegeticula are abundant at plains sites, and fruit set is significantly higher than in the foothills, where fruit set is limited by the paucity of moths. The low frequency of moths at high elevation, coupled with behaviors of adult female Tegeticula which lead to self-pollination, failure to pollinate, and periodic overloading of fruits with eggs, may help explain why Yucca glauca appears to maintain alternative pollinators. Some fruits lack evidence of Tegeticula infestation, suggesting that larvae die before completing development, or that fertilization of Yucca sometimes occurs without the intervention of Tegeticula. Biochemical analyses of nectar and observations of floral visitors revealed that it is highly likely that the fly Pseudocalliope sp. nov. (Lauxaniidae), which congregates and mates on Yucca glauca blossoms, acts as a secondary pollinator. Autogamy appears to occur infrequently in natural populations. We therefore propose that the yucca-yucca moth symbiosis be viewed as a facultative mutualism. Citing Literature Volume81, Issue7July 1994Pages 815-825 RelatedInformation