Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2440/111353
Type: Journal article
Title: Pollination success of the Corsican Helicodiceros muscivorus (Araceae)
Author: Gibernau, M.
Seymour, R.
Citation: Aroideana, 2014; 37(1):61-71
Publisher: The International Aroid Society, Inc.
Issue Date: 2014
ISSN: 0197-4033
2310-0745
Statement of
Responsibility: 
Marc Gibernau, Roger S. Seymour
Abstract: The pollination success of the dead horse arum, Helicodiceros muscivorus, was studied in one Corsican population. This aroid species is pollinated by deception, attracting blowflies by mimicking the floral volatiles emitted by mammal cadavers. The reproductive individuals were taller and larger than non-reproductive ones, indicating that the plant vigor and thus the available amount of resources is an important factor in the production of an inflorescence. The reproductive success of the dead horse arum increased with the size of the inflorescence, as judged by a positive linear correlation between the appendix length and the total number of flies trapped within the floral chamber. Larger inflorescences had a longer appendix and thus a better probability to attract and dupe pollinating flies. The absence of correlation between floral sex-ratio and the spadix size indicated that there was no expression of the size-advantage model in H. muscivorus apparent in some other Araceae. The most probable explanation is that pollination efficiency is high because of low diversity and high abundance of pollinating insects.
Keywords: Dead horse arum; deceit pollination; plant vigor; floral trait correlations; Calliphoridae; Diptera
Rights: All Images and Text © 1996 to 2018 by the International Aroid Society or by their respective owners as noted.
Published version: http://www.aroid.org/aroideana/
Appears in Collections:Aurora harvest 8
Earth and Environmental Sciences publications

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