Title
Chiropterophily and ornithophily in Freycinetia (Pandanaceae) in Samoa
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1984
Volume Number
144
Source Publication
Plant Systematics and Evolution
Abstract
In Samoa, field observations, experiments, and SEM micrographs of hair and feather samples indicate the dioecious liana Freycinetia reineckei to be both chiropterophilous and ornithophilous with the principal pollinators being an endemic flying fox,Pteropus samoensis, and an endemic starling,Aplonis atrifuscus. Nutritional analysis of staminate and pistillate inflorescenses indicate qualitative and quantitative differences between the rewards offered by the two sexes. No nectar is presented, the principal pollinator rewards being fleshy bracts and pollen. As a result, staminate and bisexual inflorescenses sustain higher levels of pollinator damage, a factor which may tend to maintain dioecism within the population.