Marcgravia evenia
| Marcgravia evenia | |
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| Species: | M. evenia
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| Binomial name | |
| Marcgravia evenia | |
Marcgravia evenia is a species of flowering vine in the family Marcgraviaceae. Within this family it belongs to the Galetae group, which is characterized by a long inflorescence axis and boat shaped nectaries.[1] The plant is endemic to Cuba.
Bat ecology
Marcgravia evenia relies on Monophyllus, a Cuban nectar-feeding bat,[2] for pollination. This plant has evolved bowl shaped leaves which act as reflectors for a bat's biosonar.[3] This helps the bats to find the plants with greater ease and hence pollinate them with more frequency. The shape of the leaves also helps to guide the bats in locating the hidden feeders.[4] The reflectors are convergent with those of a Bornean pitcher plant, Nepenthes hemsleyana, that attracts bats to its pitchers as roosting sites and uses bat guano as a source of nutrition.[5]
References
- Kaufman, Rachel. "Bats Drawn to Plant via "Echo Beacon"." National Geographic 28 Jul 2011: 1. Web. 29 Jul 2011. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/07/110728-plants-bats-sonar-pollination-animals-environment/>.
- ^ Dressler, S. (2000). A new species of Marcgravia (Marcgraviaceae) from Amazonia with some notes on the Galeatae group including a key. Willdenowia 30, 369-374 http://www.jstor.org/pss/3997403
- ^ "National Geographic and European Scientists Name New "Talking Plant"". Blogcritics. July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ Simon, R.; Holderied, M.W.; Koch, C.U.; von Helversen, O. (2011). "Floral Acoustics: Conspicuous Echoes of a Dish-Shaped Leaf Attract Bat Pollinators [S.l.]". Science. 6042 (333): 631–633. doi:10.1126/science.1204210.
- ^ Gill, Victoria (July 29, 2011). "Plants Evolved a Bat Beckoning Beacon". BBC Nature. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ Schöner, M. G.; Schöner, C. R.; Simon, R.; Grafe, T. Ulmar; Puechmaille, S. J.; Ji, L. L.; Kerth, G. (2015-07-09). "Bats Are Acoustically Attracted to Mutualistic Carnivorous Plants". Current Biology. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.054.
External links
- Plant science: A leaf that's loud and proud
- Cuban flowers rely on bat signal for survival
- A Vine’s Acoustics Send a Bat Signal The New York Times August 2, 2011
- National Geographic and European Scientists Name New "Talking Plant"
- Rainforest Plant Developed Sonar Dish to Attract Pollinating Bats
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