Field studies of insect visitation and notes on the population ecology of nipa palm [Nypa fruticans (Wurb.) Thunberg]
2017
Panabang, B.B. | Yap, S.A. | Adorada, J.R.
The generalization that palms mainly exhibit anemophily has been disregarded and that palm species are serviced by a specific group of pollinating insects has been accepted. The alternative concept that palm pollination is through more than one group of insects was tested by studying the diversity and ecological role of insects visiting the flowers of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) to address the question whether or not nipa palm has a specialized pollination syndrome or whether pollination occurs via a group of insects or not. At least 25 families from the orders Diptera, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Hymenoptera and Hemiptera were recorded visiting the flowers of nipa. Results showed that insects from the families Drosophilidae (Diptera) and Nitidulidae (Coleoptera) and Curculionidae (Coleoptera) are the main insect visitors of nipa inflorescence and are the likely pollinators. Moreover, the absence of insect-specificity in the pollen vector of nipa supports the concept that pollination is likely to be in the general sense 'entomophilous' with the predominance of cantharophily.
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