• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Jennifer Marohasy

Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

  • Home
  • About
  • Publications
  • Speaker
  • Blog
  • Temperatures
  • Coral Reefs
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Cycad Relations Run Hot and Cold

October 6, 2007 By neil

B.spectabilis.jpg

Cycads have an evolutionary history dating back to the dry, cool age of the Triassic, when much of the world’s terrestrial landscape was inhospitable to spore-producing plants. They have carried the evolutionary breakthrough of the seed from an ancient group of now-extinct plants called Bennettitaleans, to the present.

Cycads are pollinated mainly by weevils and thrips, which carry out much of their life cycle within the tissues of the male and female cones. In what could be considered an insightful adaptation to global warming (albeit at a micro-level), an ABC Science Online article by Stephen Pincock reveals how another species of cycad Macrozamia lucida uses a stockpile of sugars, starch and fats to heat their cones to around 12 degrees Celsius above air temperature to encourage thrips to evacuate to the more appealing climes of the female cones.

Whilst cycads are pollinated by weevils and thrips, the distribution of their seeds is reliant upon another group of animal carriers.

Lepidozamia hopeii.jpg

The world’s tallest cycad Lepidozamia hopeii can reach twenty-metres. Every five-years-or-so, female plants produce large cones that mature over about ten months. They then collapse and bright-red seeds adorn the forest floor at the base of the plant. Mammals carry individual seeds away from the intensity of competition and remove the delectable red aril from the seed, leaving the camouflaged core to recruit away from the competitive disinterests of the parent plant.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Plants and Animals

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Luke says

    October 6, 2007 at 7:57 pm

    Neil – cycads have a real cult following among collectors – so many species have CITES restrictions – people will go to crazy lengths to obtain rare specimens, including breaking the law, smuggling, and dangerous adventures in remote parts of the world. The African Encephalartos genus is fantastic – bizarre even.

    Then there’s the contoversy as to whether cycads including their pollen cause Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Motor Neurone Disease

  2. Jayne says

    October 6, 2007 at 11:49 pm

    Love these weird and wonderful creations from nature!

    I think they’ve ruled out cycad pollen/flour as a cause for MND,Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,Luke.
    http://www.mndassociation.org/research/for_researchers/international_symposium/17th_international_symposium_on_alsmnd/my_symposium/daily_bulletins/opening_session.html

  3. col lucas says

    November 26, 2007 at 7:02 am

    Cycad (revoluta) pollen.I have removed pollenn from a male cone by brushing underneath the scales.The scales on the centre of the cone were fully open but very limited pollen fell out when shaking the cone. The pollen is more orange than yellow. Will this pollen be suitable for pollinating a female?

Primary Sidebar

Latest

Who Ate the Green Plate?

March 5, 2021

Why Craig Kelly Resigned on Tuesday

February 26, 2021

Priorities, Life is a Journey – And Happy Birthday to My Daughter

February 19, 2021

Fly-Past Coral Surveys, And

February 11, 2021

Naming a First Old Porites, Craig

February 5, 2021

Recent Comments

  • Andrew St John on Who Ate the Green Plate?
  • Frances Lilian Wellington on Who Ate the Green Plate?
  • Jennifer Marohasy on Who Ate the Green Plate?
  • Richard Bennett on Who Ate the Green Plate?
  • Kerrie Henrichs on Who Ate the Green Plate?

Subscribe For News Updates

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
October 2007
M T W T F S S
« Sep   Nov »
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  

Archives

Footer

About Me

Jennifer Marohasy Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation. Read more

Subscribe For News Updates

Subscribe Me

Contact Me

To get in touch with Jennifer call 0418873222 or international call +61418873222.

Email: jennifermarohasy at gmail.com

Connect With Me

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2014 - 2018 Jennifer Marohasy. All rights reserved. | Legal

Website by 46digital