Ghazoul Jaboury

The Persistence of an Obligate Mutualism at Low Plant Densities: The Trollius europaeus – Chiastocheta spp. Interaction.

Project Number: CH-4462

Project Type:	Dissertation
Project Duration:	01/01/2005 - 12/31/2011 project completed
Funding Source:	ETH ,
Project Leader:	Prof. Jaboury Ghazoul Institut für Terrestrische Ökosysteme (ITES) ETH Zürich ETH Zentrum CHN G 74.1 Universitätstrasse 16 8092 Zürich Phone: +41 (0) 44 632 86 27 ; +41 (0) 44 633 60 63 FAX: +41 (0) 44 633 11 23 e-Mail: jaboury.ghazoul(at)env.ethz.ch http://www.ito.ethz.ch

related to this project.

for which the project has a relevance.

Research Areas:

Biodiversity

Disciplines:

general biology
botanics

Abstract:
The relationship between the globeflower T. europaeus and some fly species of the genus Chiastocheta is one of the few obligate mutualisms known between a plant and its pollinator. While the yucca – yucca moth or fig – fig wasp associations have been rather well studied, the relationship between Chiastocheta spp. and T. europaeus has not received as much attention. The globeflower plant is a perennial, hermaphroditic plant that grows throughout northern and middle Europe, mostly on moist meadows. It has a bright yellow flower which gave the plant its name, as the petals form a tightly closed, globose sphere. This shape is also the key factor to the obligate mutualism between the pollinator and plant, as it excludes other insects besides Chiastocheta from entering the flower to pollinate and/or forage on nectar and pollen. The Chiastocheta flies hatch in time for the flowering period of the globeflowers, which they use as shelter, foraging grounds and for mating. Both male and female flies then pollinate the globeflower through their foraging behaviour. The female fly then lays her eggs onto the carpels or developing seeds of T. europaeus, where the larvae then develop and feed on the seeds before dropping to the ground to pupate and overwinter. Thus, the relationship evolved to be a ‘seeds for seeds’ paradigm, where the plant has to sacrifice a certain proportion of its offspring to ensure reproductive success. My aim will be to investigate the viability of this mutualism at low plant densities, as the globeflower is in decline in middle Europe. As the populations become increasingly smaller and isolated, is this mutualism able to persist and to guarantee a viable population or do other mechanisms for reproduction take over? To investigate this, we will conduct various experiments in study site in Zürich and its surrounding Kantons. The study sites vary in population size and density to give us a better understanding of the mechanisms in reproduction strategies of Trollius europaeus.

URL: http://www.ecology.ethz.ch/people/phd/klankc

Publications:
PLUESS Andrea R., KLANK Charlotte & Jaboury GHAZOUL (2013): Neutral and quantitative genetic differentiation among Trollius europaeus populations within a fragmented landscape. In:Alpine Botany 123(2):55-63.
PDF Artikel

KLANK Charlotte, GHAZOUL Jaboury and Andrea R. PLUESS (2012): Genetic variation and plant performance in fragmented populations of globeflowers (Trollius europaeus) within agricultural landscapes.In: Conserv Genet (2012) 13:873–884.
PDF Artikel

Klank C., Pluess A.R. & Ghazoul, J. 2010. Effects of population size on plant reproduction and pollinator abundance in a highly specialised pollination system. Journal of Ecology. 98, 1389–1397.
pdf Artikel


Finger, A. & Klank, C. (2010) Molecular methods – Blessing or curse? In: J.C. Habel & T. Assmann (Eds) Relict Species - Phylogeography and Conservation Biology. Springer Heidelberg, p.309-320

Jaeger, J., Pluess, A.R., Klank, C. & Ghazoul, J. (2007) Herausforderungen für Forstwirtschaft und forstliche Forschung: Wie können Wissenschaft und Praxis wirksamer zusammenarbeiten? GAIA, 16/4: 261-266



Last update: 7/18/17
Source of data: ProClim- Research InfoSystem (1993-2024)
Update the data of project: CH-4462

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