| pollen dispersal in yucca filamentosa (agavaceae): the paradox of self-pollination behavior by tegeticula yuccasella (prodoxidae). | we investigated pollen dispersal in an obligate pollination mutualism between yucca filamentosa and tegeticula yuccasella. yucca moths are the only documented pollinator of yuccas, and moth larvae feed solely on developing yucca seeds. the quality of pollination by a female moth affects larval survival because flowers receiving small amounts of pollen or self-pollen have a high abscission probability, and larvae die in abscised flowers. we tested the prediction that yucca moths primarily perform ... | 2000 | 10811791 |
| application of flow cytometry and microscopical methods to characterize the effect of herbal drugs on leishmania spp. | the world health organization has identified leishmania sis as a major public health problem, particularly in africa, asia, and latin america. about 1.5 to 2 million people are affected annually by this parasitic infection. as there is no vaccine, there is still a strong need for sufficient drugs. in a preliminary screening, extracts of 50 different plants were evaluated for their possible leishmanicidal activity against the promastigote form of leishmania mexicana amazonensis. eighteen extracts ... | 2001 | 11312576 |
| effect of pollinator-inflicted ovule damage on floral abscission in the yucca-yucca moth mutualism: the role of mechanical and chemical factors. | the long-term persistence of obligate mutualisms (over 40 mya in both fig/fig wasps and yucca/yucca moths) raises the question of how one species limits exploitation by the other species, even though there is selection pressure on individuals to maximize fitness. in the case of yuccas, moths serve as the plant's only pollinator, but eggs laid by the moths before pollination hatch into larvae that consume seeds. previous studies have shown that flowers with high egg loads are more likely to absci ... | 2003 | 12756527 |
| patterns of genetic structure among populations of an oligophagous pollinating yucca moth (tegeticula yuccasella). | plant-insect associations have served as models for investigations of coevolution and the influence of biotic interactions on diversification. the pollination association between yuccas and yucca moths is a classic example of an obligate mutualism often suggested to have been affected by coevolution. recent work has shown high host specificity in pollinating yucca moths, and here we use tegeticula yuccasella, the species with the widest diet breadth, to ask how host specificity and isolation by ... | 2004 | 15073228 |
| characterizing the interaction between the bogus yucca moth and yuccas: do bogus yucca moths impact yucca reproductive success? | yucca moths are most well known for their obligate pollination mutualism with yuccas, where pollinator moths provide yuccas with pollen and, in exchange, the moth larvae feed on a subset of the developing yucca seeds. the pollinators, however, comprise only two of the three genera of yucca moths. members of the third genus, prodoxus, are the "bogus yucca moths" and are sister to the pollinator moths. adult prodoxus lack the specialized mouthparts used for pollination and the larvae feed on plant ... | 2004 | 15170561 |
| molecular modeling, docking and dynamics simulations of gna-related lectins for potential prevention of influenza virus (h1n1). | the galanthus nivalis agglutinin (gna)-related lectin family exhibit significant anti-hiv and anti-hsv properties that are closely related to their carbohydrate-binding activities. however, there is still no conclusive evidence that gna-related lectins possess anti-influenza properties. the hemagglutinin (ha) of influenza virus is a surface protein that is involved in binding host cell sialic acid during the early stages of infection. herein, we studied the 3d-qsars (three-dimensional quantitati ... | 2011 | 21445708 |
| chemistry and geographic variation of floral scent in yucca filamentosa (agavaceae). | we identified volatiles from the floral headspace of yucca filamentosa using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry and analyzed floral scent composition and variation among populations pollinated by different yucca moth species. twenty-one scent compounds were repeatedly identified and most could be categorized into two major classes: (1) homoterpenes derived from the sesquiterpene alcohol nerolidol and (2) long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons. two biosynthetic pathways are thus responsible for ... | 2005 | 21646079 |
| genetic diversity and population structure of yucca filamentosa (agavaceae). | using 19 allozyme loci we studied genetic diversity in 18 populations of yucca filamentosa (agavaceae) from the southeastern united states. of the 19 loci surveyed, 17 (89.5%) were polymorphic in at least one of the populations sampled. there was considerable variation among populations in the percentage of polymorphic loci (range = 31.6-84.2%, mean = 67.6%). similar heterogeneity among populations was observed for mean number of alleles per polymorphic locus (range = 2.0-3.0; mean = 2.48) and m ... | 1998 | 21684917 |
| yucca aloifolia (asparagaceae) opts out of an obligate pollination mutualism. | • | 2014 | 25480703 |