Browsing by Author "Ingram, Steven"

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    Palynology of the Cape's top ten richest families and its taxonomic implications
    (2011) Ingram, Steven
    Principal pollen characters, of the Cape floristic Regions ten richest families, which are phylogenetically useful at higher taxonomic levels (including aperture type, exine structure, pollen-unit, polarity, symmetry, shape), and their evolutionary trends are examined. Monocotyledons differ from eu-dicotyledons (and eu-dicots from basal-dicots) in their aperture number and form, and exine structure and are discussed in relation to their pollination syndrome aswell as their evolutionary trends. We also discuss the possibilities of creating a taxonomic key at species level, if not only for use at the vegetation-type scale for paleobotanists aswell as honey farmers.
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    Pollination biology of four co-occurring Erica species from the Cape Peninsula, South Africa
    (2011) Ingram, Steven; Ingram, Steven
    Although pollinators have been suggested to drive speciation in the Cape flora, this has not been tested for the largest, florally diverse Cape genus Erica. Speciation studies that focus on pollination biology often use floral syndrome characters to predict a species' functional pollinator group/s. The predictive power of these techniques has come under scrutiny, and hence in-situ observations have become highly important for confirming existing pollination syndromes. Here I performed pollinator observations and recorded various floral traits of four co-flowering, co-residing Erica species in the Kalk Bay mountains, South Africa. The predictive pollination syndromes were confirmed through direct observations in the field. E. ericoides and E. globella subsp. globella were confirmed as insect pollinated plants, and E. plukenetii subsp. plukenetii and E. abietina subsp. atrorosea were confirmed as bird pollinated plants. Interesting correlations between floral traits and visitation rates are also suggested.