The yucca moth is the only pollinator for the flowers, and the moth caterpillars feed only on yucca seeds. are evergreen perennials, shrubs or trees prized for their distinctive appearance, attractive foliage and blooms, as well as an ability to thrive in hot, dry sites. I examined the interaction between the pollinating yucca moth Tegeticula cassandra and its host plant Yucca filamentosa to determine whether extrinsic factors are important in promoting stability in this mutualism. Fruit maturation, seed predation (larval yucca moths), and fruit dispersal (rodents) were monitored on a random sample of panicles during 2013 and 2014, which were years of high and low reproduction, respectively. Mealybugs are wingless, grayish-white insects with a waxy appearance and feel that tend to cluster in masses in leaf axils and on leaf undersides. Soft scales also excrete honeydew. The key component of yucca moth habitat is the occurrence of yucca plants. Yucca moths are also found in the southeastern portion of the U.S. and the West Indies, where just one species of yucca plant is known … therefore only the female yucca moth can pollinate the delicate flower. Many seeds are left over for new plants to grow. In fact, yucca plants in the old world will only produce seeds by hand pollination because the moth has virtually gone extinct. They feed by sucking fluids out of the plant with a straw-like mouth part. University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: Agave, Yucca, The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Problems and Pests of Agave, Aloe, Cactus and Yucca, University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: Scales, The University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: Yucca Weevil—Scyphophorus yuccae, University of Florida IFAS Extension: Yucca Production Guide, University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: Mealybugs. Direct and indirect effects of ants on seed predation in moth/yucca mutualisms Author(s): Rebecca S. Snell and John F. Addicott Source: Ecoscience, 15(3):305-314. Fates of fruits placed on the ground and in canopies were also tracked. The Prodoxidae are a family of moths, generally small in size and nondescript in appearance. This pest also excretes honeydew, a sticky, sweet substance that hosts the development of sooty mold and attracts ants. For example, a predator-prey relationship exists between red-tailed hawks and mice. These pests generally appear as immobile, wingless bumps on the yucca. In late summer, larvae emerge from the fruit, burrow into the soil, and enter prepupal diapause. The yucca weevil (Scyphophorus yuccae) adult is a black beetlelike insect about 1/2 inch long with an elongated snout. METHODS: Fruit maturation, seed predation (larval yucca moths), and fruit dispersal (rodents) were monitored on a random sample of pan icles during 2013 and 2014, which were years of high and low reproduction, respectively. To the naked eye, these pests appear as tiny red, pink or greenish moving dots. Yuccas essentially depend on the moths for pollination and the moths require Yucca ovaries for oviposition. After hatching, larvae feed on Soapweed seeds. The yucca can be fertilized by no other insect, and the moth can utilize no other plant. Females are larger than males and cannot fly. Some males with larger wings can fly, whereas those with smaller wings cannot. Non-pollinating Yucca Moths are obligate seed predators of Soapweed in Canada. Larvae of the related bogus yucca moth (Prodoxus) feed in the stems and seed capsules of the yucca plant and also attack the century plant. They do not pollinate and lay eggs in early stage Soapweed fruit. In the Southwest, one of their most iconic partners is the Non-pollinating Yucca Moths are small white moths of the family Prodoxidae. Thoroughly treating an infested yucca with horticultural oil when the scales are in their active crawler stage in spring helps control them. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. However, if the moth does too much damage in the course of oviposition, it risks … Avoiding the use of broad-spectrum insecticides and controlling ants allows natural predators the opportunity to control mealybugs. The yucca moth, attracted by the scent, gathers pollen from the yucca flower. A. Coevolution can lead to specialized relationships, such as between predator and prey. Q. Yucca seeds are the only food yucca larva can eat. They include species of moderate pest status, such as the currant shoot borer, and others of considerable ecological and evolutionary interest, such as various species of "yucca moths". Because of the specificity involved, it has been assumed that the association arose once, although it has been suggested that within the prodoxid moths as a whole, pollinators have arisen from seed predators more than once. Yucca Plants and Yucca Moths •Each type of Yucca plant can only be pollinated by a specific kind of Yucca moth. It "jumps" when mildly heated. The moth is a seed predator but plays no role in the pollination of its host shrub. Two-spotted mites (Tetranychus urticae), relatives of spiders, can bother some yucca species. Conforms to its yucca plant species host's range (which may vary from region to region). Feeding damage appears as a stippling of foliage. Swollen Thorn Acacia Tree and Ants •The tree provides a nursery for the ants in The yucca moth, attracted by the scent, gathers pollen from the yucca flower. The yucca moth is the only pollinator and a critical seed predator of a long-lived, grassland perennial plant called soapweed. The yucca moth is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. Artificial lights disorient moths, and research has found this can impair finding mates, evading predators, and pollinating plants. The yucca moth then deposits her eggs and the pollen on another plant. The yucca moth lays its eggs in the flower of the yucca, but helps the yucca plant pollinate itself. Angela Ryczkowski is a professional writer who has served as a greenhouse manager and certified wildland firefighter. (Photo: Kaitlin Haase.) The yucca moth then deposits her eggs and the pollen on another plant. Yucca moths of the yucca-yucca moth system e. None of the above. 2008. They remain in this state for up to several years, The yucca plant cannot pollinate itself — it relies on the yucca moth for cross-pollination. They have specialized maxillary tentacles used to handle the pollen of Yucca spp., with which they engage in an obligate pollination-seed predation mutualism. Although generally low-maintenance and easy to grow, yuccas are occasionally bothered by a handful of potential pests. •That moth can only live on that kind of Yucca. A female yucca moth uses her unique mouthparts (tentacles) to gather a pollen ball from yucca anthers, then walks or flies to another flower, deposits a number of eggs within the flower’s ovaries, and slam-dunks the pollen ball into its stigmatic cavity. This story gave me goose bumps, and I wanted to see it for myself. This ensures that the plant will be cross-pollinated and that the yucca moth larvae have a steady food supply. The species occurs at two confirmed sites This ensures that the plant will be cross-pollinated and that the yucca moth larvae have a steady food supply. Providing the yucca with good cultural care, occasionally washing mealybugs and honeydew off with a forceful stream of water and, if necessary, applying a narrow-range oil or insecticidal soap also address mealybugs. 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