The Dodo and the Tambalacoque Tree: An Obligate Mutualism Reconsidered

1991/05/01 by Mark C. Witmer, Anthony S. Cheke · 5 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Plant and animal studies #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Plant Diversity and Evolution

paper · doi:10.2307/3545415

openalex publication_date 1991/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11

Abstract

The dodo/tambalacoque obligate mutualism notion is not supported by the evidence. Reports of 1) germination of unabraded seeds in which the seed coat ruptures along a natural zone of weakness, and 2) living tree less than 300 years old, undermine the hypothesis that tambalacoque seeds required abrasion in a dodo's gizzard before they could germinate. It is likely that the tambalacoque evolved a thick, tough seed coat in response to consumption by its dispersers, but there is no evidence that the seeds require abrasion before they can germinate (...)

Citations

• Principles of Dispersal in Higher Plants
• The Genus Calvaria, with an Account of the Stony Endocarp and Germination of the Seed and Description of a New Species
• An ecological history of the Mascarene Islands, with particular reference to extinctions and introductions of land vertebrates

Cited by

• Cassowary frugivory, seed defleshing and fruit fly infestation influence the transition from seed to seedling in the rare Australian rainforest tree, Ryparosa sp. nov. 1 (Achariaceae)
• Are psyllids affiliated with the threatened plants Acacia ausfeldii, A. dangarensis and A. gordonii at risk of co‐extinction?
• Extinction and the importance of history and dependence in conservation
• A Review of ‘The Dodo and the Solitaire: A Natural History’
• Dodo [wikipedia]