Kakapo & short tailed bats are key pollinators
October
2012. Ancient dung from a cave in the South Island of New Zealand has
revealed a previously unsuspected relationship between two of the
country's most unusual threatened species.
Fossilised kakapo
dung (coprolites) contained large amounts of pollen of a rare parasitic
plant, dactylanthus (commonly known as "wood rose" or "Hades flower"),
which lives underground and has no roots or leaves itself. Researchers
from the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) at the University of
Adelaide and Landcare Research and the Department of Conservation in New
Zealand report the discovery today in the journal Conservation Biology.
Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kakapo-pollinator.html
Monday 8 October 2012
Flightless parrots & burrowing bats helping to save rare parasitic Hades flower
Labels:
kakapo,
New Zealand,
parasitic plant,
rare plant,
short-tailed bat,
south island
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