Marthe Svihus - A molecular sequence library to disentangle the interaction network of the weevil-aroid community

Weevil visiting a host plant. Photo by Egor Kamelev.

Home institution and supervisors
Glenn Dunshea. NTNU, Norway.

Host institution and supervisors
Alejandro Zuluaga Trochez. Universidad del Valle, Colombia. 2023.

Project description
The flowering plant family Araceae is a group of mostly tropical herbs with approximately 4,500 described species. One of the most interesting aspects of the family is its pollination, which involves several orders of insects. The insects are attracted by volatile organic compounds produced in the flowers, aided by the production of heat (thermogenesis), and other rewards. These rewards are diverse and include pollen, flower tissue, breeding sites, oviposition sites, among others. One of the most common flower visitors and pollinators is the weevil family (Curculionidae), although they are poorly understood. A recent review of weevil-based pollination concluded that many species and interactions remain to be described, and that the diversity of these interactions far exceeds that of other brood-site mutualistic systems.

 We are studying aroid pollination and the interactions of flower visitors in a cloud forest in Colombia, where 15 aroid species (5 genera) coexist. Among all visitors we have identified 13 morphospecies of weevils visiting almost all of the aroid species in the community. Some weevil species visit several Araceae species, while others seem to be specific to one species or genus. Identification of weevils is based on genitalia of male individuals which are not always available or easy to work with, so constructing a barcoding reference library will benefit later efforts to use metabarcoding to disentangle the interaction network of the weevil-aroid community.