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Abstract
Temperature recording and odour sampling of male cones of Macrozamia communis revealed that patterns of thermogenesis, volatile emission, and stages of dehiscence are correlated. Levels of thermogenesis and volatiles increased from cone opening, peaked in mid dehiscence and then gradually abated, and both fluctuated on a diel basis, showing a single peak at about 21:00. The main volatiles in the cone odour were 3-octanol, 1-octen-3-ol, linalool, and methyl salicylate, the former two produced in greater quantities at early dehiscence than the latter. Dispersal and colonisation behaviour of the pollinating weevil, Tranes lyterioides, coincided with fluctuations in thermogenesis and volatile emission. The results suggest that random and nonspecified sampling of cone temperature and volatile emissions, as commonly reported for cycads, cannot provide an accurate portrait of these cone traits. Thermogenesis and volatile emissions need to be investigated more comprehensively throughout cone maturation to better understand cycad pollination systems.
