Exploitation of Opuntia cactus by birds on the Galápagos

Summary

• (1) There is a close association between Opuntia helleri (cactus) and Geospiza conirostris (cactus finch) on Isla Genovesa, and between Opuntia echios and Geospiza scandens on Isla Daphne Major. The two finch species consume nectar and pollen, pollinate the obligatorily out-crossing flowers, consume the aril around the seeds, crack the seeds and occasionally disperse them.

• (2) In the dry season the two finch species open Opuntia flower buds, thereby gaining early access to pollen. But in the process, and at partially open flowers, they snip the style and destroy the stigmas in up to 78% of the flowers.

• (3) Stigma snipping prevents fertilization of the ovules and the development of seeds which are an important food item later in the year when food supply is likely to limit finch population sizes. Stigma snipping almost ceases in the main part of the wet season, corresponding with an increase in the density of Opuntia flowers and other food types, and a decrease in the proportion of feeding time spent on Opuntia flowers. Stigma snipping neither increased the time flowers remained open nor influenced nectar flow or the number and duration of subsequent visits to flowers by potential pollinators. This last result precludes the possibility that snipping is a means of marking the flower to signal a previous visit to the flower and pollen removal.

• (4) We conclude that the two finch species snip stigmas to facilitate removal of pollen from the central incurving stamens which are masked by the stigma in a closed or partially open flower. The finches gain a short-term benefit from the removal of stigmas in easy access to pollen and possibly nectar. They potentially suffer in the long term through diminished dry season food supply (seeds), particularly in drought years but we were unable to detect any fitness decrement suffered by the individual finches which do the snipping.

• (5) An important implication of these results and interpretations is that a behavioral trait which confers a short-term benefit to the individual may increase the chances of the population going extinct.