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Tambalacoque (also called the dodo tree) Sideroxylon grandiflorum in the Sapotaceae family, formerly Calvaria major, are long-lived trees endemic to Mauritius.
In 1973, it was thought that this species was dying out. There were only 13 specimens left, and all of them were about 300 years old. Stanley TempleStanley A. Stan" Temple Beers-Bascom Professor in Conservation, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Professor Temple's specialty is avian ecology. He has made important contribution put forward the theory that the dodoThis article is about the extinct bird. See also Prince Dodo, Dodo (Biblical name) or Dodo (ISP). The Mauritius Dodo Raphus cucullatus called Didus ineptus by Linnaeus), more commonly just Dodo was a metre-high flightless bird of the island of Mauritius., which became extinct in 1681Events March 4 Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. October 12 A London woman is publicly flogged for the crime of "involving herself in politics. August 31 Titus Oates is told to le, ate the seeds of the tree, and only by passing through the digestive tract of the dodo did the seeds become active and start to grow. After a while, it was discovered that the same effect could be accomplished by having turkeyMeleagris gallopavo Meleagris ocellata A turkey is either of two species of large birds in the gamebird family with fan-shaped tails and wattled necks. As with many galliform species, the female is smaller than the male, and less colourful. With their wins eat the seeds. Turkeys showed no interest in whole tambalacoque fruit, but were willing to swallow the pits, which sprouted after passing through turkey gizzards. New seedlings have germinated, and the species appears to have been saved, though the seedlings have not yet produced seeds of their own. The dodo tree is valued on Mauritius for its timber; the foresters now scrape the pits by hand in order to get them to sprout, rather than feeding them to turkeys.
However, this theory that the tree required the dodo has been debated: others have suggested that the decline of the tree was exaggerated, or that other extinct animals may also have been distributing the seeds. Catling (2001) in a summary cites Owadally and Temple (1979), and Witmer (1991).
References
- Temple, S.A. Plant-animal mutualism: coevolution with Dodo leads to near extinction of plant. Science 187: 885-886, 1977For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). Events January 1 First woman Episcopal priest ordained January 6 EMI sacks the Sex Pistols January 18 Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious " legionnaire's disease" Januar
- Carla Helfferich, The Turkey and the Tambalacoque Tree 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo
- Paul M. Catling, Extinction and the importance of history and dependence in conservation, Biodiversity 2(3), 20012001 is a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall ap pdf
- Owadally, A. W. and Temple, S. A. The dodo and the tambalacoque tree. Science 1363-1364, 1979Events January-February January 1 Sino-American relations: United States and the People's Republic of China establish diplomatic relations January 4 State of Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to families of dead and injured in Kent State University shootings.
- Witmer, M. C. and Cheke, A. S. The dodo and the tambalacoque tree: an obligate mutualism reconsidered. Oikos 61:133-137, 1991
