Fruiting phenology and the survival of insect fruit predators: a case study from the South-east Asian Dipterocarpaceae

Nanophyes shoreae is a pre-dispersal weevil fruit-predator of some species in the Dipterocarpaceae. The dipterocarps typically mass flower at supra-annual intervals, with sporadic flowering events involving a few trees of a reduced number of species in the intervening periods. The hypothesis is tested that N. shoreae populations are maintained between mass-fruiting events by recruitment during sporadic fruiting. A record of flowering among 143 dipterocarps of 27 species is reported in Pasoh Forest Reserve, West Malaysia from May 1985 to July 1987. A quantitative analysis of N. shoreae pre-imaginal survival is described in one of the five sporadic flowering events that occurred. The primary mortality factors were abscission of fruit containing eggs and consumption by vertebrates of fruit containing pupae and third instar larvae. Overall the percentage of N. shoreae eggs that developed to produce adult weevils varied from 0 to 1.8%. This survival is low compared with that of other fruit predators. Thus, sporadic fruiting does not greatly boost N. shoreae populations between mass-flowering events and the key to the survival of this weevil lies elsewhere. The implications of this low recruitment for the evolution of mass flowering are discussed.

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Is Australia's Indo-Pacific strategy an illusion?

International Affairs ◽

10.1093/ia/iiz228 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 96 (1) ◽

pp. 95-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brendan Taylor

Keyword(s):

Foreign Policy ◽

South China Sea ◽

South China ◽

Negative Impact ◽

East Asian ◽

The South China Sea ◽

The South ◽

China Sea ◽

Middle Power

Abstract Australia has been among the most prominent advocates of the increasingly popular Indo-Pacific concept. This article argues that Canberra's enthusiasm for the concept stems from its appeal to the two dominant traditions of Australian foreign policy—a ‘dependent ally’ tradition and a ‘middle power’ approach. While these two traditions are typically seen as being in tension, the Indo-Pacific concept provides a rare point of convergence between them. The article begins by outlining the appeal of the Indo-Pacific concept to each of these traditions. Using a case-study of recent Australian policy toward the South China Sea disputes, however, the article then demonstrates that Australia has in practice implemented its stated Indo-Pacific strategy far less consistently than its very vocal support would appear to suggest. This disjuncture is attributed to the growing influence of a third, generally understudied, ‘pragmatic’ Australian foreign policy tradition. Because Australia has been such a prominent champion of the Indo-Pacific concept, the article concludes that this divergence between the rhetoric and the reality of Australia's Indo-Pacific strategy threatens to have a negative impact on the concept's broader international appeal and sustainability, particularly among Australia's south-east Asian neighbours.

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