Editing Sideroxylon grandiflorum

{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Sideroxylon grandiflorum - Mauritian endemic tree.jpg
| image_caption = Young tree
| taxon = Sideroxylon grandiflorum
| authority = [[A. P. de Candolle|A.DC.]]
| synonyms = *''Calvaria grandiflora'' (A.DC.) Dubard
*''Sapota lessertii'' A.DC.
*''Sideroxylon annithomae'' Aubrév.
*''Sideroxylon lessertii'' (A.DC.) Baker
*''Calvaria major''
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-191933|title=The Plant List}}</ref>
}}

'''''Sideroxylon grandiflorum''''', also known as the '''tambalacoque''' or '''dodo tree''', is a long-lived species of tree in the sapote family [[Sapotaceae]]. It is [[endemic]] to [[Mauritius]].

== Description ==
The fruit of ''Sideroxylon grandiflorum'' is analogous to a [[peach]]. Each is termed a [[drupe]] because each has a hard [[endocarp]], or pit, surrounding the seed. The plant itself superficially resembles the unrelated ''[[Plumeria]]'', but the dodo tree's flowers and fruit are [[cauliflorous]].<ref>{{cite book |title=C.F.Z yearbook |date=1997 |publisher=C.F.Z. Press |editor-last=Downes |editor-first=Jonathan |location=Woolsery, England |pages=136–137}}</ref>

==Ecology==
[[File:DodoTree-Naturalis-PeterMaas2009.jpg|thumb|Preserved seeds.]]
In 1973, it was argued that the species was becoming [[Extinction|extinct]]. There were supposedly only 13 specimens left, all estimated to be about 300 years old; the true age could not be determined because tambalacoque has no [[growth ring]]s. [[Stanley Temple]] hypothesized that the [[dodo]], which became extinct in the 17th century, ate tambalacoque fruits, and that only after passing through the digestive tract of the dodo could the seeds germinate. Temple force-fed seventeen tambalacoque fruits to [[wild turkey]]s in 1977. Seven of the fruits were crushed by the bird's gizzard, while the remaining ten were either regurgitated or passed with the bird's feces. Temple planted the remaining ten fruits, three of which germinated. Temple did not try to germinate any seeds from control fruits that had not been fed to turkeys so the effect on germination of feeding fruits to turkeys was unknown. Studies on tambalacoque seed germination by Hill (1941) and King (1946) found that the seeds germinated without [[Scarification (botany)|abrading]].

Temple's hypothesis that the tree required the dodo was contested. Others have suggested that the decline of the tree was exaggerated or that other extinct animals, such as [[Cylindraspis|giant tortoises]], [[fruit bat]]s, or the [[broad-billed parrot]], may also have been distributing the seeds. The decline of the tree may be due to [[introduced species|introduction]] of [[domestic pig]]s and [[crab-eating macaque]]s, and competition from introduced plants. Alternatively, the difference in reported tree numbers may arise from the fact that young trees are not distinct in appearance and may easily be confused with similar species. Catling (2001) in a summary cites Owadally and Temple (1979) and Witmer (1991), while Hershey (2004) reviewed the flaws in Temple's dodo-tambalacoque hypothesis.

In 2004, the [[Botanical Society of America|Botanical Society of America's]] Plant Science Bulletin disputed Temple's research as flawed.  The Bulletin published evidence as to why the dodo's extinction did not directly cause the increasing disappearance of young trees, including suggestions that the ''Cylindraspis'' giant tortoises would have been more likely to disperse the seeds than dodos, casting doubt on Temple's view as to the dodo and the tree's sole survival relationship.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.botany.org/PlantScienceBulletin/psb-2004-50-4.php#Dodo |title=The Widespread Misconception that the Tambalacoque or ''Calvaria'' Tree Absolutely Required the Dodo Bird for its Seeds to Germinate |first=David R |last=Herhey |journal=Plant Science Bulletin |year=2004 |volume=50 |issue=4 |issn=0032-0919}}</ref> More recently, the tree’s decline within native forests was shown to be in fact driven by invasive introduced species: The tree’s first germination in its native habitat were observed in 2001 (26 seedlings) exclusively where invasive alien weeds had been cleared <ref>{{cite book |last1=Baider |first1=Cláudia |last2=Florens |first2=FB Vincent |date=2006 |editor1-last=Laurance |editor1-first=WF |editor2-last = Peres | editor2-first = CA| title=Emerging threats to tropical forests |publisher=Chicago University Press |pages=199–214 |chapter= Current decline of the ‘Dodo-tree’: a case of broken-down interactions with extinct species or the result of new interactions with alien invaders.|chapter-url=https://en.wikipedia.org/ |isbn= |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> and further observations and controlled experiments showed that invasive introduced macaques (<i>[[Crab-eating macaque|Macaca fascicularis]]</i> Rafles 1821) pick most of the tree’s fruits when still unripe, killing the seeds, and reducing natural germination rates by up to about 40 times.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baider |first1=Cláudia |last2=Florens |first2=FB Vincent |date=2006 |editor1-last=Laurance |editor1-first=WF |editor2-last = Peres | editor2-first = CA| title=Emerging threats to tropical forests |publisher=Chicago University Press |pages=199–214 |chapter= Current decline of the ‘Dodo-tree’: a case of broken-down interactions with extinct species or the result of new interactions with alien invaders.|chapter-url=https://en.wikipedia.org/ |isbn= |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>

==Uses==
The dodo tree is highly valued for its wood in Mauritius, which has led some foresters to scrape the pits by hand to make them sprout and grow.<ref name="EllisNTB">{{cite book| last = Ellis| first = Richard| author-link = Richard Ellis (biologist) | title = No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species| url = https://archive.org/details/noturningbacklif00elli_262| url-access = limited| publisher = Harper Perennial | year = 2004| location = New York| pages = [https://archive.org/details/noturningbacklif00elli_262/page/n181 164]| isbn =0-06-055804-0 }}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Sideroxylon majus]]'', a species native to [[Réunion]], that has been confounded with ''Sideroxylon grandiflorum'' (particularly under its synonym ''Calvaria major'')

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* '''Catling''', P. M. (2001): Extinction and the importance of history and dependence in conservation. ''Biodiversity'' 2(3): 2-13 {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20031230211908/http://www.tc-biodiversity.org/sample-extinction.pdf pdf]}}
* '''Helfferich''', C. (1990): [https://www.gi.alaska.edu/alaska-science-forum/turkey-and-tambalacoque-tree The Turkey and the Tambalacoque Tree]
* '''Hershey''', D. R. (2004): [http://www.botany.org/PlantScienceBulletin/psb-2004-50-4.php#Dodo The widespread misconception that the tambalacoque absolutely required the dodo for its seeds to germinate.] ''Plant Science Bulletin'' 50: 105–108.
* '''Hill''', A. W. (1941): The genus ''Calvaria'', with an account of the stony endocarp and germination of the seed, and description of the new species. ''Annals of Botany'' '''5'''(4): 587–606. [https://archive.today/20121228024247/http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/5/4/587 PDF fulltext] (requires user account)
* '''King''', H. C. (1946): ''Interim Report on Indigenous Species in Mauritius''. Port Louis, Mauritius: Government Printer.
* '''Owadally''', A. W. & '''Temple''', Stanley A. (1979): The dodo and the tambalacoque tree. ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' '''203'''(4387): 1363–1364.
* '''Quammen''', David (1996): ''The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction''. Touchstone, New York. <small>{{ISBN|0-684-82712-3}}</small><!-- 1997 is reprint -->
* '''Temple''', Stanley A. (1977): Plant-animal mutualism: coevolution with Dodo leads to near extinction of plant. ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' '''197'''(4306): 885–886. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1744474 HTML abstract]
* '''Witmer''', M. C. & '''Cheke''', A. S. (1991): The dodo and the tambalacoque tree: an obligate mutualism reconsidered. ''[[Oikos (journal)|Oikos]]'' '''61'''(1): 133–137. [http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=5082004 HTML abstract]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1027556}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sideroxylon Grandiflorum}}
[[Category:Sideroxylon|grandiflorum]]
[[Category:Endemic flora of Mauritius]]
[[Category:Trees of Africa]]