Symbiotic Relationship between Yucca Plant and Its Moth - Coursework Example

Symbiotic Relationship between Yucca Plant and its Moth Symbiosis is a kind of relationship whereby two organisms of different species benefit mutually from each other due to their association (Boucher 13). The process of pollination enhanced by insects is one of the examples of symbiotic relationship between the plant and the insect. This relationship may either result to positive or negative outcome in the case of parasitism. Symbiotic kind of relationship is well illustrated between the Yucca and Yucca moth that mutually benefit from each other. Yucca is a plant belonging to the phylum Angiosperms, family Asparagaceae, genus Yucca and in species; there exists thirty types of Yucca (Oliver & Sheppard 32). This plant is a perennial shrub characterized by its evergreen rosette, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of whitish flowers. On the other hand, the yucca moth is an organism that belongs to the phylum Arthropoda, family Prodoxidae, genus yucca moth and several species of this fly exist such as tegeticula. Moth species can be distinguished by its color that closely resembles the yucca petals. This moth species is also distinct due to the absence of a long tongue that is present in others. Pollination is assisted by the presence of tentacles near its mouth. Figure 1: Yucca plant with its flowers and sword-like leaves Description of the Symbiotic partnership The relationship between the yucca plants and the yucca moth is one of a kind among the various that exist between plant and animal species. According to Oliver & Sheppard (32), they mutually benefit from each other right after pollination, where the yucca moth uses its tentacles to trap pollen grains of the yucca flower and transfers them into another flower's stigma. Yucca moth facilitates cross-pollination in the yucca plant species since the modification characterized by yucca flowers does not allow easier self-pollination. In addition, the yucca moth being a key player in facilitating the cross-pollination between the yucca plant species, it also assists in the process of fertilization (Oliver and Sheppard 32). This occurs when the male and female yucca moth come together on the yucca flower and copulate. After this, the female moth captures the pollen grains from the flowers’ anthers through its specialized tentacles. It then forces them down into the stigmas’ orifice of the yucca flower (Oliver and Sheppard 36). This process is crucial for the symbiotic relationship between the two organisms, as the moth facilitates contact with the recessed receptive are in the stigma. This process that the yucca moth is involved in promotes pollination to the plant. Moreover, the copulation that occurs on the yucca plant between the moth insects leads to the female moth laying its eggs. At this moment, the female moth might fly to another plant hence resulting to cross pollination. The female yucca moth moves slowly into the flower and sets herself on the side of the ovary with its head outward, and inserts her ovipositor, the egg-laying device into the ovary wall of the flower. Some of the eggs are inserted into the ovule chamber of the plant. Yucca then drops the pollen grains into the stigma. This process allows both pollination and fertilization process in the plant she has deposited her eggs. Figure 2: yuccas moth on yuccas plant Read More