Understanding responses of tightly coupled ecological interactions of biota vulnerable to climate change: endangered Australian cycads and their pollinators

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Australian cycads are iconic plants. Most of the forty Macrozamia species have small, fragmented distributions and fifteen are endangered or vulnerable. They are at risk from harvesting by collectors and pollination failure, because a highly specialised relationship with insect pollinators is crucial to their persistence in nature. Cycads release chemo-attractants by increasing cone temperatures when ambient temperature reaches a threshold, so climate change will affect these systems. An understanding of this temperature-dependent relationship will help predict future fates of cycads and other tightly coupled ecological interactions. Our integrated approach will generate knowledge to help manage vulnerable Australian biodiversity.