Sideroxylon socorrense
| Sideroxylon socorrense | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Sapotaceae |
| Genus: | Sideroxylon |
| Species: | S. socorrense |
| Binomial name | |
| Sideroxylon socorrense (Brandegee) T.D.Penn. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Bumelia socorrensis | |
Sideroxylon socorrense is a plant species in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to Mexico, occurring only on Socorro in[1] the Revillagigedo Islands.[2]
On its island home, this small tree grows in habitat that is at least seasonally humid. This restricts it mainly to a belt of woodland between 650 and 900 m above mean sea level, except on the northern side where wetter conditions predominate.[3] It is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to the adverse effects of introduced sheep grazing and the twice-yearly swarming of the locust Schistocerca piceifrons, a non-native pest that has become established on Socorro more recently.
The fruits of this plant are among the favorite foods of the nearly-extinct Socorro mockingbird (Mimus graysoni)[4] and the Socorro dove (Zenaida graysoni) which presently only survives in captivity.[5] Similar as in other Sideroxylon, these birds might be crucial for the present species' reproduction.
Footnotes
References
- BirdLife International (2007a). "Mimus graysoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2007. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
- BirdLife International (BLI) (2007b): Socorro Dove – BirdLife Species Factsheet. Retrieved 2007-NOV-24.
- Brattstrom, Bayard H. & Howell, Thomas R. (1956). "The Birds of the Revilla Gigedo Islands, Mexico" (PDF). Condor. 58 (2): 107–120. doi:10.2307/1364977.
- California/Mexico Island Conservation Database (CMICD) (2007): Plant accounts: Socorro. Retrieved 2007-NOV-13.
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). "Sideroxylon socorrense". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2007. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 23 August 2007.