Asymmetric sharing of pollinator fig wasps between two sympatric dioecious fig trees: a reflection of supply and demand or differences in the size of their figs?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Host specificity among pollinator fig wasps (Agaonidae) depends on host plant specific volatile cues, but fig wasps must also pass through a narrow physical barrier (the ostiole) if they are to pollinate and oviposit. Across South East Asia the dioecious shrub Ficus hirta is associated with at least ten pollinator species allied to Valisia javana. Ficus triloba has a single recorded pollinator, Valisia esquirolianae. Receptive figs of F. hirta are usually much smaller than those of F. triloba, but at a mainland site where F. hirta has atypically large figs we identified both V. esquirolianae and V. javana from both Ficus species using COI and ITS2 sequencing. To investigate whether this host overlap was exceptional we reared fig wasps from the two trees elsewhere and rec

SUBMITTER: Yu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8941105 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature