Plant Diversity ›› 2004, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (01): 1-3.

• Articles •    

Conflicts and Resource Allocation in the Coevolved Mutualism of Figs and Fig Wasps

YAO JinYan,ZHAO NanXian,FANG WeiKuan,CHEN YiZhu   

  1. South China Botanical Garden,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Guangzhou 510650,China;Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100039,China
  • Online:2004-02-25 Published:2004-02-25

Abstract: Five monoecious fig species were studied about the conflicts and resource allocation in the coevolved mutualism of figs and fig wasps.Results showed that the seeds of figs were mostly produced in the outer ovary layers and the larvae of wasps mostly in the interval or inner ovary layers,although there are both seeds and wasps in any ovary layers.In our study,the production of seeds was significantly higher than larvae of wasps.The results indicated that larvae of wasps could be produced in any ovary layers where the wasps oviposit their eggs or pollinate in the female flowers and that the stratification of female flowers of figs is the key regulating the production of seeds and wasps though they were both could be produced in any ovary layers.

Key words: Fig