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Female fig wasps can reach the ovaries of short female flowers with their ovipositors, but not long female flowers. Thus, the short female flowers grow wasps, and the long flowers only seeds. Contrary to popular belief, ripe figs are not full of dead wasps and the "crunchy bits" in the fruit are only seeds.
You’ve probably heard rumors about figs being filled with small wasps. Without the tiny bugs, the Ficus species, the producer of figs, would go extinct.
The winged female wasps can fly over long distances before finding another fig to oviposit in it, while the male dies after chewing a hole. As the fig is closed by a tight ostiole, the female wasps have developed adaptations to enter. First, the mandibles of the female wasps have developed specialized mandibular appendages to help them crawl ...
Unlike other fig species, Ficus carica does not always require pollination by a wasp or from another tree, [10] [11] but can be pollinated by the fig wasp, Blastophaga psenes to produce seeds. Fig wasps are not present to pollinate in colder regions such as the British Isles. [12]
Most of the figs from a classic fig tree contain at least one dead wasp. Skip to main content. 24/7 Help. For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ways to reach us. Sign in ...
Like other fig species, banyans also bear their fruit in the form of a structure called a "syconium". The syconium of Ficus species supply shelter and food for fig wasps and the trees depend on the fig wasps for pollination. [6] Frugivore birds disperse the seeds of banyans.
When the female wasps enter the opening of a fig, their wings and antennae detach. [9] Upon dissecting a fig, the wings of the wasps can be seen at the opening of the fig. Additionally, adult wasps, larvae, and eggs are found within the fig. [7] The wasps are free-living and their lifespan spans from a few days to weeks. [4]
The relationship of fig and fig wasp is a classic example of obligate mutualism and coevolution. Only pollinating wasps pollinate the figs, while fig wasps only lay their eggs inside the fig ovules. [5] [6] Jelly fig pollinating W. pumilae are different from Creeping fig pollinating W. pumilae in gene expression. [7]