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Without the tiny bugs, the Ficus species, the producer of figs, would go extinct. You’ve probably heard rumors about figs being filled with small wasps. Without the tiny bugs, the Ficus species ...
After the female wasp lays her eggs and follows through with pollination, she dies. After pollination, there are several species of non-pollinating wasps that deposit their eggs before the figs harden. These wasps act as parasites to either the fig or possibly the pollinating wasps. As the fig develops, the wasp eggs hatch and develop into ...
Syconium (pl.: syconia) is the type of fruit borne by figs (genus Ficus), formed by an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inside surface. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] In essence, it is really a fleshy stem with a number of flowers, so it is considered both a multiple and accessory fruit.
Females emerge from ripe figs and fly to another fig tree with developing syconia (which contain the flowers). They enter the syconium via the ostiole, pollinate the flowers, and lay their eggs in some of the ovules. The ovules containing eggs develop into galls that support the growth of the wasp larvae.
Fig trees either produce hermaphrodite fruit or female figs; only the female figs are palatable to humans. In exchange for a safe place for their eggs and larvae, fig wasps help pollinate the ficus by crawling inside the tiny hole in the apex of the fig, called the ostiole, without knowing whether they crawled into a caprifig or a fig.
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. [9] [10] Ficus pumila is a dioecious species. [4]
The wasps breed inside the fig. Later, the female lays its eggs in the ovaries of another fig by sticking its ovipositor in each flower's style. This can lead to some flowers not being pollinated because some styles are too long. Each larva from a deposited egg destroys a female flower when it feeds on its growing seed. When wasps emerge from ...
The spread of avian influenza (HPAI) has also impacted the nationwide supply of poultry products, including eggs. Experts discuss whether it's safe to continue eating eggs. ... 1 dead, 5 wounded ...