What do fig trees offer to their pollinator wasp species?
What do fig trees offer to their pollinator wasp species?
Protection from predators
Energy:yielding carbohydrates
Essential nutrients from the soil
Developing seeds for nourishing the larvae
Solution
In a tight one:to:one relationship with the pollinator species of wasp, a given fig species can be pollinated only by its ‘partner’ wasp species. The wasp pollinates the fig inflorescence while searching for suitable egg:laying sites. In return for the favour of pollination, the fig offers the wasp some of its developing seeds, as food for the developing wasp larvae.