Fig. A

How to Be a Fig

The 900-odd species of Ficus (20, 21) constitute the most distinctive of the widespread genera of tropical plants. Figs have (a) a complex obligatory mutualism with their pollinating agaonid fig wasps, yet are found in almost all tropical habitat types and geographic locations [this sets them apart from ant-acacias (63-65), euglossine-orchids (24,26), moth-yuccas (45, 88, 89,), ant-epiphytes (6...

Fig. 1

Figs and fig wasps

The current project builds on previous grants under the Darwin Initiative that focused on Nepal's flora, a key one of which dealt with plant information and technology transfer, run by the Natural History Museum in London. But the current project is much more ambitious. Although only funded for three years at present, the team hopes funds will be made available for the estimated 15 years it wil...

How to be a fig wasp.

In the two decades since Janzen described how to be a fig, more than 200 papers have appeared on fig wasps (Agaonidae) and their host plants (Ficus spp., Moraceae). Fig pollination is now widely regarded as a model system for the study of coevolved mutualism, and earlier reviews have focused on the evolution of resource conflicts between pollinating fig wasps, their hosts, and their parasites. ...

Problems Identifying Fig Varieties

Figs are one of the oldest known crops. The identification of different varieties is clouded and confused because of this long history. Efforts were made at various times to describe an accurate system for identifying varieties, with limited success.