The mutualistic interaction between Ficus and their pollinating agaonid wasps constitutes an extreme example of plant-insect co-diversification. Most Ficus species are locally associated with a single specific agaonid wasp species. Specificity is ensured by each fig species emitting a distinctive attractive scent. However, cases of widespread coexistence of two agaonid wasp species on the same ...

The dissipation of energy as heat is essential for photosynthetic organisms to protect themselves against excess light. We compared Photosystem II florescence changes (non-photochemical quenching, NPQ) in the brown alga Macrocystis pyrifera with that of Ficus sp., a higher plant to examine if the mechanism of heat dissipation (energy-dependent quenching, qE) differs between these evolutionary d...

The antioxidant activity and the chemical composition of methanol extracts from peel and pulp belonging to two species of Tunisian prickly pears Opuntia ficus indica (spiny and thornless forms) and Opuntia stricta has been studied. The antioxidant capacity was measured by DPPH radical scavenging activity. The Total Phenolic Compound (TPC) and the total flavonoid content were determined by the F...

Isorhamnetin glycosides are representative compounds of Opuntia ficus-indica that possess different biological activities. There is slight information about the changes in bioaccessibility induced by the glycosylation pattern of flavonoids, particularly for isorhamnetin. In this study, the bioaccessibility and permeability of isorhamnetin glycosides extracted from O. ficus-indica were contraste...

Fig wasps and fig trees are mutually dependent, with each of the 800 or so species of fig trees (Ficus, Moraceae) typically pollinated by a single species of fig wasp (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae). Molecular evidence suggests that the relationship existed over 65 Ma, during the Cretaceous. Here, we record the discovery of the oldest known fossil fig wasps, from England, dated at 34 Ma. They possess ...

The results of analysis of soil and tree leaves samples collected from heavy traffic affected area of Agra city show that average concentration of Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Mn and Zn ranged from 0.953.42, 3.2811.26, 2.18-4.05, 3.04-8.10, 0.91-1.42 and 2.83-5.94 ppm , respectively in soil samples. The maximum concentration of Ni (2.68ppm) and Co (4.82 ppm) was observed in the leaves of Ficus religiosa and...

Rong Yu,1,2 Shuai Dong,1,2,3 Cengiz Şen,4 Gonzalo Alvarez,5 and Elbio Dagotto1,2 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA 2Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 32831, USA 3Nanjing National Laboratory of Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, People’s Republic of China 4D...

Many of the world's rural populations are dependent on the local provision of economically and medicinally important plant resources. However, increasing land-use intensity is depleting these resources, reducing human welfare, and thereby constraining development. Here we investigate a low cost strategy to manage the availability of valuable plant resources, facilitated by the use of isolated F...

The anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of various extracts of Ficus glomerata Roxb. were evaluated in experimental animals. We have determined the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of various extracts of the dried fruits of Ficus glomerata by oral administration at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg of body weight to healthy animals. The extracts were studied for their anti-inflammatory ac...