In the tropical African region the entire drosophilid genus Lissoceplzala and Drosophila $mu species group have evolved a close association with endemic figs (Ficus spp., Moraceae). We previously described the biology of a few of these figdependent drosophilids (Lachaise, 1977). We report here on a further investigation in evergreen rainforests, mainly in western Africa, that has yielded inform...

PURPOSE This study was aimed to evaluate general toxicity, anti-oxidant activity and effects of Ficus carica leaves extract on ischemia/reperfusion injuries. METHODS Antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid compounds of 70% methanolic extract of Ficus carica leaves were measured. The general toxicity test was carried out by brine shrimp lethality assay. Isolated hearts of male rats ...

The fig pollinating wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) have obligate arrhenotoky and a breeding structure that fits local mate competition (LMC). It has been traditionally assumed that LMC organisms adjust the sex ratio by laying a greater proportion of male eggs when there is superparasitism (several foundresses in a host). We tested the assumption with two wasp species, Pegoscapus silvestrii, pol...

The obligate mutualism between pollinating fig wasps in the family Agaonidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) and Ficus species (Moraceae) is often regarded as an example of co-evolution but little is known about the history of the interaction, and understanding the origin of functionally dioecious fig pollination has been especially difficult. The phylogenetic relationships of fig wasps pollinating...

Opuntia ficus indica cladodes possess a protective action against ethanol-induced ulcer in the rat. The major components of cladodes are carbohydrate polymers, mainly mucilages and pectin. To clarify the cytoprotective effects of cladodes on experimental ethanol-induced ulcer in rat, mucilages and pectin were extracted and were administered instead of cladodes. The above mentioned effects induc...

The many species of figs (Ficus, Moraceae) have evolved a variety of reproductive phenologies that ensure the survival of both the fig plants and their short-lived, species-specific, pollinating wasps. A phenological study of 28 male and 23 female plants of a dioecious hemiepiphytic fig, Ficus tinctoria, was conducted in Xishuangbanna, SW China at the northern margin of tropical SE Asia. In con...

Certain Ficus spp. are dependent on wasps for pollination. The invading wasps usually shed their wings on entering a fig through the ostiole; and during attempted or successful egg deposi t ion, transfer pollen to the female flowers and then die. A gall forms around each egg, and within the gall develops a male or a female wasp. Male wasps are the first to emerge from galls, and they then ferti...

The work aimed to study all the possible factors affecting efficiency of plant propagation via stem cuttings. Several factors including type of cutting, culture medium, type and concentration of growth regulators were investigated. These factors were studied on Ficus hawaii as woody tree and Chrysanthemum morifolium as herbaceous plant to investigate the effect of plant type factor. All experim...

BACKGROUND The common fig (Ficus carica L.) is a gynodioecious species with two sexual forms: male trees (caprifigs) with male and female flowers and female trees that produce only female flowers that will result in the edible fig syconium. In this study the genetic diversity of 20 Tunisian accessions of caprifig is analyzed using SSR markers previously developed for this crop. RESULTS The re...

The study aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of some fractions of ethanolic extract of F. septica Burm. f. on Balb/c mice macrophage phagocytosis and lymphocyte proliferation. In addition, we also determined the total flavonoid and phenolic contents in the fractions. These fractions were n-hexane soluble fraction, ethyl acetate soluble fraction and ethyl acetate insoluble fraction. These fr...