[Oviposition timing and community structure of Ficus curtipes fig wasps].
Through the behavioral observation of Ficus curtipes fig wasps and the counting of various kinds of flowerets in F. curtipes figs, the oviposition timing and community structure of 12 F. curtipes fig wasp species were studied. Besides the agaonid wasp Eupristina sp., the two non-agaonid wasps Diaziella yangi and Lipothymus sp. could enter into F. curtipes figs and oviposit. The other nine non-agaonid fig wasps ( Walkerella sp., Micranisa sp., Sycophilomorpha sp., Philotrypesis sp., Sycosapter sp., Sycobia sp., Ficomila sp., Ormyrus sp. and Sycophila sp.) oviposited outside the figs. In the fig wasp community, Eupristina sp. was the dominant species, accounting for 62.11% of the total, D. yangi and Lipothymus sp. accounted for 27.19% and 4.71%, respectively, while the other nine non-agaonid fig wasp species only occupied 5.99%. The non-agaonid fig wasps produced their progeny through the reproduction strategies of oviposition timing and diet allocation of female flowerets, so as to sustain the fig-wasp mutualism. The individuals of non-agaonid fig wasp progeny had significant negative correlation with those of agaonid fig wasp progeny, but no correlation with F. curtipes seed production.
Zhang
Feng-Ping
FP
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China. zhangfp@xtbg.ac.cn
Yang
Da-Rong
DR
D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D030681:Ficus / Q000469:parasitology*; D035264:Flowers / Q000469:parasitology; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology*; D054817:Pollination / Q000502:physiology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology; D014863:Wasps / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*