Pollination characteristics of Ficus microcarpa

Ficus microcarpa and its specific pollinated Ficus microcarpa constitute the most classic coevolutionary relationship in the animal and plant world, and it is very rare for pollinated Ficus microcarpa to evolve deception. Pollination fig wasps and pseudofig wasps. Coexist in hermaphrodite Ficus altissima. The two wasps enter hermaphroditic fruit at female flowering stage, but they have different reproductive characteristics. The differences of individual size, fecundity and reproduction of female wasps from adult emergence to oviposition and pollination were compared. The results showed that the average female wasp in the emergence stage of the two wasps was small, the flying female wasp was easy to die, and the large female wasp reached the receiving tree. However, some large pollinators of fig were strangled through the bract channel, which led to the relatively small female bees entering the fruit cavity, while the confused bees easily entered the fruit cavity through the bract, and the female bees were larger. The larger the individual, the more pregnant the eggs are, but there is no difference in the average pregnant eggs between the two kinds of female bees. Even if there are enough female flower resources to lay eggs, the two kinds of female bees do not all lay eggs. After laying eggs, the number of eggs in the ovaries of the two kinds of female bees is obviously reduced, and there is no difference between the two kinds of bees. Only some individuals who pollinate fig wasps have carried pollen. The more successful pollination, the more eggs they lay. When there is intraspecific competition, the number of eggs laid by the two wasps decreases, and the pollination efficiency of the pollinating fig wasps also decreases. Under the background of interspecific competition, deceptive wasps laid eggs more successfully, and the oviposition and pollination of fig wasps were greatly inhibited. The results showed that fig wasps pollinated by cryptocarps only made proper use of female flower resources to lay eggs and reproduce offspring, which may be one of the important mechanisms to maintain the stable coexistence of fig wasp reciprocal system. The stable existence of cheaters needs to reduce direct competition with pollinators, and it is an ideal breeding strategy for cheaters and pollinators to spread in different fruits or even different trees.