Reproductive characteristics of three different shaped stigma in flowers of the fig tree Ficus altissima

doi:10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2010.11.007

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Conflicts of interest can be seen in the mutualism between fig trees and their species-specific fig wasp pollinators, where tree reproduction depends on pollen-carrying wasps whereas wasp fitness depends only on the latter. The factors that influence the balance of seed and fig wasp production are still debated. We have found flowers with three different shaped stigmas in the monoecious fig tree Ficus altissima at Xishuangbanna, China, and our objectives were to investigate whether these differences are related to the production of either seeds or fig wasps.
Methods Flowers with different stigmal shapes were identified and counted using a dissecting microscope. We measured the style lengths associated with each stigma type and also the ovipositor length of the fig wasps Eupristina altissima and Eupristina sp. that attempt to lay their eggs down the styles. We identified the fate of flowers with each type of stigma using ovule differences after wasp entry and their style lengths.
Important findings Based on their shape, we refer to the three types of stigma as globular, hook-like and torch-like. They accounted for 54.00%, 36.93% and 9.07% of the total female flowers, respectively. The style lengths of flowers with globular stigmas were significantly shorter than the others, but 85.73% and 96.01% of the styles were shorter than the lengths of the ovipositors of E. altissima and Eupristina sp., respectively. Most of their eggs were laid in short styled flowers, with globular stigmas (60.64%), whereas most of the seeds were produced by flowers with long styles and hook-like or torch-like stigmas. Flowers producing seeds therefore tend to have a different shaped stigma to those that produce wasps, and stigma shape reflects specialization for either male (pollen-carrying wasp) or female reproductive function. Consequently, it may be one of the factors that influence the balance between fig and fig wasp reproduction in F. altissima.

Key words: Ficus altissima, fig wasps, stigma shape, style length, reproductive traits

ZHANG Yuan, YANG Da-Rong, PENG Yan-Qiong. Reproductive characteristics of three different shaped stigma in flowers of the fig tree Ficus altissima[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2010, 34(11): 1303-1309.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2010.11.007

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2010/V34/I11/1303

Figures/Tables 3

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