Phenological Adaptations in Ficus tikoua Exhibit Convergence with Unrelated Extra-Tropical Fig Trees

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 12; p. e114344
• Main Authors: Zhao, Ting-Ting, Compton, Stephen G., Yang, Yong-Jiang, Wang, Rong, Chen, Yan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 04.12.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adaptation; Adaptations; Agaonidae; Animals; Biology and Life Sciences; Ceratosolen; China; Convergence; Crops; Ecology; Evolutionary biology; Exhibitions; Ficus; Ficus - growth & development; Ficus - physiology; Ficus tikoua; Flowering; Flowering plants; Flowers; Fruit - growth & development; Fruit - physiology; Fruit trees; Fruits; Hymenoptera; Moraceae; Phenology; Plant evolution; Plants (botany); Pollination; Pollinators; Populations; Seasons; Seed industry; Seed set; Trees; Wasps; Wasps - physiology; China; United Kingdom > UK; Europe

Flowering phenology is central to the ecology and evolution of most flowering plants. In highly-specific nursery pollination systems, such as that involving fig trees (Ficus species) and fig wasps (Agaonidae), any mismatch in timing has serious consequences because the plants must balance seed produ...