Domestication, transplantation, and the displacement of mutualists: Consequences for community dynamics and agriculture in figs

Fusarium fungus causes Fig Endosepsis, which can be strongly virulent and damaging to fig and fig wasp fitness. Fig Endosepsis is agriculturally significant in the United States as it can result in the loss of up to 50% of a crop per tree per growing season, yet this is not a notable issue for the European fig industry. We investigated community dynamics of 27 fig species from the United States, Mexico, Panama, and Spain to reveal the effects of transplantation on antagonism and fitness limitation. These results demonstrate how transplantation can disrupt natural community dynamics and can expose organisms to novel pathogens in Ficus carica and other domesticated species.