Contrasting patterns of fig wasp communities along Mt. Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea

The fig (Moraceae) and pollinating fig wasp (Agaonidae) mutualism is best known as a model system for the study of coevolution in plant-pollinator interactions and its central role in shaping vertebrate communities in tropical forests. Figs also host myriad antagonistic parasitic fig wasps which impose costs on both partners threatening mutualism stability. Spatio-temporal variation in parasitic wasp abundance is a key factor in mitigating these effects. Because fig wasps are temperature sensitive and likely vary in their ability to traverse environmental gradients, we expect community assemblages and abundance of both pollinating and non-pollinating fig wasps to respond to changes along an elevational gradient. In the present study, we compare the fig wasp communities and the abundance of three fig species growing along the slopes of the Mount Wilhelm altitudinal gradient in Papua New Guinea. We quantified wasps from over 100 male fig trees and calculated seed sets for 55 female trees ..., Figs were collected along the Mount Wilhelm elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea. Figs were harvested during C phase where fig-wasps are developed but not yet emerging from the syconia. Figs were dissected and wasps within sorted and identified manually., , # Contrasting Patterns of fig wasp communities along Mt. Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pvmcvdngv](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pvmcvdngv)

The fig (Moraceae) and pollinating fig wasp (Agaonidae) mutualism is best known as a model system for the study of coevolution in plant-pollinator interactions and its central role in shaping vertebrate communities in tropical forests. Figs also host myriad antagonistic parasitic fig wasps which impose costs on both partners threatening mutualism stability. Spatio-temporal variation in parasitic wasp abundance is a key factor in mitigating these effects. Because fig wasps are temperature sensitive and likely vary in their ability to traverse environmental gradients, we expect community assemblages and abundance of both pollinating and non-pollinating fig wasps to respond to changes along an elevational gradient. In the present study, we compare the fig wasp communities and abundance of three fig species growing along the ...