Pollinational-Mutualism Strategy of Ficus erecta var. beecheyana and Blastophaga nipponica in Seasonal Guandaushi Forest Ecosystem, Taiwan

This study investigates pollination mutualism between F. erecta var. beecheyana and its obligate pollinator Blastophaga nipponica using detailed phenology data from the seasonal Guandaushi Forest Station. The symbiotic cycle was resembled that of the F. carica and B. psenes in southern France. B. nipponica emerged from the D-phase syconia of over-winter male crops and entered the receptive male syconia to lay its eggs during the spring male main crop reproductive period. Several weeks later, dozens of offspring emerged and pollinated the receptive syconia of the summer female major crop. A few pollinators entered the receptive male syconia to oviposite, and their offspring wintered inside the male fig as larvae or pupae. The fig trees could control the developmental period of wasp-producing syconia during pollination. The peak of B-phase syconia (pollinators pollinate or set eggs) of both genders appeared earlier than the abundant D-phase syconia (pollinators released) by about two to three weeks. On the other hand, the flowering syconia of both genders occurred abundantly, staggered about two to four weeks after heavy rainfall, and the fly-out pollinators would pollinate or lay eggs during this period. This fig flowering phenology accommodates the shorter life span of the obligate species-special pollen carrier to enter the receptive syconia for effective oviposition or seed-setting. Ficus erecta var. beecheyana and B. nipponica thus have a successful mutualism strategy of pollination at the Guandaushi Forest Station.