Geographic and tissue-specific olfactory receptor expression in the fig wasp Ceratosolen fusciceps

In the iconic fig - fig wasp mutualism, 800 fig species signal to 800 different pollinators, each attracting a single pollinator species. Long-range attraction to the host is mediated solely by floral scent perception by olfaction. Wasps respond accurately despite a crowded volatile matrix since they breed in the fig species they pollinate. Therefore, a fig wasp is an excellent model for comparative characterization of olfactory receptors (ORs) because of its extreme host specificity. This project aims to identify ORs of the Ficus racemosa female pollinator wasp, Ceratosolen fusciceps, and to study their tissue-specific expression. To understand the molecular mechanisms of OR evolution in different geographies, we examined C. fusciceps from south (urban) and northeast (rural) India because of the known variations in the fig volatiles between these regions.This study gives new insights into the co-evolution of fig and fig pollinators in different environments using chemical communication.