Do you know what type of relationship your Fig Newton was involved in? 600 species of the fig wasps. Mutualism

Life Cycle of the Fig Wasp

YUMMY! Thank an insect for your food! The FDA allows 13 insect heads per 100 grams What is commonly accepted as a "fruit" is technically a synconium, that is, a fleshy, hollow receptacle with a small opening at the apex partly closed by small scales

How do Species Interact? 8.2

HOW DO YOU CATCH YOUR FOOD?

Problem: I want something that you want…(2 niches overlap)- a niche is the unique position occupied by a species Competition Predation Symbiosis Will we compete? Will I eat you? Will we work together some how? In nature, there are 3 basic types of interactions… generalist

I. Competition Competition between species When 2 or more species compete for food, space or anything limited. The best one wins!

II. Predation Predator feeds directly on all or part of a living organism (the prey). The prey does not have to die Predation is not just between animals! Not always bad!  drives natural selection! Sick, weak, & aged die, leaving resources for the healthy

What does this graph say? when the wolf population decreased…

III. Symbiosis “Living together” in a long-lasting relationship 3 types Parasitism Mutualism Commensalism

Parasitism 1 species (PARASITE) gets energy by living on, in, or near another species (HOST) over an extended period of time Rarely Lethal! Why would you kill a good thing? You wouldn’t blow up your grocery store!

Mutualism Both species benefit in various ways Having pollen dispersed for reproduction Being supplied with food Receiving protection

Commensalism One species benefits, the other is neither helped nor harmed Clownfish & Sea Anemone Protection Feed on anemone’s leftovers

Detailed fig life cycle The process starts when a pregnant female wasp enters a fig through a secret hole (hidden by scales) at the top of the fig. In the process, the wasp transfers pollen from the male flowers of the fig from which she emerged to the “female” flowers of the new fig she entered. The wasp also deposits her eggs in a type of “female” flower that will not set fruit. The fruits of figs are actually nutlets formed within the fruiting structure, called a fig. The tiny fruits impart the crunch to figs and Fig Newtons. The deposited pollen not only enables the fruits to grow, but also becomes a food source for the young wasps. The adult female wasp does not leave the fig; she dies there. When the larvae mature into wasps, the wingless males hatch and impregnate the females still developing in the flowers; the males of many species then also die inside the fig. The young, pregnant females, however, emerge from the flowers and exit the fig—usually before it ripens and falls to the ground—and move on to a new flowering fig, where the entire process begins again.