Ficus watkinsiana

Ficus watkinsiana
Ficus watkinsiana on Syzygium hemilampra, Iluka, New South Wales,
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Ficus
Species:
F. watkinsiana
Binomial name
Ficus watkinsiana
Synonyms[1]
  • Ficus bellingeri C.Moore in C. Moore & E.Betche
  • Ficus simmondsii F.M.Bailey

Ficus watkinsiana, commonly known as strangler fig, Watkins' fig, nipple fig or the green-leaved Moreton Bay fig is a hemiepiphytic fig that is endemic to Australia. The species exists in three populations—one in northeast Queensland and the others in southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales.[1] It also has been introduced to Kauai island (Hawaiʻi).[2]

The pollinator of this species in Australia is Pleistodontes nigriventris (Girault).[2][3] On Kauai island, Port Jackson fig wasps (Pleistodontes imperialis) are able to do the job as substitute pollinators.[2] The wasps and the strangler figs have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship. The wasp, P. imperialis, uses the tree to lay eggs into its ostioles, while the tree uses the wasp for pollination. The arrangement of the inner ostioles show convergent evolution in attraction of the wasps. Other species of the strangler fig species have homoplasy of the ostioles, so the wasp is strongly influenced by this genus of plants, and therefore enhances their growth.[2]

  1. ^ a b Dixon, Dale J. (2003). "A taxonomic revision of the Australian Ficus species in the section Malvanthera (Ficus subg. Urostigma: Moraceae)" (PDF). Telopea. 10 (1): 125–53. doi:10.7751/telopea20035611. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d Bernard, Jared; Brock, Kelsey C.; Tonnell, Veronica; Walsh, Seana K.; Wenger, Jonathan P.; Wolkis, Dustin & Weiblen, George D. (2020), "New Species Assemblages Disrupt Obligatory Mutualisms Between Figs and Their Pollinators", Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 8 (564653), doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.564653
  3. ^ Jared Bernard: Figs show that nonnative species can invade ecosystems by forming unexpected partnerships. On: The Conversation. 19 January 2021. Also on Sciencealert