The reproductive success of Ficus altissima and its pollinator in a strongly seasonal environment: Xishuangbanna, Southwestern China

Fig trees (Ficus spp.) are of great ecological significance, producing fruits that are fed on by more birds and mammals than any other plants in the tropics. They are pollinated by host-specific pollinator fig wasps (Hymenoptera, Agaonidae), and their fruit phenology and reproductive success are, therefore, modulated by symbiotic fig wasps. However, there are few studies focusing on the variation of Ficus reproductive success in strongly seasonal environments. We examined the phenology and reproductive success of Ficus altissima growing in a highly seasonal climate towards the northern limit of the range of fig trees in Xishuangbanna, China. Leaf production occurred at irregular intervals throughout the year, with new leaves and syconia initiated together, producing between three and seven crops over a 3-year period. Syconia were produced in synchronous crops with asynchrony between trees. The syconia produced more seeds than pollinators, and those syconia with more seeds also produced more pollinators. Reproductive success (measured as the number of seeds and pollen-carrying agaonid females produced by each syconium) varied greatly between seasons. It was highest for crops that matured during the cooler, relatively dry periods from February to March and October to November, and was lowest during the summer months from April to August. This variation corresponded to small differences in the number of flowers in the syconia, but was mainly driven by large seasonal differences in the relative abundance of non-pollinating fig wasps. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.