What Turns A Fig Flower Into A Gall?

As they oviposit, wasps also inject chemicals that transform individual flower ovaries into galls that will feed and house wasp offspring. For fig tree–fig wasp mutualisms to persist, the trees must set seed; therefore, the wasps have both to pollinate and to fail to gall all flower ovaries.

What is a gall flower?

Galls are abnormal swellings of plant tissue, usually on leaves and stems. They may be caused by insects, mites, bacteria, fungi, or nematodes. Most insect and mite galls are caused by chemicals produced by the egg laying and feeding activities. The chemicals cause the affected plant cells to swell.

Why is there a wasp in every fig?

The crunchy little things that you notice when eating a fig are the seeds, each corresponding to one flower. Such a unique flower requires a unique pollinator. All fig trees are pollinated by very small wasps of the family Agaonidae.

What is the symbiotic relationship between figs and fig wasps?

Figs have an obligate mutualism with tiny fig-pollinating wasps (family Agaonidae). Female wasps enter receptive syconia, where they pollinate female flowers. They also lay eggs into some flowers, where their larvae induce galls.

What is the entrance hole to the fig Syconium flower called?

The syconium is an enlarged, fleshy, involuted, hollow, and almost closed receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inner surface (Figure 1). The syconium commonly has a bulbous shape with a small opening, called the ostiole, at the distal end that allows access to pollinators.

How does a gall form?

How galls are formed. Galls usually form during the accelerated growth period of new leaves, shoots and flowers in late spring. Insects or mites damage plants by chewing on them and their salivary secretions (spit) cause plants to increase production of normal plant growth hormones.

How is gall formation stimulated?

Most galls are caused by irritation and/or stimulation of plant cells due to feeding or egg-laying by insects such as aphids, midges, wasps, or mites. Some galls are the result of infections by bacteria, fungi, or nematodes and are difficult to tell apart from insect-caused galls.

Can figs ripen without wasps?

Some types of fig that are grown for human consumption have figs that ripen without pollination. It is also possible to trick plants into ripening figs without wasps by spraying them with plant hormones.

Do figs have worms in them?

So yes, there are definitely dead bugs in figs. But the fig essentially digests the dead wasps as it ripens—ashes to ashes, dust to dust, fig to fig, you get the idea—so don’t worry, that crunchy texture in the center of a fig really IS just its seeds.

Do figs make you poop?

Figs. Figs are an excellent way to get more fiber into your diet to encourage regular bowel movements. Dried figs, especially, can provide a concentrated dose of fiber.

Do all figs have dead wasps in them?

Remember, not all figs have wasps in them. Some varieties – including many grown for the supermarkets – don’t need to be pollinated by fig wasps. Instead, they’re sprayed with certain hormones to make the fruit ripen or they’re simply a type of fig that doesn’t need pollination.

Is there a dead wasp in every fig?

No. While female wasps lay eggs within a fig fruit, the crunch you experience when eating a fig does not come from those eggs. All wasps have either exited the fig or their exoskeletons have been broken down and absorbed by the fruit.

Are there dead wasps in figs?

If the wasp climbs into a female fig, she pollinates it, but cannot lay her eggs and just dies alone. Luckily for us, the female fig produces an enzyme that digests this wasp completely. The crunchy bits are seeds, not wasp parts.

Why do male fig wasps cut flowers?

Male wasps are born without wings and with poor eyesight. That’s because they don’t need either of them. They’ll live just long enough to mate with the females, cut their escape holes, and then die in the fig’s fleshy garden.

Why are fig cicadas important to the fig tree?

They are drawn to the cicadas that feed on the sticky-sweet sap inside the trees. Monkeys love not just the cicadas, but the shower of sap they vent while feeding on the tree. Ripe figs are also a great treat but they are careful to discard those full of parasites.

Is fig a fruit or a flower?

That is, a fig is not actually a fruit; it is an inflorescence—a cluster of many flowers and seeds contained inside a bulbous stem. Because of this unusual arrangement, the seeds—technically the ovaries of the fig—require a specialized pollinator that is adapted to navigate within these confined quarters.

Are galls bad for trees?

In most cases, galls are unsightly but not damaging to the tree. Small plants may be stunted because the water and nutrient circulatory system of the plant may be damaged.

Are galls bad for plants?

Some galls, particularly those that occur on the stems of perennial plants, can be very serious problems. The galls not only disfigure the plants, but can result in eventual death of the plant. These are more likely to be caused by a fungal or bacterial pathogen.

What’s inside a gall?

Inside the gall is a tiny wasp larva. Most galls, especially on leaves, do not hurt the oak tree, and the wasps aren’t harmful to people either.

What’s the difference between a gall and a burl?

Tumor growth in plants is commonly known as gall or burl. Galls contain knots, callus, ingrown bark and stains, whereas, burls are bark-covered and display wildly contorted grain. These tumors can occur on twigs, branches, trunks, roots, or leaves (like seen above) and might be numerous per host.

Are galls parasites?

Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or warts in animals. They can be caused by various parasites, from viruses, fungi and bacteria, to other plants, insects and mites.