Module: | Pollination & Outbreeding Devices
Q62: Consider the following statements regarding the trap mechanism and obligate mutualism in Ficus:
1. Ficus species, such as the common fig, possess a specialized hypanthodium inflorescence where the fleshy receptacle forms a hollow cavity enclosing the flowers.
2. This plant relies on a strict, obligate mutualism with the Blastophaga wasp, which enters the cavity to lay its eggs in the gall flowers.
3. Within the hypanthodium, the female flowers are situated near the apical pore (ostiole), while the male flowers are deeply hidden at the base.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. This plant relies on a strict, obligate mutualism with the Blastophaga wasp, which enters the cavity to lay its eggs in the gall flowers.
3. Within the hypanthodium, the female flowers are situated near the apical pore (ostiole), while the male flowers are deeply hidden at the base.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
The correct option is A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct, but Statement 3 is structurally reversed.
The pollination of the fig (Ficus) by the fig wasp (Blastophaga) is a premier example of co-evolution.
The fig fruit is actually an entire inflorescence turned inside out, known as a hypanthodium.
The female wasp enters this dark cavity through a tiny apical pore called the ostiole.
She lays her eggs inside specialized short-styled female flowers (gall flowers) and inadvertently pollinates the long-styled female flowers.
Statement 3 presents a specific anatomical trap frequently used in exams.
The spatial orientation inside the hypanthodium dictates that the male flowers are strategically clustered directly around the exit pore (ostiole) at the top, not at the base.
This ensures that when the new generation of male wasps hatch and tunnel out of the fig, they are forced to brush past the male flowers, covering themselves in pollen for the next journey.
The pollination of the fig (Ficus) by the fig wasp (Blastophaga) is a premier example of co-evolution.
The fig fruit is actually an entire inflorescence turned inside out, known as a hypanthodium.
The female wasp enters this dark cavity through a tiny apical pore called the ostiole.
She lays her eggs inside specialized short-styled female flowers (gall flowers) and inadvertently pollinates the long-styled female flowers.
Statement 3 presents a specific anatomical trap frequently used in exams.
The spatial orientation inside the hypanthodium dictates that the male flowers are strategically clustered directly around the exit pore (ostiole) at the top, not at the base.
This ensures that when the new generation of male wasps hatch and tunnel out of the fig, they are forced to brush past the male flowers, covering themselves in pollen for the next journey.