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Once the female fig wasps have left the fig, it ripens, changing
colour and smell, and becomes attractive to seed or fruit eating
birds, bats, primates and even lizards, who act as dispersal agents
for the seeds. Figs are keystone species in tropical ecosystems with
many other vertebrates and invertebrates dependant on the food
resources provided by the tree for their own survival. Without the
pollinating wasps the trees could not reproduce making these tiny
insects a vital component of these complex ecosystems.
Photographs ©
Duncan Butchart (bat & bird) or © Simon van
Noort (chimps) |
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