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Asymmetric or diffusive co-evolution generates meta-populations in fig-fig wasp mutualisms
Citation
Wang, R and Yang, Y and Wiggins, NL, Asymmetric or diffusive co-evolution generates meta-populations in fig-fig wasp mutualisms, Science China: Life Sciences, 57, (6) pp. 596-602. ISSN 1674-7305 (2014) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
DOI: doi:10.1007/s11427-014-4653-y
Abstract
Co-evolutionary theory assumes co-adapted characteristics are a positive response to counter those of another species, whereby
co-evolved species reach an evolutionarily stable interaction through bilateral adaptation. However, evidence from the fig-fig
wasp mutualistic system implies very different co-evolutionary selection mechanisms, due to the inherent conflict among interacted
partners. Fig plants appear to have discriminatively enforced fig wasps to evolve "adaptation characteristics" that provide
greater benefit to the fig, and fig wasps appear to have diversified their evolutionary strategies in response to discriminative
enforcement by figs and competition among different fig wasp species. In what appears to be an asymmetric interaction,
the prosperity of cooperative pollinating wasps should inevitably lead to population increases of parasitic individuals, thus resulting
in localized extinctions of pollinating wasps. In response, the sanctioning of parasitic wasps by the fig should lead to a
reduction in the parasitic wasp population. The meta-populations created by such asymmetric interactions may result in each
population of coevolved species chaotically oscillated, temporally or evolutionarily.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | co-evolution, population ecology, plant-animal interaction |
Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
Research Group: | Evolutionary biology |
Research Field: | Biological adaptation |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Other environmental management |
Objective Field: | Other environmental management not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Wiggins, NL (Dr Natasha Wiggins) |
ID Code: | 98481 |
Year Published: | 2014 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 3 |
Deposited By: | Plant Science |
Deposited On: | 2015-02-17 |
Last Modified: | 2017-11-06 |
Downloads: | 326 View Download Statistics |
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