The intimate mutualism between fig wasps and figs has long captivated biologists, and new
phylogenies are now uncovering its evolutionary history. Fig-pollinating wasps evolved just …

Over the past decade a proliferation of research has enriched and dramatically altered our
understanding of the biology of figs, their pollinator wasps, and the myriad of other …

Pollinators-insects, birds, bats, and other animals that carry pollen from the male to the
female parts of flowers for plant reproduction-are an essential part of natural and agricultural …

Symbiotic associations are not only ubiquitous in nature, but they also play fundamental
roles in ecology and evolution. This paper discusses symbiosis with regards to the fitness …

Theory predicts that mutualisms should be vulnerable to invasion by cheaters, yet
mutualistic interactions are both ancient and diverse. What prevents one partner from …

A phylogeny of the Agaonidae (Chalcidoidea) in their restricted sense, pollinators of Ficus
species (Moraceae), is estimated using 4182 nucleotides from six genes, obtained from 101 …

Parasites are a masterful work of evolutionary art. The tiny mite Histiostoma laboratorium, a
parasite of Drosophila, launches itself, in an incredible display of evolutionary engineering …

The higher order classification of both Agaonidae and Ficus reflects convergent adap-tation
and not monophyly. A remarkable match exists between the classification of Ficus and …

Abstract Figs (Ficus spp., Moraceae) and their pollinating wasps (Hymenoptera, Agaonidae,
Chalcidoidea) constitute a classic example of an obligate plant‐pollinator mutualism, and …

The ancient interaction between figs (Ficus, Moraceae) and their pollinating fig wasps is an
unusual example of a mutualism between plants and gall-inducing insects. This review …