Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Microb Ecol. 2012 Nov;64(4):1073-84. doi: 10.1007/s00248-012-0079-x. Epub 2012 Jun 23.
The ancient association of figs (Ficus spp.) and their pollinating wasps (fig wasps; Chalcidoidea, Hymenoptera) is one of the most interdependent plant-insect mutualisms known. In addition to pollinating wasps, a diverse community of organisms develops within the microcosm of the fig inflorescence and fruit. To better understand the multipartite context of the fig-fig wasp association, we used a culture-free approach to examine fungal communities associated with syconia of six species of Ficus and their pollinating wasps in lowland Panama. Diverse fungi were recovered from surface-sterilized flowers of all Ficus species, including gall- and seed flowers at four developmental stages. Fungal communities in syconia and on pollinating wasps were similar, dominated by diverse and previously unknown Saccharomycotina, and distinct from leaf- and stem endophyte communities in the same region. Before pollination, fungal communities were similar between gall- and seed flowers and among Ficus species. However, fungal communities differed significantly in flowers after pollination vs. before pollination, and between anciently diverged lineages of Ficus with active vs. passive pollination syndromes. Within groups of relatively closely related figs, there was little evidence for strict-sense host specificity between figs and particular fungal species. Instead, mixing of fungal communities among related figs, coupled with evidence for possible transfer by pollinating wasps, is consistent with recent suggestions of pollinator mixing within syconia. In turn, changes in fungal communities during fig development and ripening suggest an unexplored role of yeasts in the context of the fig-pollinator wasp mutualism.
无花果（榕属）及其传粉榕小蜂（榕小蜂，膜翅目，广腰亚目）之间的古老共生关系是已知的最相互依存的植物-昆虫共生关系之一。除了传粉榕小蜂之外，在榕果花序和果实的微观世界中还会形成一个多样化的生物群落。为了更好地理解榕-榕小蜂共生关系的多方面情况，我们采用无培养方法，研究了低地巴拿马六种榕属植物及其传粉榕小蜂的榕果中与真菌有关的群落。从所有榕属植物的表面消毒花朵中都回收了各种真菌，包括在四个发育阶段的瘿花和种子花。榕果和传粉榕小蜂上的真菌群落相似，主要由多样化且以前未知的子囊菌组成，与同一地区的叶片和茎内真菌群落明显不同。授粉前，瘿花和种子花之间以及不同榕属植物之间的真菌群落相似。但是，授粉后花朵的真菌群落与授粉前相比以及主动授粉和被动授粉分化的榕属植物之间的真菌群落差异显著。在相对密切相关的榕属植物组内，没有严格意义上的宿主特异性证据表明榕属植物与特定的真菌物种之间存在严格的特异性。相反，相关榕属植物之间的真菌群落混合，加上传粉榕小蜂可能进行转移的证据，与榕果内传粉者混合的最新观点一致。反过来，真菌群落在榕果发育和成熟过程中的变化表明，在榕-榕小蜂共生关系中，酵母可能发挥了未知的作用。
