Researchers from Uppsala University and elsewhere have been studying the effect of rising temperatures on the lifespan of pollinating fig wasps.
Researchers from Uppsala University and elsewhere have been studying the effect of rising temperatures on the lifespan of pollinating fig wasps. The findings show that the wasps lived much shorter lives at high temperatures, which would make it difficult for them to travel the long distances between the trees they pollinate.
Fig trees are very important components of tropical forests around the world, as they ensure there is a food source for forest birds and mammals, even during periods when other plants do not bear fruit. Fig trees produce fruit all year round, but only if the fig is first visited by its pollinating fig wasp. Each species of fig tree is pollinated by its own species of fig wasp. Fig wasps are only two to three millimetres long and live an average of two to three days, but often fly 10 kilometres or more to get from a ripe tree to a flowering tree.
Global warming is expected to lead to temperature increases worldwide, including in tropical regions. In the area of Panama that the researchers focused on, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a temperature rise of one to four degrees by 2100. The research group looked at what happens to the lifespan of fig wasps if temperatures rise that much.
Read more at Uppsala University
Photo Credit: Dx21 via Pixabay
