Co-Evolution — Nature as a Balancing Force
We all know about Darwin’s treatise on ‘The Origin of Species’. Most of us would have also read a few facts about phylogeny - the history of the evolution of species. However, none of us have been able to answer the age-old debate about ‘Chicken or Egg First’ convincingly.
There is another controversy between entomologists and botanists that is less known. Along similar grounds — which appeared first? The ‘pollinators’ or the
‘flowers’?
The topic of discussion today is more diplomatic and adopts a middle path. No controversies here. It is called co-evolution, purely a biological subject. We take two species one each from the animal and plant kingdom, the prototype of the fig-wasp of the genus Blastophaga and the fig tree of the genus Ficus.
The story: The female winged wasp — ‘the foundress’ enters the special inflorescence (group of flowers) of the fig tree called Synconium (plural synconia). She loses her wings in the process of pollinating some female flowers which are mature now. She lays her own eggs and dies soon after achieving what is called a ‘tomb blossom’.
The plant develops a gall. The males of the wasp hatch out first and the off-springs after insemination drill a hole through to escape and perish thereafter.
After fertilization, the female wasps loaded with the pollen grains from the male flowers, which are mature by now, fly out through the ostiole in search of more synconia for completing another life- cycle.
Add ons: There are non- pollinator wasps with ovipositors to reach flowers with short styles. Caprifigs have male flowers at the apex and are hermaphrodite plants. The fruits of this tree are not edible.
Mythology: In the Bible stories, there is a fable about Jesus cursing the fig tree as it bears no fruits.
Some messages: The co-evolution teaches us the value of timing events — ‘entry’ and ‘exit ‘with clock-like precision.
Some value lessons at the stock markets?
It conveys the budgetary value of Nature. Once the gender—specific insects perform their role they cease to exist.
Use resources optimally.
Nature always provides the ‘Model’.
It is for us to ‘mimic’ effectively.
Applications: The principle of co-evolution has been utilized in algorithms, architecture, computer applications in soft and hardware, and sociology to name a few.
This was only an overview on the subject of Mutualism where both the species benefit. It can also be studied with respect to host-parasite and prey-predator.
Ending on a lighter note, for all the strict vegetarians what do you think is all that crunchiness when you eat a fig? the wasp, its eggs? Don’t be scandalized. They are the seeds of the fig fruit. So what happens to the wasp trapped inside?
It gets absorbed as part of the fruit body.
