Magister Scientiae - MSc (Botany)

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Browsing by Author "Baijnath, H."

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    A study of the pollination biology of the (gyno)dioecious fig, Ficus capreifolia Del. (Moraceae)
    (University of the Western Cape, 1994) Naidoo, S.; Baijnath, H.
    The pollination biology of Ficus pareidolia Del. was studied. Ficus pareidolia is a (gyno)dioecious species with separate male and female plants bearing male and female syconia respectively. Male syconia had staminate flowers near the ostiolar region of their syconia and numerous short-styled pistillate flowers. Female syconia had only long-styled pistillate flowers throughout their syconia. A mature plant produced up to three hundred syconia. The developmental anatomy of the male and female syconia was studied at both the LM and SEM levels. The structure and development of gall and seed figs appeared to be similar from initiation to the receptive phase. Only female figs, with long-styled pistillate flowers, developed a syntagma and produce seeds. Hermaphrodite (male) figs, with staminate and short-styled pistillate flowers, did not develop a syn-stigma but instead showed early embryo and endosperm development, while also providing only for the development of wasps in their development of b ma le figs are presented. Pollination biology and insects were studied. Female pollinator wasps emerged from the male syconia (gall figs) carrying pollen in their mesothoracic pockets. Coxal combs were also present. Pollination was aerodynamic. Pollen was transferred to short-styled pistillate flowers in the male syconia after oviposition occurred and to long-styled pistillate flowers in the female syconia. Wasps only developed in male syconia, and seeds only developed in female syconia (seed figs). Ratios of gall to uninfected and pollinated to unpollinated flowers are given. Levels of infection of gall flowers varied from 25% to 86%. A single species of secondary psychrophile also oviposited in the gall flowers of male syconia. Of the total number of wasps in each syconium, there were about 70% females of the pollinator wasp, 19,1% males of the pollinator wasp, 8,1% females of the secondary psychrophile, and 2% males of the secondary psychrophile.