Non‐pollinating F ig W asps D ecrease P ollinator and S eed P roduction in F icus andicola ( M oraceae)

Abstract Fig trees ( F icus spp.) and Agaonine fig‐wasps participate in an obligate mutualism. Fig wasps can only develop within fig inflorescences (syconia) and they are the only organisms capable of pollinating fig flowers. Other non‐pollinating wasps that lay eggs by inserting their ovipositors from the outside can also develop in syconia. These parasitic wasps may be parasitoids of either pollinating or other non‐pollinating wasps, or form galls in fig flowers or other tissues. Depending on this interaction, parasitic wasps may have various effects on the production of pollinating wasps and seeds. Wasps in the genus I darnes , which parasitize N ew W orld figs (subgenus U rostigma ), have an effect on wasp production but not on seed production. H eterandrium spp., which have short ovipositors and lay on external flowers, are infrequent and no effect on seed production has been documented. In the C olombian A ndes, I darnes spp. and H eterandrium spp. are the most frequent parasites of the F icus andicola — P egoscapus sp. mutualism, affecting 62 and 43 percent of syconia, respectively. Controlling for other factors that influence wasp and seed production, such as number of foundresses, syconium size and tree, we found that I darnes reduced pollinator production by almost half but did not reduce seed production, whereas H eterandrium reduced seed production by 40 percent, and marginally affected pollinator production. Our results provide the first clear documentation of H eterandrium spp. impact on fig seed production. Whether the relative abundance of this genus is a generalized phenomenon in montane forest remains to be determined.