Fruiting Phenologies of Two Neotropical Ficus Species

Fruit production by 65 Ficus yoponensis and 39 F. insipida trees was scored at 2—wk intervals for 7 yr in the seasonal, semideciduous forest on Barro Colorado Island, Republic of Panama. Unlike most other tree species in this forest, which flower and fruit in synchrony at a particular time each year, some individuals of both fig species were producing fruit in all months of the study. Nevertheless, a greater amount of fruiting occurred at the beginning and near the end of the 8—mo wet season than would be expected if the two species were fruiting entirely randomly. In both species, the major fruiting peak occurred when mst other tree species were not producting ripe fruit. Large trees of both fig species tended to produce fruit crops at shorter intervals than small trees. The average interval between crops was slightly longer than a half year for F. yoponensis and slightly shorter than a full year for F. insipida. These results, combined with life history data, suggest that individuals of these two Ficus species are fruiting asynchronously at relatively short intervals, thereby increasing total lifetime fruit production and ultimately maximizing reproductive success. The flexibility shown by these two species in the timing of fruit crops appears to have coevolved with the intricate mutualism between these Ficus species and their obligately species—specific wasp pollinators.