Ficus pleurocarpa
Encyclopedia
Ficus pleurocarpa, commonly known as the banana fig, karpe fig or gabi fig, is a fig
that is endemic to the wet tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland
, Australia
. It has characteristic ribbed orange and red cylindrical syconia
. It begins life as a hemiepiphyte
, later becoming a tree up to 25 m (82 ft) tall. F. pleurocarpa is one of the few fig
s known to be pollinated by more than one species of fig wasp
.
in 1874 in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Its specific epithet is derived from Ancient Greek
pleuro, ribbed, and carpus, fruit, or flesh of the fruit, hence "ribbed fruit". This is derived from the 5–10 ribs that run along the length of the fruit.
With over 750 species, Ficus
is one of the largest angiosperm genera. On the basis of morphology
, English botanist E. J. H. Corner
divided the genus into four subgenera
which were later expanded to six. In this classification, F. pleurocarpa was placed in subseries Hesperidiiformes, series
Malvanthereae, section
Malvanthera of the subgenus
Urostigma. In his reclassification of the Australian Malvanthera, Dixon altered the delimitations of the series within the section, but left this species in series
Hesperidiiformes.
In 2005, Cornelis Berg completed Corner's treatment of the Moraceae
for the Flora Malesiana; the completion of that work had been delayed since 1972 as a result of disagreements between Corner and C. J. J. G. van Steenis, editor of the Flora Malesiana. Berg combined sections Stilpnophyllum and Malvanthera into an expanded section Stilpnophyllum. This left F. pleurocarpa in subsection Malvanthera, section Stilpnophyllum.
Based on DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal internal
and external transcribed spacer
s, Nina Rønsted and colleagues rejected previous subdivisions of the Malvanthera. Instead, they divided section Malvanthera into three subsections—Malvantherae, Platypodeae and Hesperidiiformes. In this system, F. pleurocarpais in the new subsection Malvantherae.
are orange or red in colour, 39–61 mm (1.5–2.4 in) long and 19–27 mm (0.7–1 in) in diameter. It begins life as a hemiepiphyte
.
s, (Agaonidae); figs are pollinated only by fig wasps, and fig wasps can reproduce only in fig flowers. Generally, each fig species depends on a single species of wasp for pollination. The wasps are similarly dependent on their fig species to reproduce. F. pleurocarpa is pollinated by two species of fig wasp—Pleistodontes regalis
and P. deuterus
. This is one of the few cases where more than one species of fig wasp has been raised from the same syconium. The assumption that fig species are usually pollinated by just one species of fig wasp has been challenged by the discovery of cryptic species complex
es among what was thought previously to be single species of fig wasps.
south to the Atherton Tableland
. It grows in lowland and upland wet tropical rainforest
s from sea level up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level.
Figs are sometimes considered to be potential keystone species
in communities of fruit-eating animals; their asynchronous
fruiting patterns may cause them to be important fruit sources when other food sources are scarce. Ficus pleurocarpa was the most largest contributor of fruit biomass in the forest canopy during periods of fruit scarcity, and was ranked as the species that made the second most important contribution to the frugivore community, although the authors of the study were unwilling to call it a keystone species. However, during a season of fruit scarcity, F. pleurocarpa sustained the Musky Rat-kangaroo
population at one particular research site
The fruit of F. pleurocarpa fruit are relatively small and become soft when ripe. This makes them accessible to the entire fruit-eating community. However, most F. pleurocarpa figs are available in the canopy—only a small proportion of the fruit crop falls to the forest floor.
Spectacled Flying-fox
es consume F. pleurocarpa fruit and act as seed dispersers
.
In a study of fungal succession, 104 species were observed over the course of a three-month incubation of F. pleurocarpa leaves. Using different methods, 53 fruiting species and 100 sterile morphospecies were isolated. Cylindrocladium australiense, a new species of fungus in the family Nectriaceae
described in 2006, was isolated from F. pleurocarpa leaves.
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
that is endemic to the wet tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It has characteristic ribbed orange and red cylindrical syconia
Syconium
A syconium is the type of fruit borne by figs , formed of an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inside surface. In essence, it is really a fleshy stem with a number of flowers, so it is considered both a multiple and accessory fruit. The name comes from the Greek word...
. It begins life as a hemiepiphyte
Hemiepiphyte
A hemiepiphyte is a plant which begins its life as an epiphyte but which later grows roots down into the ground. The seeds of hemiepiphytes germinate in the canopy and initially live epiphytically...
, later becoming a tree up to 25 m (82 ft) tall. F. pleurocarpa is one of the few fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s known to be pollinated by more than one species of fig wasp
Fig wasp
Fig wasps are wasps of the family Agaonidae which pollinate figs or are otherwise associated with figs, a coevolutional relationship that has been developing for at least 80 million years...
.
Taxonomy
Ficus pleurocarpa was described by German-Australian botanist Ferdinand von MuellerFerdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
in 1874 in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Its specific epithet is derived from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
pleuro, ribbed, and carpus, fruit, or flesh of the fruit, hence "ribbed fruit". This is derived from the 5–10 ribs that run along the length of the fruit.
With over 750 species, Ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
is one of the largest angiosperm genera. On the basis of morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
, English botanist E. J. H. Corner
E. J. H. Corner
Edred John Henry Corner FRS was a botanist who occupied the posts of assistant director at the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Professor of Tropical Botany at the University of Cambridge...
divided the genus into four subgenera
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
which were later expanded to six. In this classification, F. pleurocarpa was placed in subseries Hesperidiiformes, series
Series (botany)
Series is a low-level taxonomic rank below that of section but above that of species.In botany, a series is a subdivision of a genus...
Malvanthereae, section
Section (botany)
In botany, a section is a taxonomic rank below the genus, but above the species. The subgenus, if present, is higher than the section, and the rank of series, if present, is below the section. Sections are typically used to help organise very large genera, which may have hundreds of species...
Malvanthera of the subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
Urostigma. In his reclassification of the Australian Malvanthera, Dixon altered the delimitations of the series within the section, but left this species in series
Series (botany)
Series is a low-level taxonomic rank below that of section but above that of species.In botany, a series is a subdivision of a genus...
Hesperidiiformes.
In 2005, Cornelis Berg completed Corner's treatment of the Moraceae
Moraceae
Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 40 genera and over 1000 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates...
for the Flora Malesiana; the completion of that work had been delayed since 1972 as a result of disagreements between Corner and C. J. J. G. van Steenis, editor of the Flora Malesiana. Berg combined sections Stilpnophyllum and Malvanthera into an expanded section Stilpnophyllum. This left F. pleurocarpa in subsection Malvanthera, section Stilpnophyllum.
Based on DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal internal
Internal transcribed spacer
ITS refers to a piece of non-functional RNA situated between structural ribosomal RNAs on a common precursor transcript. Read from 5' to 3', this polycistronic rRNA precursor transcript contains the 5' external transcribed sequence , 18S rRNA, ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2, 28S rRNA and finally the 3'ETS...
and external transcribed spacer
External transcribed spacer
External transcribed spacer refers to a piece of non-functional RNA, closely related to the internal transcribed spacer, which is situated outside structural ribosomal RNAs on a common precursor transcript....
s, Nina Rønsted and colleagues rejected previous subdivisions of the Malvanthera. Instead, they divided section Malvanthera into three subsections—Malvantherae, Platypodeae and Hesperidiiformes. In this system, F. pleurocarpais in the new subsection Malvantherae.
Description
Ficus pleurocarpa is a monoecious tree which grows up to 25 m (82 ft) tall. Its leaves are 150–257 mm long (6–10 in) long and 49–100 mm (2–4 in) wide. Its syconiaSyconium
A syconium is the type of fruit borne by figs , formed of an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inside surface. In essence, it is really a fleshy stem with a number of flowers, so it is considered both a multiple and accessory fruit. The name comes from the Greek word...
are orange or red in colour, 39–61 mm (1.5–2.4 in) long and 19–27 mm (0.7–1 in) in diameter. It begins life as a hemiepiphyte
Hemiepiphyte
A hemiepiphyte is a plant which begins its life as an epiphyte but which later grows roots down into the ground. The seeds of hemiepiphytes germinate in the canopy and initially live epiphytically...
.
Reproduction
Figs have an obligate mutualism with fig waspFig wasp
Fig wasps are wasps of the family Agaonidae which pollinate figs or are otherwise associated with figs, a coevolutional relationship that has been developing for at least 80 million years...
s, (Agaonidae); figs are pollinated only by fig wasps, and fig wasps can reproduce only in fig flowers. Generally, each fig species depends on a single species of wasp for pollination. The wasps are similarly dependent on their fig species to reproduce. F. pleurocarpa is pollinated by two species of fig wasp—Pleistodontes regalis
Pleistodontes regalis
Pleistodontes regalis is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with Ficus pleurocarpa, the fig species it pollinates....
and P. deuterus
Pleistodontes deuterus
Pleistodontes deuterus is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with Ficus pleurocarpa, the fig species it pollinates....
. This is one of the few cases where more than one species of fig wasp has been raised from the same syconium. The assumption that fig species are usually pollinated by just one species of fig wasp has been challenged by the discovery of cryptic species complex
Cryptic species complex
In biology, a cryptic species complex is a group of species which satisfy the biological definition of species—that is, they are reproductively isolated from each other—but whose morphology is very similar ....
es among what was thought previously to be single species of fig wasps.
Distribution
Ficus pleurocarpa is an Australian endemic. It is found in north-east Queensland, from Cape TribulationCape Tribulation
Cape Tribulation is a headland and locality in northern Queensland, Australia north of Cairns. It is located within the Daintree National Park and the Wet Tropics World Heritage area. At the 2006 census, Cape Tribulation had a population of 101....
south to the Atherton Tableland
Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around...
. It grows in lowland and upland wet tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
s from sea level up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level.
Ecology
Keystone species
A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Such species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem and helping to determine the types and...
in communities of fruit-eating animals; their asynchronous
Asynchrony
Asynchrony, in the general meaning, is the state of not being synchronized.* Asynchronous learning* Collaborative editing systemsIn specific terms of digital logic and physical layer of communication, an asynchronous process does not require a clock signal, in contrast with synchronous and...
fruiting patterns may cause them to be important fruit sources when other food sources are scarce. Ficus pleurocarpa was the most largest contributor of fruit biomass in the forest canopy during periods of fruit scarcity, and was ranked as the species that made the second most important contribution to the frugivore community, although the authors of the study were unwilling to call it a keystone species. However, during a season of fruit scarcity, F. pleurocarpa sustained the Musky Rat-kangaroo
Musky Rat-kangaroo
The Musky Rat-kangaroo is a marsupial species found in the rainforests of northeast Australia. Although some scientists place this species as a subfamily of the family Potoroidae, the most recent classification places it in the family Hypsiprymnodontidae with prehistoric rat-kangaroos.It is the...
population at one particular research site
The fruit of F. pleurocarpa fruit are relatively small and become soft when ripe. This makes them accessible to the entire fruit-eating community. However, most F. pleurocarpa figs are available in the canopy—only a small proportion of the fruit crop falls to the forest floor.
Spectacled Flying-fox
Spectacled Flying-fox
The Spectacled Flying Fox , is a megabat also known as the Spectacled Fruit Bat, lives in Australia's north-eastern west regions of Queensland...
es consume F. pleurocarpa fruit and act as seed dispersers
Seed dispersal
Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant...
.
In a study of fungal succession, 104 species were observed over the course of a three-month incubation of F. pleurocarpa leaves. Using different methods, 53 fruiting species and 100 sterile morphospecies were isolated. Cylindrocladium australiense, a new species of fungus in the family Nectriaceae
Nectriaceae
Nectriaceae is a family of fungi in the order Hypocreales.-List of genera:This is an incomplete list of genera in the Nectriaceae family:*Albonectria*Allonectella*Calonectria*Calostilbe*Calostilbella*Corallomycetella...
described in 2006, was isolated from F. pleurocarpa leaves.