Fig pollination (evolution, TPR Biology Passage 34)

[ModerateMouse]

‘Most individual species of figs are pollinated by a single host-specific species of wasp which in turn receives nourishment. This host-specificity provides reproductive isolation among both the wasps and the figs that can lead to:

(a). .speciation
(b). .intra-species competition
(c). .natural selection
(d). .genetic diversity'




The emphasis is mine.

The reason why this question has me fuming is that the figs and wasps that interact are already speciated.

How would they speciate further?

It's not as if these species were able to breed with other wasps to begin with.

What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wolverinepwns]

‘Most individual species of figs are pollinated by a single host-specific species of wasp which in turn receives nourishment. This host-specificity provides reproductive isolation among both the wasps and the figs that can lead to:

(a)speciation
(b)intra-species competition
(c)natural selection
(d)genetic diversity'




The emphasis is mine.

The reason why this question has me fuming is that the figs and wasps that interact are already speciated.

How would they speciate further?

It's not as if these species were able to breed with other wasps to begin with.

What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

The key word in that question is reproductive isolation. meaning that the surviving offspring are further selected based on their compatibility with that path of host-specificity, this applies to both the wasp and the figs and their offsprings.

 

[ModerateMouse]

The key word in that question is reproductive isolation. meaning that the surviving offspring are further selected based on their compatibility with that path of host-specificity, this applies to both the wasp and the figs and their offsprings.

Oooh, so then it's simply saying that the wasps that happen to be born with a specific shape that prevents them from getting into the figs' flowers will be "isolated" (simply since they can no longer reproduce, or have to reproduce using another flower shape).

As a result, wasps that are most compatible with one 'shape' of flower will be isolated from those wasps that are compatible with another 'shape' of flower?

Is that what it is?

I guess I intuitively didn't see any "reproductive isolation" happening, so I didn't pay much attention to that phrase.

 

[wolverinepwns]

exactly! it also applies for the flowers in same exact way!