Incestuous fig wasps: death in paradise [HD]

A World within a Fig: The wasps of Ficus racemosa and Ficus hispida
02:52 Ficus racemosa and its symbiotic pollinator wasp Ceratosolen fusciceps
03:48 female wasp enters the fig through a small opening called the ostiole
04:22 Ficus hispida and its mutualistic pollinator wasp Ceratosolen solmsi
04:54 female wasp ovipositing and forming galls for her larvae to grow
06:50 wasp actively pollinating stigmas from pollen pockets
07:04 Ficus racemosa monoecious anatomy: Ceratosolen fusciceps lays eggs in synstigma
08:24 Ficus hispida dioecious anatomy: Ceratosolen solmsi pollinates female flowers but lays eggs in male figs, then dies
10:05 golden, wingless, haploid male offspring emerge first, mate with unborn diploid female sisters
12:58 Apocrypta male wasps are non-pollinating, have spiracles
13:25 black, winged female offspring emerge, gather pollen into their pollen pockets
15:48 juvenile nematode worms also emerge, attach themselves to female wasps
16:27 male wasps tunnel out of the fig, captured by ants, then females escape
18:26 Chalcid non-pollinating female wasps are parasitoids
Written & edited by Dominique Vassie
Music by Conor Emerson
Scientific Advisor: Stephen G. Compton
Animation by Dominique Vassie
Footage by Silverback Films
With thanks to the Thailand filming team:
Dr Wattana Tanming
Nick Shoolingin-Jordan
Alastair MacEwen
Sarah-Jane Walsh
Tammy
And with thanks to the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden and the University of Leeds
Sounds from BBC Sound Effects
Film footage © Silverback Films
This film was produced as part of an MSc thesis for the University of Leeds titled:
'The use of documentary film footage to understand the behaviour of fig wasps' by Dominique Vassie, 2021.
This film was produced for educational purposes only.

[@thevieadanac6115]

What a wonderfully well done video!! The camera work and information provided via voice over is excellent! ❤️

[@francicco78]

Unbelievable! And Unbelievable narrated and filmend!

[@Bestroyer348]

This goes beyond simply Alabama

[@ryanrodriguez1234]

"Insect-cest" and "Hung like a fig tree wasp" brought me here 😳

[@cko222]

How the hell did you even film this! Such wonderful work, I would be so interested in the behind the scene of this video!

[@SP-ki5gn]

Astonishing, simply astonishing.

[@petergraves9006]

Wow

[@AndersDroid-kw3fq]

Soundtrack is awesome, who is it? Thank you!

[@PeterChenW]

Full disclosure including music and sound effects are in the description

[@jinnygreat8737]

Is this real
.. unbelievable

[@TheGreenmangrove]

outstanding Document

[@Iswearcrixket]

It is actually true

[@jinnygreat8737]

Is it true or edited one.. Please tell😮

[@thevieadanac6115]

11:41 how can an un-fertilized egg hatch out a wasp? It’s unfertilized. 😳

[@geoffreyrodgers5373]

well its not that unusual, queen bees only lay male drones until she mates and then she will only lay female workers.

[@jadasleem2442]

​@@geoffreyrodgers5373the same in ants

[@enkhtseveenkhuu3374]

🫣😱🤮