MOLECULAR PHYLOGENIES OF FIGS AND THEIR POLLINATOR WASPS

We collected and analysed nucleotide sequence and protein electrophore tic data in order to estimate phylogenies of figs and fig-pollinating wasps at several taxonomic scales. The relatively conserved chloroplas t gene coding rbCl allowed the estimation of the taxonomic position of Ficus relative to other genera within the Moraceae. Further, in conju nction with chloroplast tRNA spacer genes, rbcL sequences allowed the partial resolution of the phylogenetic associations of fig species fro m different parts of the world with representatives from all the recog nized subgenera of Fiats. The phylogeny of the corresponding wasp spec ies that pollinate most of those taxa was estimated using mitochondria l COI-COII and 12S ribosomal genes. At a fine scale, the phylogenies o f species within two subgenera of figs growing in Panama (Urostigma, a nd Pharmacosycea) were estimated by using protein electrophoretic data . The phylogeny of the corresponding pollinator wasp species was estim ated using COII sequence data. Although we need to extend the taxa sam pled and augment the molecular database, the host and pollinator phylo genies show a high degree of congruence and the results support the pr edominance of strict-sense coevolution between figs and their pollinat or wasps at both global and fine scales.