Fitness costs for fig wasps that fail to pollinate their host Ficus perforata

Abstract Mutualisms are of fundamental ecological importance, but risk breaking down if one partner stops paying the costs yet still takes benefits interaction. To prevent such cheating, many mutualisms have mechanisms that lower fitness uncooperative symbionts, often termed host sanctions. In where interacting partners species-specific, we would expect to see coevolution levels sanctions and cooperation across species-pairs. mutualism between fig trees their species-specific pollinating wasps, vary greatly in strength, wasp accordingly. Here I show experimentally Panamanian Ficus perforata (section Urostigma, Americana) there for wasps do not pollinate. These caused by a combination abortions unpollinated figs reduced proportion larvae successfully develop adults . The relative pollinate compared is 0.59, leading intermediate sanction strength 0.41. Next, screening pollinators F. found 1.9% individuals natural populations failed carry pollen. Across five actively pollinated Neotropical species pollinators, with stronger had fewer as be expected promote cooperation.