Chapter 1
The ultimate botanical secret agent mission
Chapter 2
The subterranean romance and escape room
Chapter 3
A global partnership that shaped human history
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret marriage of the fig and the wasp
Ch 3 · A global partnership that shaped human history
misslily The First Domesticated Crop
Without the wasp, without the wasp, We grew our very first crop.
misslily Asynchronous Ficus fruiting in the Amazon and Congo basins provides a steady year-round food supply for birds, monkeys,
Fun Fact
Ancient contracts: Fossil evidence shows that the intimate mutualism between figs and fig wasps has remained virtually unchanged for over 75 million years.
Glossary
mutualism (noun)
A symbiotic relationship between different species in which both organisms benefit. This eighty million year alliance yielded continuous fruit that sustained early humans and aided brain evolution.
A symbiotic relationship between different species in which both organisms benefit. This eighty million year alliance yielded continuous fruit that sustained early humans and aided brain evolution.
Quiz
How many animal species are estimated to rely on figs as a primary food source globally?
Quiz
Which ancient civilization cultivated the sycomore fig and used its wood for sarcophagi?