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 2 · The subterranean romance and escape room
misslily Fig Wasp Symbiosis
Locked in the dark of this Monteverde fig, I’m gonna chew a tunnel to set you free!
misslily Before squeezing through a male-chewed tunnel, the female wasp collects pollen from mature male flowers inside her home
Fun Fact
Blind dedication: Wingless male fig wasps spend their entire lives inside a single dark fig, mating and digging tunnels without ever seeing the sky.
Glossary
syconium (noun)
A hollow, fleshy inflorescence consisting of an inverted receptacle with flowers on the inside. Inside this botanical chamber, wingless male wasps mate with females and carve tunnels for their exit.
A hollow, fleshy inflorescence consisting of an inverted receptacle with flowers on the inside. Inside this botanical chamber, wingless male wasps mate with females and carve tunnels for their exit.