Specificity and sex preference between blastophaga spp. Fig wasps and different Ficus Deltoidea Fig trees through volatile organic compounds identification and behavioural responses / Nur 'Aliyaa Nizam

The host specificity in the pollination of fig (Ficus) and its fig wasppollinator (Agaonidae) is maintained by the olfactory signal in combination with morphological co-adaptations. Ficus deltoidea complex is a dioecious fig tree that is regularly pollinated by the fig wasp Blastophaga spp. There are 13 varieties described under this complex, seven of which are native to Peninsular Malaysia. The classification of this complex is solely based on leaf characterisation with no consideration given to gene flow between sympatric different taxa. Whether the floral scents emitted by receptive-phase figs of the varieties are distinct, the extent to which different varieties support different fig wasp pollinators, and whether the fig wasp is able to discriminate the sex of the figs have never been studied. This study aims to identify the volatile organic compounds emitted by receptive figs from five differentvarieties of F. deltoidea, to determine the pollinator specificity of F. deltoidea var.trengganuensis (Blastophaga sp.) towards seven native varieties of the species, and to determine the preferences of the female fig wasps towards the male and female receptive figs of var. angustifolia and var. deltoidea.