How does the coevolution of plant-animal mutualists benefit their mutually beneficial system?

All of the above

In plant-animal relationships, the most remarkable and evolutionarily fascinating examples of mutualism can be observed. Plants rely on animals for the essential tasks of pollinating their flowers and dispersing their seeds. To incentivize these services, plants provide rewards or "fees" to the animals. Pollinators receive pollen and nectar, while seed dispersers are rewarded with juicy and nutritious fruits.

However, in order to maintain the integrity of the mutually beneficial system, precautions must be taken against "cheaters" – animals that try to exploit the rewards without providing the intended services. This safeguarding mechanism ensures that only the animals that contribute to the pollination and seed dispersal process receive the rewards.

By offering these rewards, plants create a mutualistic relationship with the animals, benefiting both parties involved. The animals receive sustenance and nourishment, while the plants gain successful pollination and effective seed dispersal. This intricate interdependence between plants and animals highlights the remarkable nature of mutualistic interactions in the natural world.

In many species of fig trees, there exists a remarkable and intricate one-to-one relationship with a specific pollinator species of wasp. This tight relationship demonstrates the concept of co-evolution in plant-animal interactions. The evolutionary changes in the fig tree and the pollinator wasp species have become closely linked over time.

The female wasp plays a vital role in this mutualistic relationship. She uses the fig fruit not only as a site for laying her eggs but also as a source of nourishment for her larvae. While searching for suitable sites to lay her eggs, the wasp inadvertently pollinates the fig inflorescence. This means that the wasp is responsible for transferring pollen from one fig flower to another, aiding in the reproductive process of the fig tree.