Which one of the following shows a unique relationship with an insect that has coevolved with it and that is the only insect that can pollinate this tree?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Fig
Fig trees and fig wasps are the classic case of coevolved mutualism. Many fig species can be pollinated only by one partner wasp species; the female wasp pollinates the fig inflorescence while looking for a place to lay her eggs, and her larvae feed on some of the developing seeds.
- ✓ (a) NCERT describes a tight one-to-one link between many fig species and their pollinating wasps: a given fig can be pollinated only by its 'partner' wasp, which in turn needs the fig to breed.
- ✗ (b) Mahua's strong-smelling flowers open at night and are a major attraction for bats, which Down To Earth calls essential for its pollination and seed dispersal; it has no single insect partner.
- ✗ (d) The red silk cotton tree (Bombax ceiba) is pollinated by generalist birds, not by one coevolved insect.
Remember · Fig–fig wasp: obligate, coevolved, often one-to-one mutualism. The wasp pollinates the fig inflorescence and lays eggs in the fruit; each depends on the other.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Biology, Ch 11 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Biology, Ch 11 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Biology, Chapter 11 “In many species of fig trees, there is a tight one-to-one relationship with the pollinator species of wasp (Figure 11.4). It means that a given fig species can be pollinated only by its 'partner' wasp species and no other species.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Biology, Chapter 11 “plant-animal interactions often involve co-evolution of the mutualists, that is, the evolutions of the flower and its pollinator species are tightly linked with one another.”
- Down To Earth: Mahua, the lifeline of Central India's tribal communities ↗ · reference work “Its dull-coloured, strong-smelling flowers, which bloom at night and hang openly, are a major attractant for bats, essential for pollination and seed dispersal.”
- Frontiers in Plant Science (2022): Pollen dispersal and multiple paternity in bird-pollinated Bombax ceiba (peer-reviewed) ↗ · reference work “migratory omnivorous (generalist) birds, such as those of Zosteropidae, Sturnidae, and Laniidae families, were the frequent and efficient pollinators of B. ceiba”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·