Given below are two statements :
Statement I : Fig fruit is a non-vegetarian fruit as it has enclose

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Question

Given below are two statements :
Statement I : Fig fruit is a non-vegetarian fruit as it has enclosed fig wasps in it.
Statement II : Fig wasp and fig tree exhibit mutual relationship as fig wasp completes its life cycle in fig fruit and fig fruit gets pollinated by fig wasp.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :
(1) Statement I is incorrect but statement II is correct
(2) Both statement I and statement II are correct
(3) Both statement I and statement II are incorrect
(4) Statement I is correct but statement II is incorrect

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: C — Both statement I and statement II are incorrectStep-by-step Solution:Statement I Analysis — INCORRECT: The claim that 'fig fruit is non-vegetarian because it has enclosed fig wasps' is biologically and factually misleading for several reasons:The structure we call the 'fig fruit' is actually a syconium — a hollow, fleshy receptacle that encloses many tiny flowers inside. The actual fruits are the small achenes (seed-containing structures) inside.Most commercially grown figs (like the common fig, Ficus carica) are parthenocarpic varieties — they develop without pollination and fertilization, and therefore contain no wasp remains. These figs have no wasps inside.Even in wild figs that do interact with wasps, the female wasp that enters the fig generally dies inside, but the fig produces an enzyme (ficin) that breaks down the wasp's body. So the 'non-vegetarian' label is highly debatable and not scientifically accurate.Being a plant product (botanical fruit), figs are inherently vegetarian.Statement II Analysis — INCORRECT (imprecise/misleading): While the fig-wasp relationship IS a classic example of mutualism (both benefit), Statement II has a critical inaccuracy: the fig wasp completes its life cycle inside the fig inflorescence/syconium (which is technically the floral structure, not a fruit per se at the time of wasp activity). More importantly, what gets pollinated are the flowers inside the syconium, NOT the fruit. A fruit develops AFTER pollination. Saying 'fig fruit gets pollinated' is botanically incorrect — flowers are pollinated, not fruits. The correct statement would be: fig wasp pollinates the flowers inside the fig inflorescence (syconium).Extended Explanation:The fig-wasp mutualism (Ficus sp. and Agaonidae wasps) is a textbook example of obligate mutualism and co-evolution: (1) Female wasp enters the syconium through a narrow opening (ostiole), pollinating the female flowers as she enters; (2) She lays eggs in some ovules (short-style flowers), causing gall formation — these become wasp nurseries; (3) Male wasps hatch first, mate with females, then chew an exit tunnel; (4) Female wasps collect pollen from male flowers (which mature last) and exit through the tunnel, carrying pollen to another fig. The fig benefits from pollination; the wasp benefits from the nursery. This is true mutualism (+/+ relationship). Over 750 Ficus species exist, each with its own specific wasp species — a remarkable example of coevolution and species-specific mutualism.Key Concepts: Fig-wasp mutualism, syconium, parthenocarpy, pollination biology, botanical fruit definition, coevolution, obligate mutualism.

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