The figs (Ficus) play an important role in supporting numerous species of birds, mammals and invertebrates in tropical forests. Each fig species is pollinated by a different species of tiny (1-2 mm), short-lived (< 2 days) fig wasp. This specialized pollination relationship is expected to be particularly vulnerable to climate change because neither of the two partners can survive in climatic conditions that are unsuitable for the other.

Professor Richard Corlett of XTBG and his students Nanthinee Jevanandam and Alexander Goh at the National University of Singapore investigated the effects of temperature on the adult life-spans of four species of pollinating fig wasps. Their results suggest that an increase of 3oC or more above the current temperatures in Singapore would decrease the life-spans of all four species and reduce their ability to pollinate fig plants. This temperature increase is similar to that predicted by the IPCC for the year 2100 in Singapore and other areas of the tropics. The fig wasps appear to be much less sensitive to changes in humidity.