Abstract
In this contribution, we discuss not only the natural history and biogeography of Malagasy fig trees (Moraceae, Ficus) but also that of some of their associated insects. We then address fig frugivory and its importance in different habitats on the island. We illustrate how chemical ecology is crucial to better understand fig-fig wasps and fig-frugivore interactions. Finally, we present the importance of figs to humans. This chapter is based on different herbarium collections and internet databases, as well as on a review of published and unpublished data concerning the evolutionary ecology of fig–wasp interactions, the phenology of figs, frugivory, and the ethnobiology of Ficus. We use the terms “Madagascar” for the island of Madagascar in the strict sense; Malagasy Region for the group composed of Madagascar and surrounding archipelagos (Comoros, Seychelles including Aldabra, and Mascarenes); “continental Africa” for the African subregion (thus excluding the Malagasy Region); and “Afrotropical (biogeographic) region” for sub-Saharan continental Africa plus the Malagasy Region.