| Title: | A Semivolatile Floral Scent Marks the Shift to a Novel Pollination System in Bromeliads |
| Author(s): | Milet-Pinheiro P; Domingos-Melo A; Olivera JB; Albuquerque NSL; Costa ACG; Albuquerque-Lima S; Silva MFR; Navarro D; Maia ACD; Gundersen LL; Schubert M; Dotterl S; Machado IC; |
| Address: | "Departament of Botany, Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Electronic address: paulo.milet@upe.br. Departament of Botany, Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Department of Fundamental Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Departament of Systematics and Ecology, Universidade Federal da Paraiba, 58051-900 Joao Pessoa, Brazil. Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo, Norway. Department of Biosciences, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.012 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-0445 (Electronic) 0960-9822 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Perfume flowers (sensu Vogel(1)) produce intense scents that function both as attractants and as the sole rewards for pollinators. The scent is collected exclusively by male euglossine bees and used during pre-mating behavior.(2-5) Perfume flowers have evolved independently in 15 angiosperm families, with over 1,000 reported species across the Neotropical region.(6) Members of Cryptanthus (Bromeliaceae) represent a puzzling exception among perfume flowers, as flowers produce nectar and do not emit a noticeable scent yet still attract euglossine males.(7) Here, we studied the pollination ecology of Cryptanthus burle-marxii and decode the chemical communication between its flowers and euglossine males. Field observations revealed euglossine males and hummingbirds as potential pollinators. The bees always contacted anthers/stigma of C. burle-marxii while scraping the petals to obtain chemicals, whereas nectar-seeking hummingbirds normally only contacted the anthers. Based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/nuclear magnetic resonance analyses of flower scent samples and bioassays, we identified the diterpene copalol as the only floral scent compound triggering scent-gathering behavior in euglossine males. Unlike euglossine-bee-mediated pollination, hummingbird pollination is ancestral in the Cryptanthus clade, suggesting a case of an ongoing pollinator shift(8-10) mediated by the evolution of perfume as a reward. Copalol was previously unknown as a floral scent constituent and represents the heaviest and least-volatile compound known to attract euglossine males. Our study provides the first experimental evidence that semivolatile floral compounds can mediate euglossine bee interactions. Male euglossine pollination in other plant species lacking noticeable floral scents(11-13) suggests that semivolatile-mediated pollinator attraction is more widespread than currently appreciated" |
| Keywords: | Animals Bees Flowers *Odorants *Perfume Pheromones Plant Nectar *Pollination Bromeliaceae Cryptanthus SVOCs copalol floral scents hummingbirds labdane-related diterpenes orchid bees pollination semivolatile organic compounds; |
| Notes: | "MedlineMilet-Pinheiro, Paulo Domingos-Melo, Arthur Olivera, Joao B Albuquerque, Nayara S L Costa, Ana Carolina G Albuquerque-Lima, Sinzinando Silva, Marcelo F R Navarro, Daniela M A F Maia, Artur C D Gundersen, Lise-Lotte Schubert, Mario Dotterl, Stefan Machado, Isabel C eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2020/12/19 Curr Biol. 2021 Feb 22; 31(4):860-868.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.012. Epub 2020 Dec 17" |
