| Title: | Floral scent emitted by white and coloured morphs in orchids |
| Author(s): | Dormont L; Delle-Vedove R; Bessiere JM; Schatz B; |
| Address: | "Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175 CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France. Electronic address: laurent.dormont@cefe.cnrs.fr. Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175 CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France; Laboratoire de Genetique et Evolution des Populations Vegetales (GEPV), Universite des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France. Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Montpellier, Laboratoire de Chimie Appliquee, 8 rue de l'Ecole Normale, 34296 Montpellier, France. Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175 CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.phytochem.2014.01.009 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1873-3700 (Electronic) 0031-9422 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Polymorphism of floral signals, such as colour and odour, is widespread in flowering plants and often considered to be adaptive, reflecting various pollinator preferences for particular floral traits. Several authors have recently hypothesized that particular associations exist between floral colour and scent, which would result from shared biochemistry between these two floral traits. In this study, we compared the chemical composition of floral volatiles emitted by white- and purple-flowered morphs of three different orchid species, including two food-deceptive species (Orchis mascula and Orchis simia) and a food-rewarding species (Anacamptis coriophora fragrans). We found clear interspecific differences in floral odours. As expected from their pollination strategy, the two deceptive orchids showed high inter-individual variation of floral volatiles, whereas the food-rewarding A. c. fragrans showed low variation of floral scent. Floral volatiles did not differ overall between white- and coloured-flowered morphs in O. mascula and A. c. fragrans, while O. simia exhibited different volatile profiles between the two colour morphs. However, a detailed analysis restricted to benzenoid compounds (which are associated with the production of floral anthocyanin pigments) showed that white inflorescences emitted more volatiles of the shikimic pathway than coloured ones, both for O. mascula and O. simia. These results are consistent with the current hypothesis that shared biochemistry creates pleiotropic links between floral colour and scent. Whether intraspecific variation of floral signals actually affects pollinator attraction and influences the reproductive success of these orchids remains to be determined" |
| Keywords: | Flowers/*metabolism Food Odorants/*analysis Orchidaceae/*metabolism/physiology Pigmentation Pollination Reproduction Species Specificity Volatilization Chemical ecology Colour Floral polymorphism Insect pollination Odour Orchids; |
| Notes: | "MedlineDormont, L Delle-Vedove, R Bessiere, J-M Schatz, B eng England 2014/02/15 Phytochemistry. 2014 Apr; 100:51-9. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2014.01.009. Epub 2014 Feb 10" |
