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Sci Rep

Title:		Fungal infestation boosts fruit aroma and fruit removal by mammals and birds
Author(s):		Peris JE; Rodriguez A; Pena L; Fedriani JM;
Address:		"Laboratorio de Biotecnologia Vegetal. Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento. Fundo de Defesa da Citricultura (Fundecitrus). Vila Melhado, 14807-040, Araraquara, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Instituto de Biologia Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)-Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), 46022, Valencia, Spain. Laboratorio de Biotecnologia Vegetal. Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento. Fundo de Defesa da Citricultura (Fundecitrus). Vila Melhado, 14807-040, Araraquara, Sao Paulo, Brazil. lpenya@fundecitrus.com.br. Instituto de Biologia Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)-Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), 46022, Valencia, Spain. lpenya@fundecitrus.com.br. Centro de Ecologia Aplicada 'Prof. Baeta Neves'/InBIO. Instituto Superior de Agronomia. Universidade de Lisboa, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal. fedriani@isa.ulisboa.pt. Estacion Biologica de Donana (CSIC). Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain. fedriani@isa.ulisboa.pt"
Journal Title:		Sci Rep
Year:		2017
Volume:		20170717
Issue:		1
Page Number:		5646 -
DOI:		10.1038/s41598-017-05643-z
ISSN/ISBN:		2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking)
Abstract:		"For four decades, an influential hypothesis has posited that competition for food resources between microbes and vertebrates selects for microbes to alter these resources in ways that make them unpalatable to vertebrates. We chose an understudied cross kingdom interaction to experimentally evaluate the effect of fruit infection by fungi on both vertebrate (mammals and birds) fruit preferences and on ecologically relevant fruit traits (volatile compounds, toughness, etc). Our well-replicated field experiments revealed that, in contrast to previous studies, frugivorous mammals and birds consistently preferred infested over intact fruits. This was concordant with the higher level of attractive volatiles (esters, ethanol) in infested fruits. This investigation suggests that vertebrate frugivores, fleshy-fruited plants, and microbes form a tripartite interaction in which each part could interact positively with the other two (e.g. both orange seeds and fungal spores are likely dispersed by mammals). Such a mutualistic view of these complex interactions is opposed to the generalized idea of competition between frugivorous vertebrates and microorganisms. Thus, this research provides a new perspective on the widely accepted plant evolutionary dilemma to make fruits attractive to mutualistic frugivores while unattractive to presumed antagonistic microbes that constrain seed dispersal"
Keywords:		Animals Birds/*physiology Esters/analysis Ethanol/analysis Food Preferences Fruit/chemistry/*microbiology Herbivory Mammals/*physiology Odorants/analysis Penicillium/*growth & development/metabolism Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis;
Notes:		"MedlinePeris, Josep E Rodriguez, Ana Pena, Leandro Fedriani, Jose Maria eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2017/07/19 Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 17; 7(1):5646. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-05643-z"