| Title: | The involvement of a floral scent in plant-honeybee interaction |
| Author(s): | Liu YB; Zeng ZJ; Barron AB; Ma Y; He YZ; Liu JF; Li Z; Yan WY; He XJ; |
| Address: | "Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330045, People's Republic of China. Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Honeybee Biology and Bee Keeping, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330045, People's Republic of China. Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia. Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330045, People's Republic of China. hexujiang3@163.com. Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Honeybee Biology and Bee Keeping, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330045, People's Republic of China. hexujiang3@163.com" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00114-022-01802-z |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1432-1904 (Electronic) 0028-1042 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Volatile odors from flowers play an important role in plant-pollinator interaction. The honeybee is an important generalist pollinator of many plants. Here, we explored whether any components of the odors of a range of honeybee-pollinated plants are commonly involved in the interaction between plants and honeybees. We used a needle trap system to collect floral odors, and GC-MS analysis revealed nonanal was the only component scent detected in 12 different honeybee-pollinated flowers and not present in anemophilous plant species. For Ligustrum compactum, blooming flowers released significantly more nonanal than buds and faded flowers. For Sapium sebiferum, nonanal release through the day correlated with nectar secretion. Experimentally increasing nectar load in flowers of Sapium sebiferum, Ligustrum compactum, and Castanea henryi increased nonanal levels also. Nonanal was also detected in flower nectar and honeys from experimental colonies. Electroantennogram recordings and behavioral observations showed that untrained honeybees could detect and were strongly attracted to nonanal. We argue that nonanal persists in both honey and nectar odors facilitating a learned association between nonanal and food reward in honeybees" |
| Keywords: | Animals Bees Flowers *Odorants Pheromones *Plant Nectar Plants Pollination Electroantennogram response Floral scents Honeybees Nectar; |
| Notes: | "MedlineLiu, Yi Bo Zeng, Zhi Jiang Barron, Andrew B Ma, Ye He, Yu Zhu Liu, Jun Feng Li, Zhen Yan, Wei Yu He, Xu Jiang eng No. 31702193/National Natural Science Foundation of China/ No. 20171BAB214018/Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province/ No. 20181BBF60019/Key Research and Development Project of Jiangxi province/ No. CARS-44-KXJ15/the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System/ Germany 2022/06/02 Naturwissenschaften. 2022 May 29; 109(3):30. doi: 10.1007/s00114-022-01802-z" |
