Title: | "beta-Ocimene, a Key Floral and Foliar Volatile Involved in Multiple Interactions between Plants and Other Organisms" |
Author(s): | Farre-Armengol G; Filella I; Llusia J; Penuelas J; |
Address: | "CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. g.farre@creaf.uab.cat. CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. g.farre@creaf.uab.cat. Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria. g.farre@creaf.uab.cat. CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. iola@creaf.uab.es. CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. iola@creaf.uab.es. CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. j.llusia@creaf.uab.es. CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. j.llusia@creaf.uab.es. CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. josep.penuelas@uab.cat. CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. josep.penuelas@uab.cat" |
DOI: | 10.3390/molecules22071148 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1420-3049 (Electronic) 1420-3049 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "beta-Ocimene is a very common plant volatile released in important amounts from the leaves and flowers of many plant species. This acyclic monoterpene can play several biological functions in plants, by potentially affecting floral visitors and also by mediating defensive responses to herbivory. The ubiquity and high relative abundance of beta-ocimene in the floral scents of species from most plant families and from different pollination syndromes (ranging from generalism to specialism) strongly suggest that this terpenoid may play an important role in the attraction of pollinators to flowers. We compiled abundant evidence from published studies that supports beta-ocimene as a generalist attractant of a wide spectrum of pollinators. We found no studies testing behavioural responses of pollinators to beta-ocimene, that could directly demonstrate or deny the function of beta-ocimene in pollinator attraction; but several case studies support that the emissions of beta-ocimene in flowers of different species follow marked temporal and spatial patterns of emission, which are typical from floral volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions that are involved in pollinator attraction. Furthermore, important beta-ocimene emissions are induced from vegetative plant tissues after herbivory in many species, which have relevant functions in the establishment of tritrophic interactions. We thus conclude that beta-ocimene is a key plant volatile with multiple relevant functions in plants, depending on the organ and the time of emission. Experimental behavioural studies on pure beta-ocimene conducted with pollinating insects will be necessary to prove the assumptions made here" |
Keywords: | Acyclic Monoterpenes Alkenes/*chemistry/metabolism Animals Flowers/chemistry/genetics/metabolism Plants/*chemistry/genetics Pollination/genetics Volatile Organic Compounds/*chemistry/metabolism (E)-beta-ocimene dominant VOCs floral scent trans-beta-ocimen; |
Notes: | "MedlineFarre-Armengol, Gerard Filella, Iolanda Llusia, Joan Penuelas, Josep eng 610028/ERC_/European Research Council/International Review Switzerland 2017/07/14 Molecules. 2017 Jul 13; 22(7):1148. doi: 10.3390/molecules22071148" |