| Title: | Characterization of the Insect Assemblage and Associated Floral Volatiles of Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) |
| Author(s): | Larcenaire C; Wang F; Holaskova I; Turcotte R; Gutensohn M; Park YL; |
| Address: | "Forest Health Protection, USDA Forest Service, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA. Office of Statistics, West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2223-7747 (Print) 2223-7747 (Electronic) 2223-7747 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Black cherry is an ecologically important high-value wood. A decline of its regeneration has been reported in the USA, which could be associated with a lack of pollination. This study was conducted to identify insects visiting black cherry flowers, to determine whether insects captured on the flowers carry black cherry pollen and to identify the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by flowers of black cherry. A two-year insect survey was conducted before, during and after the black cherry bloom. A total of 9533 insects were captured in traps and Diptera was the most abundant (64.1%). Significantly more insects in Diptera, Lepidoptera and Thysanoptera were captured in the traps installed in the canopy than those on the ground, and Anthalia bulbosa (Diptera: Hybotidae) was the dominant species. Electron microscopy analyses demonstrated that insects captured in the canopy indeed carried black cherry pollen. Black cherry flowers emitted a VOC blend that is composed of 34 compounds and dominated by beta-ocimene and several phenylpropanoids/benzenoids. This floral VOC profile is similar to that of other pollinator-dependent Prunus species. This study reports pollinator insects and associated VOCs, for the first time, that could play a significant role in the pollination and regeneration of black cherry" |
| Keywords: | Allegheny National Forest Diptera Lepidoptera Prunus black cherry floral volatiles pollination volatile organic compound; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINELarcenaire, Craig Wang, Fumin Holaskova, Ida Turcotte, Richard Gutensohn, Michael Park, Yong-Lak eng MFO-2018-01/ Department of Agriculture/ WVA00730/West Virginia University/ WV00024/West Virginia University/ Switzerland 2021/10/24 Plants (Basel). 2021 Oct 15; 10(10):2195. doi: 10.3390/plants10102195" |
