天仙果与两种隐头花序小蜂的相互关系

天仙果（Ficus erecta var.beecheyana）花为单性花、雌、雄异株、分别形成雌、雄花序,雌花序着生雌花,雄花序着生雄花和瘿花。花序中生活着银纹榕小蜂（Blastophaga silverstriana）和榕长尾小蜂（Sycoscapter sp.）。前者是唯一能进入雄花序腔产卵或雌花序腔传粉的昆虫,是天仙果专一性共生的传粉者;后者不能进入花序,在花序外通过产卵器将卵产在瘿花子房中,是植食性的寄生者。自然状态下天仙果每个雄花序均被2种小蜂产卵,平均每个花序出飞银纹榕小蜂208.2只、榕长尾小蜂64.2只。人为封堵花序口,银纹榕小蜂无法进入花序产卵,平均每个花序出飞榕长尾小蜂165.6只,是自然状态下的2.5倍,显然,2种小蜂互为竞争对手,榕长尾小蜂是榕-榕小蜂共生体系的破坏者。     

对叶榕花序不同发育时期气味成分的变化及其对传粉者的吸引作用

为探讨榕果发育过程中气味挥发物的动态变化及其对传粉者行为的调节作用,比较对叶榕(Ficus hispia)不同发育时期花序挥发物的变化,并结合Y形嗅觉仪检测对叶榕传粉榕小蜂对不同花序的选择性。结果表明,在3个发育时期的花序中共检测到64种化合物,对叶榕采用"泛化"策略吸引传粉榕小蜂,十一烷、β-榄香烯、β-芹子烯、α-依兰油烯可能是对传粉榕小蜂起吸引作用的物质。雌前期花序气味与雌花期相似,间花期与雌前期、雌花期的有显著差异,传粉榕小蜂对雌前期和雌花期花序具有明显的选择倾向,对间花期花序表现出驱避性,表明对叶榕与传粉者存在"推-拉"作用模式。雌前期花序释放的气味,有助于传粉者对寄主的定位。同一时期个体间的气味成分存在空间异质性,这种异质性在间花期更加显著,表明气味成分受环境影响。间花期花序气味由于不需要特异性地吸引传粉者,因而更容易发生变化。这有助于更好地理解榕树挥发性物质的组成特点,以及化学机制在维持榕树-榕小蜂共生体系中的关键作用。     

关于一些植物学术语的中译等问题(三)

(1)确定rhizome的中文译名“根状茎”符合此术语的定义,同时认为另一中文译名“根茎”不符合有关定义,且易引起误解,应予废弃。(2)介绍了在中国植物学文献中稀见的2种属于有限花序类的花序类型,有限伞形花序和有限头状花序。根据有关欧美专家的花序研究,介绍了在中国植物学文献中放在无限花序类的隐头花序和柔荑花序系由聚伞花序演化而出,而应属于有限花序类的论断; 同时,作者提出楼梯草属梨序楼梯草组的雄隐头花序系由同属的骤尖楼梯草组的有限头状花序演化而出的论点。     

关于一些植物学术语的中译等问题(三)

(1)确定rhizome的中文译名"根状茎"符合此术语的定义,同时认为另一中文译名"根茎"不符合有关定义,且易引起误解,应予废弃。(2)介绍了在中国植物学文献中稀见的2种属于有限花序类的花序类型,有限伞形花序和有限头状花序。根据有关欧美专家的花序研究,介绍了在中国植物学文献中放在无限花序类的隐头花序和柔荑花序系由聚伞花序演化而出,而应属于有限花序类的论断;同时,作者提出楼梯草属梨序楼梯草组的雄隐头花序系由同属的骤尖楼梯草组的有限头状花序演化而出的论点。     

Chemical composition of volatiles from the syconia of Ficus microcarpa and host recognition behavior of pollinating fig wasps

Aims Chemical communication plays a key role in host plant recognition of pollinators. There are two recognized types of chemical communication between syconia and their pollinating fig wasps: one is “generalization”, of which the wasps respond to the relative ratio of multiple compounds, and the other is “specialization”, of which the key signal is a single uncommon, possibly unique, compound. The aims of this study were to identify the chemical composition of volatiles from the syconia of Ficus microcarpa at different developmental phases, and to determine if the signaling between F. microcarpa and its pollinating fig wasp, Eupristina verticillata, is of generalized type, or of specialized type.Methods The volatiles from syconia of F. microcarpa were extracted using solid-phase micro extraction (SPME) at different developmental phases (pre-female, female (before and after pollination), interfloral, male and postfloral phases) and the chemical compounds were identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We then tested the behavioral responses of E. verticillata to fresh syconia at different developmental phases using two-choice olfactometers.Important findings There were 21 volatile compounds identified from the syconia at different developmental phases, which were mainly fatty acid derivatives, terpenoids and aromatic compounds. The components of the volatiles apparently differed among the developmental stages. The contents of terpenoids declined, but the contents of fatty acid derivatives increased, from before the pollination to after the pollination. Especially, the characteristic compounds of 2-heptanone and 3-octanone before the pollination disappeared, D-limonene decreased after the pollination, but copanene, cyclohexane and 2-hexenal increased. The results of the two-choice olfactometer experiment showed that the pollinating fig wasps had higher selection ratio to chemicals found in the female phase syconia than those in other phases; whereas the volatile compounds from the male phase syconia had the function pushing the pollinating fig wasps to leave the natal syconia so that there existed the “push-pull” responses by fig wasps to volatiles released by their host syconia. We conclude that there are multiple chemical compounds playing the roles in host recognition of pollinating fig wasp E. verticillata. The mutualistic relationship between F. microcarpa and E. verticillata is maintained by the chemical communication of “generalization” strategy.