Start making scents: the challenge of integrating chemistry into pollination ecology

Although research on plant volatiles and pollination ecology has grown explosively over the past 15 years, there remains little dialogue between these fields. Here I examine the historical and cultural reasons for this impasse, focusing on the ways that questions in each field are addressed, and the potential for productive cross-talk. The specialization–generalization debate in pollination has cast doubt on the importance of sensory biology in mediating plant–pollinator interactions on the community scale. However, chemical 'filters' of volatile or nectar-borne repellents are likely to explain the absence of specific interactions in plant–pollinator webs. In addition, the omission of plant volatiles from path analyses measuring the relative impacts of herbivores and pollinators on plant fitness may be one reason for large unexplained variance terms in such models. Floral scent functions in concert with visual and gustatory cues by attracting pollinators from a distance, increasing approaches and landings, and mediating outcrossing rates through changes in visitation frequency and duration. All dimensions of floral chemistry, including ontogenetic and diel variation in scent emissions, have the potential to respond to balancing selection between herbivores and pollinators. The available data reveal that chemical aspects of floral phenotypes are important across the specialization–generalization spectrum, and thus are widely applicable to mainstream pollination ecology.     

Floral scents in butterfly-pollinated plants: possible convergence in chemical composition

The study explores whether or not there are convergent patterns in floral scent composition among plant species that completely or partially rely on butterflies for pollination. Floral scent compounds were analysed from 22 flowering butterfly-pollinated plant species, representing 13 families which originate mainly from temperate North Europe but also from tropical and temperate America. Scents were collected using the dynamic headspace adsorption method and identified with coupled gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In total, 217 floral scent compounds were identified, with the number per species ranging from 8 to 65. The major emerging pattern is the occurrence of certain compounds emitted exclusively by the flowers of many of the investigated species in major amounts – the benzenoids phenylacetaldehyde and 2-phenylethanol, the monoterpenes linalool and linalool oxide (furanoid) I and II and the irregular terpene oxoisophorone. It is likely that these compounds serve as a signal to attract pollinating butterflies, and may have evolved in conjunction with the sensory capabilities of butterflies as a specific group of pollinators. While there is convergence in terms of the compounds sharing this function there has been a geographical divergence in terms of their relative abundance. The predominance (in terms of both numbers and relative amount) of benzenoids in many of the scent blends of the European temperate species and of linalool and its derivatives in those of the American species constitute two discernible groups among these plants.  © 2002. The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 140 , 129–153.     

Regulatory approaches for genome edited agricultural plants in select countries and jurisdictions around the world

Transgenic Research - Genome editing in agriculture and food is leading to new, improved crops and other products. Depending on the regulatory approach taken in each country or region,...     

福建永安安砂库区生态公益林珍稀植物调查

初步调查表明,福建永安安砂库区生态公益林有野生珍稀濒危植物21种,隶属14科19属。其中,国家一级保护植物1种,国家二级保护植物7种。这些珍稀植物资源种类丰富,组成多样,有显著的热带性质,起源古老,特有现象突出,并具有广泛用途和重要价值。     

Medicinal chemistry endeavors around the phytocannabinoids

Over the past 50 years, a considerable research in medicinal chemistry has been carried out around the natural constituents of Cannabis sativa L. Following the identification of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta9-THC) in 1964, critical chemical modifications, e.g., variation of the side chain at C3 and the opening of the tricyclic scaffold, have led to the characterization of potent and cannabinoid receptor subtype-selective ligands. Those ligands that demonstrate high affinity for the cannabinoid receptors and good biological efficacy are still used as powerful pharmacological tools. This review summarizes past as well as recent developments in the structure-activity relationships of phytocannabinoids.     

Research Progress on endangered plants: a bibliometric analysis

Biodiversity and Conservation - The rapid extinction of endangered plants (EPs) may lead to the destruction of entire ecosystems, which will seriously threaten the survival and development of...     

Floral scents of Bartsia alpina (Scrophulariaceae): chemical composition and variation between individual plants

Volatile compounds were collected from the inflorescences of individual Bartsia alpina plants in sub-alpine and alpine populations, and analysed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The compounds detected were: α-pinene, Z-3-hexenol, Z-3-hexenyl acetate, phenyl acetaldehyde and phenyl acetonitrile. A significantly larger proportion of Z-3-hexenol and Z-3-hexenyl acetate were collected from the sub-alpine population than from the alpine population but the differences between the amounts of the other compounds were slight.     

珍稀濒危植物的回归:理论和实践

回归(reintroduction)指的是在一个物种出现濒危的现有分布区域或已经灭绝的历史分布区域内建立新种群的活动.作为物种保护及种群恢复的重要策略之一,回归在越来越多的珍稀濒危植物保护实践中得到了应用.回归的成功标准分为短期和长期两类,前者包括个体的成活、种群的建立和扩散:后者包括回归种群的自我维持和在生态系统中发挥功能等.珍稀濒危植物的回归是一项高风险和高花费的工程,需要根据种群遗传学和生态学理论,选择合适的繁殖体、扩繁方式、回归地点和生境、定植时间、定植方式等,还要考虑传粉者和共生物种,并开展回归后的长期监测.为保证回归的成功并把回归过程中可能对生态环境造成的不利影响降到最小,还需要防止遗传污染、避免源种群的过度采集、加强公众教育、加强长期监测等.不同植物的回归面临着各不相同的具体困难,兰科植物的回归面临更多的困难,如材料扩繁难与存活率低等.基于生态学、传粉生物学、繁殖技术、真菌学和种群遗传多样性研究基础上开展兰科植物的回归,被证明是有效的综合保护策略.