Water lilies and scarabs: faithful partners for 100 million years?

Night-flowering water lilies (Nymphaeaceae) in South America are pollinated by Cyclocephala scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae: Cyclocephalini) in a specialized relationship involving synchronized flowering movements, strong floral scent, food tissues, and heat-producing flowers. We report that a similar and closely related association exists in West Africa between Nymphaea lotus L. and Ruteloryctes morio Fabricius (Cyclocephalini). This finding strongly supports a late Early Cretaceous origin of a symbiosis between the night-flowering water lilies and pollinating Cyclocephalini beetles. We believe that this is the first unambiguous evidence of a plant-pollinator relationship of this age.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 80 , 539–543.     

Discrimination amongst Alliums using an electronic nose

Pyruvic acid content determination and, to lesser extents, thiosulphinates determination and organoleptic tests are used for assessing the eating characteristics of onions and other Allium spp. Each of these methods has inherent limitations, especially when large numbers of samples are to be evaluated. With a view to developing a more convenient quality evaluation method, an electronic nose was used to discriminate flavour and aroma characteristics amongst garlic, leek, shallot, bulb onion and spring onion. Differences in relative sensor response to headspace volatiles over macerated samples of these five different Allium types were recorded. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed some separation among the five types. PCA and Mahalanobis' D² statistic suggested similarities in headspace volatiles for shallot, spring and bulb onions and differences for leek and, especially, garlic. Multiple linear regression analyses (Y =α+β₁X₁+β₁X₂; N_{(x, Y)}=5) of the first two principal component values (PCA 1 [X₁] and PCA 2 [X₂]) accounted for not less than 90% of the total variation in pyruvic acid concentration (Y1), total soluble solids content (Y2) and percentage dry matter content (Y3) of the Allium types. These relationships suggest that electronic nose discrimination was on the basis of quality characteristics that relate to Allium flavour. This work has shown that the electronic nose has potential for flavour characteristic‐based discrimination amongst Allium types. Future work will explore this potential within a single Allium spp.     

Synomones in necrophagous larvae of the blow flies Lucilia sericata and Calliphora vomitoria

Chemical signals are widespread in insects, but those resulting in interspecific communication (i.e., synomones) remain understudied. Here, we analysed chemicals left on substrates by two species of blow fly larvae, Lucilia sericata (Meigen) and Calliphora vomitoria (Linneaus) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), which can aggregate together on carrion. Using solid-phase microextraction and dynamic headspace analysis, we identified six compounds common to both species: the decanoic, tetradecanoic, pentadecanoic, hexadecanoic and octadecanoic acids, and the 2-ethylhexyl salicylate. We then tested the behavioural effects of the decanoic and pentadecanoic acids using binary-choice experiments, along with the (Z)-9-tricosene, a pheromone found in many arthropods. The time spent by a larva and its average crawling speed were measured in two sides of an arena, where only one contained a compound at 0.25 or 25 μg/μl. No effect was observed when testing the decanoic acid. The pentadecanoic acid only reduced the speed of C. vomitoria larvae at 25 μg/μl. Finally, L. sericata larvae spent less time in the side containing the (Z)-9-tricosene at 0.25 μg/μl, whereas C. vomitoria spent more time and crawled faster in this side at 25 μg/μl. Although these results did not directly evidence synomones, they suggest that the (Z)-9-tricosene could regulate larval aggregations on carrion.     

Inclusion interactions of cyclodextrins and crosslinked cyclodextrin polymers with linalool and camphor in Lavandula angustifolia essential oil

In the present study, we investigated the feasibility of preparation of novel controlled release systems for the delivery of essential oil used as ambient odors. The inclusion interactions of cyclodextrins (CDs) and β-cyclodextrin polymers with linalool and camphor in Lavandula angustifolia essential oil were investigated by static headspace gas chromatography (SH-GC). The stability constants with monomeric CD derivatives were determined for standard compounds and for the compounds in essential oil. All studied CDs and CD polymers reduce the volatility of the aroma compounds and stable 1:1 inclusion complexes are formed. The retention capacity of the CD derivatives was measured in static experiments. The feasibility of preparation of novel controlled release systems for the delivery of fragrances was investigated by multiple headspace extraction (MHE) experiments.     

Volatile compounds released by microalgae-water phase from Taihu Lake in China

The spectrum of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) released by the microalgae-water phase of Taihu Lake in China was examined, then release behaviors were studied using non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC, including a few polar organics) to describe the total amount of the released VOCs. Coupled dynamic headspace sampling with on-line monitoring of methane and NMHC was used to reflect the quasi-realtime release behavior of methane and NMHC by the microalgae-water phase. Alkanes, alkenes, oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) and volatile sulfide chemicals (VOSCs) were detected. Their relative contents over time varied markedly from the stationary to the apoptosis phase, with their release rates as described by NMHC estimated from 0.02 to 0.59 μgC/(h g). Methane was investigated simultaneously, and its release rate was found to be 0.05–3.96 μgC/(h g). The release rates of both NMHC and methane were found to relate to the culture phase of the microalgae.     

Identification of volatile compounds from fungus-infected date fruit that stimulate upwind flight in femaleEctomyelois ceratoniae

Four volatile compounds emitted from fungus-infected date fruit,Phoenix dactylifera L., were identified using coupled gas chromatographic-electroantennographic recordings, coupled gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis, electroantennographic assays of synthetic standards, and wind tunnel bioassays. These compounds were ethyl hexanoate, ethanol, acetaldehyde, and 2-phenylethanol. Wind tunnel bioassays showed that ethyl hexanoate was capable of stimulating upwind flight and landing on the source by mated female carob moths,Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller). Addition of both ethanol and acetaldehyde to ethyl hexanoate resulted in an increase in attraction to a level similar to that found for date fruits. No such effect was noted for additions of 2-phenylethanol at the dosages tested. In this study, it appears that ethyl hexanoate is a dominant olfactory stimulant and attractant for mated female carob moths, and represents a novel compound with regard to previously identified lepidopteran host odor attractants.     

Pseudotsuga menziesii (Pinaceae): Volatile Profiles,Antimicrobial Activity and Toxicological Evaluation of Its Essential Oil

The present article investigates the chemical composition of volatiles of essential oil (EO) and headspace (HS) fraction, as well as biological activities of EO obtained from needles with twigs of Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii cultivated in Serbia. The major class of compounds was monoterpene hydrocarbons with α-terpinolene, sabinene and β-pinene (EO), and sabinene, α-terpinolene and β-pinene (HS) as the dominant volatiles. Tested EO exhibited mostly low antimicrobial potential against investigated strains (ATCC and respiratory isolates), where MICs ranged 1.25–20.00 mg/mL. Nevertheless, based on presented results, where antimicrobial testing was done for the first time on human respiratory system isolates, there is a potential of this EO to be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of human respiratory infections, especially those caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Candida albicans strains. Regarding toxicological evaluation, EO showed moderate toxicity in Artemia salina toxicity bioassay (LC₅₀=347.41, after 24 h) as well as week toxicity against Drosophila melanogaster with the ability only to moderately delay larval and pupal development.     

Interspecific variation in floral fragrances within the genus Narcissus (Amaryllidaceae)

To improve our understanding of the floral biology, pollination, and systematics of the genus Narcissus, a comparative study was made of flower volatiles from nine species native to southern Spain using headspace collection and GC-MS analysis. The species fell into three fragrance types based on the identity of their major volatiles. In all but one species the fragrances consisted mainly of monoterpene isoprenoids mixed with benzenoids: in six species trans-ß-ocimene occurred in high proportions, in two others it was lacking; the last species had a fragrance dominated by fatty acid derivatives, mixed with terpenoids. Two of the species showed marked intraspecific variation in many of their volatiles. When the volatile data matrix of all species was subjected to cluster analyses and the resulting phenetic trees compared with currently recognized taxonomic groups, there was no congruence at the subgeneric level. However, there was considerable agreement at the sectional level, although in most sections we studied only a single species. This apparent agreement was stronger when the volatiles were analyzed according to shared biosynthetic pathways rather than treated individually, pointing to the higher value of using biosynthetic pathways for uncovering and confirming phenetic, and probable evolutionary, relationships among species. In terms of possible selective pressures from pollinators in shaping fragrance chemistry, available information on the pollination of our species suggested an association between fragrance and types of pollinators. Two pollinator-fragrance groups were apparent: (1) species pollinated by insects that include butterflies and moths displayed fragrances containing volatiles typical of moth-pollinated flowers, most particularly indole combined with high amounts of esters, and (2) species visited exclusively by insects other than butterflies and moths, especially by bees and flies, had fragrances lacking this combination of volatiles. Narcissus assoanus was unusual among our species in having both fragrance chemotypes. Future pollination studies of Narcissus in the field are needed to test the reliability and predictability of the proposed fragrance-pollinator associations.