Floral scent is different between sexual phases within individuals in a synchronously dichogamous shrub (Canella winterana) but there is no distinct female or male scent profile across individuals

Bearded irises are ornamental plants with distinctive floral fragrance grown worldwide. To identify the floral scent profiles, twenty-seven accessions derived from three bearded iris, including Iris. germanica, I. pumila and I. pallida were used to investigate the composition and relative contents of floral scent components by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 219 floral scent components were detected in blooming flowers. The scent profile varied significantly among and within the three investigated species. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that terpenes, alcohols and esters contributed the most to the floral scent components and 1-caryophyllene, linalool, citronellol, methyl cinnamate, β-cedrene, thujopsene, methyl myristate, linalyl acetate, isosafrole, nerol, geraniol were identified as the major components. In a hierarchical cluster analysis, twenty-seven accessions could be clustered into six different groups, most of which had representative scent components such as linalool, citronellyl acetate, thujopsene, citronellol, methyl cinnamate and 1-caryophyllene. Our findings provide a theoretical reference for floral scent evaluation and breeding of bearded irises.

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Floral Scent Variation in the Heterostylous Species Gelsemium sempervirens

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules24152818 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (15) ◽

pp. 2818 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bettie Obi Johnson ◽

Annette M. Golonka ◽

Austin Blackwell ◽

Iver Vazquez ◽

Nigel Wolfram

Keyword(s):

Volatile Organic Compounds ◽

Organic Compounds ◽

Solid Phase ◽

Floral Scent ◽

Geographic Location ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Population Type ◽

Volatile Organic ◽

Scent Profile ◽

Gelsemium Sempervirens

Gelsemium sempervirens (L.) W.T. Aiton, a distylous woody vine of the family Gelsemiaceae, produces sweetly fragrant flowers that are known for the toxic alkaloids they contain. The composition of this plant’s floral scent has not previously been determined. In this study, the scent profiles of 74 flowers obtained from six different wild and cultivated populations of G. sempervirens were measured by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). There were 81 volatile organic compounds identified and characterized as benzenoids, terpenoids, fatty acid derivatives, and yeast associated compounds. The most abundant compound was benzaldehyde (23–80%) followed by ethanol (0.9–17%), benzyl benzoate (2–15%), 4-anisaldehyde (2–11%), (Z)-α-ocimene (0–34%), and α-farnesene (0.1–16%). The impacts of geographic location, population type (wild or cultivated), and style morph (L = long, S = short) on scent profile were investigated. The results showed no relationship between geographic location or population type and volatile organic compounds (VOC) profile, but did show a significant scent profile difference between L and S morphs based on non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) using Bray-Curtis similarity indices. The L morphs contained higher amounts of benzenoids and the S morphs contained higher amounts of terpenoids in their scent profiles. The L morphs also produced a higher total abundance of scent compounds than the S morphs. This study represents the first floral scent determination of G. sempervirens finding significant variation in scent abundance and composition between style morphs.

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Floral Cues of Non-host Plants Attract Oligolectic Chelostoma rapunculi Bees

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.682960 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Burger ◽

Nadine Joos ◽

Manfred Ayasse

Keyword(s):

Visual Cues ◽

Host Plants ◽

Floral Scent ◽

Olfactory Cues ◽

Spectral Measurements ◽

Behavioral Experiments ◽

Oligolectic Bees ◽

Scent Profile ◽

Compare And Contrast ◽

Floral Cues

Oligolectic bees are highly dependent on the availability of the host plants to which they are specialized. Nevertheless, females of Chelostoma rapunculi have recently been monitored occasionally to visit Malva moschata and Geranium sanguineum flowers, in addition to their well-known Campanula spp. hosts. The questions therefore arise which floral cues promote visits to non-host plants. As host-specific floral cues are key attractants for oligolectic bees, we have studied the attractiveness of olfactory and visual cues of the established host Campanula trachelium in comparison to the non-host plants G. sanguineum and M. moschata in behavioral experiments. Chemical and electrophysiological analyses of the floral scent and spectral measurements of floral colors were used to compare and contrast host and non-host plants. The behavioral experiments showed that foraging-naïve bees, in particular, were attracted by olfactory cues of the non-host plants, and that they did not favor the Campanula host scent in choice experiments. Many electrophysiologically active floral volatiles were present in common in the studied plants, although each species produced an individual scent profile. Spiroacetals, the key components that enable C. rapunculi to recognize Campanula hosts, were detected in trace amounts in Geranium but could not be proved to occur in Malva. The visual floral cues of all species were particularly attractive for foraging-experienced bees. The high attractiveness of G. sanguineum and M. moschata flowers to C. rapunculi bees and the floral traits that are similar to the Campanula host plants can be a first step to the beginning of a host expansion or change which, however, rarely occurs in oligolectic bees.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of The evolution of floral scent and olfactory preferences in pollinators: coevolution or pre-existing bias?

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.14266991.15779104 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Owen Petchey

Keyword(s):

Floral Scent ◽

Olfactory Preferences

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Circadian clock gene LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL directly regulates the timing of floral scent emission in Petunia.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.725599647.793508556 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Stacey Harmer

Keyword(s):

Circadian Clock ◽

Clock Gene ◽

Floral Scent ◽

Circadian Clock Gene

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Floral Scent and Pollinators of Cypripedium calceolus L. at Different Latitudes

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13010005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 5

Author(s):

Herbert Braunschmid ◽

Robin Guilhot ◽

Stefan Dötterl

Keyword(s):

Floral Scent ◽

Latitudinal Gradients ◽

Isolated Populations ◽

Floral Scents ◽

Selective Pressures ◽

Octyl Acetate ◽

Important Trait ◽

Cypripedium Calceolus ◽

Negative Frequency Dependent Selection ◽

Plant Pollinator

Floral scent is an important trait in plant–pollinator interactions. It not only varies among plant species but also among populations within species. Such variability might be caused by various non–selective factors, or, as has been shown in some instances, might be the result of divergent selective pressures exerted by variable pollinator climates. Cypripedium calceolus is a Eurasian deceptive orchid pollinated mainly by bees, which spans wide altitudinal and latitudinal gradients in mainly quite isolated populations. In the present study, we investigated whether pollinators and floral scents vary among different latitudes. Floral scents of three C. calceolus populations in the Southern Alps were collected by dynamic headspace and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). These data were completed by previously published scent data of the Northern Alps and Scandinavia. The scent characteristics were compared with information on pollinators recorded for present study or available in the literature. More than 80 scent compounds were overall recorded from plants of the three regions, mainly aliphatics, terpenoids, and aromatics. Seven compounds were found in all samples, and most samples were dominated by linalool and octyl acetate. Although scents differed among regions and populations, the main compounds were similar among regions. Andrena and Lasioglossum species were the main pollinators in all three regions, with Andrena being relatively more abundant than Lasioglossum in Scandinavia. We discuss natural selection mediated by pollinators and negative frequency–dependent selection as possible reasons for the identified variation of floral scent within and among populations and regions.

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Genome-Wide Analysis and Characterization of the Aux/IAA Family Genes Related to Floral Scent Formation in Hedychium coronarium

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20133235 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (13) ◽

pp. 3235 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yanguo Ke ◽

Farhat Abbas ◽

Yiwei Zhou ◽

Rangcai Yu ◽

Yuechong Yue ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Floral Scent ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Virus Induced Gene Silencing ◽

Cut Flowers ◽

Flower Opening ◽

Hedychium Coronarium

Auxin plays a key role in different plant growth and development processes, including flower opening and development. The perception and signaling of auxin depend on the cooperative action of various components, among which auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) proteins play an imperative role. In a recent study, the entire Aux/IAA gene family was identified and comprehensively analyzed in Hedychium coronarium, a scented species used as an ornamental plant for cut flowers. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Aux/IAA gene family in H. coronarium is slightly contracted compared to Arabidopsis, with low levels of non-canonical proteins. Sequence analysis of promoters showed numerous cis-regulatory elements related to various phytohormones. HcIAA genes showed distinct expression patterns in different tissues and flower developmental stages, and some HcIAA genes showed significant responses to auxin and ethylene, indicating that Aux/IAAs may play an important role in linking hormone signaling pathways. Based on the expression profiles, HcIAA2, HcIAA4, HcIAA6 and HcIAA12, were selected as candidate genes and HcIAA2 and HcIAA4 were screened for further characterization. Downregulation of HcIAA2 and HcIAA4 by virus-induced gene silencing in H. coronarium flowers modified the total volatile compound content, suggesting that HcIAA2 and HcIAA4 play important roles in H. coronarium floral scent formation. The results presented here will provide insights into the putative roles of HcIAA genes and will assist the elucidation of their precise roles during floral scent formation.

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