Burger, Hannah, Buttala, Samantha, Koch, Hauke, Ayasse, Manfred, Johnson, Stephen D. and Stevenson, Philip C. ORCID: 0000-0002-0736-3619 (2024) Nectar cardenolides and floral volatiles mediate a specialized wasp pollination system. Journal of Experimental Biology, 227 (1):jeb246156. ISSN 0022-0949 (Print), 1477-9145 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.246156)

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Abstract

Specialization in plant pollination systems can arise from traits that function as filters of flower visitors. This may involve chemical traits, such as floral volatiles that selectively attract favoured visitors and non-volatile nectar constituents that selectively deter disfavoured visitors through taste or longer-term toxic effects or both. We explored the functions of floral chemical traits in the African milkweed Gomphocarpus physocarpus which is pollinated almost exclusively by vespid wasps, despite having nectar that is highly accessible to other insects such as honeybees.
We demonstrated that the nectar of wasp-pollinated G. physocarpus contains cardenolides which had greater toxic effects on Apis mellifera honeybees than on Vespula germanica wasps, and also reduced feeding rates by honeybees. Behavioural experiments using natural compositions of nectar compounds showed that these interactions are mediated by non-volatile nectar chemistry. We also identified volatile compounds in the floral scent of G. physocarpus that elicited electrophysiological responses in wasp antennae. Mixtures of these compounds were behaviourally effective for attraction of V. germanica wasps. The results show the importance of both volatile and non-volatile chemical traits as filters that lead to specialization in plant pollination systems.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	toxins; wasp flower; nectar chemistry; floral scent; Apocynaceae
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QL Zoology S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Agriculture, Health & Environment Department Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Chemical Ecology Research Group
Last Modified:	09 Jan 2024 12:30
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/44885

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