Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a vital role in plant communication and influence plant evolution and ecological interactions. Hence, population-level volatile chemical diversity across the landscape influences plant interactions with local biological communities. Cycads have an insect pollination system. VOC studies have largely focused on the Zamiaceae, but there is a need for research on Cycadaceae, especially because of their strong ecological connections with insect pollinators. The widespread and abundant Cycas revoluta Thunb. was chosen to study geographic variation in cone scent, as it has a known beetle pollinator and a previously identified genetic boundary separating two spatial genetic groups across the central Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Headspace sampling with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibres combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to collect and analyse cone VOCs of C. revoluta. Six sites including both sexes on three Ryukyu islands traversing the genetic boundary were sampled. Between-sex and genetic boundary differences were statistically tested. The VOC profiles were significantly different across the genetic boundary. The fruit-scented cones matched visits of frugivorous pollinators that primarily feed on fermented fruit. We propose fruit mimicry, with sympatric Pandanus odorifer as a candidate mimetic model based on the overlap of reproductive season and the presence of similar dominant VOCs. The study confirmed ethyl acetate as the main VOC in C. revoluta cones rather than the more unusual estragole. Distinct pollination mechanisms were found between the more generalized Cycadaceae and more specialized Zamiaceae which pave the way for further study of ecological interactions with antagonist and mutualist forces, such as differences in herbivore and pollinator compositions across the genetic boundary.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Cycas revoluta cone VOC profiles differed significantly across the genetic boundary.
- Taxon
- Cycas revoluta
Cycas revolutat0 - Outcome
- VOC profilese0
- Direction
- differente0
- Comparator
- genetic boundarye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The VOC profiles were significantly different across the genetic boundary”
t0“Cycas revoluta”
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit-scented cones coincided with visits by frugivorous pollinators that feed mainly on fermented fruit.
- Taxon
- Cycas revolutaCycas revolutat0
- Interactor
- frugivorous pollinatorse0pollinator
- Outcome
- matched visits of frugivorous pollinatorse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The fruit-scented cones matched visits of frugivorous pollinators that primarily feed on fermented fruit”
t0“Cycas revoluta”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose fruit mimicry with Pandanus odorifer as a candidate model.
- Taxon
- Cycas revolutaCycas revolutat0
- Interactor
- Pandanus odorifer
Pandanus odorifere0other - Outcome
- fruit mimicrye0
- Qualifier
- overlap of reproductive season and the presence of similar dominant VOCse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We propose fruit mimicry, with sympatric Pandanus odorifer as a candidate mimetic model based on the overlap of reproductive season and the presence of similar dominant VOCs”
t0“Cycas revoluta”
Claim · model-written summary
Ethyl acetate was the main cone VOC in Cycas revoluta rather than estragole.
- Taxon
- C. revolutaCycas revolutae0
- Outcome
- ethyl acetate as the main VOCe0
- Comparator
- estragolee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The study confirmed ethyl acetate as the main VOC in C. revoluta cones rather than the more unusual estragole”
Claim · model-written summary
Pollination mechanisms differed between Cycadaceae and Zamiaceae.
- Taxon
- CycadaceaeCycadaceaee0
- Outcome
- Distinct pollination mechanismse0
- Comparator
- Zamiaceaee0
Verbatim
e0“Distinct pollination mechanisms were found between the more generalized Cycadaceae and more specialized Zamiaceae”