Fatty acids and diacylglycerols from elaiosomes of some ant-dispersed seeds

Kusmenoglu, S.; Rockwood, Larry L.; Gretz, Michael R.

doi:10.1016/s0031-9422(00)98048-8

Cited by 25 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…These dated suggested that this fraction if constituted by monoacylglycerols or diacylglycerols. These data are consistent with the literature 13 that reported the presence of triacylglycerols Figure 2C) showed absorptions typical of free fatty acids 22 , with a large absorption band between 3.600 and 2.500 cm -1 (ν OH) and absorptions at 2.953, 2.918 and 2.849 cm -1 (ν C-H), 1.710 (ν C=O), 1.463 ( cm -1 δ s C-H) and 720 cm -1 [(δ s (CH 2 )n; n>4]. In the literature 18 , the presence of fatty acid has also been reported in the lipophilic extract from the elaiosome of Pedicillate trillium species.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 94%

“…An opposite view is provided by Marshall et al 19 and Kusmenoglu et al 13 , who believe the fatty acids composing the lipids are responsible for ant attraction and suggest that 1,2-diolein is the attractiveness component. Data obtained by Sheridan et al 20 also indicated that the ants do not find elaiosome containing seeds by means of olfaction but rather only after touching them with antennae.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The extracts Mf1E, Mf2E and Mf3E were weighed and stored at 4 o C until chromatographic analyzes were carried out 13 . All fractions (0.20 g each) were submitted to a silica gel (70-230 Mesh) column chromatography (35 mm i.d.…”

Section: Elaiosome Components Extraction and Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ants also require a rich source of steroids in their diet 9 . In the chemical composition of the elaiosome there are many groups of lipids that stimulate ants to collect the seeds 13 . This attraction to leaf-cutting ants Atta sexdens rubropilosa was observed by Peternelli et al 15 when ant workers transported the seeds of M. fistulifera to their nests, removed the elaiosome and subsequently discarded the seeds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Isolation of compounds attractive to the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa forel (hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mabea fistulifera elaiosome

Peternelli

Barbosa

2008

Quím. Nova

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Recebido em 1/9/06; aceito em 6/9/07; publicado na web em 26/2/08Mabea fistulifera (Euphorbiaceae) is a pioneer plant species with seeds dispersed by the ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa. Since the ants are attracted to the seeds to use its elaiosome as a source of energy, we investigated its composition. The elaiosomes from 13,000 seeds were extracted with a methanol:chloroform mixture (2:1 v/v) and yielded 22% of a residue. This residue was fractionated by column chromatography and its composition determined by infrared spectroscopy and chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The elaiosome lipids are constituted mainly by free fatty acids, triacylglycerols and minor quantities of monoacylglycerols or diacylglycerols.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 94%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Elaiosome Components Extraction and Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Isolation of compounds attractive to the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa forel (hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mabea fistulifera elaiosome

Peternelli

Barbosa

2008

Quím. Nova

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“…Studies with several ant species and plant families revealed that one single compound, the diglyceride 1,2-diolein, generally elicits seed-carrying behavior (Carroll and Janzen, 1973;Marshall et al, 1979;Horvitz and Beattie, 1980;Skidmore and Heithaus, 1988;Brew et al, 1989;Kusmenoglu et al, 1989). Marshall et al (1979) suppose that 1,2-diolein is not attractive for its nutritional value (though this cannot be totally excluded (Beattie, 1985)), but simply serves as general cue in ant behavior.…”

Section: Terricolous Myrmecochoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Monophyletic Hoya (Marsdenieae, Apocynaceae): Inferences from the Chloroplast trnL Region and the rbcL-atpB Spacer

Wanntorp

Kocyan

Donkelaar³

et al. 2006

Systematic Botany

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The delimitation of the genus Hoya, with at least 200 species distributed from India and China to Australia, from its closest relatives in the Marsdenieae has long been problematic, precluding an understanding of the evolution and biogeography of the genus. Traditional circumscriptions of genera in the Hoya alliance have relied on features of the flower, but these overlap extensively between clades and may be evolutionarily labile. We obtained chloroplast DNA sequences to infer the phylogenetic relationships among a sample of 35 taxa of Hoya and 11 other genera in the tribe Marsdenieae, namely Absolmsia, Cionura, Dischidia, Dregea, Gongronema, Gunnessia, Madangia, Marsdenia, Micholitzia, Rhyssolobium, and Telosma. Trees were rooted with representatives of Asclepiadeae, Ceropegieae, Fockeeae, Periplocoideae, and Secamonoideae. Hoya and Dischidia form a monophyletic group, but the phylogenetic signal in the chloroplast data analyzed here was insufficient to statistically support the mutual monophyly of the two genera. A monophyletic Hoya, however, must include the monotypic Absolmsia, Madangia, and Micholitzia, a result congruent with their flower morphology. The data also identified several wellsupported groups within Hoya. The morphologically unusual Gunnessia belongs firmly in the Marsdenieae, but it is not close to Hoya and Dischidia.

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Effects of seed morphology and elaiosome chemical composition on attractiveness of five Trillium species to seed‐dispersing ants

Miller

Whitehead

Kwit

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Morphological and chemical attributes of diaspores in myrmecochorous plants have been shown to affect seed dispersal by ants, but the relative importance of these attributes in determining seed attractiveness and dispersal success is poorly understood. We explored whether differences in diaspore morphology, elaiosome fatty acids, or elaiosome phytochemical profiles explain the differential attractiveness of five species in the genus Trillium to eastern North American forest ants. Species were ranked from least to most attractive based on empirically‐derived seed dispersal probabilities in our study system, and we compared diaspore traits to test our hypotheses that more attractive species will have larger diaspores, greater concentrations of elaiosome fatty acids, and distinct elaiosome phytochemistry compared to the less attractive species. Diaspore length, width, mass, and elaiosome length were significantly greater in the more attractive species. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, we found significantly higher concentrations of oleic, linoleic, hexadecenoic, stearic, palmitoleic, and total fatty acids in elaiosomes of the more attractive species. Multivariate assessments revealed that elaiosome phytochemical profiles, identified through liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, were more homogeneous for the more attractive species. Random forest classification models (RFCM) identified several elaiosome phytochemicals that differed significantly among species. Random forest regression models revealed that some of the compounds identified by RFCM, including methylhistidine (α‐amino acid) and d‐glucarate (carbohydrate), were positively related to seed dispersal probabilities, while others, including salicylate (salicylic acid) and citrulline (L‐α‐amino acid), were negatively related. These results supported our hypotheses that the more attractive species of Trillium—which are geographically widespread compared to their less attractive, endemic congeners—are characterized by larger diaspores, greater concentrations of fatty acids, and distinct elaiosome phytochemistry. Further advances in our understanding of seed dispersal effectiveness in myrmecochorous systems will benefit from a portrayal of dispersal unit chemical and physical traits, and their combined responses to selection pressures.

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Fatty acids and diacylglycerols from elaiosomes of some ant-dispersed seeds

Cited by 25 publications

References 13 publications

Isolation of compounds attractive to the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa forel (hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mabea fistulifera elaiosome

Isolation of compounds attractive to the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa forel (hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mabea fistulifera elaiosome

Towards a Monophyletic Hoya (Marsdenieae, Apocynaceae): Inferences from the Chloroplast trnL Region and the rbcL-atpB Spacer

Effects of seed morphology and elaiosome chemical composition on attractiveness of five Trillium species to seed‐dispersing ants

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