Floral scent emission is the highest at the second night of anthesis in Lonicera japonica (Caprifoliaceae)

Abstract

Floral color change in diverse plants has been thought to be a visual signal reflecting changes in floral rewards, promoting pollinator foraging efficiency as well as plant reproductive success. It remains unclear whether olfactory signals co-vary with floral color change. We investigated the production rhythms of floral scent and nectar associated with floral color change in Lonicera japonica. The flowers generally last 2-3 days. They are white on opening at night (N1) and become light yellow the following day (D1), yellow on the second night (N2), and golden on the second day of flowering (D2). Our measurements in the four stages indicated that nectar production decreased significantly from N1 and D1 to N2 and D2, tracking the floral color change. A total of 34 compounds were detected in floral scent and total scent emission was significantly higher in N2 than in the other three stages. The scent emission of three major compounds, Linalool, cis-3-Hexenyl tiglate, and Germacrene D was also significantly higher in N2, but the relative content of Linalool decreased gradually, cis-3-Hexenyl tiglate increased gradually, and the relative content of Germacrene D did not differ among the four measured stages. Greater scent emission by night than by day suggested a strong olfactory signal to attract nocturnal hawkmoths, the effective pollinators. However, floral scent rhythms in the four stages did not match the color change and nectar secretion, suggesting that floral color (visual) and scent (olfactory) in this species may play different roles in attracting or filtering various visitors.

Physiological and Biochemical Analysis Revealing the Key Factors Influencing 2-Phenylethanol and Benzyl Alcohol Production in Crabapple Flowers

“…The study also noted that the highest content of 2-PE in M. ‘Praire Rose’ and BA in M. ‘Lollipop’ primarily occurred in the S4 and S3 periods, respectively. It was observed in Lonicera japonica ( Caprifoliaceae ) that more odor is emitted at night than during the day to attract nocturnal moths [ 50 ]. This temporal variation in volatile release suggests a potential correlation with pollination and ecological functioning [ 51 ].…”

Features of floral odor and nectar in the distylous Luculia pinceana (Rubiaceae) promote compatible pollination by hawkmoths

“…The adsorbent powder was fixed in the tube using glass wool (HJ637–2018). To control for scent from leaves and the ambient air, three samples were simultaneously taken from oven bags with branches including just leaves from three individuals (Feng et al, 2023 ). After collection, both ends of the adsorbent tube were sealed with plastic film, and the samples were placed into brown injection bottles and stored at −18°C for about 3 months.…”

Chemical communication between plants and insects

“…Consequently, a variety of factors can contribute to diverse and dynamic plant volatiles, affecting their functionality in communication. For example, Feng et al (2022) investigated the production rhythms of floral scent and nectar associated with floral color change in Lonicera japonica , in Caprifoliaceae. A total of 34 compounds were detected in the flowers of this species and total scent emission was significantly higher in the second night than at other times.…”

“…In this special issue of the Journal of Systematics and Evolution , we present a collection of 10 papers addressing these challenges through original research and comprehensive reviews of relevant subfields. The contributions can be organized into four primary themes: (i) community‐level communication theory (Zu et al, 2022) and its application to plant–pollinator communities (Yang et al, 2022); (ii) the evolutionary history of communication from a phylogenetic and macroevolutionary perspective (Martel et al, 2021; Schwery et al, 2022); (iii) various communication types, including plant–pollinator (Martel et al, 2021), plant–pest (Fang et al, 2023), and plant–fungi–insect interactions (Xu et al, 2023); and (iv) an exploration of different communication factors such as distyly (Zeng et al, 2022), odor dynamics (Feng et al, 2022), chemical structures (Zhang et al, 2022), and the impact of herbicides (Ramos et al, 2022).…”