Secondary metabolites from nectar and pollen: a resource for ecological and evolutionary studies

Palmer‐Young, Evan C.; Farrell, Iain W.; Adler, Lynn S.; Milano, Nelson J.; Egan, Paul A.; Irwin, Rebecca E.; Stevenson, Philip C.

doi:10.1002/ecy.2621

Cited by 38 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…While nectar is mainly a source for carbohydrates, pollen contains most other required nutrients (protein, fat, minerals and vitamins (Roulston & Cane 2000)). Besides nutrients, pollen additionally contains several other compounds such as secondary metabolites (Palmer-Young et al 2019a;Palmer-Young et al 2019b) and scent compounds (Dobson et al 1996;Dobson et al 1999). Pollen thus represents a complex chemical mixture with many different volatile (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Best be(e) on low fat: linking nutrient perception, regulation and fitness

et al. 2020

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Preventing malnutrition through consuming nutritionally appropriate resources represents a challenge for foraging animals. This is due to often high variation in the nutritional quality of available resources. Foragers consequently need to evaluate different food sources. However, even the same food source can provide a plethora of nutritional and non-nutritional cues, which could serve for quality assessment. We show that bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, overcome this challenge by relying on lipids as nutritional cue when selecting pollen. The bees 'prioritised' lipid perception in learning experiments and avoided lipid consumption in feeding experiments, which supported survival and reproduction. In contrast, survival and reproduction were severely reduced by increased lipid contents. Our study highlights the importance of fat regulation for pollen foraging bumblebees. It also reveals that nutrient perception, nutrient regulation and reproductive fitness can be linked, which represents an effective strategy enabling quick foraging decisions that prevent malnutrition and maximise fitness.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Best be(e) on low fat: linking nutrient perception, regulation and fitness

et al. 2020

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“…The differences among their genetic structure, in fact, may result in different production and chemical composition of both pollen and nectar. The chemistry of floral pollen and nectar is known to mediate plant–pollinator interactions (Palmer‐Young, Farrell, Adler, & Milano, ; Stevenson, Nicolson, & Wright, ). Pollinators are able to choose the flowers with abundant or high quality nectar and, at the same time, to avoid flowers with repellent compounds (Gegear, Manson, & Thomson, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pollinators are able to choose the flowers with abundant or high quality nectar and, at the same time, to avoid flowers with repellent compounds (Gegear, Manson, & Thomson, ). Chemicals involved in this ecological process are secondary metabolites that, in the case of pollen and nectar, mainly belong to polyphenols, terpenoids, alkaloids and amines (Palmer‐Young et al, ). Our results on globe artichoke pollination are probably related to the polyphenolic composition and concentration.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generally, the quantity of secondary metabolites in pollen are higher than in nectar, and in nectar they are lower than in other plant parts (Cook, Manson, Gardner, Welch, & Irwin, ). Furthermore, their concentration may change in relation to genotype, phenological stage, season and meteorological conditions (Palmer‐Young et al, ). Besides the chemicals, the shape and size of capitula of the two cultivars may have influenced the attractiveness of flowers for honeybees and bumblebees.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insect pollinators improve seed production in globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus)

Mazzeo

Scavo

Monaco

et al. 2020

Annals of Applied Biology

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The role of many insect species in crop pollination has been widely studied. The use of entomophilous pollination, commonly adopted for other crops, may be of key importance in order to improve seed yields in seed-propagated globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) cultivars. In this regard, in a 2-year field experiment, the role of two honeybees (Apis mellifera ligustica and A. mellifera siciliana) and one bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) was evaluated on the seed production of two globe artichoke cultivars in caged-protected environments. Overall, the number and weight of seeds plant −1 and head −1 , 1,000 seed weight and fruit setting were higher in caged plants with imposed pollination than open field plants. The pollination efficiency was both insect and cultivar dependent. Both honeybee species performed better on the Mediterranean cultivar 'Violetto di Sicilia', while the bumblebee performed better on the Brazilian cultivar 'NP4'. These results could be very useful to modernise the agronomic management of globe artichoke and reduce the costs of cultivation. In addition, such knowledge can be used to improve the seed production in globe artichoke seed-propagated cultivars and cardoon. This will benefit the bioenergy, nutraceutical, cosmetic and ornamental applications.

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“…The phenylpropanoid–PAs conjugates, also called hydroxycinnamic acid amides or phenolamides, are specialized metabolites and mainly accumulate in reproductive organs. A recent paper reported that high concentrations of hydroxycinnamoyl–spermidine conjugates were found in nectar and pollen of several Angiosperms ( Palmer-Young et al., 2019 ). Phenolamides are involved in pollen cell wall organization ( Ito et al., 2007 ; Yang et al., 2007 ; Grienenberger et al., 2009 ) and fertilization ( Lam et al., 1992 ; Elejalde-Palmett et al., 2015 ) and serve as defense compounds in biotic interactions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature-Dependent Compatible and Incompatible Pollen-Style Interactions in Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan. Show Different Transglutaminase Features and Polyamine Pattern

et al. 2020

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In clementine, failure of fertilization can result in parthenocarpic fruit development, which has several advantages, such as seedless fruit, longer shelf-life, and greater consumer appeal. Recently, S-RNases have been identified in Citrus grandis , thus revealing that the self-incompatibility (SI) reaction relies on the S-RNase gametophytic mechanism. The fundamental role of environmental factors, mostly temperature, in determining the numbers of pollen tubes reaching the ovary is also well established in Citrus . In the present work, temperature-dependent pollen–pistil interactions in C. clementina were analyzed, focusing on several morphological aspects, as well as on polyamine (PA) content and the activity and distribution of transglutaminase (TGase), both reported to be involved in the SI response in pear and in pummelo. Results clearly indicate that temperature contributed to a different activation of the SI response, which occurs at optimal temperature of 25°C but was by-passed at 15°C. TGase activity was stimulated during the SI response, and it localized differently in the compatible and incompatible interaction: in compatible pollinated styles, TGase localized inside the style canal, while it was detected all around it in incompatible crosses. TGase localization and activity were congruent with the levels of soluble and insoluble conjugated PAs and with morphological evidences, which highlighted cell wall modification occurring as a result of SI.

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Secondary metabolites from nectar and pollen: a resource for ecological and evolutionary studies

Abstract: 2019. Secondary metabolites from nectar and pollen: a resource for ecological and evolutionary studies. Ecology 100(4):

Cited by 38 publications

References 0 publications

Best be(e) on low fat: linking nutrient perception, regulation and fitness

Best be(e) on low fat: linking nutrient perception, regulation and fitness

Insect pollinators improve seed production in globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus)

Temperature-Dependent Compatible and Incompatible Pollen-Style Interactions in Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan. Show Different Transglutaminase Features and Polyamine Pattern

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