The importance of key floral bioactive compounds to honey bees for the detection and attraction of hybrid vegetable crops and increased seed yield

Mas, Flore; Harper, Aimee; Horner, Rachael; Welsh, Taylor J.; Jaksons, Peter; Suckling, D. M.

doi:10.1002/jsfa.8967

Cited by 23 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The main scent component benzaldehyde, and the less abundant components benzyl alcohol and 2-phenylethanol are known from up to 60% of angiosperm families (Knudsen et al 2006 ) and are attractive to moths (Bruce and Cork 2001 ; Landolt et al 2013 ; Sun et al 2016 ), mosquitoes (Jhumur et al 2008 ), hemipterans (Fontan et al 2002 ), and honey bees (Mas et al 2018 ). Phenylacetaldehyde is known from 30 plant families (Knudsen et al 2006 ), and described to be an honest reward indicator for honey and bumble bees (Knauer and Schiestl 2015 ; Mas et al 2018 ). 1,2- and 1,4-dimethoxybenzene are less common but still found in floral scents of 14 different plant families (Knudsen et al 2006 ) and are attractive to, for example, leaf beetles (Ventura et al 2001 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flower scent of Ceropegia stenantha: electrophysiological activity and synthesis of novel components

Heiduk

Haenni²,

Meve

et al. 2019

J Comp Physiol A

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In specialized pollination systems, floral scents are crucial for flower–pollinator communication, but key volatiles that attract pollinators are unknown for most systems. Deceptive Ceropegia trap flowers are famous for their elaborate mechanisms to trap flies. Recent studies revealed species-specific floral chemistry suggesting highly specialized mimicry strategies. However, volatiles involved in fly attraction were until now identified in C. dolichophylla and C. sandersonii , only. We here present data on C. stenantha for which flower scent and pollinators were recently described, but volatiles involved in flower–fly communication stayed unknown. We performed electrophysiological measurements with scatopsid fly pollinators ( Coboldia fuscipes ) and identified 12 out of 13 biologically active floral components. Among these volatiles some were never described from any organism but C. stenantha . We synthesized these components, tested them on antennae of male and female flies, and confirmed their biological activity. Overall, our data show that half of the volatiles emitted from C. stenantha flowers are perceived by male and female fly pollinators and are potentially important for flower–fly communication in this pollination system. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of the electrophysiologically active components in the life of scatopsid fly pollinators, and to fully understand the pollination strategy of C. stenantha .

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flower scent of Ceropegia stenantha: electrophysiological activity and synthesis of novel components

Heiduk

Haenni²,

Meve

et al. 2019

J Comp Physiol A

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“…Given that compounds involved in pollinator attraction (as is true for compounds eliciting repellent responses) typically elicit physiological responses in antennae of insects, GC (gas chromatography) coupled to EAD (electroantennographic detection) is an elegant way to identify those compounds among the ones detected in chemical analytical analyses that are physiologically and potentially also behaviourally active (Schiestl and Marion-Poll 2002). So far, this technique identified several compounds biologically active in bees (i.e., Thiery et al 1990;Wadhams et al 1994;Dötterl 2008;Dötterl and Vereecken 2010;Klatt et al 2013, Jürgens et al 2014Mas et al 2018) and, in combination with behavioural assays, presented the chemical basis of plant-pollinator interactions (Burger et al 2010;Milet-Pinheiro et al 2013, 2015Schäffler et al 2015).…”

Section: Chemoecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Flowers of European pear release common and uncommon volatiles that can be detected by honey bee pollinators

et al. 2019

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Floral scents are important pollinator attractants, but there is limited knowledge about the importance of single components in plant-pollinator interactions. This especially is true in crop pollination systems. The aim of this study is to identify floral volatiles of several European pear cultivars (Pyrus communis L.), and to determine their potential in eliciting physiological responses in antennae of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), the most important pollinators of pear. Volatiles were collected by dynamic headspace and analysed by (high resolution) gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Antennal responses were investigated by GC coupled to electroantennographic detection (GC/EAD). We trapped in the mean 256 ng of scent per flower and hour (flower −1 h −1) from the different cultivars with either linalool + methyl benzoate or methyl 2-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoate as most abundant compounds. Of the 108 detected pear floral scent components, 17 were electrophysiologically active in honey bee antennae. Among these compounds were (E)-N-(2-methylbutyl)-and (E)-N-(3-methylbutyl)-1-(pyridin-3-yl)methanimine, which were not known from nature before to the best of our knowledge. Most other compounds identified as flower scent in pear are widespread compounds, known from flowers of various other species. Our results provide new insights in the floral volatile chemistry of an important insect-pollinated crop and show for the first time that honey bees have the olfactory ability to detect several pear floral volatiles. These data are an important basis for more detailed studies of the olfactory communication between honey bees and European pear flowers and might in the long term be used to manipulate the attractiveness of pear to obtain optimal fruit set.

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“…Honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) are responsible for pollinating approximately one‐third of our food crops and are particularly important in the pollination of specialty crops, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables and hybrid plants . Honey bees are annually responsible for $15–17 billion in increased crop value in the USA and $153 billion worldwide .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are responsible for pollinating approximately one-third of our food crops and are particularly important in the pollination of specialty crops, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables and hybrid plants. 1,2 Honey bees are annually responsible for $15-17 billion in increased crop value in the USA and $153 billion worldwide. 1,3 For several decades, there have been issues with honey bee populations; however, in recent years, a dramatic decrease in these populations has occurred all over the world, sometimes associated with a so-called 'colony collapse' in which the bee hive is left by the worker bees.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ketalization of 2‐heptanone to prolong its activity as mite repellant for the protection of honey bees

et al. 2019

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BACKGROUND 2‐Heptanone is a volatile liquid known to be effective in protecting honey bees from parasitic mite infestations in hives. The present study aimed to show that chemical derivatives of 2‐heptanone would release the ketone for a significantly longer time than it takes for the pure ketone to evaporate and preferably for as long as two brood cycles of a honey bee (42 days). RESULTS A liquid ketal of 2‐heptanone with glycerol (Glyc‐Ket) and solid ketals of the ketone with polyvinyl alcohol (PVAl‐Ket), containing different amounts of the ketone, were synthesized. The fully resolved 1H and 13C nuclear magenetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the ketals are discussed. In the case of the polymer, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of a ketal was also compared with the unketalized polyvinyl alcohol. The length of time for which 2‐heptanone was released by the ketals was determined by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry of the headspace. In the case of Glyc‐Ket, the concentration of the 2‐heptanone in the liquid phase was also monitored by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The deketalization was pH dependent, ranging between 2.0 and 2.5 for Glyc‐Ket and between 2.0 and 3.5 for PVAl‐Ket. CONCLUSION Under bee hive conditions, the release of 55 mmol 2‐heptanone from Glyc‐Ket lasted for 42 days, whereas the release of the ketone from the PVAl‐Ket with a similar amount of the ketone lasted for 23 days, versus a maximum of 17 days for an equivalent amount of the pure ketone. These ketals therefore have the potential to be effective mite repellants for the protection of honey bees. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

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The importance of key floral bioactive compounds to honey bees for the detection and attraction of hybrid vegetable crops and increased seed yield

Cited by 23 publications

References 48 publications

Flower scent of Ceropegia stenantha: electrophysiological activity and synthesis of novel components

Flower scent of Ceropegia stenantha: electrophysiological activity and synthesis of novel components

Flowers of European pear release common and uncommon volatiles that can be detected by honey bee pollinators

Ketalization of 2‐heptanone to prolong its activity as mite repellant for the protection of honey bees

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