Variation in floral characters, particularly floral scent, in sapromyophilous Stemona species

Abstract

Flowers or inflorescences often deploy various signals, including visual, olfactory, and gustatory cues, that can be detected by their pollinators. In many plants, these cues and their functions are poorly understood. Deciphering the interactions between floral cues and pollinators is crucial for analyzing the reproductive success of flowering plants. In this study, we examined the composition of the fetid floral scents produced by several Stemona species, including nine S. tuberosa populations from across China, using dynamic headspace adsorption, gas chromatography, and mass spectrometry techniques. We compared variations in floral phenotype, including floral longevity, nectar rewards, pollinator behavior, and flower length and color among the Stemona species. Of the 54 scent compounds identified, the major compounds include fetid dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, 1-pyrroline, butyric acid, p-cresol, isoamyl alcohol, and indole. We detected striking differentiation in floral scent at both the species and population level, and even within a population of plants with different colored flowers. Floral characteristics related to sapromyophily and deceptive pollination, including flower color mimicking livor mortis and a lack of nectar, were found in five Stemona species, indicating that Stemona is a typical sapromyophilous taxon. Species of this monocot genus might employ evolutionary tactics to exploit saprophilous flies for pollination.

Floral Scents of a Deceptive Plant Are Hyperdiverse and Under Population-Specific Phenotypic Selection

“…Nonetheless, our study is the first to demonstrate such population differentiation in scent across the Alps. Intraspecific variation in floral scent among populations and regions has also been reported for other plant species (e.g., Dötterl et al, 2005;Chapurlat et al, 2019;and Schlumpberger and Raguso, 2008), including sapromyiophilous species (e.g., Chen et al, 2017). In some of those, this variation, as shown in this study, could be linked to pollinator assemblages and/or genetic patterns (e.g., Chapurlat et al, 2019), but not in others (Dötterl et al, 2005;Schlumpberger and Raguso, 2008).…”

Plant-pollinator interactions in East Asia: a review

“…). Carrion flies are attracted by some flowers that emit unpleasant scent such as Araceae (e.g., Amorphophallus (Chen et al 2015b) and Symplocarpus (Uemura et al 1993;Hong & Sohn 2003)), Berberidaceae (e.g., Dysosma (Gong et al 2015)), Liliaceae (e.g., Fritillaria (Yashima et al 1982)), Solanaceae (e.g., Anisodus (Duan et al 2007)), Stemonaceae (e.g., Stemona (Chen et al 2015a;Chen et al 2017)), and Orchidaceae (e.g., Cypripedium (Zheng et al 2011;Li et al 2012)).…”

Production of flavorful alcohols from woods and possible applications for wood brews and liquors

“…Unique avor components were detected in the distillate alcohols of cedar, cherry, and birch. The common components detected in all three distillates were isobutyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, and 2-phenetyl alcohol; these are known to evoke malty, 18 owery, 19 and rose-like avors, 18 respectively.…”