Sexual and temporal variations in floral scent in the subdioecious shrub Eurya japonica Thunb

• Published in: Ecology and evolution Vol. 8; no. 16; pp. 8266 - 8272
• Main Authors: Wang, Hui, Zheng, Peiming, Aoki, Dan, Miyake, Takashi, Yagami, Sachie, Matsushita, Yasuyuki, Fukushima, Kazuhiko, Nakagawa, Michiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-08-2018; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Allelochemicals; dynamic headspace method; Eurya japonica; Females; floral scent; Flowering; Flowers; Gas chromatography; GC–MS; Headspace; Herbivores; Hermaphrodites; Hermaphroditism; Linalool; Magnoliophyta; Males; Marketing management; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Original Research; Pet supplies; Plants (botany); Pollinators; Scents; Senescence; Sexual dimorphism; subdioecious shrub; Temporal variations; Volatiles; α-Pinene; Japan; GC–MS; dynamic headspace method; floral scent; sexual dimorphism; subdioecious shrub
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4378

In many flowering plants, floral scents are a significant trait for visitors, playing an important role in attracting pollinators and/or detracting herbivores. The evolution of flowering plants from hermaphroditism to dioecy is often accompanied by sexual dimorphism in floral scent. In this study, floral scents emitted by different sexual morphs of the subdioecious shrub Eurya japonica Thunb. were collected using a dynamic headspace method, and sexual and temporal variations were evaluated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Two volatiles, α‐pinene and linalool, were identified as the major components of floral scents in females, hermaphrodites, and males. The males emit higher amounts of floral scents, particularly α‐pinene, compared to females or hermaphrodites. Floral scents emitted by males generally decrease as flowers enter senescence, whereas those from females or hermaphrodites do not significantly differ. Intraspecific variations in floral scents of subdioecious species provided by this study would contribute to better understanding of sexual dimorphism in floral scent.
The major components of floral scents in Eurya japonica are α‐pinene and linalool. The males emitted more floral scents than the females or hermaphrodites. Amount of floral scents emitted by males decreased as flowers underwent senescence.