The Chemistry of Sexual Deception in an Orchid-Wasp Pollination System

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 302; no. 5644; pp. 437 - 438
• Main Authors: Schiestl, Florian P., Peakall, Rod, Mant, Jim G., Ibarra, Fernando, Schulz, Claudia, Franke, Stephan, Francke, Wittko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 17-10-2003; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biological taxonomies; Biosynthesis; Chemical properties; Chemicals; Cyclohexanones - chemistry; Cyclohexanones - isolation & purification; Cyclohexanones - metabolism; Deception; Evolution; Female; Females; Flowers & plants; Flowers - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Insects; Male; Males; Mating behavior; Molecular Structure; Odorants; Orchidaceae - metabolism; Orchids; Organic Chemistry; Plant reproduction; Plants and fungi; Pollen; Pollinating insects; Pollination; Sex Attractants - chemistry; Sex Attractants - isolation & purification; Sex Attractants - metabolism; Sexual behavior; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Spectroscopy; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Wasps; Wasps - physiology; Australia; Oceania; Germany; Volatile compound; Attraction; Chemical communication; Monocotyledones; Flower; Chemical analysis; Insecta; Biological evolution; Male; Allelochemicals; Sex pheromone analogue; Pollinator; Orchidaceae; Animal plant relation; Arthropoda; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1087835

The "sexually deceptive" orchid Chiloglottis trapeziformis attracts males of its pollinator species, the thynnine wasp Neozeleboria cryptoides, by emitting a unique volatile compound, 2-ethyl-5-propylcyclohexan-1,3-dione, which is also produced by female wasps as a male-attracting sex pheromone.