Pollinators, “mustard oil” volatiles, and fruit production in flowers of the dioecious tree Drypetes natalensis (Putranjivaceae)

Johnson, Steven D; Griffiths, Megan E; Peter, Craig I; Lawes, Michael J

Title: Pollinators, “mustard oil” volatiles, and fruit production in flowers of the dioecious tree Drypetes natalensis (Putranjivaceae)
Creator: Johnson, Steven D
Creator: Griffiths, Megan E
Creator: Peter, Craig I
Creator: Lawes, Michael J
Date Issued: 2009
Date: 2009
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6519
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005948
Description: The Putranjivaceae is an enigmatic family, notable for being the only lineage outside the Capparales to possess the glucosinolate biochemical pathway, which forms the basis of an induced chemical defense system against herbivores (the “ mustard oil bomb ” ). We investigated the pollination biology and fl oral scent chemistry of Drypetes natalensis (Putranjivaceae), a dioecious subcanopy tree with fl owers borne on the stem (caulifl ory). Flowering male trees were more abundant than female ones and produced about 10-fold more fl owers. Flowers of both sexes produce copious amounts of nectar on disc-like nectaries accessible to short-tongued insects. The main fl ower visitors observed were cetoniid beetles, bees, and vespid wasps. Pollen load analysis indicated that these insects exhibit a high degree of fi delity to D. natalensis fl owers. Insects effectively transfer pollen from male to female plants resulting in about 31% of female fl owers developing fruits with viable seeds. Cetoniid beetles showed signifi cant orientation toward the scent of D. natalensis fl owers in a Y-maze olfactometer. The scents of male and female fl owers are similar in chemical composition and dominated by fatty acid derivatives and isothiocyanates from the glucosinolate pathway. The apparent constitutive emission of isothiocyanates raises interesting new questions about their functional role in flowers.
Format: 7 pages
Format: pdf
Language: English
Relation: Johnson, S.D. and Griffiths, M.E. and Peter, C.I. and Lawes, M.J. (2009) Pollinators, “mustard oil” volatiles, and fruit production in flowers of the dioecious tree Drypetes natalensis (Putranjivaceae). American journal of botany, 96 (11). pp. 2080-2086. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.3732/ajb.0800362

Hits: 598
Visitors: 680
Downloads: 91

Collections

Peter, Craig (Assoc Prof)

RU Department of Botany

		Thumbnail	File	Description	Size	Format
View Details Download			SOURCEPDF	PDF	1 MB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View Details Download