Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
New Phytol. 2014 Oct;204(2):380-5. doi: 10.1111/nph.12887. Epub 2014 Jun 11.
Volatile communication between sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) individuals has been found previously to reduce herbivory and to be more effective between individuals that are genetically identical or related relative to between strangers. The chemical nature of the cues involved in volatile communication remains unknown for this and other systems. We collected headspace volatiles from sagebrush plants in the field and analyzed these using GC-MS. Volatile profiles were highly variable among individuals, but most individuals could be characterized as belonging to one of two chemotypes, dominated by either thujone or camphor. Analyses of parents and offspring revealed that chemotypes were highly heritable. The ecological significance of chemotypes and the genetic mechanisms that control them remain poorly understood. However, we found that individuals of the same chemotype communicated more effectively and experienced less herbivory than individuals of differing chemotypes. Plants may use chemotypes to distinguish relatives from strangers.
先前的研究发现，山艾（Artemisia tridentata）个体之间挥发性的交流可以减少食草性，并且在遗传上相同或相关的个体之间比在陌生个体之间更为有效。对于这种系统和其他系统，涉及挥发性交流的线索的化学性质仍然未知。我们从野外的山艾植物中收集了顶空挥发物，并使用 GC-MS 对其进行了分析。个体之间的挥发性图谱高度可变，但大多数个体可以被归类为两种化学型中的一种，以侧柏酮或樟脑为主导。对父母和后代的分析表明，化学型具有高度的遗传性。化学型的生态意义和控制它们的遗传机制仍然知之甚少。然而，我们发现，具有相同化学型的个体比具有不同化学型的个体交流更有效，并且受到的食草性侵害更小。植物可能会使用化学型来区分亲属和陌生人。
