Volatile Chemical Variation of Essential Oils and Their Correlation with Insects, Phenology, Ontogeny and Microclimate: Piper mollicomum Kunth, a Case of Study.
Daniel de Brito-MachadoYgor Jessé RamosAnna Carina Antunes E DefaveriGeorge Azevedo de QueirozElsie Franklin GuimarãesDavyson de Lima MoreiraPublished in: Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (2022)
The aim of this study was to monitor the volatile chemical composition from leaves and reproductive organs of Piper mollicomum Kunth (PM), in its reproduction period, as well as register inflorescence visitors, microclimate and phenological information. The essential oils (EOs) obtained from the different fresh organs by hydrodistillation were identified and quantified by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) and by GC coupled to a Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID), respectively. The cercentage content of some volatiles present in reproductive organs, such as limonene, 1,8-cineole, linalool and eupatoriochromene, increased during the maturation period of the inflorescences, and decreased during the fruiting period, suggesting a defense/attraction activities. Furtermore, a biosynthetic dichotomy between 1,8-cineole (leaves) and linalool (reproductive organs) was recorded. A high frequency of bee visits was registered weekly, and some correlations showed a positive relationship between this variable and terpenes. Microclimate has an impact on this species' phenological cycles and insect visiting behavior. All correlations between volatiles, insects, phenology and microclimate allowed us to present important data about the complex information network in PM. These results are extremely relevant for the understanding of the mechanisms of chemical-ecological plant-insect interactions in Piperaceae, a basal angiosperm.
Keyphrases
- gas chromatography
- gas chromatography mass spectrometry
- high frequency
- mass spectrometry
- tandem mass spectrometry
- particulate matter
- transcranial magnetic stimulation
- essential oil
- heavy metals
- healthcare
- risk assessment
- computed tomography
- magnetic resonance imaging
- social media
- water soluble
- big data
- magnetic resonance