Abstract
Olfactory signaling is key to the reproductive biology of entomophilous palms. Both pollinating and specialized herbivorous insects are attracted to fragrance-emitting palm inflorescences that function as reliable food sources, as well as mating and oviposition sites. In the present study, we characterized the floral scent chemistry of the acuri palm (Attalea phalerata), assessing its role in the attraction of flower-visiting insects associated with this species over its natural distribution range. We sampled insects from staminate inflorescences of A. phalerata (n = 6) at four different sites in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, and Colombian Amazon basin. Dynamic headspace scent samples of both pistillate and staminate inflorescences of A. phalerata (n = 3♀, 3♂) were collected and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Methyl acetate, a rare floral scent compound, was identified as the almost exclusive constituent (> 99.8% relative percentage) in all the samples. Flight-interception traps baited with methyl acetate, installed in one of the sites in the Brazilian Cerrado, were attractive to beetles associated with inflorescences of A. phalerata across all four sampling sites (9 spp. in total), including the putative main pollinators (Mystrops spp., Nitidulidae; Andranthobius spp., Curculionidae) and various palm borers (Paratenthras martinsi, Cerambycidae; Parisoschoenus sp.1 and Belopoeus sp.1; Curculionidae). Methyl acetate is highly volatile and we hypothesize its efficacy relies on profuse emission by the inflorescences of A. phalerata, as specialized pollinating insects respond to high concentrations of the attractant, perhaps before odor plumes rapidly disperse. Such a strategy could prove particularly effective in dense populations of A. phalerata.
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Data availability
Data from the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Notes
The identity of Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng. in a pollination ecology study published by Anderson and collaborators in 1988 is contested by specialists, as the coiled anthers of staminate flowers depicted in photos provided by the authors are uncharacteristic of the species. Morphological and biogeographical information suggest it is likely Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng (JM Tucker Lima, personal communication). We chose not to include this study in our assessment of flower-visiting insects species associated with A. phalerata across its natural distribution range. Refer to Anderson AB, Overal WL, Henderson A (1988) Pollination ecology of a forest-dominant palm (Orbignya phalerata Mart.) in northern Brazil. Biotropica 20:192–205. https://doi.org/10.2307/2388234.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Paschoal Coelho Grossi for helping with the processing and identification of collected insects; Letícia Koutchin Reis for valuable assistance with field bioassays; and Joanna Tucker Lima for help with the distribution map. We are also thankful to the city of Campo Grande for encouraging research and the sustainable use of urban parks.
Funding
W.A.G.N. was funded by an undergraduate scholarship awarded by CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development / PIBIC). A.C.D.M. was partially funded through grants from CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher-level Education Personnel / PNPD Postdoctoral fund) and FACEPE (Fundação de Amparo a Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco / BCT-0057–2.05/17). L.I. is grateful to CNPq for her PQ2 Research Productivity Grant. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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A.C.D.M., L.A.N., and W.A.G.N. conceived and designed the study, as well as performed the field experiments. J.C.B, L.I., and J.C.D. performed the taxonomic identifications and imaging database development. A.C.D.M. and D.M.A.F.N. analyzed the chemical data. A.C.D.M., D.M.A.F.N., J.C.B., L.I., and J.C.D. contributed reagents/materials/logistics. A.C.D.M., J.C.D., and W.A.G.N. wrote the paper. All authors read, revised, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Maia, A.C.D., do Amaral Ferraz Navarro, D.M., Núñez-Avellaneda, L.A. et al. Methyl acetate, a highly volatile floral semiochemical mediating specialized plant-beetle interactions. Sci Nat 108, 21 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-021-01731-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-021-01731-3