Sex-specific volatile compounds influence microarthropod-mediated fertilization of moss.
Sexual reproduction in non-vascular plants requires unicellular free-motile sperm to travel from male to female reproductive structures across the terrestrial landscape. Recent data suggest that microarthropods can disperse sperm in mosses. However, little is known about the chemical communication, if any, that is involved in this interaction or the relative importance of microarthropod dispersal compared to abiotic dispersal agents in mosses. Here we show that tissues of the cosmopolitan moss Ceratodon purpureus emit complex volatile scents, similar in chemical diversity to those described in pollination mutualisms between flowering plants and insects, that the chemical composition of C. purpureus volatiles are sex-specific, and that moss-dwelling microarthropods are differentially attracted to these sex-specific moss volatile cues. Furthermore, using experimental microcosms, we show that microarthropods significantly increase moss fertilization rates, even in the presence of water spray, highlighting the important role of microarthropod dispersal in contributing to moss mating success. Taken together, our results indicate the presence of a scent-based 'plant-pollinator-like' relationship that has evolved between two of Earth's most ancient terrestrial lineages, mosses and microarthropods.
Department of Biology and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA.
Todd N
TN
Rosenstiel
Erin E
EE
Shortlidge
Andrea N
AN
Melnychenko
James F
JF
Pankow
Sarah M
SM
Eppley
D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D044002:Bryophyta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005306:Fertilization / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis*; D054817:Pollination / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014835:Volatilization; D014867:Water / Q000494:pharmacology
D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D014867:Water