title: Removal of floral microbiota reduces floral terpene emissions.
abstract: The emission of floral terpenes plays a key role in pollination in many plant species. We hypothesized that the floral phyllospheric microbiota could significantly influence these floral terpene emissions because microorganisms also produce and emit terpenes. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing the effect of removing the microbiota from flowers. We fumigated Sambucus nigra L. plants, including their flowers, with a combination of three broad-spectrum antibiotics and measured the floral emissions and tissular concentrations in both antibiotic-fumigated and non-fumigated plants. Floral terpene emissions decreased by ca. two thirds after fumigation. The concentration of terpenes in floral tissues did not decrease, and floral respiration rates did not change, indicating an absence of damage to the floral tissues. The suppression of the phyllospheric microbial communities also changed the composition and proportion of terpenes in the volatile blend. One week after fumigation, the flowers were not emitting β-ocimene, linalool, epoxylinalool, and linalool oxide. These results show a key role of the floral phyllospheric microbiota in the quantity and quality of floral terpene emissions and therefore a possible key role in pollination.
authors.affiliation: 1] CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [2] CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peñuelas
authors.affiliation: 1] CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [2] CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farré-Armengol
authors.affiliation: 1] CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [2] CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Llusia
authors.affiliation: 1] CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [2] CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [3] Servei de Ressonància Magnètica, Faculty of Sciences and Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gargallo-Garriga
authors.affiliation: 1] CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [2] CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rico
authors.affiliation: 1] CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [2] CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sardans
authors.affiliation: 1] CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [2] Departament de Biologia Vegetal, Animal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08913 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Terradas
authors.affiliation: 1] CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [2] CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Iolanda
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Filella
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D035264:Flowers / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D064307:Microbiota / Q000502:physiology*; D054817:Pollination; D013729:Terpenes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013729:Terpenes