Where, When, and Why Do Plant Volatiles Mediate Ecological Signaling? The Answer Is Blowing in the Wind

Abstract

Plant volatiles comprise thousands of molecules from multiple metabolic pathways, distinguished by sufficient vapor pressure to evaporate into the headspace under normal environmental conditions. Many are implicated as ecological signals, but what is the evidence—and how do they work? Volatiles diffuse, are carried by wind, and may be taken up by other organisms or degrade with exposure to atmospheric ozone, radicals, and UV light; visual signals such as color are not subject to these complications (but require a line of sight). Distantly related plants—and nonplants—produce many of the same volatiles, yet specific compounds and blends may be distinct. Here, I present a quantitative review of the literature on plant volatiles as ecological signals, illustrating a field that has focused on developing ideas as much as reporting primary data. I discuss advantages and constraints, review recent advances, and propose considerations for primary studies to elucidate particular functions of plant volatiles. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 74 is May 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Emission Pattern of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds from Wetland Vegetation

“…(IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), by pathways such as the mevalonate (MVA) pathway located within the cytoplasm and endoplasmic reticulum, and the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway found in plant plastids [48,[74][75][76]. Isoprenoid compounds with different numbers of carbon atoms were formed through distinct enzymatic reaction steps.…”

“…The intermediate products produced during photosynthesis were used by plants to synthesize isoprenoids [48]. Therefore, there was a significant variation in the types and rates of BVOCs emitted by different plant species [29,33,44,[49][50][51].…”

Stomata: Gatekeepers of Uptake and Defense Priming by Green Leaf Volatiles in plants

“…Also, the early response of plants to GLVs, Ca 2+ bursts (Aratani et al ., 2023), and plasma depolarization (Zebelo et al ., 2012) follow a dose-dependent pattern, which is delayed when stomata are closed by ABA application (Aratani et al ., 2023). During herbivory, the fast diffusion of GLVs in the air leads to signal dilution and thus higher concentrations of GLVs (Aratani et al ., 2023; Matsui et al ., 2012) are only accessible in short distance meaning neighboring tissues (Schuman, 2023). Stomatal closure blocks the entrance of Z-3-HOL pulses (Figure 5), a mimic of frequent feeding and non-feeding phases of herbivory (Ji et al ., 2017), and exhibits time is not a factor in the resistance of stomata.…”

“…Thus, the coincidence of this physical response with the release of GLVs as airborne signals poses a question about GLVs delivery to neighboring tissues. This becomes more critical if we consider the fragility of GLVs as small molecules and the chance of wind drift that restricts the radius of GLVs' target site around the damage site (Schuman, 2023). While there is evidence of stomatal regulation over volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission and uptake (Aratani et al, 2023;Waterman et al, 2024), little is known about the magnitude of this regulation in the short term and with different exposure dosages.…”

All-inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals applied in advanced display devices

“…223 Carmaker of Audi presented the digital car headlight for interactive experiences of human-car-nature by smart lighting and imaging. 224 Meeting the rising demand of consumer electronics based on advanced display devices, AILHP NCs have been seen as great potential materials for next-generation candidates in wide color gamut backlighting and high resolution full-color displays.…”