Climate Change: Bees and Orchids Lose Touch

SummarySpring temperature increases could differentially affect flowering times and pollinator flight periods, leading to asynchrony and reduced pollination. A specialist orchid–bee study combining herbarium, museum and field data shows that bee flight dates are advancing faster than orchid flowering, which could lead to significant future uncoupling

Volatile fingerprint of Italian populations of Orchids using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

The volatile fraction of Ophrys sphegodes Mill. subsp. sphegodes, Ophrys bertolonii subsp. benacensis (Reisigl) O. Danesch, E. Danasch & Ehrend. and Neotinea tridentata (Scop.) R.M. Bateman, Pridgeon & M.W. Case, three orchid species with different pollinator attraction strategies, sampled in vivo and in situ, were evaluated by headspace solid phase microextraction coupled with gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry. The results were compared with the volatile compounds emitted by flowering plant samples picked from the same populations of orchid species. Hydrocarbons, aldehydes, alcohols and terpenes were the major constituents of \u201cin vivo\u201d orchid scents and some distinctive differences in volatile metabolite composition were observed between Ophrys and Neotinea species. Moreover, the odour bouquets of the picked flowering plant samples were different from the in vivo ones and in particular different proportions of the various terpenes and an increase of \u3b1-pinene were observed. In conclusion HS/SPME GCMS proved to be a suitable technique for analyzing and distinguishing the volatile fingerprint of different orchid species, sampled in vivo and in situ in a non-disruptive way, with potentially great advantages for ecophysiological studies of rare and endangered species

Phenological responses of British orchids and their pollinators to climate change: an assessment using herbarium and museum collections

Climate change might de-couple plant-pollinator relationships if species respond differentially to environmental cues, such as temperature, but studies have been hindered by lack of long-term data. This research validates natural history collections as a source of long-term phenological data and, using these data, investigates the phenological responses to temperature of flowering in British orchids and flight in their pollinators. Herbarium specimens of O. sphegodes collected in the UK between 1848 and 1958 were compared to direct observation of peak flowering time in one population located in Southern England between 1975 and 2006. The response of flowering time to variation in mean spring temperature was statistically identical in both sets of data, providing the first direct validation of the use of herbarium collections to examine the relationships between phenology and climate. Using three important pollinator models: the solitary bee Andrena nigroaenea the digger wasp Argogorytes mystaceus, and the moth Euclidia glyphica, museum specimens and field observation gave statistically identical results, confirming the value of museum collections as a source of long-term phenological data for insects. For twelve of the fifteen orchid species studied, flowering advanced between 4.2 and 8.6 days for each 1°C increase in mean spring temperature, establishing phenological signals of flowering response to temperature. For all species mean monthly temperature in March, April or May was identified as a key temperature variable. For the sexually deceptive orchid O. sphegodes there is considerable potential for a loss of synchrony between peak flowering time and peak flight of the primary pollinator, males of A. nigroaenea with further rises in spring temperature. The advancement in peak flight of the female bee with climate warming exacerbates the potential for disruption of pollination success. Findings of this research reaffirm the need for detailed knowledge at species level in understanding the consequences of climate-driven phenological shifts for plants and their pollinators. Key words: Central England Temperature (CET), climate change, flight time, flowering time, herbarium specimens, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, museum records, natural history collections, Orchidaceae, phenolog

Charakterisierung der floralen (E)-β-Ocimenproduktion in Mirabilis jalapa L.

Mirabilis jalapa zeichnet sich durch die streng regulierte Blütenöffnung und Emission des floralen Volatils (E)-β-Ocimen aus. Die für dessen Produktion verantwortliche (E)-β-Ocimensynthase ((E)-β-OS) konnte in den Blüten der Pflanze charakterisiert werden. Seine In-vivo-Aktivität korrelierte mit der Emission und dem im Gewebe nachweisbaren (E)-β-Ocimen. Histologische Analysen zeigten keine entwicklungsabhängige Monoterpenakkumulation im für die Emission verantwortlichen Blütengewebe. Dies deutet auf eine simultane Synthese und Emission des Volatils hin.Mirabilis jalapa displays a strongly regulated flower opening process and emission of the floral volatile (E)-β-ocimene, which is produced by the (E)-β-ocimene synthase ((E)-β-OS). This enzyme could be characterized in flowers of Mirabilis jalapa. It is a single-product monoterpene synthase monomer of approximately 80 kDa with a high temperature tolerance. The in vivo activity of the (E)-β-OS correlates with the emission of (E)-β-ocimene and the content of the volatile in the emitting tissue. Histological analyses showed no developmentally regulated accumulation of monoterpene in the emitting tissue. This indicates a process of simultaneous synthesis and emission of (E)-β-ocimene

Orchid Biochemistry

Orchids are fascinating, with attractive flowers that sell in the markets and an increasing demand around the world. Additionally, some orchids are edible or scented and have long been used in preparations of traditional medicine.This book presents recent advances in orchid biochemistry, including original research articles and reviews. It provides in-depth insights into the biology of flower pigments, floral scent formation, bioactive compounds, pollination, and plant–microbial interaction as well as the biotechnology of protocorm-like bodies in orchids. It reveals the secret of orchid biology using molecular tools, advanced biotechnology, multi-omics, and high-throughput technologies and offers a critical reference for the readers.This book explores the knowledge about species evolution using comparative transcriptomics, flower spot patterning, involving the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways, the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis, which contributes to leaf color formation, gene regulation in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds, the mechanism of pollination, involving the biosynthesis of semiochemicals, gene expression patterns of volatile organic compounds, the symbiotic relationship between orchids and mycorrhizal fungi, techniques using induction, proliferation, and regeneration of protocorm-like bodies, and so on. In this book, important or model orchid species were studied, including Anoectochilus roxburghii, Bletilla striata, Cymbidium sinense, Dendrobium officinale, Ophrys insectifera, Phalaenopsis ‘Panda’, Pleione limprichtii