323 research outputs found
Editorial
The articles in this issue provide only a glimpse of the research in chemical ecology conducted in Switzerland. Many other researchers work in this discipline, spanning everything from plant-pollinator interactions to human parasite biology. The chemical ecology community is, in its very core, open to all fields of research and seeks to connect itself with scientists at all levels of scientific inquiry, from single molecules to ecosystems. I hope that this special issue will inspire you and help you identify new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations
The Inverted Phantom Giant
In his famous childrenâs book, âJim Button and Luke the
Engine Driverâ, Michael Ende describes a curious character:
A phantom giant. Clothed in rags and with a long beard, the
phantom giant appears enormous from far away, but shrinks to
normal size as one gets closer. Most people avoid the poor
creature, but the ones that dare approach it encounter a gentle,
lonely being called Mr. Tur Tur. Chemical ecology is just the
opposite of Mr. Tur Tur: A phantom dwarf. Or, in other words,
an inverted phantom giant. From a distance, chemical ecology
appears like a slightly odd, marginal section of biology and
chemistry. But, as the interested scholar approaches, it starts
growing and very quickly reaches gigantic dimensions, because
all life is explained by chemistry, and all biological
chemistry is guided by ecological principles. Herein lies the
difficulty with chemical ecology: As it is not perceived well
by biologists and chemists, few approach it to understand its
significance, and the ones that do find themselves in front of a
giant that defies their attempts to define and contain it. This is
where the Journal of Chemical Ecology comes in: It invites us
to take a closer look at an underestimated discipline and
supports us to explore it and deal with its multidimensionality
through the promotion of knowledge and methods. These
services are unique and make the journal stand out of the
crowd of scientific journals.
Writing childrenâs books has become difficult in the era
of information technology. And, so has the job of the
Journal of Chemical Ecology. Young scientists gather information
through accessible, dynamic websites and social
platforms. They want articles that are available through a
single mouse click, anywhere, anytime. They prefer advanced
interactive hypertext protocols over clumsy pdf
files. They care about transparency, non-profit and open
access just as much as about traditional journal properties.
In my view, reaching âthe kidsâ is the major challenge of
the Journal over the next years.
Promoting an inverted phantom giant in the 21st century
requires a combination of high-quality information and
boosted visibility. In Michael Endeâs book, Jim and Luke
follow exactly this strategy with Mr. Tur Tur: They become
friends and offer him a job as a living lighthouse to protect
their small island. They combine a quality relationship with
high visibility, et voilĂ , the story ends well! I am looking
forward to seeing if the Journal of Chemical Ecology will
follow a similar path to reach the next generation of
biologists and chemists. If yes, there is a good chance that
in 40 years from now, somebody will write a laudation and
refer to another famous book by Michael Ende: âThe
Neverending Storyâ
Volatile uptake, transport, perception, and signaling shape a plant's nose.
Herbivore-induced plant volatiles regulate defenses in undamaged neighboring plants. Understanding the mechanisms by which plant volatiles are taken up, perceived, and translated into canonical defense signaling pathways is an important frontier of knowledge. Volatiles can enter plants through stomata and the cuticle. They are likely perceived by membrane-associated receptors as well as intracellular receptors. The latter likely involves metabolization and transport across cell membranes by volatile transporters. Translation of volatiles into defense priming and induction typically involves mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), WRKY transcription factors, and jasmonates. We propose that the broad range of molecular processes involved in volatile signaling will likely result in substantial spatiotemporal and ontogenetic variation in plant responsiveness to volatiles, with important consequences for plant-environment interactions
A tritrophic signal that attracts parasitoids to host-damaged plants withstands disruption by non-host herbivores
Background Volatiles emitted by herbivore-infested plants are highly attractive to parasitoids and therefore have been proposed to be part of an indirect plant defense strategy. However, this proposed function of the plant-provided signals remains controversial, and it is unclear how specific and reliable the signals are under natural conditions with simultaneous feeding by multiple herbivores. Phloem feeders in particular are assumed to interfere with plant defense responses. Therefore, we investigated how attack by the piercing-sucking cicadellid Euscelidius variegatus influences signaling by maize plants in response to the chewing herbivore Spodoptera littoralis. Results The parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris strongly preferred volatiles of plants infested with its host S. littoralis. Overall, the volatile emissions induced by S. littoralis and E. variegatus were similar, but higher levels of certain wound-released compounds may have allowed the wasps to specifically recognize plants infested by hosts. Expression levels of defense marker genes and further behavioral bioassays with the parasitoid showed that neither the physiological defense responses nor the attractiveness of S. littoralis infested plants were altered by simultaneous E. variegatus attack. Conclusions Our findings imply that plant defense responses to herbivory can be more robust than generally assumed and that ensuing volatiles convey specific information about the type of herbivore that is attacking a plant, even in complex situations with multiple herbivores. Hence, the results of this study support the notion that herbivore-induced plant volatiles may be part of a plant's indirect defense stratagem
Influence of Artificial Infestation with Western Corn Rootworm Eggs on Maize Morphology
A field experiment was carried out in BeÄej (Serbia) during 2014 with Serbian maize cultivar NS-640. In experimental field, 96 plants were selected, marked, and arranged in 48 pairs. In each pair, one plant was artificially infested in root zone with 4 mL of Diabrotica v. sp. virgifera eggs 0.125% agar suspension (D plants). The maximum measured height on D (infested) and C (control) plants was 295 cm and 320 cm, respectively. The maximum measured diameter on D plants was 27.93 mm and on C plants was 32.13 mm respectively. The maximum recorded number of leaves was 15 on both categories. Statistical analysis shows that differences between plant diameters and the number of leaves between D and C plants are significant
Plant chemistry and food web health.
Plants are systemically relevant to our planet not only by constituting a major part of its biomass, but also because they produce a vast diversity of bioactive phytochemicals. These compounds often modulate interactions between plants and the environment, and can have substantial effects on plant consumers and their health. By taking a food web perspective, we highlight the role of bioactive phytochemicals in linking soils, plants, animals and humans and discuss their contributions to systems health. The analysis of connections among food web components revealed an underexplored potential of phytochemicals to optimize food web health and productivity
Magnetic excitations and amplitude fluctuations in insulating cuprates
We present results from light scattering experiments on three insulating
antiferromagnetic cuprates, YBaCuO,
BiSrYCuO, and LaCuO as a function of
polarization and excitation energy {using samples of the latest generation.
From the raw data we derive symmetry-resolved spectra.} The spectral shape in
symmetry is found to be nearly universal and independent of the
excitation energy. The spectra agree quantitatively with predictions by field
theory [\onlinecite{Weidinger:2015}] facilitating the precise extraction of the
Heisenberg coupling . {In addition, the asymmetric line shape on the
high-energy side is found to be related to amplitude fluctuations of the
magnetization. In LaCuO alone minor contributions from resonance
effects may be identified.} The spectra in the other symmetries are not
universal. The variations may be traced back to weak resonance effects and
extrinsic contributions. For all three compounds we find support for the
existence of chiral excitations appearing as a continuum in symmetry
having an onset slightly below . In LaCuO an additional isolated
excitation appears on top of the continuum.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
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