Abstract
This chapter focuses on the olfactory communication between flowering plants and their insect pollinators taking into account the odor signal complexity, pheromone mimicry, and the evolution of chemical deception, and discusses examples of nonpheromonal odors important in plant–pollinator chemical communication. The chemical composition of floral odors is more complex than insect pheromones. The chapter discusses how behaviorally relevant “signal” may be extracted from chemical “noise” and distinguishes between the two major classes of flower-visiting animals. These animals range from those foraging for food and those performing reproductive functions, and contrast the odors that attract these animals to flowers. The floral odor signals like specific allelic combinations or novel phenotypes represent fitness peaks for their plants in an adaptive landscape, which is subject to various forms of natural selection. The chapter gives some examples of direct and deceptive odor signals representing distinctive peaks in the adaptive landscape of floral scent.
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