Composition du nectar et rôle des nectaires extrafloraux chez l'Ailanthus glandulosa

Abstract

The composition of the extrafloral nectar from Ailanthus glandulosa varies according to the type of nectary. When the buds open, those which are located on the cataphylls or the stipules are only supplied by carbohydrate reserves. In this case, a high sucrose content is found in the nectar, and rhamnose is also detected. The floriferous or sterile state of the trees does not modify the sugar composition of the foliar nectar. For amino acids, the predominance of serine, threonine, and proline is constant in all types of nectars. The amount of proline is very important in the nectar of the cataphylls and increases with the age of the leaf. The activity of the foliar nectaries seems to correlate with the occurrence of a requirement for photosynthetic products. The nectaries from trees developing fruits or from those showing only vegetative growth continue to be functional for a long time. The ablation of foliar nectaries leads to a sugar accumulation in the leaf and slows down the reconstitution of starch reserves in the branch. The function of the extrafloral nectaries is interpreted as being the elimination of excess sugars. Thus, the initiation of these nectaries may be due to a carbohydrate accumulation during the ontogeny of foliar organs.