Abstract
Plants are at the trophic base of most ecosystems, embedded in a rich network of ecological interactions in which they evolved. While their limited range and speed of motion precludes animal-typical behavior, plants are accomplished chemists, producing thousands of specialized metabolites which may function to convey information, or even to manipulate the physiology of other organisms. Plants' complex interactions and their underlying mechanisms are typically dissected within the controlled environments of growth chambers and glasshouses, but doing so introduces conditions alien to plants evolved in natural environments, such as being pot-bound, and receiving artificial light with a spectrum very different from sunlight. The mechanistic understanding gained from a reductionist approach provides the tools required to query and manipulate plant interactions in real-world settings. The few tests conducted in natural ecosystems and agricultural fields have highlighted the limitations of studying plant interactions only in artificial environments. Here, we focus on three examples of known or hypothesized chemical mediators of plants' interactions: the volatile phytohormone ethylene (ET), more complex plant volatile blends, and as-yet-unknown mediators transferred by common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs). We highlight how mechanistic knowledge has advanced research in all three areas, and the critical importance of field work if we are to put our understanding of chemical ecology on rigorous experimental and theoretical footing, and demonstrate function.
Highlights
Plants are at the trophic base of most ecosystems, embedded in a rich network of ecological interactions in which they evolved
She has published over 30 articles on molecular chemical ecology of plantâinsect interactions and biodiversity
Most plants emit green leaf volatile (GLV) alcohols, aldehydes and esters, derivatives of a-linolenic and a-linoleic acid via the LOX/HPL pathway.[17,18]. Another group of a-linolenic acid-derived oxylipins, the jasmonates[19,20] include volatile products: cis-jasmone, reported to elicit a cytochrome P450 involved in the resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana to aphids,[21] and methyl jasmonate, which can be demethylated and metabolized to the hormone jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine (JA-Ile).[22,23]
Summary
To misquote Richard Feynman, ââAll [plants are] interaction.ââ (Feynman said that ââall mass is interactionââ1 (p. 5), but Meredith Schuman received her. She has published over 30 articles on molecular chemical ecology of plantâinsect interactions and biodiversity. She received several awards and scholarships, including a Fulbright grant and the Max Planck Society Otto Hahn Medal. Baldwin received his PhD at Cornell University (1989). Baldwin chemical ecology of plant interactions and plant physiology He has received several awards, held 5 adjunct or affiliated professorships, and is an elected member or fellow of the Nationalen. For much of their lives, most plants are rooted to the ground and have a limited range of motion They have chosen a spot to germinate and must make the best of their neighborhood. Plants in a community interact with each other when they come into direct contact or alter each otherâs environment in terms of light quality, water and nutrient availability, or chemistry: the focus of this review
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