Incomplete synchrony of inflorescence scent and temperature patterns in Arum maculatum L. (Araceae)

Abstract

In many Araceae both scent and heat production are known to temporally vary throughout anthesis, and in several species strong scents are released for pollinator attraction when thermogenesis is also strong. However, it is not known whether the temporal patterns of both scent emission and temperature are strictly synchronous and, for example, reach their maxima at the same time. We studied Arum maculatum, a brood-site deceptive species attracting its moth fly pollinators with strong fetid scents, to study temporal patterns in scent emission and temperature during anthesis. Inflorescence scents were collected and analysed by dynamic headspace and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or by proton-transfer-reaction-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOFMS), and the temperature of the appendix, which is the heating osmophore during pollinator attraction, was recorded by a thermocouple. We overall found that scent emission and temperature patterns were strongly correlated. However, in none of the seven studied individuals was the highest amount of scent released at times with the maximum temperature difference. Thus, patterns of scent emission and temperature are somewhat asynchronous suggesting that high scent emission rates and temporal scent patterns in plants with thermogenesis cannot be solely explained by temperature patterns. This calls for more in-depth studies to better understand the interplay between scent emission and thermogenesis.