Nocturnal emission and post‐pollination change of floral scent in the leafflower tree, Glochidion rubrum, exclusively pollinated by seed‐parasitic leafflower moths

Abstract

AbstractMany insect‐pollinated plants use floral scent signals to attract and guide the effective pollinators, and temporal patterns of their floral scent emission may be tuned to respond to the pollinator's activity and pollination status. In the intimate nursery pollination mutualism between monoecious Glochidion trees (Phyllanthaceae) and Epicephala moths (Gracillariidae), floral scent signals mediate species‐specific interactions and influence the moth's efficient pollen‐collecting and pollen‐depositing behaviors on male and female flowers, respectively. We tested the hypotheses that both sexes of flowers of Epicephala‐pollinated Glochidion rubrum exhibit a diel pattern of scent emission matching the activity period of the nocturnally active pollinator, and that female flowers change the chemical signal after pollination to reduce further visits and oviposition by the pollinator. We investigated the diel change of floral scent emissions during two consecutive days and the influence of pollination on the floral scent by conducting hand‐pollinations in the field. The total scent emission of male and female flowers was higher at night than in the day, which would be expected from the nocturnal visitations of Epicephala moths. Some compounds exhibited a clear nocturnal emission rhythm. Hand‐pollination experiments revealed that emission of two compounds, nerolidol and eugenol, drastically decreased in pollinated flowers, suggesting that these compounds may function as key attractants for the pollinator; however, the total scent emission of the female flower was not influenced by hand‐pollination. The pattern of the floral scent emission of G. rubrum may be optimized to attract nocturnal pollinators and reduce oviposition.