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Mammal pollinators lured by the scent of a parasitic plant

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dc.contributor.author Johnson S.D. en
dc.contributor.author Burgoyne P.M. en
dc.contributor.author Harder L.D. en
dc.contributor.author Dotterl S. en
dc.date.accessioned 2012-11-01T16:31:41Z
dc.date.available 2012-11-01T16:31:41Z
dc.date.issued 2011 en
dc.identifier.citation Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences en
dc.identifier.citation 278 en
dc.identifier.citation 1716 en
dc.identifier.issn 9628452 en
dc.identifier.other 10.1098/rspb.2010.2175 en
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10500/7597
dc.description.abstract To communicate with animals, plants use signals that are distinct from their surroundings. Animals generally learn to use these signals through associative conditioning; however, signals are most effective when they elicit innate behavioural responses. Many plant species have flowers specialized for pollination by ground-dwelling mammals, but the signals used to attract these pollinators have not been elucidated. Here, we demonstrate the chemical basis for attraction of mammal pollinators to flowers of the dioecious parasitic plant Cytinus visseri (Cytinaceae). Two aliphatic ketones dominate the scent of this species; 3-hexanone, which elicits strong innate attraction in rodents, and 1-hexen-3-one, which repels them in isolation, but not in combination with 3-hexanone. The aliphatic ketone-dominated scent of C. visseri contrasts with those of insect-pollinated plants, which are typically dominated by terpenoids, aromatic or non-ketone aliphatic compounds. 3-hexanone is also known from some bat-pollinated species, suggesting independent evolution of plant signals in derived, highly specialized mammal-pollination systems. © 2011 The Royal Society. en
dc.language.iso en en
dc.subject Cytinaceae; Cytinus visseri; Dioecy; Floral syndrome; Nectar; Pollination alkanone; attractant; behavioral response; chemical composition; chemical cue; dioecy; innate behavior; ketone; nectar; parasitic plant; pollinator; rodent; terpene; zoophily; angiosperm; animal; article; chemistry; evolution; flower; gas chromatography; odor; physiology; pollination; rodent; South Africa; Angiosperms; Animals; Biological Evolution; Chromatography, Gas; Flowers; Hexanones; Odors; Pollination; Rodentia; South Africa; Animalia; Cytinaceae; Cytinus; Hexapoda; Mammalia; Rodentia en
dc.title Mammal pollinators lured by the scent of a parasitic plant en
dc.type Article en


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