Chemical Attraction of Gall Midge Pollinators (Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae) to Anthurium acutangulum (Araceae).

ABSTRACT: Flowering plants often use chemical signals to attract their pollinators, and compounds that elicit attraction are known for several groups of pollinators. For other pollinators such as gall midges, however, compounds responsible for their attraction to flowers are largely unknown. Here, we describe the pollination biology of Anthurium acutangulum, a Neotropical aroid species found to be attractive to gall midges. We collected and analyzed its floral scent by dynamic headspace collections and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and identified compounds responsible for pollinator attraction. The inflorescences were almost exclusively visited by gall midges (females; Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae) and released a strong scent reminiscent of freshly cut cucumber, mainly (5S,7S)-tra

SUBMITTER: Etl F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8934759 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature