Front Cover: Biosynthetic and Functional Color–Scent Associations in Flowers of Papaver nudicaule and Their Impact on Pollinators (ChemBioChem 14/2018). (26th June 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Martínez‐Harms, Jaime; Warskulat, Anne‐Christin; Dudek, Bettina; Kunert, Grit; Lorenz, Sybille; Hansson, Bill S.; Schneider, Bernd
• Is Part Of: Chembiochem. Volume 19:Number 14(2018)
• Page Start: 1461
• Page End: 1461
• Publication Date: 2018-06-26
• Subjects: alkaloids -- biosynthesis -- color–scent associations -- natural products -- volatile organic compounds; Biochemistry -- Periodicals; Molecular biology -- Periodicals; Pharmaceutical chemistry -- Periodicals; 572
• DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800327
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1439-4227

Abstract

Abstract : The front cover picture shows that the yellow blooming cultivar of the Iceland poppy ( Papaver nudicaule ) presents a particular combination of color and scent that can help pollinators distinguish them from other color varieties. Our study indicates that the indole moiety of the yellow flower pigments, the nudicaulins, and the volatile indole emitted by these flowers, are products of the same biochemical pathway. Behavioral experiments revealed that honeybees trained to stimuli providing combinations of color and odor showed an improved discrimination performance compared to honeybees trained to odor alone. We propose that conserved biosynthetic pathways account for the evolution of color–scent associations in P. nudicaule and that these associations can help pollinators to "find the right flowers". More information can be found in the full paper by J. Martínez‐Harms, B. Schneider, et al. on page 1553 in Issue 14, 2018 (DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800155 ).