A central issue in our understanding of the evolution of the diversity of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) is whether or not compounds are functional, conferring an advantage to the plant, or non-functional. We examine the hypothesis that the diversity of monoterpene PSMs within a plant species (Scots pine Pinus sylvestris) may be explained by different compounds acting as defences against hi...

It is well known that plant damage by leaf-chewing herbivores can induce resistance in neighbouring plants. It is unknown whether such communication occurs in response to sap-feeding herbivores, whether communication is specific to herbivore identity, and the chemical basis of communication, including specificity. We carried out glasshouse experiments using the California-native shrub Baccharis...

The aerial parts of Pituranthos tortuosus (Desf.) Benth and Hook (Apiaceae), growing wild in Egypt, yielded 0.8%, 0.6%, and 1.5% (v/w) of essential oil when prepared by hydrodistillation (HD), simultaneous hydrodistillation-solvent (n-pentane) extraction (Lickens-Nickerson, DE), and conventional volatile solvent extraction (preparation of the "absolute", SE), respectively. GC-MS analysis showed...

Fast gas chromatography-surface acoustic wave sensor (GC/SAW) has been applied for the detection of the pharmacological volatiles emanated from Houttuynia cordata Thunb which is from South Korea. H. cordata Thunb with unpleasant and fishy odors shows a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and insect repellent. The aim of this study is to ...

The specialist parasitoid, Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), uses chemical cues from plants damaged by herbivore-feeding and also plant by-products in host location and acceptance. These chemicals are detected by the wasp's antennae. We conducted scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies of male and female M. croceipes antennae and detected no distinct morph...

A three-part study was conducted to quantify the impact of landscaped vegetation on air quality in a rapidly expanding urban area in the arid southeastern United States. The study combines in situ, plant-level measurements, a spatial emissions inventory, and a photochemical box model. Maximum plant-level basal emission rates were moderate: 18.1 mgC gdw 1 h 1 (Washingtonia spp., palms) for isopr...

Studies were conducted to investigate the electroantennographic (EAG) responses of adult female Helicoverpa armigera to a range of known and putative kairomone components. The studies show that at a given dose the EAG responses elicited by a series of straight-chain aliphatic primary alcohols were not dependent on volatility since butan-1-ol and pentan-1-ol elicited EAG responses that were sign...

Parasitoid fitness is influenced by the ability to overcome host defense strategies and by the ability of parasitoid females to select high-quality host individuals. When females are unable to differentiate among hosts, their fitness will decrease with an increasing abundance of resistant hosts. To understand the effect of mixed host populations on female fitness, it is therefore necessary to i...

The West Bekaa region of Lebanon is mostly an agricultural land where traditional herbal medicine is a common practice. Many medicinal applications are especially attributed to the Citrus aurantium plant mainly used in the food and drink industry. In this work, the essential oil of Citrus aurantium is studied in an attempt to find an explanation for the different medical applications of this pl...

  Background: Essential oils and various extracts from plant are of great interests in the industry and scientific research.   Objective: This study was designed to examine the chemical composition of essential oil and of Echinophora platyloba from Iran.   Method: The chemical composition of the hydrodistilled essential oil of the air-dried aerial parts of Echinophora platyloba growing wild in ...