skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • Comparative Metabolomics of Fruits and Leaves in a Hyperdiverse Lineage Suggests Fruits Are a Key Incubator of Phytochemical Diversification
Title: Comparative Metabolomics of Fruits and Leaves in a Hyperdiverse Lineage Suggests Fruits Are a Key Incubator of Phytochemical Diversification
Interactions between plants and leaf herbivores have long been implicated as the major driver of plant secondary metabolite diversity. However, other plant-animal interactions, such as those between fruits and frugivores, may also be involved in phytochemical diversification. Using 12 species of Piper , we conducted untargeted metabolomics and molecular networking with extracts of fruits and leaves. We evaluated organ-specific secondary metabolite composition and compared multiple dimensions of phytochemical diversity across organs, including richness, structural complexity, and variability across samples at multiple scales within and across species. Plant organ identity, species identity, and the interaction between the two all significantly influenced secondary metabolite composition. Leaves and fruit shared a majority of compounds, but fruits contained more unique compounds and had higher total estimated chemical richness. While the relative levels of chemical richness and structural complexity across organs varied substantially across species, fruit diversity exceeded leaf diversity in more species than the reverse. Furthermore, the variance in chemical composition across samples was higher for fruits than leaves. By documenting a broad pattern of high phytochemical diversity in fruits relative to leaves, this study lays groundwork for incorporating fruit into a comprehensive and integrative understanding of the ecological and evolutionary factors shaping secondary metabolite composition at the whole-plant level.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1856776
PAR ID:
10338754
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Frontiers in Plant Science
Volume:
12
ISSN:
1664-462X
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; (, American Journal of Botany)
    Abstract Premise The specialized metabolites of plants are recognized as key chemical traits in mediating the ecology and evolution of sundry plant–biotic interactions, from pollination to seed predation. Intra‐ and interspecific patterns of specialized metabolite diversity have been studied extensively in leaves, but the diverse biotic interactions that contribute to specialized metabolite diversity encompass all plant organs. Focusing on two species of Psychotria shrubs, we investigated and compared patterns of specialized metabolite diversity in leaves and fruit with respect to each organ's diversity of biotic interactions. Methods To evaluate associations between biotic interaction diversity and specialized metabolite diversity, we combined UPLC‐MS metabolomic analysis of foliar and fruit specialized metabolites with existing surveys of leaf‐ and fruit‐centered biotic interactions. We compared patterns of specialized metabolite richness and variance among vegetative and reproductive tissues, among plants, and between species. Results In our study system, leaves interact with a far larger number of consumer species than do fruit, while fruit‐centric interactions are more ecologically diverse in that they involve antagonistic and mutualistic consumers. This aspect of fruit‐centric interactions was reflected in specialized metabolite richness—leaves contained more than fruit, while each organ contained over 200 organ‐specific specialized metabolites. Within each species, leaf‐ and fruit‐specialized metabolite composition varied independently of one another across individual plants. Contrasts in specialized metabolite composition were stronger between organs than between species. Conclusions As ecologically disparate plant organs with organ‐specific specialized metabolite traits, leaves and fruit can each contribute to the tremendous overall diversity of plant specialized metabolites. 
    more » « less
  2. ; (, Plant Biology)
    Abstract Plants produce an astonishingly diverse array of specialized metabolites. A crucial step in understanding the origin of such chemodiversity is describing how chemodiversity manifests across the spatial and ontogenetic scales relevant to plant–biotic interactions.Focusing on 21 sympatric species ofPsychotriaandPalicourea sensu lato(Rubiaceae), we describe patterns of specialized metabolite diversity across spatial and ontogenetic scales using a combination of field collections, untargeted metabolomics, and ecoinformatics. We compare α, β, and γ diversity of specialized metabolites in expanding leaves, unripe pulp, immature seed, ripe pulp, mature seed, and fine roots.Within species, fruit tissues from across ontogenetic stages had ≥α diversity than leaves, and ≤β diversity than leaves. Pooled across species, fruit tissues and ontogenetic stages had the highest γ diversity of all organs, and fruit tissues and ontogenetic stages combined had a higher incidence of organ‐specific mass spectral features than leaves. Roots had ≤α diversity than leaves and the lowest β and γ diversity of all organs. Phylogenetic correlations of chemical distance varied by plant organ and chemical class.Our results describe patterns of specialized metabolite diversity across organs and species and provide support for organ‐specific contributions to plant chemodiversity. This study contributes to the growing understanding within plant evolutionary ecology of the biological scales of specialized metabolite diversification. Future studies combining our data on specialized metabolite diversity with biotic interaction data and experiments can test existing hypotheses on the roles of ecological interactions in the evolution of chemodiversity. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution)
    Phytochemical diversity is an effective plant defensive attribute, but much more research has focused on genetic and environmental controls of specific defensive compounds than phytochemical diversityper se. Documenting plasticity in phytochemical richness and plant chemical composition as opposed to individual compounds is important for understanding plant defense. This study outlines a multi-site transplant experiment in Cerrado gallery forests in central Brazil, utilizingPiper arboreum(Piperaceae), a prevalent and widespread neotropical shrub. Clones from four distinct populations were planted either at their origin site or in a different forest. Secondary metabolite composition varied between populations initially and then changed after transplanting. Interestingly, clones with chemical profiles that were distinct from the populations where they were introduced experienced reduced specialist chrysomelid herbivory compared to clones that were more chemically similar to the existingP. arboreumpopulations where they were planted. Specialist Lepidoptera herbivory also declined in clones transplanted to a new forest, but this change could not be ascribed to chemical profiles. In contrast, generalist herbivory was unaffected by chemical dissimilarity and transplanting. This research adds to the expanding body of evidence suggesting that phytochemical diversity is a dynamic trait exerting unique effects on different herbivore guilds. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center)
    The tree diversity-productivity relationship is key to effective forest restoration and management; however, it remains unclear what role foliar chemical diversity and interactions between trees and their enemies play in driving this relationship. Trees produce chemical metabolites in their leaves that impact herbivory and pathogen infection. If trees alter the diversity of metabolites they produce when grown in more diverse communities, this could impact interactions with herbivores and pathogens. Ultimately, these tropic interactions with plant enemies, mediated by chemical diversity, could be important drivers of diversity-productivity relationships. Using a large-scale tree diversity experiment, we used a focal tree sampling design from 14 species across a gradient of tree species richness to assess the role of foliar chemicals and trophic interactions in the diversity-productivity relationship. We used untargeted metabolomics to measure foliar phytochemical diversity, monitored tree-enemy interactions, including foliar fungal pathogens, caterpillar communities, and deer browsing, and modelled their relationship to tree growth using path analysis. We unraveled significant evidence for top-down mediation of the diversity-productivity relationship driven primarily by herbivores rather than foliar pathogens, and contrasting effects of foliar chemical diversity on different enemy types. Individual trees growing in more diverse communities had higher phytochemical diversity and higher caterpillar richness, but lower leaf fungal pathogen richness. Leaf phytochemical diversity was positively associated with caterpillar richness and fungal pathogen richness, but negatively associated with browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Path analysis revealed that phytochemical diversity, caterpillar richness, insect damage, and deer damage – but not foliar pathogens – all mediated positive indirect effects of tree richness on tree growth rate. Synthesis: We highlight the significant mediation of diversity-productivity relationships via contrasting effects of phytochemical diversity on plant-enemy interactions. Ultimately, our study underscores the importance of incorporating trophic interactions into biodiversity-ecosystem function studies. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Ecology)
    Abstract Species richness in tropical forests is correlated with other dimensions of diversity, including the diversity of plant–herbivore interactions and the phytochemical diversity that influences those interactions. Understanding the complexity of plant chemistry and the importance of phytochemical diversity for plant–insect interactions and overall forest richness has been enhanced significantly by the application of metabolomics to natural systems. The present work used proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐NMR) profiling of crude leaf extracts to study phytochemical similarity and diversity amongPiperplants growing naturally in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil. Spectral profile similarity and chemical diversity were quantified to examine the relationship between metrics of phytochemical diversity, specialist and generalist herbivory, and understory plant richness. Herbivory increased with understory species richness, while generalist herbivory increased and specialist herbivory decreased with the diversity ofPiperleaf material available. Specialist herbivory increased when conspecific host plants were more spectroscopically dissimilar. Spectral similarity was lower among individuals of common species, and they were also more spectrally diverse, indicating phytochemical diversity is beneficial to plants. Canopy openness and soil nutrients also influenced chemistry and herbivory. The complex relationships uncovered in this study add information to our growing understanding of the importance of phytochemical diversity for plant–insect interactions and tropical plant species richness. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email