Chapter 30, Problem 3DAA

Volatile Secondary Metabolites in Plant Stress Responses In 2007, researchers Casey Delphia, Mark Mescher, and Consuelo De Moraes (pictured at left) published a study on the production of different volatile chemicals by tobacco plants in response to predation by two types of insects: western flower thrips and tobacco budworms. Their results are shown in FIGURE 30.20.

Volatile Compound Produced				Treatment
	C	T	W	WT	HV	HVT
Myrcene	0	0	0	0	17	22
β-Ocimene	0	433	15	121	4.299	5.315
Linatod	0	0	0	0	125	178
indole	0	0	0	0	74	142
Nicotine	0	0	233	160	390	538
β-Etemene	0	0	0	0	90	102
β-Caryophyllene	0	100	40	124	3.704	6.166
α-Humutene	0	0	0	0	123	209
Sesquiterpene	0	7	0	0	219	268
α-Farnesene	0	15	0	0	293	457
Caryophyltene oxide	0	0	0	0	89	166
Total	0	555	288	406	9.423	13.563

FIGURE 30.20 Volatile (airborne) compounds produced by tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) in response to predation by Different inserts. Plants were untreated (C), attacked by thrips (T), mechanically wounded (W). mechanically wounded and attacked by thrips (WT), attacked by budworms (HVJ, or attacked by budworms and thrips (HVTJ. Values are nanograms/day.

3. Which one of the chemicals tested is most likely produced by tobacco plants in a nonspecific response to predation?