Терпени

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Protective perfumes: the role of vegetative volatiles in plant
defense against herbivores
Sybille B Unsicker, Grit Kunert and Jonathan Gershenzon
Herbivore damage to leaves and other vegetative tissues often
stimulates the emission of volatile compounds, suggesting that
these substances have a role in plant defense. In fact, ample
evidence has accumulated in the last few years indicating that
volatiles from vegetative plant parts can directly repel
herbivores, such as ovipositing butterflies and host-seeking
aphids. Volatiles have also been demonstrated to protect
plants by attracting herbivore enemies, such as parasitic
wasps, predatory arthropods and possibly even insectivorous
birds. Even below ground herbivory results in the release of
volatiles that attract herbivore enemies. However, plant
volatiles are also known to attract enemies of plants. Hence, to
determine the true value of these substances in defense, more
research is needed especially in natural communities with non-
agricultural species.
Addresses
Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology,
Hans-Kno¨ll-Strasse 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
Corresponding author: Gershenzon, Jonathan (gershenzon@ice.mpg.de)
Current Opinion in Plant Biology2009,12:479–485
This review comes from a themed issue on
Biotic Interactions
Edited by Xinnian Dong and Regine Kahmann
Available online 19th May 2009
1369-5266/$ – see front matter
#2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
DOI10.1016/j.pbi.2009.04.001
Introduction
Among the huge variety of chemical compounds pro-
duced by plants, some are released into the surrounding
atmosphere. In addition to carbon dioxide, oxygen, water
vapor and the gaseous hormone ethylene, plants have
been shown to emit a variety of other organic compounds.
Volatiles are released not only from floral organs but also
from vegetative parts, especially after herbivore damage.
The two most common constituents of these volatile
blends are terpenes (C