OOS 13 - The Chemical Ecology of Plant-Animal Mutualisms

Tuesday, August 7, 2012: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
B116, Oregon Convention Center
Organizer:
Jessamyn S. Manson, University of Alberta
Co-organizers:
Robert A. Raguso, Cornell University; and Susan R. Whitehead, University of Colorado at Boulder
Moderator:
Jessamyn S. Manson, University of Alberta
Chemistry is a key trait mediating plant-animal interactions, but while much is known about the chemical ecology of herbivore defenses, the influence of chemistry on plant-animal mutualisms is often overlooked. This organized oral session focuses on three key plant-animal mutualisms, pollination, seed dispersal and indirect defenses, to illustrate the importance of chemistry in species interactions. The selected speakers use a range of experimental and analytical approaches in their studies including insect bioassays, standard chromatography methods and advanced molecular techniques, all effective at addressing the chemical components of their experiments. By gathering together experts with such a broad range of perspectives, this series of talks will bridge significant gaps in our understanding of how chemistry drives the ecology and evolution of plant-animal mutualisms. The goal of this session is to convey not only the importance of considering chemistry when disentangling plant-animal mutualisms, but also to persuade our peers that chemical ecology techniques can be integrated with relative ease into more traditional ecological studies. Ultimately, we hope that to improve ‘chemical literacy’ among ecologists and encourage interdisciplinary approaches to the study of species interactions in general.
8:00 AM
 How to act like a mushroom: Olfactory and visual cues in the attraction of drosophilid flies by neotropical Dracula orchids
Tobias Policha, University of Oregon; Rocio Manobanda, National Herbarium, Quito, Ecuador; Melinda R. Barnadas, Magpie Studio: Fabrication for Art and Science; Jesse McAlpine, University of Oregon; Bryn T.M. Dentinger, Jodrell Laboratory Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Bitty A. Roy, University of Oregon; Robert A. Raguso, Cornell University
8:20 AM
 Floral scent and the geographic mosaic of co-evolving plants and insects
Magne Friberg, University of California, Santa Cruz; Robert A. Raguso, Cornell University; John N. Thompson, University of California Santa Cruz
8:40 AM
 On the measure of flower color: Examples from the Brassicaceae
Justen B. Whittall, Santa Clara University; Eduardo Narbona, Universidad Pablo de Olavide; Cynthia A. Dick, Santa Clara University
9:00 AM
 Heterospecific recruitment pheromones facilitate efficient foraging by keystone Neotropical pollinators
Elinor M. Lichtenberg, University of Texas; James C. Nieh, University of California, San Diego
9:20 AM
 Nectar microbes differentially affect nectar chemistry and plant-pollinator interactions
Rachel L. Vannette, Stanford University; Marie-Pierre Gauthier, Stanford University; Tadashi Fukami, Stanford University
9:40 AM
10:10 AM
 Consequences of monarch damage and plant genotype for ant-aphid interactions on the common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
Kailen A. Mooney, University of California, Irvine; William K. Petry, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory; Luis Abdala-Roberts, University of California at Irvine; Xoaquin Moreira, University of California at Irvine
10:30 AM
 Vagrant pollinators and fragrant plants - Geographic structure in floral scent despite hawkmoth-mediated gene flow linking isolated populations
Krissa Skogen, Chicago Botanic Garden; Jeremie Fant, Northwestern University; Robert A. Raguso, Cornell University
10:50 AM
 No time for candy: Plants down-regulate herbivory-induced extrafloral nectar production when challenged by competitors
Miriam M. Izaguirre, University of Buenos Aires; Ana M. Ciarla, University of Buenos Aires; Carlos A. Mazza, University of Buenos Aires and IFEVA-CONICET; Carlos L. Ballaré, University of Buenos Aires, IFEVA-CONICET
11:10 AM
 Communicating chemical ecology to a broader audience
Elsa Youngsteadt, North Carolina State University
See more of: Organized Oral Session