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ViewAttendees 3

10-Minute Paper

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

P-IE: Climate Change

Stomatal closure prevents xylem transport of green leaf volatiles and impairs their systemic function in plants

Tuesday, November 7, 2023
4:30 PM – 4:42 PM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor 13
In-Person
Plants perceive herbivory via signals conveying danger messages through their vasculature. In parallel to vascular transport, airborne plant volatile compounds, including green leaf volatiles (GLVs), can bypass the lack of vascular connection. However, some small volatile compounds move through the vasculature; such vascular transport for GLV remains unknown. Here we demonstrate that GLV alcohols as solutes move within xylem vessels in Zea mays. We describe GLV alcohols, including Z-3-hexen-ol and its isomer E-3-hexen-ol, which is not synthesized in maize, moving through the transpiration stream via xylem vessels. Since transpiration is mediated by the stomatal aperture, closing stomata by two independent methods diminishes the transport of GLV alcohol and its isomer. In addition, the lower transport of GLV alcohols impairs their function in inducing terpenoid biosynthesis, suggesting that xylem transport of GLV alcohols plays a significant role in their systemic function. Our study suggests that GLV alcohols, in addition to airborne signals, are transported through xylem vessels. These findings can be critical in future studies about the perception and function of these compounds in plants, and how plants perceive herbivory when their xylem flow is low due to stomatal closure.