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Trapping the Pasture Odorscape Using Open-Air Solid-Phase Micro Extraction, a Tool to Assess Grassland Value
Agnès Cornu1, Anne Farruggia1, Ene Leppik2
1UMR1213 Herbivores, INRA-VetAgro Sup-Clermont Université, Saint-Genès Champanelle, France.
Plos One
|November 5, 2015
Summary
This study developed a method to analyze grassland odorscapes and their connection to flower-visiting insects. Grassland odorscapes varied more with grazing periods than botanical diversity, revealing insights into grassland ecology.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Chemical Ecology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Grasslands support diverse plant and insect communities.
- Interactions within these ecosystems involve volatile organic compounds.
- Understanding grassland odorscapes is crucial for ecological studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for determining grassland odorscapes.
- To correlate odorscapes with flower-visiting insect populations.
- To investigate the impact of grazing management on odorscapes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized solid-phase microextraction (SPME) for volatile compound trapping.
- Analyzed volatile compounds using gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
- Collected insects via pan traps and netting for quantification.
Main Results:
- Open-air SPME revealed rich volatile profiles, including green leaf volatiles (GLVs).
- Odorscapes showed significant differences between grazing periods, influenced by weather and plant phenology.
- Correlations were found between insect abundance and specific volatile compounds.
Conclusions:
- The developed SPME method effectively characterizes grassland odorscapes.
- Odorscape dynamics are strongly influenced by temporal factors like grazing and weather.
- This approach offers valuable insights into grassland functions and plant stress indicators.
