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Updated: Sep 27, 2025

A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural Assays
Published on: November 30, 2018
Variation in the ratio of compounds in a plant volatile blend during transmission by wind
Xiaoming Cai1, Yuhang Guo1, Lei Bian1
1Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou, 310008, China.
Abstract:
For plant volatiles to mediate interactions in tritrophic systems, they must convey accurate and reliable information to insects. However, it is unknown whether the ratio of compounds in plant volatile blends remains stable during wind transmission. In this study, volatiles released from an odor source were collected at different points in a wind tunnel and analyzed. The variation in the amounts of volatiles collected at different points formed a rough cone shape. The amounts of volatiles collected tended to decrease with increasing distance from the odor source. Principal component analyses showed that the volatile profiles were dissimilar among different collection points. The profiles of volatiles collected nearest the odor source were the most similar to the released odor. Higher wind speed resulted in a clearer spatial distribution of volatile compounds. Thus, variations in the ratios of compounds in odor plumes exist even during transport over short distances.
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