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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
10:28
Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling
Published on: December 18, 2011
Plant volatile organic compounds: Emission and perception in a changing world
Matthew E Bergman1, Xing-Qi Huang1, Sylvie Baudino2
1Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, 175 South University St., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Current Opinion in Plant Biology
|March 28, 2025
Summary
Plants use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for communication, but climate change impacts their emission and perception. Understanding these effects is crucial for developing plant communication network mitigation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Plant Science
- Chemical Ecology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are vital for mediating interactions between organisms and their environment.
- Plants emit a diverse array of VOCs, forming a complex chemical language for various interactions.
- Perception of VOC signals by receiver plants is crucial, but influenced by environmental factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in plant VOC emission and perception.
- To emphasize the impact of the climate crisis on these plant communication processes.
- To identify remaining knowledge gaps in the molecular mechanisms of plant VOCs.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent scientific advances.
- Focus on studies investigating plant volatile organic compound (VOC) emission and perception.
- Analysis of the effects of climate change on these processes.
Main Results:
- Plant VOCs facilitate complex communication networks.
- Temperature and atmospheric chemistry significantly influence VOC emission, distribution, and uptake.
- Climate change directly affects both the emission and perception of plant VOCs.
Conclusions:
- Significant progress has been made in understanding plant VOCs.
- Gaps persist in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying plant VOC emission and perception.
- Urgent research is needed to address climate change impacts on plant communication.
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