Datensatz

Zusammenfassung

Chemical communication is ubiquitous. The identification of conserved structural elements
in visual and acoustic communication is well established, but comparable information on
chemical communication displays (CCDs) is lacking.
We assessed the phenotypic integration of CCDs in a meta-analysis to characterize patterns
of covariation in CCDs and identified functional or biosynthetically constrained modules.
Poorly integrated plant CCDs (i.e. low covariation between scent compounds) support the
notion that plants often utilize one or few key compounds to repel antagonists or to attract
pollinators and enemies of herbivores. Animal CCDs (mostly insect pheromones) were usually
more integrated than those of plants (i.e. stronger covariation), suggesting that animals communicate
via fixed proportions among compounds. Both plant and animal CCDs were composed
of modules, which are groups of strongly covarying compounds. Biosynthetic similarity
of compounds revealed biosynthetic constraints in the covariation patterns of plant CCDs.
We provide a novel perspective on chemical communication and a basis for future investigations
on structural properties of CCDs. This will facilitate identifying modules and biosynthetic
constraints that may affect the outcome of selection and thus provide a predictive
framework for evolutionary trajectories of CCDs in plants and animals.