Changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content in resistant and non-resistant forest trees in response to bark beetle attack

Petr Soudek, Jan Rezek, Kateřina Moťková, Šárka Petrová, Pavlína Máchová, Adam Véle, Martin Fulín and Petr Hošek
Additional contact information
Petr Soudek: Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
Jan Rezek: Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
Kateřina Moťková: Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
Šárka Petrová: Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
Pavlína Máchová: Department of Forest Tree Species Biology and Breeding, Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Jíloviště-Strnady, Czech Republic
Adam Véle: Department of Forest Tree Species Biology and Breeding, Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Jíloviště-Strnady, Czech Republic
Martin Fulín: Department of Forest Tree Species Biology and Breeding, Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Jíloviště-Strnady, Czech Republic
Petr Hošek: Laboratory of Hormonal Regulations in Plants, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic

Journal of Forest Science, 2025, vol. 71, issue 5, 218-236

Abstract: The response of forest trees to bark beetle attack involves substantial changes in terpene content, which varies between resistant and non-resistant species. Terpenes serve as crucial chemical defences against pests, and their production can be influenced by prior attack history, water stress, and biotic interactions. Moreover, the effectiveness of terpenes in resisting bark beetle attack is influenced by their chemical composition. Different tree species produce different types and amounts of terpenes that can affect their overall resistance levels. In conifers, acyclic and cyclic monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were significantly present in all samples. Acyclic monoterpenes, ketones, aldehydes, monocarboxylic acids and their esters, and aromatic and cyclic compounds have been identified in beech. A statistically significant decrease of compounds in infested trees was determined in pine (cis-β-ocimene, neo-allo-ocimene, terpinene-4-ol, and δ-cadinene), and fir (acetophenone, benzonitrile, phenol, and zonarene). In addition, increased benzaldehyde production was observed. However, in infested beech trees, only increased production of some aliphatic and aromatic compounds (2-butanone and 3,5-octadien-2-one, 2-methyl-4-pentenal and 2,4-hexadienal, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, 3,4-dimethyl-2,5-furandione, acetophenone, benzeneacetaldehyde, 2-ethyl-1H-pyrrole, β-ionone-5,6-epoxide, β-cyclocitral, and geranyl acetone) was found. We investigated the changes in the terpene composition of surviving trees in bark beetle-infested stands of beech (Fagus sylvatica), pine (Pinus sylvestris), and fir (Abies alba). Our data showed that the distribution of different groups of volatile compounds varied according to the tree species.

Keywords: Abies alba; Fagus sylvatica; monoterpenes; Pinus sylvestris; sesquiterpenes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/4/2025-JFS.html (text/html)
http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/4/2025-JFS.pdf (application/pdf)
free of charge

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:71:y:2025:i:5:id:4-2025-jfs

DOI: 10.17221/4/2025-JFS

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Forest Science is currently edited by Mgr. Ilona Procházková

More articles in Journal of Forest Science from Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Ivo Andrle ().