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Signals of speciation: volatile organic compounds resolve closely related sagebrush taxa, suggesting their importance in evolution
Author(s) -
Jaeger Deidre M.,
Runyon Justin B.,
Richardson Bryce A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.13982
Subject(s) - genetic algorithm , taxon , biology , ecology , evolutionary biology
Summary Volatile organic compounds ( VOC s) play important roles in the environmental adaptation and fitness of plants. Comparison of the qualitative and quantitative differences in VOC s among closely related taxa and assessing the effects of environment on their emissions are important steps to deducing VOC function and evolutionary importance. Headspace VOC s from five taxa of sagebrush ( Artemisia , subgenus Tridentatae ) growing in two common gardens were collected and analyzed using GC ‐ MS . Of the 74 total VOC s emitted, only 15 were needed to segregate sagebrush taxa using Random Forest analysis with a low error of 4%. All but one of these 15 VOC s showed qualitative differences among taxa. Ordination of results showed strong clustering that reflects taxonomic classification. Random Forest identified five VOC s that classify based on environment (2% error), which do not overlap with the 15 VOC s that segregated taxa. We show that VOC s can discriminate closely related species and subspecies of Artemisia , which are difficult to define using molecular markers or morphology. Thus, it appears that changes in VOC s either lead the way or follow closely behind speciation in this group. Future research should explore the functions of VOC s, which could provide further insights into the evolution of sagebrushes.