Does a flower's scent depend on its color? Scientists' latest discovery

An international group of researchers has demonstrated for the first time the coordination between a plant's scent and color. The team studied how plants communicate with the insects that pollinate them. The researchers discovered a link between flower color and scent, meaning that two different traits can relate to a single integrated signal.

Plant abilities

Plants use coordinated scent and color signals to attract the insects that pollinate them. By combining olfactory and visual channels, flowers become stronger and more stable in less favorable conditions, such as those found in the Aegean Sea. On windy days, scents may dissipate, but the plant's colors remain an attractive attractant. In contrast, in areas where flowers are hidden, scent is the primary attraction for insects.

Insect abilities

According to Robert Raguso, a professor of neurobiology involved in the study, it is likely that many insects learn to associate pollen with specific color and odor combinations.

Compounds of scents and colors

The researchers constructed a "social network" that illustrates the relationships between 41 plant species and 351 odorants from those plants. The resulting network consisted of seven smaller modules of chemically similar plants. The researchers were surprised to find that almost each of these modules was characterized by a specific combination of odors and colors. For example, one component contained red flowers dominated by hydrocarbon odors. Pink-purple flowers, on the other hand, emitted odors similar to sage, mugwort, and other aromatic herbs. The biochemical and genetic relationships between plant pigmentation and scent production are still poorly understood. Therefore, it is unclear whether color and scent combinations serve plants to conserve energy or reflect genetic factors that facilitate their integration. The results of the analysis were published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Forty-one plant species from the Greek island of Lesbos were studied.