Plant Volatiles: Chemistry, Ecology and Evolution
edited by Renee M. Borges

This issue is dedicated to several aspects of plant volatiles such as
isoprene emission, herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), calcium
signalling before HIPV emission, role of phytohormones in regulating HIPV
biosynthesis, as well as the ecology and evolution of flower, fruit and
seed volatiles taken together with traits such as flower and fruit
colour. Reviews in this issue emphasise that plant volatiles could be
subject to several selection pressures that may shape volatile production
and emission. More importantly, the volatile profile of a plant ought
to be seen as a trait that may correlate with other traits, and that genes
controlling colour and/or odour may have pleiotropic effects on the plant
phenotype. Therefore, whole plant ecology and correlated trait
evolution must be considered when evaluating the significance of volatiles
in any particular plant part. For example, fruit volatiles may result from
correlated selection on the chemistry of leaves, and flower colour may
interact with flower scent to constitute a multimodal signal to
pollinators.

Visit Journal of the Indian Institute of Science for the table of contents.