2.

Screening Study of Leaf Terpene Concentration of 75 Borneo Rainforest Plant Species: Relationships with Leaf Elemental Concentrations and Morphology

Jordi Sardans, Joan Llusia, Susan M. Owen, Ülo Niinemets and Josep Peñuelas

CSIC, Global Ecology Unit (CREAF-CSIC-UAB), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08913 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain

CREAF, 08913 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain

CREAF, Facultat de Ciencies, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. 08913, Bellaterra. Catalonia, Spain .

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Edinburgh, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, Scotland, Great Britain.

Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu 51014, Estonia.

Abstract: Terpenes confer advantage in plant protection against abiotic stresses such as heat and drought and biotic stresses such as herbivore and pathogen attack. We conducted a screening of leaf mono- and sesquiterpene concentrations in 75 common woody plant species in the rainforest of Danum Valley (Borneo). Terpene compounds were found in 73 out of the 75 analysed species. Similar or lower proportions have been reported in other parts of the world. To our knowledge, this study reports for the first time the foliar concentration of mono- and/or sesquiterpene for 71 species and 39 genera not previously analyzed. Altogether 80 terpene compounds were determined across the species, and out of these only linalool oxide and (E)- g -bisabolene had phylogenetic signal. A significant negative relationship between leaf monoterpene concentration and leaf length was observed, but leaf mono- and sesquitepene concentration were not related to any other leaf morphological trait nor to leaf elemental composition. Functions such as temperature protection, radiation protection or signaling and communication could underlie the high frequency of terpene-containing species of this tropical ecosystem which has multiple and very diverse interactions among multiple species.

Keywords: Borneo; herbivory; leaf morphology; LMA; nutrients; rain forest; sesquiterpenes; monoterpenes. © 2015 ACG Publications. All rights reserved.