What causes the smell of flowers and why it is important what causes the smell of flowers and why it is important

The fragrance of flowers depends on the fungi and bacteria that cover them, according to a study by CSIC research professor and the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (Creaf), Josep Peñuelas, which shows the danger of using fungicides because they change the scent of plants.

Flowers perfume the world we live in, but... Who perfumes the flowers? "asked Peñuelas, who has discovered that if the fungi and bacteria that live on the flowers are eliminated, the amount and composition of their perfume varies completely.

Peñuelas has set as an example this week the fragrance of lavender, a characteristic perfume that is caused by volatile organic chemicals. Until now it was known that plants with flowers used several biochemical pathways to produce a wide range of volatile organic compounds that gave flowers their own aroma.

The study of Peñuelas, in which the Autonomous University of Barcelona has also collaborated, has discovered that flowers smell more than flowers. The work, published by the journal of the nature Scientific reports, has been based on a series of experiments in which they have sprayed the flowers of the willow with broad-spectrum antibiotics.

In antibiotic-treated plants, the internal floral content of volatile compounds and respiration were stable, demonstrating that antibiotics did not cause damage or stress to plants. However, the quantity of aromatic compounds emitted by the flowers, which provide the odour, decreased dramatically in cases where it was sprayed with antibiotic. On the other hand, antibiotics also modified the types of compounds emitted by flowers, which stopped generating some compounds.

Scientists found that the bouquet of the willow flowers was completely different until seven days after spraying with antibiotics. "with antibiotics, the willows, despite still having healthy flowers, did not smell like willow. Antibiotics had not affected the plant, but they had eliminated the microorganisms and fungi that live in the flowers. This shows the key role of fungi and bacteria in the smells and perfumes that give us the flowers," Josep Peñuelas summed up.

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Researchers have also confirmed that bacteria and fungi are capable of producing aromatic compounds such as linalol.

Key to pollination

According to Jaume Terradas, founder of the Creaf and Professor Emeritus of Ecology of the UAB who has also participated in the study, the microbiota of flowers has a key role in the final fragrance, and this would have relevant implications, since volatile organic compounds, being fragrant, allow the chemical communication of plants with other organisms.

Several plant tissues, such as flowers, emit these compounds to draw attention, for example, to pollinators.

Given the current 'pollination crisis', produced in large part by the decline of pollinating insects, but also by the alteration of floral aromas, studies such as this provide knowledge that can bring improvements to this vital theme.

"if the odors that guide these insects are produced largely by fungi and microorganisms, we will have to review, for example, the effects of the use of some antifungals on the crops, because they could alter the fragrances and the future pollination of the same plantations," Peñuelas concluded.