Assessing pollination quality on the bioactivity of medicinal plants

ASHWORTH, L.; CAMINA, J.; USEGLIO, V.; MARQUEZ, V.; DAMBOLENA, S.; ZYGADLO, J.A.

Garanhuns

Simposio; IV Simpósio Brasileiro de Polinização; 2022

We assess for the first time the influence of pollination quality and herbivory on antibacterial activity of essential oils of a medicinal plant (Lepechinia floribunda). We showed that essential oils from the outcrossed plant progeny had a higher relative abundance of oxygenated terpenes and almost doubled the bacteriostatic effect as compared to the essential oils from the selfed progeny (i.e. progeny produced in absence of pollinators). Herbivory affected negatively and positively the production of rare compounds in selfed and outcrossed plants, respectively, but its effects on bioactivity still remain unknown. We show for the first time that by mediating cross-pollination (indirect ecosystem service), pollinators can improve ecosystem services linked to plant bioactivity.