Ozone alters the chemical signal required for plant - insect pollination: The case of the Mediterranean fig tree and its specific pollinator.

Tropospheric ozone (O) is likely to affect the chemical signal emitted by flowers to attract their pollinators through its effects on the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and its high reactivity with these compounds in the atmosphere. We investigated these possible effects using a plant-pollinator interaction where the VOCs responsible for pollinator attraction are known and which is commonly exposed to high O concentration episodes: the Mediterranean fig tree (Ficus carica) and its unique pollinator, the fig wasp (Blastophaga psenes). In controlled conditions, we exposed fig trees bearing receptive figs to a high-O episode (5 h) of 200 ppb and analyzed VOC emission.