Plant diversity shapes plant volatile emission differently at the species and community level

Abstract

Studies have investigated the interactions between plants through competition and resource sharing to understand the mechanisms behind the positive effects of plant diversity on productivity. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important info-chemicals in plant-plant interactions, but they have so far rarely been considered in this context. Here, we measured VOC emissions at both community and species levels (Plantago lanceolata) in experimental plant communities of varying diversity (The Jena Experiment) to understand the role of VOCs in driving biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships. We show that plant diversity determines the release of plant VOCs at both levels. At the community level, plant species richness directly enhanced VOC emission and increased VOC richness both directly and indirectly by altering herbivore damage and LAI. At the species level, plant diversity did not directly affect the VOC emissions of P. lanceolata but indirectly affected it by influencing the VOC emissions from the surrounding community. Plantago lanceolata individuals in communities with high concentrations of green leaf volatiles decreased their VOC emission, while those in communities with high concentrations of terpenoids increased their VOC diversity. Our results provide first evidence that plant diversity shapes community-level plant VOC emission and thus influences focal plant VOC emission inside the community.