Book Review pubs.acs.org/jnp
Review of Biology of Floral Scent Biology of Floral Scent. Edited by N. Dudareva (Purdue University) and E. Pichersky (University of Michigan). CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL, USA. 2006. 6 1 /2 × 9 1/2 in., xiii + 346 pp. $125.00. ISBN 978-0-8493-2283-9.
A
rchaeological evidence indicates that humans have been intrigued by and used floral scents throughout our history. Floral scent serves the producing plant in numerous ways: attracting pollinators, repelling herbivores, and protecting against infection. This book is an effort to describe the state of our knowledge of floral scent from all of these perspectives, while describing and, to some extent, illustrating the technological advances that have propelled the development of our understanding of floral scent. The book is divided into five sections. The first describes the chemistry of floral scent, including the diversity, detection, and identification of scent compounds. The second focuses on the biochemistry and molecular biology of floral scent, with descriptions of the evolution and regulation of metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of volatile terpenes, and integrated genomics approach to identifying floral scent genes. The third centers on the cell biology and physiology of floral scent, with emphasis on the localization of synthesis and emission of scent compounds and the processes involved in emission. The fourth, and largest, section treats the complex issues of plant−insect interactions and pollination ecology, spanning floral fragrance composition and relationship to pollinator type, different pollinators, modes of pollinator attraction, and how insects learn, discriminate among, and react to floral odors. The fifth section briefly describes commercial aspects of floral scent, including molecular engineering. While a topic this complex cannot be fully covered in a short text, the editors and authors have done a commendable job of assembling an excellent snapshot of where this challenging field is. The chapters are well written, are evenly edited, and frequently refer to one another; references are largely up to date with the publication date, although there are not too many 2005 references, most likely due to deadlines for submission of the individual chapters. Any reader needing more detail can easily find it in the references provided. This book should be of interest to anyone with specific interests in fragrance and flavor chemistry, insect ecology, and pollination ecology and biology. Graduate students and postdocs might well find career path inspiration in such a book.
John H. Cardellina, II
■
McCormick & Co., Inc. Hunt Valley, Maryland
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
The author declares no competing financial interest.
© XXXX American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy
A
dx.doi.org/10.1021/np4002465 | J. Nat. Prod. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
