The emission factor of volatile isoprenoids: stress, acclimation, and developmental responses

Abstract

Abstract. Volatile isoprenoid emission rate from plants is driven by plant emission capacity under specified environmental conditions (ES, the emission factor) and by responsiveness of the emissions to instantaneous variations in environment. In models of isoprenoid emission, ES has been often considered as intrinsic species-specific constant invariable in time and space. Here we analyze the variations in species-specific values of ES under field conditions focusing on biotic and abiotic stresses, past environmental conditions and developmental processes. The reviewed studies highlight strong stress-driven (effects of abiotic and biotic stresses), adaptive (previous temperature and light environment and growth CO2 concentration) and developmental (leaf age) variations in ES values. These biological factors can alter species-specific ES values by more than an order of magnitude. Recent models are including some of these biological sources of variation to some degree, while the majority of models based on early concepts still ignore these important sources of variation. This analysis emphasizes the need to include more biological realism in the isoprenoid emission models and also highlights the gaps in knowledge that require further experimental work for mechanistic consideration of ES variation in models.