2025/09/14 by Rose K. Rossell, Mj Riches, Abigail R. Koss +2 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Plant and animal studies #Flowering Plant Growth and Cultivation #Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1029/2025gl117021
openalex publication_date 2025/09/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Abstract Flowering corpse plants attract pollinating carrion insects through pungent, nocturnal odors. Female flowers primarily emit organosulfur, including ∼12gS/hour as methanethiol with mixing ratios comparable to landfills; male emissions are smaller and more diverse. Floral emissions during blooming represent ∼0.4% of plant biomass and change throughout the blooming sequence, consistent with floral trapping: insects remain with florets after initial attraction for subsequent release with pollen shedding the following night, preventing inbreeding and enhancing fertilization efficiency. Female flower plumes are resilient under pristine conditions, with relative floral composition changing minimally with nighttime oxidation and attracting insects for later release during the male bloom stage, which is less resilient. In polluted atmospheres, rapid oxidation may impact compound ratios and plume size, inhibiting pollination of these endangered plants.