Behavior of insects, such as pollination and grazing, is usually determined by biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). However, particularly in O₃-polluted urban forests, the BVOCs-based plant-insect communication can be disrupted by the reaction of O₃ with leaf-emitted BVOCs, such as between Japanese white birch (Betula platyphylla var. japonica) and a leaf beetle (Agelastica coerulea). To understand plant-insect communication in O₃-polluted environments, it is necessary to identify chemical species of BVOCs that contribute to attractiveness toward insects but are diminished by elevated O₃. In this study, we conducted olfactory response tests and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses to clarify whether there is a similarity of BVOC components among Betulaceae host trees that can explain the attraction of the stenophagous insect A. coerulea. The olfactory response tests indicated that Betulaceae host trees attract A. coerulea via leaf-emitted BVOCs, while there was no preference of the leaf beetles to non-host trees (Sorbus commixta and Morus bombycis). However, GC-MS analyses indicated that the composition of BVOC blends considerably differed among Betulaceae host trees, although alders (Alnus hirsuta and A. japonica) had a similar composition of BVOC blend in each season (June and September) during which the adult leaf beetle is active. A distinct characteristic of the emission from B. platyphylla was that 2-carene and limonene, which are O₃-reactive species, were emitted with a high monoterpene ratio irrespective of the season. Thus, these volatiles and the blend could be expected to lead the disrupted communication found between B. platyphylla and A. coerulea under elevated O₃ in previous field studies. In addition, our results indicated that A. coerulea is attracted to more than one blend within Betulaceae host trees, suggesting that grazing damages can be affected by different host preferences and O₃ reactivity with specific BVOCs in the field. BVOCs-based plant-insect interactions should be further studied in multi-species communities to better understand plant-insect communication in O₃-polluted environments.

昆虫的行为，例如授粉和放牧，通常由生物挥发性有机化合物 (BVOC) 决定。然而，特别是在 O ₃污染的城市森林中，基于 BVOCs 的植物与昆虫的交流可能会因 O ₃与叶片释放的 BVOCs的反应而中断，例如日本白桦 ( Betula platyphylla var. japonica ) 和叶片之间的反应。甲虫（Agelastica coerulea）。为了了解 O ₃污染环境中植物与昆虫的交流，有必要确定 BVOC 的化学种类，这些化学种类有助于对昆虫的吸引力，但会因 O ₃升高而减少. 在这项研究中，我们进行了嗅觉反应测试和气相色谱质谱 (GC-MS) 分析，以阐明桦木科寄主树之间是否存在 BVOC 成分的相似性，这可以解释食虫A. coerulea的吸引力。嗅觉反应测试表明，桦木科寄主树通过叶片释放的 BVOC吸引A. coerulea，而叶甲虫对非寄主树（Sorbus commixta和Morus bombycis）没有偏好。然而，GC-MS 分析表明，BVOC 混合物的组成在桦木科寄主树中存在很大差异，尽管桤木（Alnus hirsuta和A. japonica) 在成年叶甲虫活跃的每个季节（6 月和 9 月）都有相似的 BVOC 混合物组成。B. platyphylla排放物的一个显着特征是，作为O ₃反应性物种的2-蒈烯和柠檬烯无论季节如何都以高单萜比例排放。因此，在先前的实地研究中，在 O ₃升高的情况下，可以预期这些挥发物和混合物会导致B. platyphylla和A. coerulea之间的通信中断。此外，我们的结果表明A. coerulea被桦木科寄主树中的一种以上混合物所吸引，这表明放牧损害可能受到不同寄主偏好和与田间特定 BVOC 的O ₃反应性的影响。应在多物种群落中进一步研究基于 BVOCs 的植物-昆虫相互作用，以更好地了解 O ₃污染环境中的植物-昆虫交流。