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Capsaicin

Capsaicin. 8- methyl - N - vanillyl -6-nonen amide A secondary compound in Genus Capsicum, Family Solanaceae. Lyndall Brezina, PCB 5356. Related Capsaicinoids. Capsaicinoids. Produced only in the fruit: the fleshy part of the fruit where the seeds are (not the seeds themselves)

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Capsaicin

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  1. Capsaicin 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide A secondary compound in Genus Capsicum, Family Solanaceae Lyndall Brezina, PCB 5356

  2. Related Capsaicinoids

  3. Capsaicinoids • Produced only in the fruit: the fleshy part of the fruit where the seeds are (not the seeds themselves) • Colorless and odorless • In ripe fruits • lipidophillic • Directly linked to survival of embryos • not a signaling compound.

  4. Fruit-frugivore interaction • An evolutionary triad: • Fruiting plants • Mutualists of plants • Predators and parasites of plants

  5. Evolutionary triad • Selects for: • Dispersal agents • Attractiveness • Protection • Mechanical protection • Growth strategies • Chemical protection: Capsaicin • Anti-fungal • Anti-pathogen • Selection for Anti-crushing frugivores

  6. Dispersal Agents • “capsaicin deters consumption… by small rodents… does not strongly or consistently deter consumption of foliage by large herbivorous mammals, which are more likely to deficate ingested seeds in a viable condition” (Dennis, pg 44) • Birds lack the receptors for capsaicin. • “Birds are the primary consumers and dispersers of wild chilis” (Dennis, pg 46)

  7. Capsaicin: increased retention timeAvg: 15-20% compared with controls Common disperser of chilis in Arizona: Toxostoma curvirostre (curve-billed Thrasher) Common disperser of chilis in Bolivia: Elaenia parvirostis (small billed Elaenia) Unpublished results : J.J. Tewksberry, et al., 2006

  8. Conclusion • Detrimental? • Metabolic trade-offs • Gut retention strips capsaicin, may lessen viability • Humans may use in food, drink, or as an alalgesic.

  9. Conclusion continued • In contrast to fruits, leaves generally experience a single type of biotic interaction: herbivory. Any organism that consumes leaf tissue is typically detrimental to plant fitness, whereas organisms that consume fruits may be either beneficial or detrimental. This, secondary compounds in leaves have a much narrower scope of selection pressure than those in fruits. In flowers…secondary compounds potentially mediate interactions with mutualists (pollinators) and antagonists (nectar robbers, herbivores)… similar Evolutionary triad-creating pressures.

  10. References • Pictures/figures: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin • Levey, D. J., Tewksbury, J. J., Izhaki, I., Tsahar, E., Haak, D. C. (2007) Evolutionary Ecology of Secondary Compounds in Ripe Fruit: Case Studies with Capsaicin and Emodin, In Dennis, A. J. (Eds.) Seed dispersal: theory and its application in a changing world, (37-47) Australia, Cooperative Research Center for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management (CSIRO). • Wink, M. (1988) Plant breeding: importance of plant secondary metabolites for protection against pathogens and herbivores. Theory of Applied Genetics, 75:225-233. • http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4017/is_200407/ai_n9426015/

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