Erica Perreca

Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology | ice · Department of Biochemistry

The plastidic 2-C-methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway supplies the precursors of a large variety of essential plant isoprenoids, but its regulation is still not well understood. Using metabolic control analysis (MCA), we examined the first enzyme of this pathway, 1-deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS), in multiple grey poplar (Populus ×...

White spruce (Picea glauca) emits monoterpenes that function as defensive signals and weapons after herbivore attack. We assessed the effects of drought and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment, used as a proxy for herbivory, on monoterpenes and other isoprenoids in P. glauca. The emission of monoterpenes was significantly increased after MeJA treatme...

The C5 hemiterpenes isoprene and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) are important biogenic volatiles emitted from terrestrial vegetation. Isoprene is emitted from many plant groups, especially trees such as Populus, while emission of MBO is restricted to certain North American conifers, including species of Pinus. MBO is also a pheromone emitted by severa...

The methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis produces chlorophyll side chains and compounds that function in resistance to abiotic stresses, including carotenoids, and isoprene. Thus we investigated the effects of moderate and severe drought on MEP pathway function in the conifer Picea glauca, a boreal species at risk u...

Trees and other woody plants differ from herbs in many aspects of their anatomy, physiology and ecology. Yet they are known to release the same major classes of volatile compounds as herbs. This chapter summarizes the major factors influencing volatile emission from trees and explores their biological functions. Herbivore attack consistently increa...

The aim of this study was to identify determinants of aldehyde and volatile organic compound (VOC) indoor air concentrations in a sample of more than 140 office rooms, in the framework of the European OFFICAIR research project. A large field campaign was performed, which included (i) the air sampling of aldehydes and VOCs in 37 newly built or recen...

Poplar (Populus spp.) trees are widely distributed and play an important role in ecological communities and in forestry. Moreover, by releasing high amounts of isoprene, these trees impact global atmospheric chemistry. One of the most devastating diseases for poplar is leaf rust, caused by fungi of the genus Melampsora. Despite the wide distributio...

How interactions between plants, the rhizosphere, and contaminated soil affect environmental sustainability is still under research. We tested the effects of two root endophytic fungi, the arbuscular mycorrhiza fungus (AMF) Rhizophagus irregularis and the beneficial endophyte Serendipita indica, on sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) growing on soil con...

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) play important roles in atmospheric chemistry, plant ecology and physiology, and biogenic VOC (BVOC) emitted by plants is the largest VOC source. Our knowledge about how environmental drivers (e.g. carbon, light and temperature) may regulate BVOC emissions is limited because they are often not controlled. We combine...

The European project OFFICAIR aimed to broaden the existing knowledge regarding indoor air quality (IAQ) in modern office buildings, i.e., recently built or refurbished buildings. Thirty-seven office buildings participated in the summer campaign (2012), and thirty-five participated in the winter campaign (2012-2013). Four rooms were investigated pe...

Indoor air quality (IAQ) measurements were carried out in two field campaigns (summer and winter) in European office buildings (approximately 140 office rooms) in eight countries, as part of the EU-funded OFFICAIR project. A source identification study was performed with principal component analysis (varimax rotation) on a database containing volat...

Cleaning agents often emit terpenes that react rapidly with ozone. These ozone-initiated reactions, which occur in the gas-phase and on surfaces, produce a host of gaseous and particulate oxygenated compounds with possible adverse health effects in the eyes and airways. Within the European Union (EU) project OFFICAIR, common ozone-initiated reactio...

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