The volatile secondary metabolites of the genus Gorgonia: a chemotaxonomic approach
1997
Diamantopoulou, N.
The genus Gorgonia is represented in the Caribbean Sea by three species: Gorgonia ventalina, G. flabelum and G. marie. The taxonomic distinction of these species by morphoanatomical characteristics alone is very difficult. In this work the chemical diversity of a large number of representative colonies collected from the Carribbean islands is studied. The volatile metabolites of 292 specimens belonging to the three species were detected and identified by means of Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry. Based on the esults of these analyses the investigated colonies of the Genus Gorgonia were organised in 10 distinct chemotypes. The chemical profile of the colonies was also correlated with the color and the aroma of the specimens. The geographic variation of the species and the impact of the water depth on the chemistry was also investigated. Finally the results of the study show that the chemical profiles of the gorgonians can provide an additional safe taxonomic criterion for the distinction of this obscure genus.
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This bibliographic record has been provided by International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier