Introductory remarks

Plants emit an incredible abundance and diversity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that play important roles in regulating the behaviors of insect herbivores, pollinators, and natural enemies. Although there are countless examples of multifunctionality in plant volatiles, we currently lack a systematic framework to understand which specific volatiles or chemical classes modify the behaviors of insect herbivores, pollinators, or natural enemies. The goal of this symposium is to unite chemical ecologists who study insect responses to plant volatiles, synthesizing our understanding of which volatiles regulate behaviors across these insect groups. We aim to spark new understanding in the commonality or uniqueness of plant volatiles underlying insect behaviors and advance our knowledge on how plants balance attracting beneficial insects while simultaneously warding off harmful insects. Applying this understanding to agricultural systems can aid in elucidating chemicals to attract beneficial pollinators and natural enemies while repelling insect pests.