Provides a state-of-the-art review of recent conceptual developments concerning the roles of plant secondary metabolites in the natural environment.

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) such as terpenes and phenolic compounds are known to have numerous ecological roles, notably in defence against herbivores, pathogens and abiotic stresses and in interactions with competitors and mutualists. This book reviews recent developments in the field to provide a synthesis of the function, ecology and evolution of PSMs, revealing our increased awareness of their integrative role in connecting natural systems. It emphasises the multiple roles of secondary metabolites in mediating the interactions between organisms and their environment at a range of scales of ecological organisation, demonstrating how genes encoding for PSM biosynthetic enzymes can have effects from the cellular scale within individual plants all the way to global environmental processes. A range of recent methodological advances, including molecular, transgenic and metabolomic techniques, are illustrated and promising directions for future studies are identified, making this a valuable reference for researchers and graduate students in the field.

Microbiologists and soil scientists will find this study compelling reading. It focuses on the role of bacterial, fungal and plant secondary metabolites in soil ecosystems. Our understanding of the biological function of secondary metabolites is surprisingly limited, considering our knowledge of their structural diversity and pharmaceutical activity. This book reviews functional aspects of secondary metabolite production, with a focus on interactions among soil organisms.

Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) such as terpenes and phenolic compounds are known to have numerous ecological roles, notably in defence against herbivores, pathogens and abiotic stresses and in interactions with competitors and mutualists. This book reviews recent developments in the field to provide a synthesis of the function, ecology and evolution of PSM, revealing our increased awareness of their integrative role in connecting natural systems. It emphasises the multiple roles of secondary metabolites in mediating the interactions between organisms and their environment at a range of scales of ecological organisation, demonstrating how genes encoding for PSM biosynthetic enzymes can have effects from the cellular scale within individual plants all the way to global environmental processes. A range of recent methodological advances, including molecular, transgenic and metabolomic techniques, are illustrated and promising directions for future studies are identified, making this a valuable reference for researchers and graduate students in the field.

Life has evolved as a unified system; no organism exists similar role also has been suggested for fatty acids from alone, but each is in intimate contact with other organisms cyanolipids. Nonprotein amino acids, cyanogenic glyco and its environment. Historically, it was easier for workers sides, and the non-fatty-acid portion of cyanolipids also are in various disciplines to delimit artificially their respective incorporated into primary metabolites during germination. areas of research, rather than attempt to understand the entire Secondary metabolites of these structural types are accumu system of living organisms. This was a pragmatic and neces lated in large quantities in the seeds of several plant groups sary way to develop an understanding for the various parts. where they probably fulfill an additional function as deter We are now at a point, however, where we need to investi rents to general predation. gate those things common to the parts and, specifically, those The second type of relationship involves interaction of things that unify the parts. The fundamental aspects of many plants with other organisms and with their environment. Bio of these interactions are chemical in nature. Plants constitute logical interactions must be viewed in the light of evolution an essential part of all life systems; phytochemistry provides ary change and the coadaptation, or perhaps coevolution, of a medium for linking several fields of study.

This volume presents the latest research on herbivores, aquatic and terrestrial mammals and insects. The Second Edition, written almost entirely by new authors, effectively complements the initial work. It includes advances in molecular biology and microbiology, ecology, and evolutionary theory that have been achieved since the first edition was published in 1979. The book also incorporates relatively new methodologies in the area of molecular biology, like protein purification and gene cloning. Volume II, Ecological and Evolutionary Processes, also opens up entirely new subjects: The discussions of interactions have expanded to include phenomena at higher trophic levels, such as predation and microbial processing and other environmental influences. Both this and Volume I, The Chemical Participants, will be of interest to chemists, biochemists, plant and insect ecologists, evolutionary biologists, physiologists, entomologists, and agroecologists interested in both crop and animal science. Presents coevolution of herbivores and host plants Examines resource availability and its effects on secondary metabolism and herbivores Studies physiology and biochemistry of adaptation to hosts Includes tri-trophic interactions involving predators and microbes

This Reference Work is devoted to plant secondary metabolites and their evolutionary adaptation to different hosts and pests. Secondary metabolites play an important biological role in plants’ defence against herbivores, abiotic stresses and pathogens, and they also attract beneficial organisms such as pollinators. In this work, readers will find a comprehensive review of the phytochemical diversity, modification and adaptation of secondary metabolites, and the consequences of their co-evolution with plant parasites, pollinators, and herbivores. Chapters from expert contributors are organised into twelve sections that collate the current knowledge in intra-/inter-specific diversity in plant secondary metabolites, changes in secondary metabolites during plants’ adaptation to different environmental conditions, and co-evolution of host-parasite metabolites. Among the twelve themed parts, readers will also discover expert analysis on the genetics and chemical ecology evolution of secondary metabolites, and particular attention is also given to allelochemicals, bioactive molecules in plant defence and the evolution of sensory perception in vertebrates. This reference work will appeal to students, researchers and professionals interested in the field of plant pathology, plant breeding, biotechnology, agriculture and phytochemistry.