Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute for Ecology, Jena, Germany; Molecular Interaction Ecology, Institute of Water and Wetland Research (IWWR), Radboud University, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Curr Opin Insect Sci. 2016 Apr;14:46-55. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.01.003. Epub 2016 Jan 29.
Plants, perhaps Earth's most accomplished chemists, produce thousands of specialized metabolites having no direct role in cell division or growth. These phytochemicals vary by taxon, with many taxa producing characteristic substance classes; and within taxa, with individual variation in structural variety and production patterns. Observations of corresponding variation in herbivore metabolism, behavior, and diet breadth motivated the development of chemical ecology research. We discuss the importance of plant biodiversity in general and phytochemical diversity in particular for biodiversity and ecological interactions at higher trophic levels. We then provide an overview of the descriptive, molecular and analytical tools which allow modern biologists to investigate phytochemical diversity and its effects on higher trophic levels, from physiological mechanisms to ecological communities.
植物可能是地球上最出色的化学家，它们能产生数千种具有特殊生物活性的代谢产物，这些产物在细胞分裂和生长过程中没有直接作用。这些植物化学物质因分类群而异，许多分类群产生特征性的物质类别；在同一分类群内，个体在结构多样性和产生模式上存在差异。对食草动物代谢、行为和饮食广度的相应变化的观察，激发了化学生态学研究的发展。我们讨论了植物生物多样性以及植物化学多样性在更高营养级生物多样性和生态相互作用中的重要性。然后，我们概述了描述性、分子和分析工具，现代生物学家可以利用这些工具来研究植物化学多样性及其对更高营养级的影响，从生理机制到生态群落。
