Overview
- First book containing an overall survey of natural product distribution pattern variation
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
This book provides an overview of geographic patterns in the distribution of plant secondary metabolites in natural populations. Examples include most common natural product classes: acetylenic derivatives; alkaloids; carotenoids; cyanogenic glycosides; flavonoids; terpenes of various sizes; as well as other structural types less easily categorized. By comparison, earlier reports in the literature on “chemical races” focused either on individual classes of compounds, on specific taxa, or on a particular geographic region.
Following an introduction that includes definitions of phytochemical and biogeographic ideas, information is presented in five loosely defined geographic trans-oceanic categories: examples within continents; after the ice; intercontinental disjunctions; oceanic islands; and polar disjunctions.
It has often been said that natural variation is the essence of evolution. It seems reasonable to suggest that this is as true with plant secondary metabolites as with any other feature that confers an advantage to one set of individuals over antiherbivore or antifungal activity of plants as they colonize new habitats, and thus meet new challenges; or subtle changes in floral pigmentation and patterning that would affect behavior of pollinators.
Authors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Geography of Phytochemical Races
Authors: Bruce A. Bohm
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9052-3
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-9051-6Published: 17 November 2008
Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-8057-8Published: 19 October 2010
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4020-9052-3Published: 11 October 2008
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVIII, 348
Additional Information: Jointly published with New York Botanical Garden
Topics: Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography, Bioorganic Chemistry, Plant Biochemistry, Geography, general