Themed collection Chemical Ecology

Stefan Schulz, Julia Kubanek and Joern Piel introduce the Natural Product Reports themed issue on ‘Chemical ecology’.

In this Viewpoints article we examine the roles of bacterially produced small molecules in animal defense, development and evolution.

Here we review next-generation questions in the study of plant–pollinator interactions mediated by floral volatiles, and the potential for renewed collaboration between biologists and chemists in answering such questions.

We review current information on intraspecific chemical signals and search for patterns in signal chemistry among modern terrestrial vertebrates (Amniota), including tortoises, squamate reptiles (amphisbaenians, lizards, and snakes), birds, and mammals.

Nematodes are amazingly skilled chemists: using simple building blocks from conserved primary metabolism and a strategy of modular assembly, C. elegans and other nematode species create complex molecular architectures to regulate their development and behaviour.

This review intends to cover the chemistry of important interactions between fungi and other organisms, ranging from chemical defence against enemies to symbiotic and parasitic interactions.

Gram positive bacteria from the soil have historically been a deep source of useful natural products. This article considers how natural products may mediate microbial interactions in the soil environment.

The current knowledge of the lactone motif will be described, concentrating on the structure, chemistry, function, biosynthesis and synthesis of such compounds.

Metabolomics has emerged as powerful tool in the elucidation of natural products as mediators of organismal interactions. This review comprehensively highlights successful applications and perspectives of metabolomics in chemical ecology.

Many organisms team up with symbiotic microbes for defense against predators, parasites, parasitoids, or pathogens. Here we review the known defensive symbioses in animals and the microbial secondary metabolites responsible for providing protection to the host.

A large number of chiral methyl-branched pheromones have been identified reflecting the diversity of insect species. This review deals with mainly non-terpene compounds, highlighting studies on the identification, stereoselective synthesis, and biosynthesis carried out this century.

This article comprehensively reviews the syntheses of all known sex pheromones of scales and mealybugs, describes how they were identified, and how the synthetic pheromones are used in insect management.

The extreme, unique seas surrounding Antarctica harbor unusual communities where interactions are highly mediated by chemistry. This mini-review compiles the identified marine natural products proven to have an ecological role in Antarctic ecosystems.

This review covers the recent marine chemical ecology literature for benthic bacteria and cyanobacteria, macroalgae, sponges, cnidarians, molluscs, other benthic invertebrates, and fish.

A review on chemically mediated ecological interactions in marine pelagic environments, including predator–prey, competitive, and intraspecific interactions as well as ecosystem level effects of plankton chemical cues. This review covers 65 research articles reporting new results from October 2010 to December 2012 (inclusive).