Chemical Ecology

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Buy Books about Chemical Ecology

Chemical ecology is about the various biochemicals produced, released, and utilized by different species of organisms. These chemicals are produced for a variety of reasons. Biochemicals of particular interest to ecologists generally fall into two categories; those used as a form of communication between individuals of the same species and those used as defense mechanisms by one species against another.

Chemicals used in communication are commonly called pheromones. Pheromones can be used for communication during sexual reproduction. They may be secreted by a female to attract a male, or used to signal the onset of reproductive readiness between two potential mates. Pheromones can also be used in social animals for a variety of non-sexual purposes. Ants use chemicals to mediate foraging behavior and identify individuals as part of a particular colony.

Chemicals are commonly used in defense and offense. Many plants produce chemicals designed to protect them from herbivores. These plant chemicals are also sometimes used by predators to find their herbivorous prey. A herbivore eats a plant releasing a chemical, and the chemical attracts the herbivore's predators or parasitoids. Herbivores may in turn produce toxic or distasteful chemicals to protect themselves against predators. In the case of the monarch, the butterfly protects itself from predators with a chemical taken from their foodplant, a chemical originally evolved in milkweeds to prevent herbivory. Chemicals can also have an offensive purpose. Some plants secrete chemicals designed to inhibit the growth of other individuals near them; allelopathy. Anyone who has tried to grow garden plants next to a black walnut tree has already seen an example of allelopathy.

The web has very little information on basic chemical ecology. Although there are chemical ecology web sites, most of them are propaganda pieces about particular research programs.

Chemical Ecology: The Chemistry of Interactions. Thomas Eisner and Jerrold Meinwald. So you want to learn about chemical ecology. Well, go no further. This online book by two of the fathers of chemical ecology covers chemicals as agents of social communication, sexual attraction, defense mechanims, alarm and deceit. An incredible resource. Highly recommended.

Student Review Articles. Colorado State University. This site contains a series of student written papers for a Chemical Ecology course at Colorado State University covering different topics in plant chemicals used by the plants to deter herbivore feeding, attract predators and parasitoids of herbivores, and deter growth by other competing plants.

International Society of Chemical Ecology. This society site contains the usual information about the society, but is also contains some general information about the various ways chemicals are used by plants and animals in defense and communication. The site also contains an online newsletter.

Chemical Ecology. Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research. A short introduction to chemical ecology with examples from the Institute's research program.

Chemical Ecology. John Beyers, Swedish University Agricultural Sciences at Alnarp. This site has just about anything you can imagine including a long series of chemical ecology papers, a bibliography, quizes, software. The site even has an English-Swedish dictionary and some Java Games. Confusing but recommended.