
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 theliterature 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. First book containing an overall survey of natural product distribution pattern variation
- ISBN: 978-1-4020-9051-6
- Editorial: Springer
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 400
- Fecha Publicación: 01/11/2008
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés