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Petrén, H.* ; Anaia, R.A.* ; Aragam, K.S.* ; Bräutigam, A.* ; Eckert, S.* ; Heinen, R.* ; Jakobs, R.* ; Ojeda-Prieto, L.* ; Popp, M. ; Sasidharan, R.* ; Schnitzler, J.-P. ; Steppuhn, A.* ; Thon, F.M.* ; Unsicker, S.B.* ; van Dam, N.M.* ; Weisser, W.W.* ; Wittmann, M.J.* ; Yepes, S.* ; Ziaja, D.* ; Müller, C.* ; Junker, R.R.*

Understanding the chemodiversity of plants: Quantification, variation and ecological function.

Ecol. Monogr., DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1635 (2024)
Publ. Version/Full Text DOI
Open Access Gold (Paid Option)
Creative Commons Lizenzvertrag
Plants produce a great number of phytochemicals serving a variety of different functions. Recently, the chemodiversity of these compounds (i.e., the diversity of compounds produced by a plant) has been suggested to be an important aspect of the plant phenotype that may shape interactions between plants, their environment, and other organisms. However, we lack an agreement on how to quantify chemodiversity, which complicates conclusions about the functional importance of it. Here, we discuss how chemodiversity (deconstructed into components of richness, evenness and disparity) may relate to different ecologically relevant aspects of the phenotype. Then, we systematically review the literature on chemodiversity to examine methodological practices, explore patterns of variability in diversity across different levels of biological organization, and investigate the functional role of this diversity in interactions between plants and other organisms. Overall, the reviewed literature suggests that high chemodiversity is often beneficial for plants, although a heterogeneity of methodological approaches partly limits what general conclusions can be drawn. Importantly, to support future research on this topic, we provide a framework with a decision tree facilitating choices on which measures of chemodiversity are best used in different contexts and outline key questions and avenues for future research. A more thorough understanding of chemodiversity will provide insights into its evolution and functional role in ecological interactions between plants and their environment.
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Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Review
Corresponding Author
Keywords Chemical Ecology ; Chemodiversity ; Metabolite Biosynthesis ; Metabolome ; Phytochemical Phenotype ; Phytochemicals ; Plant Defense ; Plant–insect Interactions ; Secondary Metabolites; Secondary Metabolite Diversity; Chemical Diversity; Insect Herbivores; Species-diversity; Natural-products; Consumers Guide; Floral Scent; Biodiversity; Community; Defense
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0012-9615
e-ISSN 1557-7015
Journal Ecological Monographs
Publisher Wiley
Publishing Place 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, Nj Usa
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Institute(s) Research Unit Environmental Simulation (BIOP-EUS)
Grants German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft