BIOCHEMISTRY, PHYSIOLOGY AND ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF SECONDARY METABOLITES

Secondary metabolites (SM) occur in plants in a high structural diversity. The different classes of SM and their biosynthetic pathways are summarized in this introduction. A typical feature of SM is their storage in relatively high concentra- tions, sometimes in organs which do not produce them. A long-distance transport via the phloem or xylem is then required. Whereas hydrophilic substances are stored in the vacuole, lipophilic metabolites can be found in latex, resin ducts, oil cells or cuticle. SM are not necessarily end products and some of them, especially if they contain nitrogen, are metabolically recycled. Biosynthesis, transport and storage are energy-dependent processes which include the costs for the replica- tion and transcription of the corresponding genes and the translation of proteins. The intricate biochemical and physiological features are strongly correlated with the function of SM: SM are not useless waste products (as assumed earlier), but important tools against herbivores and microbes. Some of them also function as signal molecules to attract pollinating arthropods or seed-dispersing animals and as signal compounds in other plant - plant, plant - animal and plant - microbe relationships.

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