The lost origin of chemical ecology in the late 19th century
The lost origin of chemical ecology in the late 19th century
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.0709231105
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发表时间：
2008-03-25
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Hartmann, Thomas
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hartmann, Thomas
植物化学生态学的起源一般可以追溯到20世纪50年代末，当时进化昆虫学家认识到植物次生代谢产物在植物-昆虫相互作用中的重要作用，并认为植物化学多样性是在草食动物的选择压力下进化的。然而，类似的想法在19世纪后半叶已经繁荣了一段时间，但在世纪之交基本上被遗忘了。本文介绍了化学生态学的三位主要人物的观察和研究：（1831-1898，奥地利因斯布鲁克和奥地利维也纳），主要研究地质、气候和生物因素对植物分布和生存的影响;利奥·埃雷拉（1858-1906，比利时布鲁塞尔），植物生理学家，用组织化学方法分析生物碱在植物细胞和组织中的定位;恩斯特·斯塔尔（1848-1919，德国耶拿），可能是第一位实验生态学家，他对蜗牛和蛞蝓进行了饲养研究，证明了次生代谢物在植物保护中对食草动物的重要作用。这三个人，特别是斯塔尔，都认为这些“化学防御手段”是为了应对植物周围异养群落无情的选择压力而进化的。尽管这些观点得到了观察和实验的有力支持，但直到最近才被人们遗忘。现在，100多年后，对控制次级代谢产物产生的基因进行的分子分析强调了Kerner von Marilaun，Errera，特别是斯塔尔在他们看来是多么正确。为什么他们的想法会丢失，很可能是因为当时主导生物学研究的生理学家坚决拒绝一切“目的论”的东西。
The origin of plant chemical ecology generally dates to the late 1950s, when evolutionary entomologists recognized the essential role of plant secondary metabolites in plant-insect interactions and suggested that plant chemical diversity evolved under the selection pressure of herbivory. However, similar ideas had already flourished for a short period during the second half of the 19th century but were largely forgotten by the turn of the century. This article presents the observations and studies of three protagonists of chemical ecology: Anton Kerner von Marilaun (1831-1898, Innsbruck, Austria, and Vienna, Austria), who mainly studied the impact of geological, climatic, and biotic factors on plant distribution and survival; Leo Errera (1858-1906, Brussels, Belgium), a plant physiologist who analyzed the localization of alkaloids in plant cells and tissues histochemically; and Ernst Stahl (1848-1919, Jena, Germany), likely the first experimental ecologist and who performed feeding studies with snails and slugs that demonstrated the essential role of secondary metabolites in plant protection against herbivores. All three, particularly Stahl, suggested that these "chemical defensive means" evolved in response to the relentless selection pressure of the heterotrophic community that surrounds plants. Although convincingly supported by observations and experiments, these ideas were forgotten until recently. Now, more than 100 years later, molecular analysis of the genes that control secondary metabolite production underscores just how correct Kerner von Marilaun, Errera, and, particularly, Stahl were in their view. Why their ideas were lost is likely a result of the adamant rejection of all things "teleological" by the physiologists who dominated biological research at the time.