Evolution of the Angiosperms and
Co-evolution of Secondary Metabolites,
Especially of Alkaloids
8
Michael Wink
Contents
1 Introduction: Evolution and Functions of Secondary Metabolites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
1.1 Plant Secondary Metabolism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
1.2 Functions of Plant Secondary Metabolites as Defense Compounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
1.3 Functions of Plant Secondary Metabolites as Signal Compounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
1.4 Adaptation of Herbivores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
2 Evolution and Function of Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
2.1 Evolution of Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3 Evolution of Angiosperms, Pollinating Insects, and Defense via Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
4 Co-evolution of Angiosperms, Animals, and Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Abstract
Plants produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites (PSM) for protection
against herbivores, microorganisms, and competing plants. PSM also function as
signal compounds to attract pollinating and fruit-dispersing animals. PSM occur
in complex mixtures, which vary between organs and developmental stages
of a plant. PSM have been structurally optimized during evolution to affect
molecular targets in animals, other plants, and microbes. Many insect herbivores
have adapted to the defense chemistry of their host plants and are mono- and
oligophagous. The largest class of PSM are alkaloids, which often function as
strong neurotoxins against insects and vertebrates. Whereas the production of
alkaloids is very limited in spore bearing plants and gymnosperms, they
M. Wink (*)
Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB), Heidelberg University,
Heidelberg, Germany
e-mail: wink@uni-heidelberg.de; wink@uni-hd.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J.-M. Mérillon, K. G. Ramawat (eds.), Co-Evolution of Secondary Metabolites,
Reference Series in Phytochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96397-6_22
151
Co-evolution of Secondary Metabolites,
Especially of Alkaloids
8
Michael Wink
Contents
1 Introduction: Evolution and Functions of Secondary Metabolites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
1.1 Plant Secondary Metabolism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
1.2 Functions of Plant Secondary Metabolites as Defense Compounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
1.3 Functions of Plant Secondary Metabolites as Signal Compounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
1.4 Adaptation of Herbivores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
2 Evolution and Function of Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
2.1 Evolution of Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3 Evolution of Angiosperms, Pollinating Insects, and Defense via Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
4 Co-evolution of Angiosperms, Animals, and Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Abstract
Plants produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites (PSM) for protection
against herbivores, microorganisms, and competing plants. PSM also function as
signal compounds to attract pollinating and fruit-dispersing animals. PSM occur
in complex mixtures, which vary between organs and developmental stages
of a plant. PSM have been structurally optimized during evolution to affect
molecular targets in animals, other plants, and microbes. Many insect herbivores
have adapted to the defense chemistry of their host plants and are mono- and
oligophagous. The largest class of PSM are alkaloids, which often function as
strong neurotoxins against insects and vertebrates. Whereas the production of
alkaloids is very limited in spore bearing plants and gymnosperms, they
M. Wink (*)
Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB), Heidelberg University,
Heidelberg, Germany
e-mail: wink@uni-heidelberg.de; wink@uni-hd.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J.-M. Mérillon, K. G. Ramawat (eds.), Co-Evolution of Secondary Metabolites,
Reference Series in Phytochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96397-6_22
151