ABSTRACT
During the course of this survey, several themes will be emphasized. These include (1) the rich diversity of chemical structures known to be synthesized by plants through an amazingly diverse network of metabolic pathways (see Figure 2.1 in Chapter 2
)
; (2) basic differences in the chemical properties of the compounds; (3) adaptive functions of these compounds for plants; (4) uses of the compounds by humans (see essays below); and (5) examples of typical plants (listed by common name and scientific binomial name) that contain the respective types of compounds. Often, these will be derived from common plants with which most of us are familiar. Some marine algal plants are also included, because they contain many truly unique bioactive molecules.
