ABSTRACT
From our admittedly biased perspective as members of the animal kingdom, at rst glance it seems remarkable that plants are able to survive at all. Plants lack a basic defensive response that almost every animal has-the ability to ee from the danger. However, plants are anything but defenseless. It is evident that plants are some of the most successful types of organisms on Earth. This success is due in part to the ability of many plants to produce compounds (secondary metabolites) that help maximize their chances of survival-and therefore reproduction and perpetuation.
