Biodiversity and Natural Product Diversity

About this book

This text provides an integrated evaluation of the diversity of natural products in relation to biodiversity. The ongoing exploitation of biological resources, while maintaining an effective equilibrium on Earth, depends much on the conservation of biodiversity. To this end, parts one and two focus on biodiversity from all viewpoints, while explaining the link with natural products. The third section concentrates on the molecular-shape level, as a link to ecosystem and biodiversity, while the fourth section tackles actual functionalization, as a link to biodiversity at species level. Part five addresses the diversification of these resources from biotechnology and chemical technology, while the final part is concerned with maintaining natural product diversity on Earth.

Contents

Part I The concept of biodiversity: Defining Biodiversity; The Course of Biodiversity. Part II The relationship between biodiversity and natural product diversity: Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and Natural Products; The Problem of Unculturable Species; Natural Product Diversity: at which rank?. Part III Natural product diversity at ecosystem level: Terrestrial and Freshwater Biomes; The Oceans; The Widespread Distribution of Natural Products; Terrestrial versus Marine Natural Product Diversity; Life under Extreme Conditions; Graphic Analysis of the Skeletal Diversity and Complexity of Natural Products. Part IV Natural product diversity at functional level: Signalling, Defensive, and Environmentally Relevant Metabolites; Exploiting Natural Product Diversity; Part V Biotechnology and chemical synthesis of natural products: The Role of Biotechnology; The Role of Chemical Synthesis. Part VI Threatening and management of natural product diversity: Threatening Natural Product Diversity; Management of Natural Product Diversity.

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