Physiological and ecological constraints play key roles in the evolution of plant growth
patterns, especially in relation to defenses against herbivores. Phenotypic and life history …

Pigments are present in all living matter and provide attractive colors and play basic roles in
the development of organisms. Human beings, like most animals, come in contact with their …

The terpenoids constitute the largest family of natural products; over 22,000 individual
compounds of this class have been described (Connolly and Hill, 1991), and the number of …

▪ Abstract Carotenoids are integral and essential components of the photosynthetic
membranes in all plants. Within the past few years, genes encoding nearly all of the …

The aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, are formed by a reaction
sequence leading from the two carbohydrate precursors, D-erythrose 4-phosphate and …

When compared to other organisms, plants are atypical with respect to isoprenoid
biosynthesis: they utilize two distinct and separately compartmentalized pathways to build …

As our understanding of the science and functions of color in food has increased, the
preferred colorants, forms of use, and legislation regulating their uses have also changed …

The grape is one of the oldest and most important horticultural crops. Grape and wine aroma
has long been of cultural and scientific interest. The diverse compound classes comprising …

Vegetation provides a major source of reactive carbon entering the atmosphere. These
compounds play an important role in (1) shaping global tropospheric chemistry,(2) regional …

The net value of any plant trait can be assessed by measuring the costs and benefits
associated with that trait. While the other contributors to this issue examine the possible …