¿Qué tan secundarios son los metabolitos secundarios?

Abstract

Recently, the development of chemical analysis technics have demostrated that chemical interactions are very important nature. These interactions have lead the evolution in organisms included in all Phyla and Divisions.

Many flagellated bacteria present chemotaxis, specially to nutriments. Eukaryotes, like amebas show negative chemotaxis in order to get an uniform distribution and to avoid competence.

Plants compete for the ground, water and nutriments. This situation is mediated by chemical compounds and it is denominated allelopathy. In plants, chemical defense have the function to avoid the feeding by animals like insects. Insects simultaneously have developed defenses against those chemicals.

But terrestrial organisms are not the only ones with ecological chemicals. Some algae produce substances to attract gameles and so fecundation is favoured. Dinoflagellates are an exceptional example of organisms that produce a powerful toxin. This toxin can be able to kill fishes populations. Benthic and sessile organisms have developed antidepredatory substances too. Specilly against fishes.

These investigations have demostrated that "secundary metabolites" are not as secundary as though before.