Biochemical Systematics: Methods and Principles

Abstract

Chemosystematics will not evolve to become a scientific discipline in absence of accepted chemotaxonomic procedures. Our approach to this problem includes, initially, the mapping of metabolites by consideration of their biosynthetic relationship, indicated by skeletons, substitution patterns and frequency of occurrence in nature. The maps form the basis for three-dimensional graphic presentations of the chemical constitution (relative to a given metabolic class) of plant groups, which aid in the deduction of basic chemosystematic principles, as well as for two-dimensional graphic presentations of taxonomic distances among subunits of these groups, which further the understanding of their evolutionary relations. Progress of this type of work with respect to several phenylalanine (cou-marins, benzylisoquinolines, Amaryllidaceae alkaloids), phenylalanine-acetate (isoflavonoids) and tryptophane-mevalonate (indole alkaloids) derived biogenetic classes of compounds are described, and its potentiality illustrated by reference to several taxa of flowering plants.

Read by Otto R. Gottlies to whom also enquiries should be addressed.

Work sponsored by Fundação do Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do São Paulo.