Little green chemists:Understanding the chemistry of plants will enable us to create hardier and more useful crops, writes Joseph Jez

摘要

Plants are the original master chemists. They create a dizzying array of small molecules for all sorts of purposes: harvesting light; making nutrients and cellular building blocks; fighting off pathogens, insects, herbivores and sometimes each other;attracting pollinators', communicating with soil microbes or other plants; stocking seeds for the next generation; and adapting to a changing environment. Growing where their seed lands, plants are the consummate DfYers and use their metabolic arsenals to thrive and succeed.