Biosynthesis of Defensive Compounds from Beetles and Ants

Abstract

Abstract Many beetle and ant species owe their protection against predators to the presence of defensive compounds in their hemolymph or in specialized exocrine glands. A growing number of studies devoted to the elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways used by the insects to produce these compounds have been reported in recent years. An overview of these studies is presented. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003)