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Cyanogenic compounds as protecting agents for organisms

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Abstract

Biochemical and physiological arguments and several plant-predator relationships described in the literature are presented in which cyanogenesis plays a role as a protecting process. HCN arising from the cleavage of cyanogenics is regarded to be the most important agent, but also the cyanogenic itself, carbonyls and β-cyanoalanine, which are products of degradation processes of cyanogenics, may possess protecting properties. Some examples show that these substances are also utilized by arthropods. This presents the opportunity to look at a coevolutionary system combined of snails, plants, moths and moth-parasites in which cyanogenesis obviously plays an interesting role.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie, Technischen Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 1, D-3300, Braunschweig, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

    Adolf Nahrstedt

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  1. Adolf Nahrstedt
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Lecture presented during the Tagung der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft, Vienna, September 1984.

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Nahrstedt, A. Cyanogenic compounds as protecting agents for organisms. Pl Syst Evol 150, 35–47 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00985566

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