Molecules that have signal value in nature sometimes prove to be of use to humans. One need only cite the example of medicinals to underscore the point. Major recent additions to our therapeutic arsenal include ivermectin, cyclosporin, FK-506, and taxol, compounds that can all be expected to have evolved as signaling agents. Many and varied benefits can be expected to be derived from an ongoing search for natural products. Chemical ecologists should become active participants in this search.
Chemical ecologists are also in a position to provide some assessment of the hidden value of nature.
The search for natural products has essentially only begun. Most species, especially microbial forms and invertebrates, remain to be discovered, let alone to be screened for chemicals. What remains unknown is of immense potential value, and deserving of protection, lest we be forever impoverished by its loss. To help in the preservation effort, chemical ecologists will need to speak out as conservationists. The essays that follow are synopses of lectures delivered at a collo- quium on chemical ecology.