Recent advances in understanding the role of secondary metabolites in species-rich multitrophic networks

Understanding coexistence in species-rich communities remains a primary challenge of ecology. Interactions mediated through multitrophic networks are thought to play an important role in sustaining species coexistence in the face of competition for resources. The identity of trophic partners and the intensity with which they interact are often mediated by diverse secondary metabolites. Recent innovations in organic-molecule bioinformatics and multivariate statistical analysis are rapidly advancing our understanding of metabolites and the multitrophic interactions they mediate. Here, I examine recent advances in the study of chemical ecology in species-rich multitrophic communities, with an emphasis on plant–herbivore networks, and explore the potential for chemically mediated interactions to shape community composition and sustain species diversity in ecological communities.