| Description |
Secondary metabolites in plants, including polyphenolics, may be responsible, in part, for diversity in the tropics. Variation in chemical defense among species of trees encourages specificity in herbivorous insects. Due to the short lifespan of insects compared to trees, diversity in chemical defense within a tree species may increase that species' survival. Of over 200,000 secondary metabolites produced by plants, only a few have been identified in any given species. Polyphenolics represent the largest class of secondary metabolites in plants. Our project focused on the characterization of these compounds in Inga umbellifera (Fabaceae), a widespread tree in tropical rainforests. I used acid catalyzed thiolytic degradation to break polymers into their subunits. Analysis of thiolysis samples by UPLC-MS revealed some masses associated with multiple peaks while control samples only displayed one peak. This variation is likely due to stereoisomers found in polymers that are not seen in the naturally occurring monomers. A comparison of polyphenolics across sites revealed variation in both the extender and starter units of the polymers. Three populations were found to be relatively similar in their polyphenolics while the remaining populations grouped independently. |
