The Chemistry and Chemical Ecology of Lepidopterans as Investigated in Brazil.

The interdisciplinary field of Chemical Ecology in Brazil is currently composed of groups that emerged through the pioneering studies of Keith Spalding Brown Jr. and José Tércio Barbosa Ferreira. Following Keith Brown 's steps, José Roberto Trigo continued investigating the role of plant natural products in mediating the association among insects and their host plants, mainly in the Order Lepidoptera. The role of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in those associations was investigated extensively by Brown and Trigo, and most of what is currently known on this subject is based on their studies. The present work acknowledges their contribution to the Brazilian chemical ecology field and on insect-plant communication studies mediated by different chemical compounds.