Graduate Research Course
Ecological Biochemistry & Biodiversity
From allelopathy to climate adaptation — how chemistry shapes ecosystems, drives biodiversity, and responds to environmental change across every biome on Earth.
Key Equations of Ecological Biochemistry
Metabolic Theory (MTE)
\( B = B_0 M^{3/4} e^{-E_a/(kT)} \)
Michaelis-Menten Kinetics
\( v = \frac{V_{max}[S]}{K_m + [S]} \)
Arrhenius Temperature Dependence
\( k(T) = A \cdot e^{-E_a/(RT)} \)
Shannon Diversity Index
\( H' = -\sum_{i=1}^{S} p_i \ln p_i \)
Carbon Flux
\( \frac{dC}{dt} = \text{NPP} - R_h - \text{Leaching} - \text{Erosion} \)
Ocean CO₂ Equilibrium
\( \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightleftharpoons \text{H}_2\text{CO}_3 \rightleftharpoons \text{H}^+ + \text{HCO}_3^- \)
About This Course
Every ecosystem on Earth is governed by chemistry. Plants synthesize over 200,000 secondary metabolites — alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics — not as metabolic waste, but as precisely targeted ecological signals: defending against herbivores, attracting pollinators, suppressing competitors, and communicating with microbial symbionts through the rhizosphere. These molecules are the invisible architecture of biodiversity.
This course bridges biochemistry and ecology at every scale: from enzyme active sites and biosynthetic pathways to nutrient cycling across biomes and the ocean carbon pump. We trace how temperature, CO₂ concentration, and pH shift the equilibrium of ecological reactions, altering species interactions, community composition, and ecosystem resilience under climate change.
Every module includes MathJax derivations, SVG diagrams, and computational models. Cross-links to our Plant Biochemistry and Bee Biophysics courses connect primary metabolism, pollination ecology, and co-evolutionary dynamics.
Nine Modules
M0
Chemical Foundations
Primary vs secondary metabolism, enzyme kinetics, biosynthetic pathways (shikimate, mevalonate, polyketide), and the thermodynamics of ecological interactions.
M1
Plant Chemical Ecology
Allelopathy, volatile organic compound signaling, induced defenses, terpene and phenolic chemistry, and plant-plant communication via mycorrhizal networks.
M2
Animal-Plant Interactions
Co-evolutionary arms races, herbivore detoxification enzymes (P450s, GSTs), sequestration strategies, pollination chemistry, and tritrophic interactions.
M3
Microbial & Soil Ecosystems
Rhizosphere biochemistry, nitrogen fixation, mycorrhizal nutrient exchange, quorum sensing, soil organic matter decomposition, and humus formation.
M4
Climate-Dependent Biochemistry
Temperature-enzyme relationships, metabolic scaling theory, altitudinal and latitudinal gradients in secondary metabolite production, and phenological shifts.
M5
Aquatic & Marine Ecosystems
Ocean acidification chemistry, coral reef biochemistry, marine natural products, dissolved organic matter cycling, and harmful algal bloom toxicology.
M6
Biodiversity & Stability
Chemical diversity-biodiversity relationships, Shannon and Simpson indices, chemodiversity metrics, functional redundancy, and insurance hypothesis.
M7
Conservation Biochemistry
Biomarkers for ecosystem health, bioremediation chemistry, environmental DNA analysis, pollutant metabolism, and restoration ecology biochemistry.
M8
Climate Change Adaptation
Elevated CO2 effects on plant chemistry, shifting species interactions, carbon flux modeling, adaptive biochemical responses, and ecosystem resilience.
Recommended Textbooks
- [1] Harborne, J.B. (1993). Introduction to Ecological Biochemistry, 4th ed. Academic Press.
- [2] Schoonhoven, L.M., van Loon, J.J.A. & Dicke, M. (2005). Insect-Plant Biology, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press.
- [3] Paul, E.A. & Clark, F.E. (2015). Soil Microbiology, Ecology, and Biochemistry, 4th ed. Academic Press.
- [4] Schlesinger, W.H. & Bernhardt, E.S. (2013). Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change, 3rd ed. Academic Press.
- [5] Begon, M., Townsend, C.R. & Harper, J.L. (2006). Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, 4th ed. Blackwell.