Natural products and evolutionary ecology

Abstract

Quantitative phytochemistry, a novel method incorporating data on metabolism, morphology and ecogeography, is applied to the calculation of a phylogenetic scheme. This indicates angiosperm evolution to proceed by alternation of order and chaos. The transition of order into chaos is attributed to the interaction of antagonistic forces of similar potency (evolution). The transition of chaos into order is attributed to the selective action of an environmental constraint such as atmospheric oxygen (ecology). The observations are postulated to possess general validity and to explain evolutionary mechanisms such as gradualism and punctuation.