Plant Chemical Defences
Plants can produce chemicals that help them survive by deterring animals or killing pathogens.
What is the purpose of antibacterial chemicals in plants?
What is Plant Chemical Defences?
"Chemical defences are substance-based mechanisms used by plants to repel or kill pathogens and herbivores."
Some plants defend themselves by producing antimicrobial chemicals. What do these chemicals do?
How do poisonous chemicals help protect some plants?
Why can antibacterial substances produced by plants be useful to humans?
Chemical Warfare
Antibacterial chemicals kill bacteria and prevent infection.
Poisons (like those in foxgloves) deter herbivores from eating them.
Many of these chemicals are now used in human medicines.
Some plants produce "phytoncides" which are antimicrobial organic compounds.
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