The focus of this research is a chemically-based program to explore the natural products chemistry and chemical ecology of marine plants and animals. Chemical studies of new, bioactive natural products from ascidians, gorgonians and bryozoans will be carried out, involving the application of new methods in separation science and organic structure determination. Also studies to comprehend the regioselective reactivities and skeletal interrelationships of selected secondary metabolites will be explored. Working with marine ecologists studies will be performed to illustrate the possible functions, such as chemical defense, of secondary metabolites in competitive marine habitats. The project emphasizes ecologically relevant testing of pure substances using natural predators in controlled experiments in a natural marine setting. With this award, the Synthetic Organic Program is supporting the research of Dr. William H. Fenical of the Marine Research Division at the University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Professor Fenical will focus his work on exploring the natural products chemistry and chemical ecology of marine plants and animals. The project will study the sources, types and reactivities of molecules produced by marine organisms and will explore the natural functions of these molecules in the interspecies interactions within marine habitats. By creating a linkage of chemists and biologists, the program will allow one to understand how these organic molecules influence the biological composition of tropical marine environments.
