Ecología química y perspectivas de su aplicación en la conservación de la biodiversidad

Resumen

Chemical ecology comprises the study of interactions of organisms with their environment that are mediated by the chemicals they produced. In general, chemicals that mediate interactions between organisms are called semiochemicals. Semiochemicals are divided into two major groups depending on whether the interactions are intraspecific (pheromones) or interspecific (allelochemics). The development of chemical ecology has been stimulated by the interest in knowing the details of the chemical interactions between organisms and the benefit of exploring new semiochemicals. In recent years, studies of chemical ecology have contributed to the conservation of biodiversity, demonstrating how valuable this can be in many ways. In the present context, chemical ecology studies open up a field of knowledge for the conservation of the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), specie in danger of extinction. This study provides a powerful basis for the development of a new control method for reducing the impact of the beetle Omorgus soberosus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Trogidae), which significantly affects the survival of eggs of L. olivacea on Santuario La Escobilla Beach in Oaxaca, Mexico.