Chapter 7. Daniel H. Janzen. 1978. The ecology and evolutionary biology of seed chemistry as relates to seed predation. Pages 163-206. In: J. B. Harborne (editor). Biochemical Aspects of Plant and Animal Coevolution. London, Academic Press, 435 pages.

Keywords: what is a seed? What are secondary compounds? allelochemics, allomones, kairomones, maternal tissues in direct seed production, green fruits as protectors of ovules, different herbivores on leaves as on green fruits, animals may seed seeds and discard fruits, seeds and fruits have higher food value than leaves, green fruit and leaves are differentially valuable to the parent, ripe fruits as protectors of seeds, dispersal, deter wrong dispersers, direct protection of the ripe seed, seed coats as protectors of seeds, endosperm and embryo in direct seed protection, the ecology of host specificity by seed predators, why are seed predators host-specific? Seeds are nutrient rich, seed availability is not constant, seed prey of insect seed predators in Costa Rica, great interspecific variation in secondary seed chemistry, seed secondary compounds are detrimental to seed predators, how host-specific are seed predators? constraints on seed secondary compounds, usefulness to the germinating seedling, avoid autotoxicity, minimal cost to the parent, who are the seed predators? Microbes, fungi, nematodes, invertebrates, insects, birds, mammals, other vertebrates, community structure consequences of host specificity by seed predators, plant distribution