Perspectives in chemical ecology: Into the mainstream

Forty years after the first journal devoted exclusively to Chemical Ecology was founded, moth pheromones, phytotoxicity, and natural insecticides, have given way somewhat to benevolent cuckoos, signaling plants, binding proteins, and knockout mutants. While the original vision remains, i.e., to understand the complexity of the life as explained by chemistry and ecological principles, the focus has of necessity broadened. A brief history of major developments, paradigm shifts, and our inexorable movement under a bigger umbrella will be highlighted.