Invisible chemical landscapes shape life

Plants, animals, and microorganisms constantly communicate through chemical signals. A research team has now shown that these signals merge in the environment to form complex “chemical landscapes” that have effects far beyond those of their individual components. Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, the findings open new perspectives on understanding biodiversity, ecosystems, and the impacts of global environmental change. The study was conducted within the framework of the DFG-funded Research Unit FOR 3000, coordinated by Bielefeld University.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Researchers provide the first comprehensive description of how chemical signals from many organisms merge into dynamic “chemodiversity landscapes.”
• These chemical landscapes can generate new ecological effects that cannot be explained by individual compounds alone.
• The findings offer important new approaches for understanding biodiversity and protecting ecosystems in the face of climate change and species loss.

How does a butterfly find a suitable mate and then the right host plant for its offspring? How do pollinators locate the most attractive flowers? Many organisms rely on chemical signals to accomplish these tasks. These invisible messages permeate air, water, and soil, helping organisms navigate complex environments.

An research team now emphasizes that these chemical signals do not act in isolation. Instead, compounds released by different organisms mix within their shared environment and form complex chemical patterns. Together, they create a dynamic “chemodiversity landscape” – the total chemical diversity present within a habitat.

“We already know that individual chemical compounds convey important information. Our work shows that when many compounds interact, new properties can emerge that cannot be predicted from the individual components alone,” says Dr. Thomas Dussarrat of Bielefeld University, one of the study’s lead authors.

When Diversity Creates New Functions
In their review article, the researchers synthesize findings from across the field of chemical ecology. They argue that chemical mixtures operating at the landscape scale can generate novel ecological effects. Scientists refer to these as “emergent functions” – properties that arise only through the interaction of many components. Such effects may influence how plants interact with pollinators, herbivores, and microorganisms, thereby shaping entire ecosystems. Such chemical patterns could also arise at the interfaces between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, thereby influencing interactions between different habitats.

Relevance for Biodiversity and Climate Change
The publication emerged from the Research Unit FOR 3000, Ecology and Evolution of Intraspecific Chemodiversity in Plants, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and coordinated at Bielefeld University. Since 2020, the research unit has been investigating the ecological significance of chemical diversity within plant species.

Another lead author of the study is Dr. Robin Heinen of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). “With the concept of the chemodiversity landscape, we expand our perspective from individual organisms to entire ecological communities. This enables us to better understand ecological processes in natural ecosystems,” says Heinen.

The new concept not only advances our understanding of ecological relationships. It may also enable practical applications in the future, for example in biodiversity conservation, the development of sustainable agriculture, and the prediction of climate change impacts.

The researchers therefore see a strong need for further research to better understand the significance of these largely hidden processes. Environmental changes such as drought, climate change, and species loss may also alter nature’s chemical landscapes, with consequences for numerous interactions among organisms.

The research group is affiliated with Bielefeld University’s strategic focus area, InChangE. The network brings together research and development on individualisation in changing environments.

Assessment by Prof. Dr. Caroline Müller, Spokesperson of Research Unit FOR 3000
“This study brings together many research approaches that have previously been considered separately and opens a new perspective on the role of chemical diversity in ecosystems. Particularly exciting is the finding that new functions can emerge from the interaction of many chemical signals. This helps us better understand the complexity of natural communities and more accurately assess the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity.”