Phytochemical variation among plant species is one of the most fascinating and perplexing features of the natural world and has implications for both human health and the functioning of ecosystems. A key area of research on phytochemical variation has focused on insects that feed on plants and the enormous diversity of plant-derived compounds that reduce or deter damage by insects. Empirical studies on the ecology and evolution of these chemically mediated plant–insect interactions have been guided by a long history of theoretical development. However, until recently, such theory was substantially limited by inadequate data, a situation that is rapidly changing as ecologists partner with chemists utilizing the latest technological advances. In this Review, we aim to facilitate the union of ecological theory with modern chemistry by discussing important theoretical frameworks for studying chemical ecology and outlining the steps by which hypotheses on insect–phytochemical interactions can be advanced using current methodologies and statistical approaches. We highlight unique approaches to isolation, synthesis, spectroscopy, metabolomics and genomics relevant to chemical ecology and describe future areas for research that will bring an unprecedented understanding of phytochemical variation.

植物物种间的植物化学变化是自然界最令人着迷和困惑的特征之一，对人类健康和生态系统的功能都有影响。植物化学变化的一个关键研究领域集中在以植物为食的昆虫上，以及减少或阻止昆虫破坏的植物衍生化合物的巨大多样性。这些化学介导的植物-昆虫相互作用的生态学和进化的实证研究一直以悠久的理论发展为指导。但是，直到最近，这种理论仍受到数据不足的局限，随着生态学家与利用最新技术进步的化学家结成伙伴关系，这种情况正在迅速改变。在这篇评论中，我们的目的是通过讨论研究化学生态学的重要理论框架并概述使用当前的方法和统计方法可以推进关于昆虫-植物化学相互作用的假设的步骤，来促进生态学理论与现代化学的结合。我们重点介绍了与化学生态学相关的分离，合成，光谱学，代谢组学和基因组学的独特方法，并描述了未来的研究领域，这些领域将带来对植物化学变化的前所未有的了解。