As sessile organisms, plants evolved elaborate metabolic systems that produce a plethora of specialized metabolites as a means to survive challenging terrestrial environments. Decades of research have revealed the genetic and biochemical basis for a multitude of plant specialized metabolic pathways. Nevertheless, knowledge is still limited concerning the selective advantages provided by individual and collective specialized metabolites to the reproductive success of diverse host plants. Here we review the biological functions conferred by various classes of plant specialized metabolites in the context of the interaction of plants with their surrounding environment. To achieve optimal multifunctionality of diverse specialized metabolic processes, plants use various adaptive mechanisms at subcellular, cellular, tissue, organ and interspecies levels. Understanding these mechanisms and the evolutionary trajectories underlying their occurrence in nature will ultimately enable efficient bioengineering of desirable metabolic traits in chassis organisms.

作为固着的生物，植物进化出复杂的代谢系统，产生过多的特殊代谢物，作为在具有挑战性的陆地环境中生存的一种手段。数十年的研究揭示了多种植物特殊代谢途径的遗传和生化基础。然而，关于个体和集体专门代谢物对不同寄主植物的繁殖成功提供的选择性优势的知识仍然有限。在这里，我们回顾了在植物与其周围环境相互作用的背景下，各类植物特化代谢物所赋予的生物学功能。为了实现多种特殊代谢过程的最佳多功能性，植物在亚细胞、细胞、组织、器官和种间水平上使用各种适应机制。