Current advances in chemical ecology research in the Asia-Pacific region

Chemical ecology studies the unique chemical language organisms use to interact with their environments, other species and their conspecifics. It emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the field, which combines biology, chemistry, ecology, and evolution. Since the first discovery of insect pheromone, bombykol in silk moths, there have been over 3,000 insect pheromones identified and categorized for various functions such as mating, aggregation, alarm, and trail-following (from the Pherobase, https://pherobase.com/). Chemical ecology has also helped advancing our understanding of interspecific interactions mediated by allelochemicals and species’ chemical responses to environmental change. This rich knowledge gathered through chemical ecology is vital for biodiversity conservation and managing ecosystems sustainably and has contributed to the development of environmentally friendly pest control methods. The Asia-Pacific Association of Chemical Ecologists (APACE) has played a crucial role in advancing chemical ecology in the Asia-Pacific region since its establishment in 1997. It was founded to foster collaborations among researchers, educators, and practitioners in Asia-Pacific region who study the chemical interactions between organisms and their environments and develop environmentally friendly integrated pest management strategies. Through its activities, APACE supports the development of chemical ecology as a vital scientific discipline in the region with over 15 countries participating (Fig. 1) and around 350 members. After the first successful joint meeting in Chemical Ecology from the International Society of Chemical Ecology and APACE was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2013, Journal of Chemical Ecology became the official journal for APACE as their official platform for disseminating research. Here we introduce the first special issue to report the current advances in chemical ecology research from chemical ecologists in the Asia-Pacific region. A further collection on the topic Asia and the Pacific will be released in 2025. This special issue includes 23 research and review papers, organized into four main sections focusing on semiochemical research and its applications in pest management, as well as basic mechanism understanding in chemical ecology. The sections cover: 1. Pheromones and cuticular hydrocarbons: identification and applications. 2. Semiochemical application in fruit fly control. 3. Allelochemicals mediating within- and between-trophic level interactions. 4. Novel chemicals from vertebrate species.

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