信息素在很大程度上用于昆虫。这些信息素中的许多是通过涉及脂肪酸的途径生物合成的。本章将提供详细研究脂肪酸衍生信息素的生物合成途径的示例。这些包括来自鳞翅目的信息素，鞘翅目,和膜翅目.许多鳞翅目物种利用脂肪酸作为具有包括醛在内的官能团的信息素的前体，酒精,和乙酸酯。此外,由于许多昆虫利用碳氢化合物或改性碳氢化合物作为信息素，因此将简要检查碳氢化合物的生物合成。
Pheromones are utilized to a great extent in insects. Many of these pheromones are biosynthesized through a pathway involving fatty acids. This chapter will provide examples where the biosynthetic pathways of fatty acid-derived pheromones have been studied in detail. These include pheromones from Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera. Many species of Lepidoptera utilize fatty acids as precursors to pheromones with a functional group that include aldehydes, alcohols, and acetate esters. In addition, the biosynthesis of hydrocarbons will be briefly examined because many insects utilize hydrocarbons or modified hydrocarbons as pheromones.
