title: Natural products--a simple model to explain chemical diversity.
abstract: A simple evolutionary model is presented which explains why organisms produce so many natural products, why so many have low biological activity, why enzymes involved in natural product synthesis have the properties they do and why natural product metabolism is shaped as it is.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, UK.
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Firn
authors.forename: Clive G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001688:Biological Products; D008954:Models, Biological; D015394:Molecular Structure
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products