This report describes the isolation and structure elucidation of four new drimane sesquiterpenes (14)-(17) from a southern Australian marine sponge Dysidea sp. The structures for (14)-(17) were secured by detailed spectroscopic analysis, chemical interconversion and derivatization. Also reported are the known metabolites (+)- euryfuran (7), dihydropallescensin-2 (18), (-)- pallescensin-A (19) and (-)-7-deacetoxyolepupane (6). The rare co-occurrence of two antipodes, (7) and (19), in the same specimen highlights the dangers in assigning absolute stereochemistry based on 'unproven' biosynthetic relationships. The absolute stereochemistry for (6) has been unambiguously established for the first time by chemical interconversion to (7). Furthermore, the absolute stereochemistry of the new marine metabolites listed above, (14)-(17), were determined by chemical correlation to (6). A biosynthetic and ecological relationship is proposed between the metabolites from Dysidea sp. with the known marine and terrestrial antifeedant polygodial (8). Chemical investigations are reported that support this proposition.
