Recent progress in marine mollusks from the South China Sea: chemical and ecological studies

: Marine mollusks are a prolific source of secondary metabolites with complex/diverse structures and various aspects of biological activities. For above mentioned reason, these animals have been being extensively explored and became the hotspot of research subject in the recent years. It is well documented that mollusks can escape from predation by utilizing bioactive metabolites as defensive chemicals. In the last decade, the possible diet relationship between the South China Sea mollusks and their related potential prey organisms, including sponges, corals, algae, etc. have been systematically investigated. A series of interesting results have been obtained concerning the chemistry, chemoecology and pharmacological profiles of the studied marine organisms. The present review focuses on recent development dealing with chemistry, chemoecology, and bioactivity of the South China Sea mollusks and their dietary organisms.