Of the nearly 3200 known naturally occurring organohalogen compounds, more
than 1600 contain bromine. These organobromines, which range in structural
intricacy from the simple but enormously abundant bromoform (CHBr3) and bro
momethane to the highly complex bryozoan bromine-containing indole alkaloid
s, are produced by marine and terrestrial plants, marine animals (sponges,
tunicates, bryozoans, gorgonians, sea hares, nudibranchs), bacteria, fungi,
some higher animals, and a few mammals including humans.