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Plant defense against being eaten

Plants have evolved an enormous array of mechanical and chemical defenses against the animals that eat them.

Note: The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Plant defense against being eaten", which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

For more information, see the following related content on ScienceDaily:

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Perceiving Predators: Understanding How Plants 'Sense' Herbivore Attack

Feb. 16, 2021 — Plants are known to possess solid immune response mechanisms. One such response is 'sensing' attack by herbivorous animals. Researchers discuss 'elicitors' -- the molecules that ...

Chemical Signal in Plants Reduces Growth Processes in Favor of Defense

Mar. 9, 2021 — Arabidopsis thaliana plants produce beta-cyclocitral when attacked by herbivores. This volatile signal inhibits the MEP pathway which is instrumental in plant growth processes, such as the production ...

In the Tropics, Nitrogen-Fixing Trees Take a Hit from Herbivores

Dec. 7, 2022 — The ability of tropical forests to grow and store carbon is limited, in part, by herbivory. Insects and other animals prefer to feed on nitrogen-fixing trees, reducing the success of fixers and the ...

Antagonistic Interactions of Plant Defense Compounds

June 6, 2022 — A combined defense of different chemical defense substances could result in a negative interaction and mutual detoxification, according to a new study on the wild tobacco species Nicotiana attenuata ...

Partners in Crime: Agricultural Pest That Relies on Bacteria to Overcome Plant Defenses

May 27, 2021 — The oral secretions of herbivorous insects can activate plant defense mechanisms that protect plant cells from being digested. However, scientists have discovered that some larvae 'partner ...

Scientists Decode Chemical Defense Against Plant Sap-Sucking Leafhoppers

Feb. 3, 2022 — Given the sheer number of potential enemies, plants are resistant to most pests, even if they can cause damage to other plants. Researchers describe a newly discovered mechanism that protects a wild ...

Cabbage White Butterflies Utilize Two Gut Enzymes for Maximum Flexibility in Deactivating Mustard Oil Bombs

Dec. 12, 2022 — Researchers report that larvae of the cabbage white butterfly use two gut enzymes to effectively disarm the mustard oil bomb, the major chemical defense system of their host plants. Cabbage white ...

Pest Attack-Order Changes Plant Defenses

Aug. 10, 2021 — The dining time of different insects impacts a plant's defenses and nutritional quality -- a complexity uncovered in new research with implications for pest management ...

Dinosaur Extinction Changed Plant Evolution

May 2, 2022 — The absence of large herbivores after the extinction of the dinosaurs changed the evolution of plants. The 25 million years of large herbivore absence slowed down the evolution of new plant species. ...

'Scents' of Alarm: Volatile Chemical Signals from Damaged Plants Warn Neighbors About Herbivore Attacks

Mar. 10, 2022 — Animals often use highly specific signals to warn their herd about approaching predators. Surprisingly, similar behaviors are also observed among plants. Shedding more light on this phenomenon, ...

Plants & Animals News

December 7, 2023

'Shocking' Discovery: Electricity from Electric Eels May Transfer Genetic Material to Nearby Animals

Dec. 5, 2023 — Researchers have discovered that electric eels can alter the genes of tiny fish larvae with their electric shock. Their findings help to better understand electroporation, a method by which genes can ...

Mice Pass the Mirror Test, a Classic Indicator of Self-Recognition

Dec. 5, 2023 — Researchers report that mice display behavior that resembles self-recognition when they see themselves in the mirror. When the researchers marked the foreheads of black-furred mice with a spot of white ink, the mice spent more time grooming their ...

More Than a Meteorite: New Clues About the Demise of Dinosaurs

Dec. 4, 2023 — What wiped out the dinosaurs? A meteorite plummeting to Earth is only part of the story, a new study suggests. Climate change triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have ultimately set the stage for the dinosaur extinction, challenging the ...

Twin Research Indicates That a Vegan Diet Improves Cardiovascular Health

Nov. 30, 2023 — A recent trial of identical twins comparing vegan and omnivore diets found that a vegan diet improves overall cardiovascular ...

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Baboons in Captivity in Ancient Egypt: Insights from Collection of Mummies

Dec. 6, 2023 — Baboons were raised in captivity before being mummified in Ancient Egyptian sites, according to a new ...

Jays Jump in While Crows Hold out for the Treat

Dec. 6, 2023 — New research has found that two similar species of birds behave very differently around their favorite food when they have company. Biologists compared the behavior of two species of corvids, ...

Influx of Water and Salts Propel Immune Cells Through the Body

Dec. 6, 2023 — Researchers have shown that an influx of water and ions into immune cells allows them to migrate to where they're needed in the body. ...

The Ocean May Be Storing More Carbon Than Estimated in Earlier Studies

Dec. 6, 2023 — The ocean's capacity to store atmospheric carbon dioxide is some 20% greater than the estimates contained in the latest IPCC report. Scientists looked at the role played by plankton in the natural ...

'Friendly' Hyenas Are More Likely to Form Mobs

Dec. 5, 2023 — Research reveals strong social relationships make hyenas more likely to team up against lions, even when there's no obvious ...

Molecular Fossils Shed Light on Ancient Life

Dec. 7, 2023 — Paleontologists are getting a glimpse at life over a billion years in the past based on chemical traces in ancient rocks and the genetics of living animals. New research combines geology and ...

Study Reshapes Understanding of Mass Extinction in Late Devonian Era

Dec. 7, 2023 — A recently published study puts forth a new theory that volcanic eruptions combined with widespread ocean detoxification pushed Earth's biology to a tipping point in the Late Devonian era, triggering ...

Wasps That Recognize Faces Cooperate More, May Be Smarter

Dec. 7, 2023 — A new study of paper wasps suggests social interactions may make animals smarter. The research offers behavioral evidence of an evolutionary link between the ability to recognize individuals and ...

It Turns Out, This Fossil 'Plant' Is Really a Fossil Baby Turtle

Dec. 7, 2023 — Researchers re-examined a plant fossil found decades ago in Colombia and realized that it wasn't a plant at all: it's a fossilized baby turtle. It's a rare find, because juvenile turtles' shells ...

Wild Birds Lead People to Honey -- And Learn from Them

Dec. 7, 2023 — A study finds the greater honeyguide can learn distinct vocal signals to help people in Africa locate bee colonies. In parts of Africa, people communicate with a wild bird -- the greater honeyguide ...