Knowledge Tree
herbivorous insects
Also known as: Herbivorous insects, Insect herbivores, insect herbivore species, phytophagous insects
Facts (15)
Sources
Compendium Vol. 5 No. 1: The ecological role of native plants bio4climate.org 13 facts
claimUp to 90% of all insect herbivore species can successfully reproduce only on plant lineages with which they have shared an evolutionary history.
claimWhile herbivorous insects may occasionally use non-native congeners or confamilials as hosts, this novel use can increase larval mortality, extend development or pupation time, and reduce biomass and fitness compared to native hosts.
quoteInsect herbivores adapted to the chemical challenges of particular native hosts may be able to adopt a novel plant species as a host if its phytochemistry is sufficiently similar to the original hosts.
claimWhen native plants are displaced by non-native species, phytophagous insects often fail to recognize the new plants for feeding or egg-laying, or cannot overcome the novel plant defenses, which can lead to local insect extirpation and altered food web structures.
claimThe diet of most herbivorous insects is constrained to a single plant family in any given habitat, with dietary specialization becoming even narrower in many temperate and hyper-diverse tropical lineages.
claimDiet specialization in herbivorous insects increases with decreasing latitudes, which is concurrent with theories regarding increased plant and animal diversity in the tropics, according to Tallamy (2020).
quote“insect herbivores adapted to the chemical challenges [toxic plant defenses] of particular native hosts may be able to adopt a novel plant species as a host if its phytochemistry is sufficiently similar to the original hosts”
claimInsect herbivores are near the hub of most terrestrial food webs and serve as essential food sources for a wide range of predators, including insect predators, parasitoids, spiders, amphibians, lizards, rodents, bats, birds, foxes, and bears.
claimMost herbivorous insects either avoid non-native plants or, if they attempt to feed on them, are killed or malnourished by the experience, as only a minority of insects can feed successfully on non-native plants.
quoteBurghardt et al. (2010) stated: "Most species are specialists that use only a few of the myriad plant lineages available to them for growth and reproduction. … Specialists have followed an evolutionary path that has enabled them to circumvent particular plant defenses by developing highly specific behavioral and physiological adaptations that defuse such defenses."
claimInsect herbivores are often adapted to the self-defensive toxins produced by specific plants, making them vulnerable when those specific plants are replaced by non-native species.
quoteBurghardt et al. (2010) stated: "even the most generalized insect herbivores use only a small fraction of the plants in their environments."
claimHerbivorous insects have adapted to circumvent the phytochemical defenses of specific plant lineages, which has resulted in a radiation of specialized plant-insect associations.
The role of light in regulating plant growth, development and sugar ... frontiersin.org Jan 6, 2025 2 facts
referenceHowe and Jander published a review in 2008 regarding the mechanisms of plant immunity to insect herbivores in the Annual Review of Plant Biology.
claimPlant surfaces act as a primary defense against pathogens like fungi, bacteria, viruses, and phytophagous insects, though some pathogens can bypass this barrier to affect internal physiological functions, as described by Clin et al. (2022).