Plants Can Tell Insect Predators Apart, Even Within Species
- 9 years ago
According to research led by the University of Missouri, plants know when they’re being attacked and even change their defensive responses to predators within the same species.
Plants appear to know more about their predators than previously thought.
New research indicates that they not only sense which type of animal is eating them, but they can also differentiate between attackers within the same species.
As part of their experiment, the team tested the Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant related to the mustard family.
They encouraged two species of caterpillars to chew on the le
Plants appear to know more about their predators than previously thought.
New research indicates that they not only sense which type of animal is eating them, but they can also differentiate between attackers within the same species.
As part of their experiment, the team tested the Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant related to the mustard family.
They encouraged two species of caterpillars to chew on the le