Plant predators
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Image List:
Image 1: Plant-eating insects like this silhouetted caterpillar have played a central role in plants'evolution. // Ellen Woods / Cornell University
Image 2: Herbivorous insects rob plants of resources that might otherwise be used for growth and reproduction - which has led plants to develop an array of defenses. // Kailen Mooney / UC Irvine
Image 3: Feeding on plants is dangerous business. Attackers must cope with such defenses as hairy leaves, sticky discharges and toxins. // Anurag Agrawal / Cornell University
Image 4: Some herbivorous insects overcome plant defenses by feeding en masse. // Kailen Mooney / UC Irvine
Image 5: Aphids circumvent plant defenses by using strawlike mouthparts to access sap. // Anurag Agrawal / Cornell University
Image 6: Certain attackers can ingest and store plant toxins, using them in their own defense against predators. These insects often advertise their toxicity via bright colors. // Anurag Agrawal / Cornell University
Image 7: Plants get help fending off attackers from insect-eating bugs. // Anurag Agrawal / Cornell University
Image 8: To take maximal advantage of insect-eating predators, plants have evolved chemical signals to attract these "bodyguards." // Pavlos Skenteridis / Bio-insecta
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