plant biology, insects

To avoid wasting digestive energy, the plant only seals shut after sensing certain prey movements.

Trigger hairs on the lobes of the trap are tuned to respond to wriggling prey.

Goldenrods that evolved in the presence of herbivores release volatile chemicals that trigger defenses in neighboring plants of their species, even those that are genetically unrelated.

Critics of an agricultural research initiative cite concerns about possible weaponization of the resulting technology, which would use infected insects to deliver genetically modified viruses to plants.

Herbivores may take to omnivory and eat conspecifics when the plants they feed on produce unsavory protective chemicals.

The pollinators of a wild tobacco plant use the tip of their proboscis to determine whether they should stop for a drink.

Animals and plants come in a dizzying array of colors. Current research is cracking into the remarkable structures behind nature's artistic display.

Grasshoppers in fear of predation die with less nitrogen in their bodies than unstressed grasshoppers, which can affect soil ecology.