Pokharel P. No-cost meals might not exist for insects feeding on toxic plants.
Biol Open 2023;
12:bio059800. [PMID:
37314183 DOI:
10.1242/bio.059800]
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Abstract
Plants produce chemicals (or plant specialised/secondary metabolites, PSM) to protect themselves against various biological antagonists. Herbivorous insects use plants in two ways: as a food source and as a defence source. Insects can detoxify and sequester PSMs in their bodies as a defence mechanism against predators and pathogens. Here, I review the literature on the cost of PSM detoxification and sequestration in insects. I argue that no-cost meals might not exist for insects feeding on toxic plants and suggest that potential costs could be detected in an ecophysiological framework.
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