Carnivorous moths are homosexual because of plant defenses

Carnivores are carnivorous to survive when plants secrete self defense to make leaves less attractive.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that common American moths called Spodoptera exigua , which eat cannibalism when they saw that leaves were no longer delicious, Science Daily reported on July 10. The results of the study are published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

John Orrock, ecologist, research co-author and colleague sprayed four types of solution including bleach and methyl jasmonate which are normally secreted to protect against low, medium and high concentrations of caterpillars to 10 coffee plants. sour in glass pots. Each potted plant is then placed 8 moths.

Caterpillars Spodoptera exigua cannibalize when tomato leaves are no longer palatable.

After 8 days, the team measured the number of worms and measured the remaining material of the tree."Caterpillars really only have two options: eating each other or eating leaves," Orrock said. "When leaves are no longer attractive, eating another caterpillar may not be a bad decision."

Caterpillars eat off the leaves of tomato plants that are sprayed with bleach or a low-level self-defense substance before cannibalism. The plants were sprayed with self-defense with high concentrations almost intact. Caterpillars on these plants quickly attack more uniformly.

According to the study, regular plants secrete methyl jasmonate to ward off attackers because they cannot run away. The presence of this substance in the air can stimulate neighboring plants to similar substances to protect themselves. Caterpillars in that situation must eat cannibalism to survive.

"We know that herbivores are sensitive to plant defenses, but did not appreciate the fact that plants secrete self-defense substances that can affect moth-eating decisions of moths," Orrock said.

Previous science knows that some cannibalistic moths and green plants have self-defense mechanisms but do not know whether there is a link between these two phenomena.