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Physiological Adaptations of the Insect Gut to Herbivory

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Arthropod-Plant Interactions

Part of the book series: Progress in Biological Control ((PIBC,volume 14))

Abstract

Plant biomass is the most abundant resource in terrestrial communities, and terrestrial green plants and the herbivorous (phytophagous) insects that feed on them account for more than half of all living species (Scudder 2009). Still, herbivory appears to have represented a challenge that most insect orders have not been able to adapt, since phytophagous insects are only represented in nine (Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Phasmida, Thysanoptera, and Collembola) of the 29 orders of insects. Nonetheless, once an insect group has overcome the initial difficulties and can exploit the resources provided by the plants, the herbivorous habit seems to have promoted diversification (Futuyma and Agrawal 2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dpto. de Biología Medioambiental, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Félix Ortego

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  1. Félix Ortego
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Correspondence to Félix Ortego .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty Bioscience Engineering, Crop Protection, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, 9000, Belgium

    Guy Smagghe

  2. Centr de Biotecn. y Genómica de plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Autovía M40 (km 38), Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain

    Isabel Diaz

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Ortego, F. (2012). Physiological Adaptations of the Insect Gut to Herbivory. In: Smagghe, G., Diaz, I. (eds) Arthropod-Plant Interactions. Progress in Biological Control, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3873-7_3

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