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Testing of two of the visual anti-herbivory strategies of red young leaves: aposematic versus undermining herbivorous insect’s camouflage

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Abstract

A recent important paper (Ide, Arthropod-Plant Interact 16:567–581, 2022) reported the experimental testing of two (out of several) of the visual red young leaf anti-herbivory hypotheses: (1) Aposematism by red young leaves; (2) Undermining herbivorous insect camouflage. Ide (Arthropod-Plant Interact 16:567–581, 2022) interpreted his solid experimental results as supporting the aposematic red leaf defence hypothesis, but not supporting the undermining herbivorous insect camouflage. I wish to clarify that because the undermining herbivorous insect camouflage hypothesis has two components: (1) Herbivores refrain from occupying colourful surfaces that do not match their colour; (2) If and when not refraining from occupying them, they are exposed to higher predation and parasitism risks. Thus, Ide’s (Arthropod-Plant Interact 16:567–581, 2022) results seem to support both hypotheses, and not only aposematism. Accordingly, Ide’s (Arthropod-Plant Interact 16:567–581, 2022) results do support the undermining herbivorous insect camouflage hypothesis, especially by exposing the insects that do not refrain from occupying leaves that do not match their colour to higher predation risks.

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Acknowledgements

I thank the reviewers for valuable comments and suggestions.

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The author has no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. The author did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

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  1. Department of Biology & Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa - Oranim, 36006, Tivon, Israel

    Simcha Lev-Yadun

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  1. Simcha Lev-Yadun
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Correspondence to Simcha Lev-Yadun.

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Communicated by Xoaquín Moreira.

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Lev-Yadun, S. Testing of two of the visual anti-herbivory strategies of red young leaves: aposematic versus undermining herbivorous insect’s camouflage. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 17, 615–619 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-023-09980-x

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