Environmental clines in organismal defensive traits are usually attributed to stronger
selection by enemies at lower latitudes or near the host's range center. Nonetheless, little …

For highly specialized insect herbivores, plant chemical defenses are often co-opted as cues
for oviposition and sequestration. In such interactions, can plants evolve novel defenses …

Latex occurs in 10% of plant families, has evolved independently many times, and is the
most effective defense of milkweeds against its chewing herbivores. Here we report on new …

Phytochemical diversity is thought to result from coevolutionary cycles as specialization in
herbivores imposes diversifying selection on plant chemical defenses. Plants in the …

The biosynthesis of cardiac glycosides, broadly classified as cardenolides and
bufadienolides, has evolved repeatedly among flowering plants. Individual species can …

Plant toxicity shapes the dietary choices of herbivores. Especially when herbivores
sequester plant toxins, they may experience a trade-off between gaining protection from …

In a variety of aposematic species, the conspicuousness of an individual's warning signal
and the quantity of its chemical defence are positively correlated. This apparent honest …

The response of herbivorous insects to plant drought stress can range from positive to
negative, and it has been challenging to understand the causes of this variation. We tested …

Predicting how species will respond to selection pressures requires understanding the
factors that constrain their evolution. We use genome engineering of Drosophila to …

Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, migrate long distances over which they encounter
host plants that vary broadly in toxic cardenolides. Remarkably little is understood about the …