Introduction: Evolutionary Ecology of Plant-Herbivore Interactions

Abstract

The interaction between plants and their herbivores has spurred the evolution of multiple traits in the resource base - the host plants - as well as the evolution and diversification of different feeding habits of their consumers. This volume examines the extent to which these relationships have led to the microevolution of plant defence traits (i.e., resistance and tolerance), diversification of herbivores’ feeding habits and radiation of plant and herbivore species, host plant-herbivore associations, patterns of defence at the scale of plant communities and environmental gradients, as well as disruption of plant-herbivore interaction patterns in human-modified environments (e.g., those affected by the loss or decline of herbivores, invasive species, land use change, or even climatic change). The book examines our current understanding of these relationships and the future directions that warrant further work and hold a promise in this important field in light of current and future anthropogenic impact.