Question

1) a) How might plant adaptations affect the evolution of herbivores?

b) How might the adaptations of herbivores affect plant evolution?

Answer 1

Herbivore dependent upon plant for food and have coevolved mechanism to obtain this food despite the evolution a diverse arsenal of plant defense against herbivory. Herbivory adaptation to plant defense have been likened to offensive traits and consist of those trait that allow for increase feeding and use of a host. Relationship between herbivores and their host plant often result in reciprocal evolutionary changes.

a) plant adaptations like thick covering, production of protease inhibitors and toxins like lignin, terpenoid aldehyde etc. Leads to evolution of herbivores. Herbivores have developed a diverse range of physical structure to facilitate consumption of plant material for ex. Birds beak, mammels teeth structures etc. Some herbivores develop specilized type of protease that doesnt affected by protease inhibitor. Animal evolve as monophagous that eat single genus of plant , produce specialized structureand enzyme to detoxify plant defense chemical and polyphagous that eat plant from many different families, produce more detoxifying enzyme to deal with range of chemical plant defense. These all traits develop through evolution to deal with plant defense adaptation.

b) Due to herbivores adaptation, plant evolved features that enhance the probability of attracting natural enemies to herbivores. . They emit semiochemicals, ador that attract natural enemies. This evolution help plant to prevent herbivore to eating them.