Herbivores are organisms that obtain the majority of their energy and nutrients by consuming autotrophic plant material or algae, forming a critical trophic level in ecological and biogeochemical systems. They exhibit diverse morphological and physiological adaptations for processing cellulose-rich diets, including specialized dentition, elongated and compartmentalized gastrointestinal tracts, and symbiotic microbiota enabling fermentation and volatile fatty acid production. Herbivory influences plant population dynamics, community composition, and primary productivity, mediating top-down and bottom-up interactions and driving coevolutionary arms races such as chemical defenses and counteradaptations. In ecosystem and food-web models, herbivores are central to energy transfer from primary producers to higher trophic levels and to nutrient cycling through excretion and biomass turnover.
Iridoids are a widespread and evolutionarily ancient class of plant secondary metabolites belonging to the terpenes. They occur in thousands of plant species and play an important role in defense and other interactions between ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 3, 2025
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35
Mushrooms may not be the first food that comes to mind when we imagine the diets of wild primates—or our early human ancestors. We tend to think of fruits and green leaves as the preferred foods for monkeys and apes.
Evolution
Sep 28, 2025
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192
Humans everywhere may be able to eat bananas all year round, but wild animals must always eat "in-season." For them, seasonal shifts in food availability present a major challenge, especially in temperate regions like Japan ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 25, 2025
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22
Horses play a key role in forest management and in reducing the risk of wildfires in Mediterranean forests, thanks to the adaptability of their eating habits. This is the conclusion reached by an interdisciplinary study led ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 18, 2025
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20
Around 4,000 plant species from different parts of the world secrete nectar outside their flowers, such as on their stems or leaves, through secretory glands known as extrafloral nectaries. Unlike floral nectar, extrafloral ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 15, 2025
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118
It's not easy eating green. Most plants are heavily defended with chemicals to deter plant eaters. For these herbivores, getting enough to eat, while minimizing exposure to toxins, is a persistent challenge that shapes their ...
Ecology
Sep 15, 2025
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27
Soil nutrients support plants, and the animals who consume plants return these nutrients to the soil, creating a nutrient cycle. In a new study published in Ecology, scientists from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 10, 2025
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151
Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and can spread to people from a variety of foods, including beef. Understanding ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 7, 2025
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16
A fossilized tooth recovered from the Galería site in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) confirms that reindeer (Rangifer) inhabited this area of the Iberian Peninsula between 243,000 and 300,000 years ago. It represents ...
Ecology
Aug 4, 2025
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118
A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem shows promising advances in sustainable farming and animal nutrition. A team of researchers led by Professor Bertha (Betty) Schwartz from the Robert H. Smith Faculty of ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 31, 2025
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