In natural and agricultural ecosystems, omnivorous insects are omnipresent. Whether they are 'true omnivores' that require both plant and prey resources to complete their life-cycle, 'herbivores ...

It has been estimated that up to half of the world’s insects are herbivores. This group includes ants, bees, beetles, butterflies, cicadas, grasshoppers and moths, just to name a few.

Camouflage is a common defensive strategy among animals. By modifying their coloration and patterning, animals evade ...

more maneuverable herbivores like insects. To guard against herbivorous insects, some plants use a layer of plant hairs, or trichomes (Figure 3d). Trichomes are extensions of the epidermis that ...

Research in the Abarca lab combines natural history observations, experimental manipulations both in the field and the laboratory, and implementation of ecological modeling techniques to study how ...

Plant-mediated interactions between two belowground agricultural pests have been uncovered: When field mustard plants are ...