different beetles feeding on and developing in

its roots, stem, bark, twigs, leaves, buds, flowers,

and acorns.

Apart from the chemical defenses of the plants

themselves, plant feeders face other dangers.

Some plants have physical barriers such as sticky

resinous sap, which can gum up the mouthparts

of insects, or in some trees works like flypaper,

entrapping the whole insect (which can result in

specimens being preserved in fossilized resins,

such as amber, as discussed on page 22). Also,

phytophagous insects often need to feed while

openly exposed on the plant, making them

vulnerable to dehydration and predators. To avoid

this, some insects, at least as larvae, feed inside

the plant tissue, and those that feed openly have

evolved strategies, including complex crypsis and

camouflage, rapid jumping or flight reactions, or

chemical defenses of their own, to protect them.

left | Eupholus geoffroyi (Curculionidae)

Many exposed leaf feeders, such as this

weevil from New Guinea, use bright

warning colors that discourage predators.

below | Trachys minutus (Buprestidae) This tiny European

jewel beetle mines between the laminae of a hazel leaf,

protected from predators and desiccation.