herbivore

Examples of herbivore in the following topics:

• Herbivores, Omnivores, and Carnivores

  • Animals can be carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores in their eating strategies.
  • Herbivores are animals whose primary food source is plant-based.
  • Examples of herbivores include vertebrates like deer, koalas, and some bird species, as well as invertebrates such as crickets and caterpillars .
  • Many large herbivores have symbiotic bacteria within their guts to assist with the breakdown of cellulose.
  • Herbivores, such as this (a) mule deer and (b) monarch caterpillar, eat primarily plant material.

• Plant Defenses Against Herbivores

  • Plants defend against herbivores with mechanical wounding, barriers, secondary metabolites, and attraction of parasitoids.
  • Herbivores, both large and small, use plants as food and actively chew them.
  • Both protect plants against herbivores.
  • Other adaptations against herbivores include hard shells, thorns (modified branches), and spines (modified leaves).
  • Other alkaloids affect herbivores by causing either excessive stimulation (caffeine is one example) or the lethargy associated with opioids.

• Herbivory and Pollination

  • Coevolution of herbivores and plant defenses is observed in nature.
  • A sort of arms race exists between plants and herbivores.
  • To "combat" herbivores, some plant seeds (such as acorn and unripened persimmon) are high in alkaloids and, therefore, unsavory to some animals.
  • The plant offers to the herbivore a nutritious source of food in return for spreading the plant's genetic material to a wider area.
  • In return, ants discourage herbivores, both invertebrates and vertebrates, by stinging and attacking leaf-eating organisms.

• The Role of Energy and Metabolism

  • Plants use photosynthesis to capture sunlight, and herbivores eat those plants to obtain energy.
  • Carnivores eat the herbivores, and decomposers digest plant and animal matter.

• Anthrax

  • Anthrax commonly infects wild and domesticated herbivorous mammals that ingest or inhale the spores while grazing.
  • Herbivores are often infected whilst grazing or browsing, especially when eating rough, irritant, or spiky vegetation.

• Angsiosperm Fruit

  • Some fruits attract herbivores with color or perfume, or as food.

• Food Chains and Food Webs

  • The organisms that consume the primary producers are herbivores: the primary consumers.
  • As an example, a grazing food web has plants or other photosynthetic organisms at its base, followed by herbivores and various carnivores.

• Digestive Processes of the Small Intestine

  • Humans lack the enzyme for splitting the beta-glucose-bonds—reserved for herbivores and bacteria in the large intestine.

• Endophytes and Plants

  • ., Lolium spp.) carry fungal endophytes (Neotyphodium spp.) which may improve the ability of these grasses to tolerate abiotic stresses such as drought, as well as improve their resistance to insect and mammalian herbivores.

• Mosses

  • Mosses slow down erosion, store moisture and soil nutrients, and provide shelter for small animals as well as food for larger herbivores, such as the musk ox.