Inducible plant defenses against herbivory

Plants have evolved many defense mechanisms against insect herbivory in the 350 million years in which they have co-evolved. Such defenses can be broadly classified into two categories: (1) permanent, constitutive defenses, and (2) temporary, inducible defenses. These differ in that constitutive defenses are present before an herbivore attacks, while induced defenses are activated only when attacks occur. In addition to constitutive defenses, initiation of specific defense responses to herbivory is an important strategy for plant persistence and survival.

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