Sequestration of plant defence compounds by insects

The growth and reproduction of herbivores is constrained by both plant quality and predation by higher trophic levels. Certain herbivores have found a way out of this quandary by redirecting plant defenses against their own predators: By ingesting and accumulating plant toxins a phenomenon referred to as sequestration herbivores may make themselves unattractive or toxic to natural enemies.The resulting transfer of plant toxins across three trophic levels is increasingly recognized as a powerful force that shapes the distribution and abundance of plants herbivores and predators in natural and agricultural ecosystems.