Like blood-sucking insects, herbivores evaluate their host's readiness for defense

Flowering plants produce nectar to attract insect pollinators.

Jasmonic acid triggers nectar accumulation in rapeseed flowers.

Ever since insects developed a taste for vegetation, plants have faced the same dilemma: use limited resources to out-compete their neighbors for light to grow, or, invest directly in defense against hungry insects.

Molecular biologists from Tübingen have discovered how the growth of leaves and the aging process of plants are coordinated.