Plants exhibit impressive genetic and chemical diversity, and this variation is important for structuring ecological communities. A recent paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology investigated this with regard to aphids and their host-plant tansy. Lead author Dr Sharon Zytynska from the Technical University of Munich tells us more about this study. The perennial tansy plant (Tanacetum vulgare) grows steadily throughout the spring, producing heads … Continue reading The invisible interplay between herbivorous insects and their monitoring ants on a chemically diverse plant