ABSTRACT
The plasticity of insects that allows them to adapt to changing plant chemistry is now becoming more evident. Several good examples have recently emerged, and studies of the chemical relationships between selected lepidopterous insects and their host plants serve to illustrate some of the mechanisms involved. Here we examine specific examples of monophagous and oligophagous lepidopterans that help to illustrate the role of phenotypic plasticity in the dynamics of insect-plant relationships.
