Ode to Herbivores

Oh herbivores, how I love thee.

First, you make magnificent shadows.

Second, your selection pressure on plant populations. You are likely responsible for the creation of caffeine (and some other -ines), which are plant defenses- attempts to prevent your attacks. I thank you daily as I drink my coffee.

Shame on you, though; you don't always disperse to new regions with your food source. Hence, your chosen plants "escape" you (herbivore enemies) when arriving on new shores. On arrival, the local plants are being munched, while your food plants multiply, unchecked. This is one reason for the invasion of exotic plants, although it is subject to some debate.

On the up-side, you may provide the way to control invasive plants- by importing you from your homeland to the new location to munch away. That's why the old lady swallowed the fly. We only hope we don't have to then use a spider, a bird, a cat, a dog... you get the picture. Or other unintended effects on the foodweb. See this article: A Weed, A Fly...

So far, you have spared my little container garden outside. My dog is the only one browsing my potted bamboo.

Lastly, the unintended consequences of your lack of action, exploding weed populations, is my raîson d'etre, and the raîson for my graduate school funding, and I thank you for that.