Unlike beloved children's stories, nature is a cruel. hard world that is painted not in water colors but in blood. A study found that chemicals released by plants as they are eaten can help push caterpillars to cannibalism. Many plants release the chemical methyl jasmonate when stressed or damaged. Getting gnawed on by a caterpillar is stressful, so when the caterpillars start biting, the chemical flare goes up. Other nearby plants sense the flare and start producing their own methyl jasmonate, building a camouflage around their leaves and stems. Once all the food sources taste terrible, caterpillars turn to the next available meal; each other. Plants with the time to build up a strong defence can make their leaves so unappetizing that caterpillars will start eating each other to get their fill, leaving the plant alone.

    Researchers now plan to also look into how insect viruses are transferred during their more carnivorous period. If viruses that harm caterpillars are transferred more easily by cannibalism, that could be a gain for the plants. Not only are their leaves protected from pests, but now those predators are spreading disease amongst themselves, reducing the herbivore population further.

    Interestingly enough, cannibalism can serve some important functions among these herbivores. Eating each other literally takes the competition out of the food chain, and keeps the surviving population strong in a time when food might be scarce. Therefore, we should not be to quick to judge these fuzzy tittle cannibalism.

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(SOAL SIMAK UI 2018)