Plant preference and plant succession : A consideration of evolution of plant preference in Schistocerca.

The theory that early successional plants and annual plants will be less well defended against generalist herbivores than later successional plants and perennial plants, because they avoid herbivores by escaping in space and time, is evaluated. The theory is not supported in the ecosystem examined. The correlation between level of preference and the ability of plants to support growth and survival is examined and shown to be high.