Flies avoid a plant's poison using a newly identified taste mechanism

Many plants protect themselves from hungry animals by producing toxic chemicals. In turn, animals rely on detecting the presence of these harmful chemicals to avoid consuming dangerous plant material. A paper, published in this week's issue of PLoS Biology, investigates the response of an insect to a common plant weapon - the toxin L-canavanine.

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news165566601.html">Flies avoid a plant's poison using a newly identified taste mechanism</a></p> <p>Many plants protect themselves from hungry animals by producing toxic chemicals. In turn, animals rely on detecting the presence of these harmful chemicals to avoid consuming dangerous plant material. A paper, published in this week's issue of <i>PLoS Biology</i>, investigates the response of an insect to a common plant weapon - the toxin L-canavanine.</p>