Highlights•Insect–plant coevolution is driven by novel plant chemicals and insect counter-
adaptations.•Allelic variation, gene duplication and over-expression alter herbivore gene …

Determining the evolutionary forces responsible for the maintenance of gene duplicates is
key to understanding the processes leading to evolutionary adaptation and novelty. In his …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the insect CYP genes and P450 enzymes.
Cytochrome P450, or CYP genes, constitutes one of the largest family of genes, with …

Insects are the most ecologically important multicellular heterotrophs in terrestrial systems.
They play critical roles in ecological food webs, remain devastating agricultural and medical …

The great diversity of P450 genes in a variety of organisms is well documented but not well
explained. The number of CYP genes in each species is highly variable and this is shown …

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) are integral in defining the relationships
between plants and insects. Secondary metabolites produced in plants for protection against …

Plants defend themselves from insect herbivores with a vast array of chemical defenses, yet
insects have evolved several mechanisms for detoxifying these and even sequestering them …

Cotton plants accumulate phytotoxins, including gossypol and related sesquiterpene
aldehydes, to resist insect herbivores and pathogens. To counteract these defensive plant …

Most organisms represent specialized forms that arose as a result of natural selection and
genetic drift to occupy distinct ecological niches. In animals, this process of specialization …

One of the challenges faced in malarial control is the acquisition of insecticide resistance
that has developed in mosquitoes that are vectors for this disease. Anopheles gambiae …