Molecular Entomology, 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 39-49 http://emtoscipublisher.com/index.php/me 39 Research Insight Open Access Herbivorous Insects in Agroecosystems: Evolutionary Adaptations and Species Dynamics Guanli Fu Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding email: guanli.fu@hitar.org Molecular Entomology, 2025, Vol.16, No.1 doi: 10.5376/me.2025.16.0005 Received: 08 Jan., 2025 Accepted: 12 Feb., 2025 Published: 24 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Fu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Fu G.L., 2025, Herbivorous insects in agroecosystems: evolutionary adaptations and species dynamics, Molecular Entomology, 16(1): 39-49 (doi: 10.5376/me.2025.16.0005) Abstract This study analyzed the biological characteristics, ecological roles, evolutionary adaptation mechanisms and population dynamics of herbivorous insects in agricultural ecosystems, discussed the classification and ecological habits of herbivorous insects, their impact on agricultural production and ecological network functions, and the concept of adaptive evolution unique to agricultural environments, focusing on the evolutionary adaptation mechanisms of herbivorous insects in terms of nutrient utilization, behavioral sensory perception and pesticide resistance. At the same time, the driving factors of their population dynamics were explored, including environmental factors, agricultural management measures and the impact of climate change. Through typical cases such as cotton bollworm, whitefly, Spodoptera litura, and rice planthopper, the phenomenon of multi-host adaptation, resistance evolution, population replacement and global expansion of herbivorous insects was analyzed. This study also looks forward to future research directions, such as multi-omics integration to reveal adaptation mechanisms, precision agriculture and population prediction models, biological regulation and ecological agriculture strategies, and adaptive evolution risk assessment under the background of climate change, in order to guide sustainable integrated pest management and provide reference for the stability of agricultural ecosystems and food security. Keywords Agroecosystems; Herbivorous insects; Evolutionary adaptation; Population dynamics; Pesticide resistance 1 Introduction Herbivorous insects are the most important biological factors in agricultural ecosystems, and they have a dual role: they are important pests of crops and components of the ecosystem food web. Historically, the yield losses caused by herbivorous insects feeding on crops are extremely significant, and about 20% to 40% of global crop yields are lost to pests each year (Savary et al., 2019). For example, outbreaks of rice planthoppers, armyworms, locusts, etc. will lead to reduced grain production, seriously threatening agricultural production and food security (Hamann et al., 2021). However, from an ecological perspective, herbivorous insects are also part of farmland biodiversity, forming a complex interaction network with host plants and natural enemies, and playing an important role in material circulation and energy flow (Dainese et al., 2019). Some herbivorous insects (such as Lepidoptera larvae) are important food sources for predatory and parasitic natural enemies, thus supporting the realization of biological control in agricultural ecosystems (Wyckhuys et al., 2024). Since the development of agriculture by humans, the relationship between herbivorous insects and crops has been interdependent. On the one hand, large-scale artificial monoculture provides a rich and concentrated food source for insects that feed on plants, which easily induces a surge in pest populations (Hamann et al., 2021). On the other hand, the lack of diverse landscapes and natural enemy habitats in agricultural ecosystems makes herbivorous insects occupy a dominant position in the ecological niche, and their populations cannot be effectively restricted (Ziesche et al., 2024). In the long-term evolution process, herbivorous insects have formed a variety of unique adaptation mechanisms, enabling them to successfully utilize crop resources and respond to human prevention and control measures. These adaptive evolutionary phenomena include overcoming host plant defenses, evolving resistance to chemical pesticides, and rapidly responding to habitat and climate change in agricultural environments (Gould et al., 2018). Research on the evolutionary adaptability of herbivorous insects
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