Domestication impacts on plant–herbivore interactions: a meta-analysis

It is widely stated that domestication has contributed to a decrease in plant resistance to herbivory, but to what extent is this true? In a contribution to a special issue on “Human influences on evolution”, Whitehead et al. describe results of their meta-analysis. Although their data show a consistent reduction in herbivore resistance associated with domestication, the presence of secondary metabolites and physical feeding barriers was more variable. The authors conclude that the effects of domestication are mainly observed in the reproductive organs or the plant organ that is harvested.  Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B. 10.1098/rstb.2016.0034