title: Defecation behavior and ecology of insects.
abstract: Whereas foraging has been a major focus of ecological and entomological research, its obligate partner, defecation, has been comparatively neglected. Insects exhibit a range of intriguing behavioral and morphological adaptations related to waste disposal in a range of contexts, including predator-prey interactions, hygiene, habitat location, reproduction, feeding, and shelter construction. Some insects, for example, make use of their own excrement as a physical or chemical defense against natural enemies, while others actively distance themselves from their waste material. Internally feeding insects, fluid-feeders, and social insects face particular challenges because their feeding behavior and/or site fidelity makes them especially vulnerable to problems associated with waste accumulation. As is true for foraging, ecological interactions involving defecation may have far-reaching evolutionary consequences and merit further study.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA. weissm@georgetown.edu
authors.forename: Martha R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D003303:Coprophagia; D004068:Digestive System Physiological Phenomena; D004463:Ecology; D004609:Eliminative Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005308:Fertilizers; D006801:Humans; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers