Plant tannins and insect herbivores: an appraisal

Abstract. 1. The bioassays with tannins and insects, and the ecological studies on insects implicating tannins, are summarized and discussed. 2. Because of the great variation now shown in all aspects of the insect‐tannin relationship, the difficulty of making generalizations is stressed. 3. The significance of plant tannins for insect herbivores is reconsidered in the light of recent work and little‐known older work, which illustrate the very varied nature of its effects.