Architects of their own destruction: Why do tobacco hornworm caterpillars attract their own predators?

The relationship between caterpillars and plants is incredibly complex and can give rise to fascinating mysteries. One such conundrum involves tobacco hornworm caterpillars and their interaction with the plants on which they feed, which seems, at first glance, to make no sense. Why do these caterpillars cause the plant they are feeding on to send signals which attract their natural predators? Scientists at the University of Amsterdam have now been able to provide new insights into this unusual connection. Their research was published today, June 28, in Nature Communications.