Benevolent herbivores?

Trends Ecol Evol. 1987 Jun;2(6):167-8. doi: 10.1016/0169-5347(87)90070-X.

Abstract

Two questions dominate current thinking on plant-herbivore interactions: what is the impact of feeding by herbivores on the distribution and abundance of plants; and what is the role of herbivory as an agency of natural selection, leading to differential performance of host plant genotypes? These two questions come together in discussions of how the evolutionary consequences of herbivory are manifest at the population and ecosystem levels.