Plants perceive insect herbivores via a sophisticated surveillance system that detects a range of alarm signals, including herbivore-associated molecular patterns (HAMPs). Fatty acid-amino acid conjugates (FACs) are HAMPs present in oral secretions of lepidopteran larvae that induce defense responses in many plant species. In a new study entitiled "Survey of Sensitivity to Fatty Acid-Amino Acid Conjugates in the Solanaceae" published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology, the Strattman lab demonstrates that some plants like tomato are not sensitive to FACs. Learn why here!