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Updated: Sep 8, 2025
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Harvesting Venom Toxins from Assassin Bugs and Other Heteropteran Insects
Published on: April 21, 2018
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What is animal venom? Rethinking a manipulative weapon
Ronald A Jenner1, Nicholas R Casewell2, Eivind A B Undheim3
1Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|June 21, 2025
Summary
Animal venoms are more diverse than previously thought, encompassing toxic secretions used to manipulate other organisms for feeding or reproduction. This broader definition unifies venomics with other ecological interaction studies.
Area of Science:
- Zoology
- Biochemistry
- Ecology
Background:
- Venom research traditionally focuses on a narrow phylogenetic range.
- The biological definition of venom has been limited, hindering a comprehensive understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To redefine venom based on its functional role in manipulating physiological processes.
- To expand the phylogenetic scope of venom research.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of venom's biological essence.
- Comparative review of toxic secretion use across taxa.
Main Results:
- Venoms function to create "extended phenotypes" in recipients, benefiting the producer.
- This functional definition includes plant-feeding and mating-manipulating toxic secretions.
- Distinguishing venom from saliva based on the manipulation of living victims.
Conclusions:
- The phylogenetic domain of venom is significantly broader than currently recognized.
- A unified understanding of venomics can be achieved by incorporating invertebrate-plant and sexual conflict interactions.
- This expanded view offers new avenues for research in chemical ecology and evolutionary biology.
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