Hornworm caterpillar consumes tobacco and puffs out nicotine in order to warn its predators. A research has been carried out by a group of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany, which has revealed the above mentioned trait of the tobacco-eating caterpillar.

The caterpillar uses this tactic especially to ward off its predators like wolf spiders. Lead researcher Ian Baldwin was of the view that the study findings is a great way to know that how inspect uses the plant that it eats for its own defence.

The tactic of the caterpillar is known as defencive halitosis. The study researchers carried out an experiment in which they fed the caterpillar with plants with and without nicotine. They wanted to know about the genes that get activated when the caterpillar consumes nicotine-containing tobacco plants.

After identifying the gene, the study researchers placed the interfering RNA matching that gene in tobacco plants that were grown in lab. The interference RNA targeted the gene in the caterpillar so that it could prevent the caterpillar from using their defence.

When the caterpillar consumed the gene-altered tobacco then they lost their ability to show defence. "We never would have discovered the function of this gene if the spider hadn't told us", said the study researchers.