Venom is not exclusive to animals—plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, and even viruses use venom-like mechanisms for defense, predation, and competition.
Dodder – Cuscuta on a potato bush. Review Article: It’s a Small World After All: The Remarkable but Overlooked Diversity of Venomous Organisms, with Candidates Among Plants, Fungi, Protists, Bacteria, and Viruses. Image Credit: EVGEIIA / Shutterstock
A recent review article published in the journal Toxins explored the diversity of venom delivery systems among plants, animals, fungi, protists, viruses, and bacteria.
Biologists and toxinologists have studied toxins and toxic organisms for centuries. Interest in toxins has been mainly due to the severe consequences of toxin exposure. Toxic biological secretions are classified into three classes…