Q.What are the organisms that feed on plant sap and other plant parts called?

Organisms that feed on plant sap and other plant parts are called herbivores. The NCERT textbook uses this term broadly to include a wide range of animals — from tiny insects to large grazing mammals — that depend on plants for nutrition.

When we talk about sap-feeders specifically, we're looking at insects like aphids, which pierce plant tissues and extract the nutrient-rich phloem sap. Other herbivores may chew leaves, bore into stems, consume fruits, or feed on roots. The common thread is that all these organisms exert feeding pressure on plants, which has driven the evolution of various defense mechanisms in the plant kingdom. …

Plants face constant pressure from a diverse array of animals that consume them. The general term for any organism that feeds on plants is a herbivore. This broad category includes everything from tiny insects to massive elephants, all united by their plant-based diet. When we talk specifically about organisms that feed on plant sap and various plant parts, we're looking at a spectrum of feeding strategies.

Sap-feeding organisms deserve special mention because they tap directly into the plant's vascular system. Aphids, for instance, pierce the phloem tissue with their needle-like mouthparts and extract the sugar-rich sap that plants transport from leaves to other parts. Similarly, leafhoppers, whiteflies, and scale insects are all sap-suckers that drain nutrients directly from the plant's circulatory system. These organisms are sometimes called phloem-feeders because they specifically target the phloem vessels.

Beyond sap-feeders, other herbivores consume different plant parts:

• Leaf-eaters (folivores) like caterpillars and grasshoppers chew through leaf tissue
• Root-feeders such as nematodes and certain beetle larvae attack underground
• Seed-eaters (granivores) like many birds and rodents consume seeds
• Fruit-eaters (frugivores) feed on fleshy fruits
• Wood-borers like certain beetle larvae tunnel through stems and trunks …

Place the feeding behaviour on the broader predator-prey spectrum first (the chapter explicitly treats herbivores as a special case of predation -- 'a sparrow eating a seed is al …