Not all herbivory is detrimental to plants. In some cases, plants can compensate for herbivory, maintain growth and fitness following damage, or even overcompensate for herbivory and perform better than if left undamaged. Examples of overcompensation to vertebrate herbivory are well known, but here we review the literature for examples of reproductive overcompensation (i.e., increased production of traits associated with fitness) and increased vegetative growth (i.e., vegetative overcompensation) following insect herbivory. We used a meta‐analysis to explore the effects of plant growth form, evolutionary history, herbivore feeding guild, and other plant and insect traits on the expression of reproductive and vegetative overcompensation by plants. Our literature search revealed 86 studies documenting examples of overcompensation for insect herbivory by 67 plant species representing 26 families. These plants included monocots and dicots, annuals and perennials, and woody and herbaceous plants. We also found that varied insect herbivores induce overcompensation, including 75 insect species in six orders representing 27 families and myriad feeding guilds. In our meta‐analysis, we calculated 53 effect sizes from 21 publications documenting reproductive overcompensation and 89 effect sizes from 40 publications documenting vegetative overcompensation. Variation in reproductive overcompensation was seen among plant growth forms, functional groups, cultivation, herbivore feeding sites, and plant and herbivore families. Variation in vegetative overcompensation was seen among plant families, herbivore families, and latitudinal gradients. We suggest overcompensation for insect herbivory may be far more prevalent than previously thought. Additional research focusing on the mechanisms, patterns, and ecological and evolutionary consequences of overcompensation for insect herbivory is likely to provide exciting new insights into this poorly understood and largely overlooked outcome of plant–insect interactions.

Myrmecophily is uncommon in spiders and adaptations that allow spider infiltration of ant colonies are poorly studied. Here, a novel interaction between the orb‐weaver spider, Eustala oblonga Chickering, and the acacia ant, Pseudomyrmex satanicus Wheeler, in central Panama is documented. These spiders occupy webs at night, but spend most of the day crouched directly against the surface of their host acacias (Acacia melanocerus Fabaceae) amidst the plant‐defending ants. Detailed behavioural observations indicated that the spiders generally occupied areas on the acacias patrolled more actively by ants, but were attacked only if the spiders moved, which happened very infrequently. We hypothesized, therefore, that the spiders avoid ant aggression behaviourally by being still and not reacting to encounters by patrolling ants. We tested this hypothesis experimentally by comparing ant responses to moving versus immobilised E. oblonga and moving versus immobilised individuals of another plant‐inhabiting, orb‐weaver spider (Argiope argentata Fabricius) not naturally found on ant‐acacias. Consistent with the hypothesis, ants responded significantly more aggressively to moving spiders of both species than to immobilised spiders. Further, moving E. oblonga utilised a particular method of escape in which they suspended themselves on a dragline until ant activity waned before returning to the plant surface and crouching quietly without further agitating the ants. In contrast, moving A. argentata attempted to outrun the ants, thus, continuing to agitate them until the spiders were killed or dropped to the ground. Our results suggest that E. oblonga may be able to inhabit ant‐defended acacias essentially by hiding in plain sight.

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