Omnivorous

Definition

Feeding on a mixed diet that includes both plant and animal material, spanning multiple trophic levels without specialization on either. In arthropods, omnivory ranges from opportunistic scavenging to deliberate predation combined with herbivory or detritivory, often varying with life stage, season, or resource availability.

Etymology

From Latin omnis (all) + vorare (to devour)

Example

Cockroaches (Blattodea) are classic omnivores, consuming decaying plant matter, starchy foods, and opportunistically scavenging dead insects or even wounded conspecifics; some ant species (Formicidae) shift between tending hemipteran honeydew and actively hunting springtails depending on colony needs.

Synonyms

• euryphagous
• polyphagous (broad sense)

Related Terms

• Carnivorous
• herbivorous
• detritivorous
• generalist feeder
• trophic plasticity
• opportunistic feeding

Usage Notes

Distinguished from polyphagy (broad diet within one trophic level, typically plants) by explicit inclusion of animal prey. Many 'herbivorous' insects show facultative omnivory when protein is scarce. The term describes diet breadth, not phylogenetic category—unlike 'Omnivora' as a taxon.