On plants and herbivores
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Authors: S. J. McNaughton
Date: 1986
Journal: The American Naturalist
Volume: 128
Number: 5
Pages: 765-770
Summary of Methods: McNaughton wrote this article in response to Belsky's (1986) paper titled, "Does herbivory benefit plants?" since he felt that she developed an argument that is neither internally consistent nor supportable by the scientific evidence. He attempted to identify logical errors, papers uncited by Belsky that refute her principal points, a misrepresentation of the methods that he used in his field studies, and errors of fact and interpretation that flow from her approach. For example, Belsky did not consider the contribution to vegetation productivity of such effects of herbivory, except to observe that defoliation does not increase the water-use efficiency of laboratory plants. For field evidence, several experiments documented increased grain yield when crop plants were defoliated under arid conditions (Richards 1983), a clear demonstration of fitness increase in annuals as a result of herbivory.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Scientific Synthesis
Keywords: plant-herbivore relations, herbivory, grazing, plant fitness
Annotation: This article is a counter to Belsky's (1986) paper "Does herbivory benefit plants?",This article uses major points that bear on his own research, review articles, and statements about plant-herbivore relations to argue against Belsky's paper. Grazing intensity is not specified. Season of use is not specified.
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