Interactions between woody plants and browsing mammals mediated by secondary metabolites
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Authors: J. P. Bryant, F. D. Provenza, J. Pastor, P. B. Reichardt, T. P. Clausen, and J. T. du Toit
Date: 1991
Journal: Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics
Volume: 22
Number:
Pages: 431-446
Summary of Methods: This article is a review of 123 articles on the chemically mediated interactions between browsing mammals and woody plants.
Article Summary / Main Points: Woody plants rely on a diverse array of secondary metabolites as defenses against browsing by mammals. The effectiveness of these substances is primarily due to toxicity rather than digestion inhibition. A mammal's most flexible counter to phytotoxins is to learn to avoid ingestion of these chemicals behaviors such as trial and error and from social models. Selective browsing can shift competitive advantage in favor of chemically defended species, invasion is likely to continue because the low nutrient requirements of these woody species let them persist in a nutrient-deficient environment. Selective browsing can also slow nutrient cycling in ecosystems dominated by woody plants, but it can accelerate nutrient cycling in ecosystems dominated by graminoids.
Vegetation Types: All Forest and Woodlands Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: Not Applicable
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Scientific Synthesis
Keywords: secondary metabolite, mammals, chemical defense, toxicity, community, ecosystem
Annotation: This is a review that encompasses a large number of references from across a wide spectrum of ecosystems including studies from North America, the Netherlands, Africa, Brazil, and other areas outside of North America.
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