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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Effects of simulated browsing on growth and leaf chemical properties in Colophospermum mopane saplings
African Journal of Ecology, Volume 48, No. 1, Year 2010
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Description
Browsing intensity influences a plant's response to herbivory. Plants face a trade-off between investment in the production of secondary compounds and investment in growth. To elucidate this trade-off, we simulated four browsing intensities (0%, 50%, 75% and 100%) on mopane saplings, Colophospermum mopane (J.Kirk ex Benth.) J.Léonard, in a greenhouse experiment. This showed that, with increasing defoliation intensity, plants change their investment strategy. At intermediate levels of defoliation (50%), mopane saplings increased the synthesis of condensed tannins, so that tannin concentrations followed a hump-shaped relation with defoliation intensity, with significantly higher tannin concentration at intermediate defoliation levels. When defoliated heavily (75% and 100%), tannin concentrations dropped, and plants were carbon stressed as indicated by a reduced growth rate of the stem diameter, and leaf production and mean individual leaf mass were reduced. This suggests that, at intermediate defoliation intensity, the strategy of the plants is towards induced chemical defences. With increasing defoliation, the relative costs of the secondary metabolite synthesis become too high, and therefore, the plants change their growing strategy. Hence, browsers should be able to benefit from earlier browsing by either adopting a low or a relatively high browsing pressure. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Kohi, Edward Mtarima
Unknown Affiliation
de Boer, Willem F.
Unknown Affiliation
Slot, Martijn M.
Unknown Affiliation
Van Wieren, Sipke E.
Unknown Affiliation
Ferwerda, Jelle Garke
Unknown Affiliation
Grant, Rina C.C.
Unknown Affiliation
Heitkönig, Ignas M.A.
Unknown Affiliation
De Knegt, Henrik J.
Unknown Affiliation
Knox, Nichola M.
Unknown Affiliation
Van Langevelde, Frank
Unknown Affiliation
Peel, Mike John Stephen
Unknown Affiliation
Slotow, Robert H.
Unknown Affiliation
Van Der Waal, Cornelis
Unknown Affiliation
Prins, Herbert H. T.
Unknown Affiliation
Statistics
Citations: 42
Authors: 14
Affiliations: 8
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01099.x
ISSN:
01416707
e-ISSN:
13652028
Research Areas
Environmental
Study Approach
Quantitative