- Title
- Wand plant architecture in the Fynbos: Testing the rodent herbivory hypothesis
- Creator
- Bailey, Lauren A, Potts, A J, Cowling, R M, Whitfield, Maxine C, Smit, Ben
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date
- 2019
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440583
- Identifier
- vital:73795
- Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2019.03.035
- Description
- Throughout the Cape Floristic Region, in a range of local environments, can be found a distinctive growth form: “wand” plants. This curious plant architecture comprises perennial plants which have slender (wand-like) stems that extend high above the matrix vegetation. We explore whether the evolution of wand-plants may have been driven by plant–herbivore interactions with rodents, where such architecture reduces access to nutrient rich flowers and seeds. To test this idea, we determined if (i) wand-plants were more flexible than non-wand congeners, and (ii) a stabilised wand plant was favoured for climbing (by laboratory mice) over a free-standing wand plant in a laboratory setting. Under a phylogenetic independent contrast framework, wand-plants were not more flexible (across a range of diameters) than non-wand congeners.
- Format
- 9 pages, pdf
- Language
- English
- Relation
- South African journal of botany, Bailey, L.A., Potts, A.J., Cowling, R.M., Whitfield, M.C. and Smit, B., 2019. Wand plant architecture in the Fynbos: Testing the rodent herbivory hypothesis. South African journal of botany, 124, pp.564-572, South African journal of botany volume 124 number 1 1 9 2019
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Elsevier Terms and Conditions Statement (https://www.elsevier.com/legal/elsevier-website-terms-and-conditions)
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