Abstract
Published Article.,This study investigated responses of juvenile Acacia karroo, Acacia nilotica and Acacia rehmanniana to simulated herbivory in a semi-arid southern African savanna. For each species, we clipped twigs in the dry season and measured the removed twig biomass. Seven months after clipping, we counted the number of resprouts on clipped stems and measured their lengths, diameters and biomass. We also measured dieback length on clipped stems and dieback biomass (DB). Removed twigs of A. rehmanniana had the greatest biomass, followed by A. karroo and least was A. nilotica. However, A. nilotica had the greatest resprout biomass, followed by A. rehmanniana and least was A. karroo. Consideration of DB as lost biomass resulted in A. karroo fully compensating lost biomass, A. nilotica overcompensating and A. rehmanniana under-compensating. Acacia rehmanniana had the shortest resprouts while A. nilotica had the longest. The number and the diameter of resprouts did not vary among the species. We conclude by predicting that in semi-arid African savannas, undercompensation has the greatest probability of occurrence among woody species prone to severe shoot dieback following herbivory.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.