Resistance and tolerance of Terminalia sericea trees to simulated herbivore damage under different soil nutrient and moisture conditions

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dc.contributor.authorKatjiua M.L.J.
dc.contributor.authorWard D.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T15:59:31Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T15:59:31Z
dc.date.issued2006
dc.description.abstractResource availability, degree of herbivore damage, genetic variability, and their interactions influence the allocation of investment by plants to resistance and tolerance traits. We evaluated the independent and interactive effects of soil nutrients and moisture, and simulated the effects of herbivore damage on condensed tannins (resistance) and growth/regrowth (tolerance) traits of Terminalia sericea, a deciduous tree in the Kalahari desert that constitutes a major component of livestock diet. We used a completely crossed randomized-block design experiment to examine the effects of nutrients, water availability, and herbivore damage on regrowth and resistance traits of T. sericea seedlings. Plant height, number of branches, internode length, leaf area, leaf mass for each seedling, combined weight of stems and twigs, and root mass were recorded. Condensed tannin concentrations were 22.5 and 21.5% higher under low nutrients and low soil moisture than under high nutrient and high water treatment levels. Tannin concentrations did not differ significantly between control and experimental seedlings 2 mo after simulated herbivore damage. Tannin concentrations correlated more strongly with growth traits under low- than under high-nutrient conditions. No trade-offs were detected among individual growth traits, nor between growth traits and condensed tannins. T. sericea appeared to invest more in both resistance and regrowth traits when grown under low-nutrient conditions. Investment in the resistance trait (condensed tannin) under high-nutrient conditions was minimal and, to a lesser degree, correlated with plant growth. These results suggest that T. sericea displays both resistance and tolerance strategies, and that the degree to which each is expressed is resource-dependent. © 2006 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Chemical Ecology
dc.identifier.citation32
dc.identifier.citation7
dc.identifier.issn980331
dc.identifier.other10.1007/s10886-006-9060-9
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11222
dc.subjectantiherbivore defense
dc.subjectchemical defense
dc.subjectcompensation
dc.subjectdeciduous tree
dc.subjectdefoliation
dc.subjectexperimental design
dc.subjectherbivory
dc.subjectregrowth
dc.subjectresource allocation
dc.subjectsoil moisture
dc.subjectsoil nutrient
dc.subjecttannin
dc.subjecttrade-off
dc.subjectAfrica
dc.subjectKalahari Desert
dc.subjectSouthern Africa
dc.subjectSub-Saharan Africa
dc.subjectTerminalia
dc.subjectTerminalia sericea
dc.subjectproanthocyanidin
dc.subjectadaptation
dc.subjectanimal
dc.subjectarticle
dc.subjectecosystem
dc.subjectfeeding behavior
dc.subjectgrowth, development and aging
dc.subjectmammal
dc.subjectmetabolism
dc.subjectNamibia
dc.subjectphysiology
dc.subjectseedling
dc.subjectsoil
dc.subjectTerminalia
dc.subjectAdaptation, Biological
dc.subjectAnimals
dc.subjectEcosystem
dc.subjectFeeding Behavior
dc.subjectMammals
dc.subjectNamibia
dc.subjectProanthocyanidins
dc.subjectSeedling
dc.subjectSoil
dc.subjectTerminalia
dc.titleResistance and tolerance of Terminalia sericea trees to simulated herbivore damage under different soil nutrient and moisture conditions
dc.typeArticle
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