INVESTIGADORES
BORGHI Carlos Eduardo
artículos
Título:
How does Merendera montana (L.) Lange (Liliaceae) benefit from being consumed by mole-voles?
Autor/es:
DANIEL GOMEZ-GARCIA,; JOSÉ AZORÍN,; STELLA GIANNONI,; C. E. BORGHI
Revista:
PLANT ECOLOGY
Referencias:
Año: 2004 vol. 172 p. 173 - 181
ISSN:
1385-0237
Resumen:
The relationships between a geophyte (Merendera montana (L.) Lange Liliaceae) and a mole-vole (Microtus duodecimcostatus
de Sélys-Longchamps) in the Spanish Pyrenees were investigated by
analysing plant density, asexual reproductive strategies, and chemical
composition of M. montana, and by observing the feeding behavior of M. duodecimcostatus in captivity. We found that M. montana
contains toxic alkaloids, the concentration of which varies throughout
the year; being minimal at the end of the vegetative period. Alkaloids
are stored in the whole plant, particularly in the leaves which are
scarcely consumed by herbivores. Nevertheless, mole-voles eat this
plant profusely both in the field and in captivity, where they showed
preference for the corm. The corm has lower alkaloid concentration and
higher levels of energetic substances than the other plant parts,
particularly leaves. Although corm consumption causes plant death, M. montana
grows more abundantly in areas colonized by mole-voles than in
undisturbed grasslands with high plant cover and absence of mole-vole
populations. Both asexual reproduction and seedlings of this species
are more frequent in highly disturbed areas. Results strongly suggest a
protocooperative relationship between mole-voles and this geophyte: the
burrowing behavior of mole-voles favours dispersal and reproductive
success of the plant, enhancing its habitat availability; the plant in
turn supplies abundant and nutritious food at a low and "acceptable"
toxicity cost.