 |
| Ants on acacia thorns. Photo: Eugene Moll. |
The Veld & Flora centrefold
factsheet, Plants fight back, in the September
2014 issue covers the topics Plant
defences, Chemical warfare, Mechanical
defences and Can plant raise the alarm? by Prof Eugene Moll.
Herbivores depend on plants for
food and have co-evolved mechanisms to obtain this food despite the evolution
of a diverse arsenal of plant defences against herbivory. Herbivores adapt to
plant defences to improve their chances of feeding on the plants. Plants, on
the other hand, protect themselves by limiting the ability of herbivores to eat
them. Or do they?
Download the factsheet here.
Links to the Curriculum
For Grade 12, Term 3, Strand 2:
LIFE PROCESSES IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS, section: Responding to the environment:
plants includes Plan to the environment: plants includes Plant defence mechanisms:
chemicals, thorns etc.
