IngentaConnect How does Merendera montana (L.) Lange (Liliaceae) benefit from be...

Authors: Gómez-García D.¹; Azorín J.¹; Giannoni S.M.²; Borghi C.E.²

Source: Vegetatio, Volume 172, Number 2, June 2004 , pp. 173-181(9)

Publisher: Springer

Abstract:

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.

Keywords: Alkaloid concentration; Animal-plant interaction; Geophytes; Protocooperation; Subterranean rodents

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1023/B:VEGE.0000026325.93477.45

Affiliations: 1: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (CSIC), Apdo. 64, Jaca, E-22700, España 2: IADIZA (CONICET), GIB, CC. 507, Mendoza, 5500, Argentina

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$47.00 plus tax Refund Policy

How does Merendera montana (L.) Lange (Liliaceae) benefit from being consumed by mole-voles?