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 49 spines DHJanzen100711.jpg high resolution
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| As already emphasized in earlier lectures, spines are generally and unambiguously defenses against large browsing mammals. Here, an African elephant commits a spiny Acacia to salad status during the dry season, a time when foliage is generally scarce. The reaction to this kind of browsing is shown in image DHJanzen100712.jpg below. But also think what a peaceful world it is today for plants in the neotropics, not subject on an annual basis to this kind of herbivory (the upper branches of this acacia have all been broken off by the elephants in their normal dry season browsing). | ||
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