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Growth, chemical responses and herbivory after simulated leaf browsing in Combretum apiculatum

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Abstract

Vegetative and chemical responses to simulated leaf browsing during the growth season, and their subsequent effect on herbivory, were studied on Combretum apiculatum Sonder (Combretaceae) in Botswana. Treatments (50% and 100% leaf and shoot apex removal) were performed just before the shoot growth curve levelled out, and responses recorded 3 months later, just before leaf fall. Compared to controls, defoliation treatments, removing apical dominance, reduced growth in tree height and increased shoot mortality, although the production of lateral shoots increased. At the end of the trial, there was no difference in total length of annual shoots between treatment groups. Significant refoliation occurred only after 100% defoliation. Refoliated leaves were smaller and the 100% defoliated trees had a lower final leaf biomass. Total leaf biomass production was, however, equal for all treatment groups. Refoliated leaves contained higher levels of N, lower levels of acid-detergent fibre (ADF) and total phenolics, and showed a trend towards lower levels of condensed tannins, compared to leaves on control trees. Such chemical changes may be due to either carbon stress or to younger physiological age of new leaves. In spite of the observed potential increase in food quality, we found no evidence of increased levels of insect or ungulate herbivory on refoliated leaves, which, at least for insect herbivory, may be explained by the reduction in temporal availability of leaves. We conclude that the single severe defoliation was not detrimental to C. apiculatum in the short-term, although the resource loss and induced compensatory growth may produce negative effects during subsequent growth seasons.

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Acknowledgements

Kjell Danell and Christina Skarpe are acknowledged for their input during the designing of the trial and comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. We also thank Joakim Hjältén for guidance on chemical analysis and Leif Olsson for conducting the nitrogen analysis. We are grateful to Puso Kirby and the Board of Trustees of Mokolodi Nature Reserve for allowing us to conduct our trial in the reserve. Leaf picking is time consuming and would have been impossible without the help of four fieldworkers from Mokolodi village and current volunteers at the reserve. T. Rooke was granted a research permit in Botswana by the Office of the President (OP 46/1 LVII (81)), and the study was finaced by Sida/SAREC (a grant to R. Bergström).

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  1. Department of Animal Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83, Umeå, Sweden

    T. Rooke & R. Bergström

  2. The Forest Research Institute of Sweden, Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83, Uppsala, Sweden

    R. Bergström

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  1. T. Rooke
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  2. R. Bergström
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Correspondence to T. Rooke.

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Rooke, T., Bergström, R. Growth, chemical responses and herbivory after simulated leaf browsing in Combretum apiculatum . Plant Ecol 189, 201–212 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-006-9177-5

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