Abstract
Lev-Yadun and Halpern (2008) proposed that many plant species that do not have thorns, spines, or prickles have an alternative of one out of two types of usually internal, but sometimes external, sharp, microscopic defensive structures: silica needles and raphids (which are needles made of calcium oxalate). Plant silica bodies (phytoliths) are formed by an ordered biological deposition of silicon that enters the plant via the roots (Richmond and Sussman 2003). Silica bodies have several known functions including structural, optical, serving as co-factors in the detoxification of heavy metals, and defense from herbivory (e.g., Richmond and Sussman 2003; Wang et al. 2004; Katz 2015; Meharg and Meharg 2015). Lev-Yadun and Halpern (2008) discussed their specific potential biological warfare defensive function: enabling the penetration of microorganisms into the bodies of herbivores.
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Lev-Yadun, S. (2016). Aposematism in Plants with Silica Needles and Raphids Made of Calcium Oxalate. In: Defensive (anti-herbivory) Coloration in Land Plants. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42096-7_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42096-7_30
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