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All Flesh Is Grass pp 491–518Cite as

Reversing the Roles of Predator and Prey

A Review of Carnivory in the Botanical World

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Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 16))

Abstract

Plants, like all organisms on the planet, live to perpetuate their own existence and to reproduce. The transmission of genetic material to future generations is the driving force behind life. In habitats where light, and water, and the essential nutrients are easily available, plants must merely allocate resources to contend with the challenges associated with reproduction, and defending themselves against the environment and herbivores. However, in more stressful habitats where nutrients are in short supply, plants have developed novel solutions to increase their chances of survival.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks Lubomir Adamec, Charles Clarke, Andreas Fleischmann, Robert Gibson, Fernando Rivadavia, and Robert Ziemer for suggestions and critical comments that helped in shaping this document.

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  1. Center for Plant Diversity, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California, 95616, USA

    Barry A. Rice

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  1. , The Mina & Everard Goodman Fac. of Life, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel

    Zvy Dubinsky

  2. University of Jerusalem, Mevo Hadas 20, Efrat, 90435, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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Rice, B.A. (2010). Reversing the Roles of Predator and Prey. In: Dubinsky, Z., Seckbach, J. (eds) All Flesh Is Grass. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9316-5_22

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