engleski

Importance of Biological/Biochemical Diversity in Foraging on Mediterranean Rangelands

Vast arrays of the Mediterranean plants contain secondary compounds that are potentially toxic to herbivore. The herbivore’ s challenge is to acquire sufficient nutrients to evade starvation and produce viable offspring and yet avoid the consumption of lethal doses of secondary compounds (toxins). Animals possess several adaptations that enabling them to better meets their nutritional needs and avoid toxicity. These adaptations consist of some innate avoidance pattern and mechanism that alter the hedonic value of postingestive plant qualities (flavour) based on postingestive experiences (e.g. nutritional benefits or gastrointestinal distress). Plants become more palatable when their consumption has positive postingestive consequences and their palatability decrease when consumption results in gastrointestinal malaise. Understanding the role of plant secondary compounds in controlling plant-herbivores interactions is important for managing plant and animals populations in Mediterranean grazed ecosystems. This paper discuss ways in which plant secondary compounds alter the grazing behaviour of mammalian herbivores. Then, the focus will switch to ways in which herbivores protect themselves from over ingestion of phytotoxins.

Mediterranean shrubs; phytotoxins; complementarity; biodiversity; and sheep.

nije evidentirano