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dc.contributor.authorPetit Bon, Matteo
dc.contributor.authorInga, Katarina Gunnarsdotter
dc.contributor.authorUtsi, Tove Aagnes
dc.contributor.authorJonsdottir, Ingibjørg
dc.contributor.authorBråthen, Kari Anne
dc.date.accessioned2021-11-24T13:00:53Z
dc.date.available2021-11-24T13:00:53Z
dc.date.issued2021-10-08
dc.description.abstract1. Herbivore-induced changes in both leaf silicon-based defence and nutrient levels are potential mechanisms through which grazers alter the quality of their own grass supply. In tundra grasslands, herbivores have been shown to increase nutrient contents of grasses; yet, it is an open question whether they also increase grass silicon-based defence levels. Here, we asked if, and to what extent, herbivores affect silicon content and silicon:nutrient ratios of grasses found in tundra grasslands.<p> <p>2. We performed an herbivore-interaction field-experiment spanning four tundragrassland sites. At each site, we established reindeer-open and reindeer-exclusion plots in tundra-patches that had been disturbed or not by small rodents during the previous winter, for a total of 96 plots. We randomly collected over 1,150 leaf samples of inherently silicon-rich and silicon-poor grass species throughout a growing season and analysed silicon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents of each leaf. <p>3. Small-rodent winter disturbance did not affect grass silicon content, but increased grass quality (i.e. lowered silicon:nutrient ratios) by enhancing nutrient levels of both silicon-rich (+20%–22%) and silicon-poor (+26%–34%) grasses. Reindeer summer herbivory increased the quality of silicon-rich grasses by decreasing their silicon content (−7%). However, the two herbivores together offset both these quality increments in silicon-rich grasses, thus reducing their quality towards the level of those found in the absence of herbivores and further enhancing their silicon:nutrient ratios (+13%–22%) relative to silicon-poor grasses.<p> 4. Synthesis. We provide the first community-level, field-based assessment of how herbivory-driven changes in both leaf silicon-based defence and nutrient levels alter grass-forage quality in tundra grasslands. Herbivores did not promote a net silicon accumulation in grasses, but rather enhanced their overall quality. Yet, the magnitude of these quality increments varied depending on the herbivore(s)en_US
dc.identifier.citationPetit Bon M, Inga KG, Utsi TA, Jonsdottir I, Bråthen. Forage quality in tundra grasslands under herbivory: Silicon-based defences, nutrients and their ratios in grasses. Journal of Ecology. 2021:1-15en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 1954219
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/1365-2745.13790
dc.identifier.issn0022-0477
dc.identifier.issn1365-2745
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/23156
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.relation.journalJournal of Ecology
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2021 The Author(s)en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480en_US
dc.titleForage quality in tundra grasslands under herbivory: Silicon-based defences, nutrients and their ratios in grassesen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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