群落生态学：自上而下的观点被颠覆。

Community ecology: top-down turned upside-down.

机构信息

Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, 206 Winston Hall, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA.

出版信息

Curr Biol. 2010 Oct 12;20(19):R854-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.08.037.

DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2010.08.037

PMID:20937474

Abstract

Within African savannas, elephants often damage individual trees to the extent that they influence tree density. New research shows that mutualistic ants inhabiting certain species of Acacia protect trees from catastrophic herbivory by elephants. Protection by the ants stabilizes tree cover across savannas in what is otherwise a highly dynamic biome.

摘要

在非洲稀树草原，大象经常破坏个别树木，以至于影响到树木密度。新的研究表明，栖息在某些金合欢属物种上的共生蚂蚁可以保护树木免受大象的灾难性食草。蚂蚁的保护使整个稀树草原的树木覆盖稳定下来，否则这里是一个高度动态的生物群落。