Katz Ofir
Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Mt. Masada, Tamar Regional Council, Tamar 86910, Israel.
Plants (Basel). 2020 Apr 1;9(4):430. doi: 10.3390/plants9040430.
Herbivory is fundamental in ecology, being a major driver of ecosystem structure and functioning. Plant Si and phytoliths play a significant antiherbivory role, the understanding of which and of its evolutionary context will increase our understanding of this phenomenon, its origins, and its significance for past, extant, and future ecosystems. To achieve this goal, we need a superdisciplinary evolutionary framework connecting the role of Si in plant-herbivore interactions, in global processes, and in plant and herbivore evolution. To do this properly, we should acknowledge and incorporate into our work some basic facts that are too often overlooked. First, there is great taxonomic variance both in plant Si contents, forms, and roles, but also in herbivore responses, dietary preferences, and in fossil evidence. Second, species and their traits, as well as whole ecosystems, should be seen in the context of their entire evolutionary history and may therefore reflect not only adaptations to extant selective factors but also anachronistic traits. Third, evolutionary history and evolutionary transitions are complex, resulting in true and apparent asynchronisms. Fourth, evolution and ecology are multiscalar, in which various phenomena and processes act at various scales. Taking these issues into consideration will improve our ability to develop this needed theoretical framework and will bring us closer to gaining a more complete understanding of one of the most exciting and elusive phenomena in plant biology and ecology.
食草作用在生态学中至关重要，是生态系统结构和功能的主要驱动力。植物硅和植硅体发挥着重要的抗食草作用，了解这一点及其进化背景将增进我们对这一现象、其起源以及对过去、现存和未来生态系统的重要性的理解。为实现这一目标，我们需要一个跨学科的进化框架，将硅在植物 - 食草动物相互作用、全球过程以及植物和食草动物进化中的作用联系起来。要妥善做到这一点，我们应该承认并将一些常常被忽视的基本事实纳入我们的工作中。首先，植物硅含量、形式和作用，以及食草动物的反应、饮食偏好和化石证据在分类学上都存在很大差异。其次，物种及其特征以及整个生态系统应在其整个进化历史的背景下看待，因此它们不仅可能反映对现存选择因素的适应，还可能反映过时的特征。第三，进化历史和进化转变很复杂，会导致真实的和明显的不同步。第四，进化和生态是多尺度的，其中各种现象和过程在不同尺度上起作用。考虑到这些问题将提高我们构建这一所需理论框架的能力，并使我们更接近于更全面地理解植物生物学和生态学中最令人兴奋且难以捉摸的现象之一。
