| Literature DB >> 27359246 |
Abstract
Auditory signaling including aposematism characterizes many terrestrial animals. Auditory aposematism by which certain animals use auditory aposematic signals to fend off enemies is well known for instance in rattlesnakes. Auditory signaling by plants toward animals and other plants is an emerging area of plant biology that still suffers from limited amount of solid data. Here I propose that auditory aposematism operates in the African whistling thorn acacia (Acacia drepanolobium = Vachellia drepanolobium). In this tree, the large and hollow thorn bases whistle when wind blows. This type of aposematism compliments the well-known conspicuous thorn and mutualistic ant based aposematism during day and may operate during night when the conspicuous thorns are invisible.Entities:
Keywords: Acacia; ants; aposematism; auditory; defense; extended phenotype; herbivory; thorn
Mesh:
Year: 2016 PMID: 27359246 PMCID: PMC5022412 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2016.1207035
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Plant Signal Behav ISSN: 1559-2316