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 In Defense of Plants Plants have evolved a wide variety of mechanisms to defend themselves from herbivory. Adaptations include structural barriers, hiding, chemical defenses, as well indirectly attracting predators to defend the plant from herbivores. Structural barriers are designed to deter animals from physically consuming the plant. Some of these structures include spines, thorns, prickles, thick leaves, hairy outgrowths - called trichomes - and needle-like particles within plant leaves. Plants can also hide from herbivores by growing in places that are difficult for herbivores to reach, camouflaging themselves with their surroundings, or timing their growth or flowering during seasons when fewer are present to consume them. Chemical defenses can be produced within the plant as well as absorbed from the environment. Some chemicals are designed to poison or sicken herbivores when parts of the plants are ingested, ie milkweed, others are designed to cause pain or swelling when touched--such as stinging nettle. But another strategy plants have evolved is the use of plant structures and chemicals to attract beneficial animals and insects to defend the plant from herbivores. |
Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) TPWD has information about plants that you can encounter across the state including ones that you will want to avoid because of their chemical defenses that cause skin reactions, namely poison ivy, sumac and hemlock. |
Citizen Science Did you know that there are about 450 rare plant species in Texas? Because these species are rare there is often little information about them--including their defenses against herbivores and possible medicinal benefits. |
Plants Defending Themselves in their Native HabitatsObserving how insects and other animals interact with plants is easy, and only requires a little patience. Any of our Dallas parks that have natural areas are ideal for starting to observe plants and how they defend themselves from the moving world around them. Find out more information about how to observe plants over the course of a year with Nature's Notebook. See first hand how a plant interacts with other species and how these interactions vary throughout the year. |
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Remarkable plants of Texas : uncommon accounts of our common natives
by Matt Warnock Turner
In this book, explore the little-known facts about some of Texas's native plants--be they archaeological, historical, material, medicinal, culinary or cultural--behind our familiar botanical landscape. Remarkable Plants of Texas can function as a guide to individual species as well as an enjoyable natural history of our most fascinating native plants.
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Plants that kill : a natural history of the world's most poisonous plants
by Elizabeth A Dauncey
Plants That Kill is not a field guide, clinical care manual, or pharmacology textbook--it is a fascinating and beautifully presented natural history of the world's most poisonous plants, the extraordinary strategies they employ for survival, and the impact these have on humans, other animals, and on other plants. Some of these seriously harmful and potentially lethal plants can cause their effects if eaten only once, others when consumed repeatedly over a longer period. For some, their effects are felt after skin or eye contact, or following inhalation. These extraordinary plants occur on all continents, and in many different plant families, producing a range of chemicals as part of their strategy for survival. The positive uses that humans and other animals have found for these plants and the chemicals they contain are also an important part of the story. This great diversity is showcased and brought to life through fascinating examples, beautiful illustrations and clear, explanatory diagrams. Anyone with an interest in plants, or with more ecological or pharmacological inclinations, will be fascinated and engaged by this book.
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The bizarre and incredible world of plants
by Wolfgang Stuppy
Enhanced by the microphotography of Rob Kessler, two experts from London's Royal Botanic Gardens look at the role of pollen, seeds, and fruit in plant reproduction and in preserving the Earth's biodiversity
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Mesquite : an arboreal love affair
by Gary Paul Nabhan
What does it mean to be a tree? In Mesquite noted naturalist and pioneer of the local food movement Gary Paul Nabhan takes on this large, many-branched question. Combining cutting-edge science with a generous sprinkling of humor and folk wisdom, he invites readers to come along on a desert journey into "arboreality' in a story that will delight mystics and foresters, biologists and foodies, and anyone interested in the natural history of this totemic tree.
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Business, Science & Technology
Dallas Public Library1515 Young St.
Dallas, Texas 75201
214-670-1400www.dallaslibrary.org |
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