engleski

Plant secondary compounds in Mediterranean shrubs: Phytotoxins or medicines

Plant secondary metabolites (also called phytotoxins ; natural products) are molecules existing in most vascular plants that are not necessary for their survival, but in higher concentrations they product plants from consumers or from pathogens. These phytochemicals can adversely affect cellular and metabolic processes in herbivores, but also at low doses and in appropriate mixtures, they can have beneficial effects on animal nutrition, health and other therapeutic impacts. In this paper, we demonstrate the potential effects of plant with medicinal properties on animal foraging behavior as a function of the consequences they experience after ingestion of Mediterranean shrubs that are rich in phytotoxins. This mechanism-behavior by consequences – suggests animals are able to meet nutritional requirements and self-select certain plants with medicinal properties if they are offered the opportunity to do so when foraging in diverse Mediterranea shrub communities. Understanding the feeding behavior of ruminants when offered a variety of plants species is necessary to be able to improve their health and well-being by reducing level of stress and fear ; it may also lead to the early detection of illness. Thus, management strategies in biochemically/biologically diverse ecosystems should benefit from allowing ruminants to manifest ther feeding preferences.

Mediterranea shrubs ; Herbivores ; Secondary compounda ; Medicinal plant ; Phytotoxins

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