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Research Article
Silicon-based plant defences, tooth wear and voles
Ivan Calandra, Karol Zub, Paulina A. Szafrańska, Andrzej Zalewski, Gildas Merceron
Journal of Experimental Biology 2016 219: 501-507; doi: 10.1242/jeb.134890
Ivan Calandra
GEGENAA – EA 3795, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, 51100 Reims, France
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  • For correspondence: calandra.ivan@gmail.com
Karol Zub
Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230 Białowiez˙a, Poland
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Paulina A. Szafrańska
Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230 Białowiez˙a, Poland
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Andrzej Zalewski
Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230 Białowiez˙a, Poland
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Gildas Merceron
iPHEP UMR 7262, CNRS & Université de Poitiers, 86073 Poitiers, France
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ABSTRACT

Plant–herbivore interactions are hypothesized to drive vole population cycles through the grazing-induced production of phytoliths in leaves. Phytoliths act as mechanical defences because they deter herbivory and lower growth rates in mammals. However, how phytoliths impair herbivore performance is still unknown. Here, we tested whether the amount of phytoliths changes tooth wear patterns. If confirmed, abrasion from phytoliths could play a role in population crashes. We applied dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) to laboratory and wild voles. Lab voles were fed two pelleted diets with differing amounts of silicon, which produced similar dental textures. This was most probably due to the loss of food mechanical properties through pelletization and/or the small difference in silicon concentration between diets. Wild voles were trapped in Poland during spring and summer, and every year across a population cycle. In spring, voles feed on silica-rich monocotyledons, while in the summer they also include silica-depleted dicotyledons. This was reflected in the results; the amount of silica therefore leaves a traceable record in the dental microwear texture of voles. Furthermore, voles from different phases of population cycles have different microwear textures. We tentatively propose that these differences result from grazing-induced phytolith concentrations. We hypothesize that the high amount of phytoliths in response to intense grazing in peak years may result in malocclusion and other dental abnormalities, which would explain how these silicon-based plant defences help provoke population crashes. DMTA could then be used to reconstruct vole population dynamics using teeth from pellets or palaeontological material.

FOOTNOTES

  • Competing interests

    The authors declare no competing or financial interests.

  • Author contributions

    K.Z., P.A.S., A.Z. and G.M. designed the study. P.A.S. performed the feeding experiments. K.Z. and A.Z. prepared the specimens. I.C. and G.M. performed DMTA, analysed the data and wrote the manuscript. K.Z., P.A.S. and A.Z. helped draft the manuscript and gave final approval for publication.

  • Funding

    This study was financed by the Project ANR TRIDENT (ANR-13-JSV7-0008-01, PI: G.M.).

  • Supplementary information

    Supplementary information available online at http://jeb.biologists.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1242/jeb.134890/-/DC1

  • Received November 18, 2015.
  • Accepted December 6, 2015.
  • © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd
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Keywords

  • Arvicolinae
  • Dental microwear texture analysis
  • Feeding experiments
  • Phytoliths
  • Plant–herbivore interactions
  • Population cycles

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Research Article
Silicon-based plant defences, tooth wear and voles
Ivan Calandra, Karol Zub, Paulina A. Szafrańska, Andrzej Zalewski, Gildas Merceron
Journal of Experimental Biology 2016 219: 501-507; doi: 10.1242/jeb.134890
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Research Article
Silicon-based plant defences, tooth wear and voles
Ivan Calandra, Karol Zub, Paulina A. Szafrańska, Andrzej Zalewski, Gildas Merceron
Journal of Experimental Biology 2016 219: 501-507; doi: 10.1242/jeb.134890

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