Evolution of terrestrial herbivory: nutrient stoichiometry, body size, and dietary diversity
C. Kevin Boyce
Abstract:Direct fossil preservation of leaf damage, arthropod mouthparts, and vertebrate teeth has understandably led to a focus on oral processing of plant material when considering the evolution of herbivory in deep time. Here, nutrient stoichiometry is advocated as an important alternative constraint on the evolution of herbivory. Most life possesses C:N ratios of approximately 7:1, but uniquely among land plants, that ratio can be skewed to 1,000:1 in some tissues due to the abundance of cell wall structural polyme… Show more
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