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Effects of simulated shoot and leaf herbivory on vegetative growth and plant defense in Acacia drepanolobium

Plants have considerable ability to respond to herbivory, both with (above-ground) regrowth and with increased defense. We simulated both leaf and shoot herbivory in controlled, replicated experiments on individuals of Acacia drepanolobium in Laikipia, Kenya. These experiments were carried out on individuals that had experienced different, experimentally controlled histories of large mammalian herbivory. Both forms of simulated herbivory were associated with compensatory regrowth. Branches whose shoots had been removed grew significantly more over the next year than paired control branches,

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Symbiotic ants as an alternative defense against giraffe herbivory in spinescent Acacia drepanolobium

We explore here the occurrence of aggressive ants in an apparently symbiotic relationship with the savanna tree Acacia drepanolobium and their effects on giraffe herbivory on the Athi-Kapiti Plains, Kenya. Trees taller than 1.3 m were more likely to be occupied by aggressive ants in the genus Crematogaster than were shorter trees. Ants were concentrated on shoot tips, the plant parts preferred by giraffes. Trees with relatively more foliage had more swarming ants than did trees with less foliage. The feeding behavior of individual

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Giraffe Pica Behavior And Pathology As Indicators Of Nutritional Stress

Geophagia and osteophagia were a common feature of the feeding routine of the southern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) during the months from April to November. Osteophagia occurred at approximately the same frequency in adults and sub-adults. However, geophagia was primarily exhibited by sub-adult giraffe. The acts of geophagia and osteophagia were carried out by an identical set of search, accusative, and gratification behaviors. Kidney stones and associated cortical and medullary lesions were observed in 29 percent of the 75 adult

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Development of the Giraffe Horn and Its Blood Supply

The giraffe horn is an unusual cranial exostosis that lacks clear delineation and categorization as either horn or antler. The distinction between the two is made by contrasting their methods of development and basic composition. This process of development has not been detailed in the giraffe, a factor contributing to the difficulty in distinguishing the classification of these horns. In a chronological series of giraffe horns from prenatal and postnatal animals, we have observed unique morphologies that define their proper

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Equine Herpesvirus Type 9 in Giraffe with Encephalitis

Herpesviruses have been isolated from many mammals. Herpesvirus infection in natural hosts is often mild and is usually followed by a latent infection; however, cross-species herpesvirus infections cause severe and fatal diseases. These findings may explain why the giraffe had lesions while the zebras in the same enclosure did not. Outcome: The fact the zebras were apparently healthy and seropositive for EHV-1 raises the possibility that the virus was reactivated and shed by one of the zebras, resulting in systemic

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