Abstract:
Mammalian herbivores browse palatable plants of ecological and
economical value. Undesirable neighbours can reduce browsing to these
plants by providing ‘associational refuge’, but they can also compete for
resources. Here we recreated the informative odour emitted by undesirable
plants. We then tested whether this odour could act as virtual neighbours,
providing browsing refuge to palatable eucalyptus tree seedlings. We found
that protection using this method was equivalent to protection provided by
real plants. Palatable seedlings were 17–20 times more likely to be eaten by
herbivores without virtual, or real, neighbours. Because many herbivores
use plant odour to forage, virtual neighbours could provide a useful
practical management approach to help protect valued plants.
