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BIRDS HELP TREES GROW TALL
TREE HUGGER - According to a new study by Kailen Mooney, an evolutionary
biologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, insectivorous birds -
chickadees and nuthatches - indirectly helped pine trees grow by up to
33% by feeding on parasitic organisms that sap their resources. They are
voracious consumers of harmful insect species such as caterpillars,
ants, aphids and beetles. In addition, the birds also manage to modify
the trees' "chemical flavor" by upping the amount of terpenes -
chemicals that repel parasites by imparting a foul taste to the trees'
resin. "More than anything, this study underscores the importance of
preserving the ecological communities in the forest and not just the
trees," concluded Mooney.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/birds_to_thank.php
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BIRDS HELP TREES GROW TALL
TREE HUGGER - According to a new study by Kailen Mooney, an evolutionary
biologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, insectivorous birds -
chickadees and nuthatches - indirectly helped pine trees grow by up to
33% by feeding on parasitic organisms that sap their resources. They are
voracious consumers of harmful insect species such as caterpillars,
ants, aphids and beetles. In addition, the birds also manage to modify
the trees' "chemical flavor" by upping the amount of terpenes -
chemicals that repel parasites by imparting a foul taste to the trees'
resin. "More than anything, this study underscores the importance of
preserving the ecological communities in the forest and not just the
trees," concluded Mooney.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/birds_to_thank.php
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