Plants would have responded to the arrival of honey-eating birds about 50 million years ago to encourage the more-efficient pollinator. "[But] by changing their morphology and shape they became more vulnerable to animals such as emus and cockatoos," he said. Lamont accepts much of the paper's theories have not been truly tested. "We haven't really shown the spiny leaves stop emus and cockatoos and we haven't really shown the cyanide makes the herbivores sick," he said. Proving these points is the next step in the research. This will include making molds of animal heads, which when pushed into the foliage will detect whether the animal is prickled or deterred by the spikes. Related Links: |
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