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Moose drool can undermine grass defenses

Saliva from big grazing animals sabotages plants’ chemical weaponry

POWER OF DROOL  As moose feed, their slobber may weaken the toxic defenses of certain grasses. 

Veronika Ronkos/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

The slobbering of moose and reindeer as they eat may be big, wet countermeasures against the chemical defenses of grasses.

Some otherwise inviting grasses harbor live-in fungi such as Epichloë species, which can produce strong alkaloid toxins.