Summary
The L. corniculatus populations at Porthdafarch are polymorphic for the characters of leaf cyanogenesis, petal cyanogenesis and keel petal colour. Plants with cyanogenic leaves and petals occur less frequently on the sea cliffs than inland and previous studies have obtained circumstantial evidence of a link between the cline in leaf cyanogenesis and the distribution of selectively grazing molluscs. Counts of leaf and petal damage have confirmed that plants on the cliffs are grazed less heavily than those growing inland and have demonstrated that individuals with acyanogenic leaves or petals are liable to be chewed more heavily than their cyanogenic neighbours. Most of the damage was attributable to feeding by molluscs and it is concluded that herbivorous insects have only a minor role in the maintenance of the clines.
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Compton, S., Beesley, S. & Jones, D. On the polymorphism of cyanogenesis in Lotus corniculatus L. IX. Selective herbivory in natural populations at Porthdafarch, Anglesey. Heredity 51, 537–548 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1983.69
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1983.69
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