Abstract
ON the Cretaceous plateau that occupies so much of East Devon (800 ft.–900 ft.) beech trees flourish in considerable numbers. The roads crossing the upland are separated from the adjoining enclosures by massive earth banks that are quite remarkable for their breadth and solidity, some being upwards of twelve feet in breadth and six to eight feet in height. On these banks beech trees usually grow, and in some instances form a continuous avenue. Between the roads and the banks are shallow ditches, and in the late spring the bottoms of these ditches are completely green with the first true leaves of seedling beech. None of these come to maturity, as they are browsed off by rabbits. Even in the enclosed ‘rough lands’ beech seedlings exist in abundance, but only where some protective environment occurs does the seedling achieve maturity. The mortality must be enormous.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HARRIS, G. Mortality amongst Plants. Nature 126, 472 (1930). https://doi.org/10.1038/126472b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/126472b0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.