EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Grasses and grazers have evolved mutualism to an extent that one group would not have been possible without the other. The recent discovery (Dyer 1980) that saliva produced by grazers stimulates grass growth is interpreted as a mutualistic adaptation by which both grass and grazer benefit.

Detailed explanation-2: -Grazer urine and faeces “recycle nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other plant nutrients and return them to the soil". Grazing can reduce the accumulation of litter (organic matter) in some seasons and areas, but can also increase it, which may help to combat soil erosion.

Detailed explanation-3: -Mutualism: In mutualistic interactions, both species benefit from the interaction. A classic example of mutualism is the relationship between insects that pollinate plants and the plants that provide those insects with nectar or pollen.

Detailed explanation-4: -Grass leaves are called blades and they attach at the nodes. The leaves wrap around the culm before they start to stick out. The part that wraps around the culm is called the sheath and the part that sticks out is called the blade. Grasses have flowers that grow in a structure called a spikelet.