Temporal dynamic of parasite‐mediated linkages between the forest canopy and soil processes and the microbial community

Mellado, Ana; Morillas, Lourdes; Gallardo, Antonio; Zamora, Regino

doi:10.1111/nph.13984

Cited by 28 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(99 reference statements)

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“…Soil heterotrophic microbial communities tended to become more abundant and functionally even beneath Pinus nigra trees that were parasitized by mistletoe ( Viscum album subsp. austriacum ) than beneath nonparasitized trees (Mellado, Morillas, Gallardo, & Zamora, ). In contrast, parasitism by C. campestris on Mikania caused a decrease in soil microbial biomass and altered functional diversity of soil microbial communities underneath the invader (Li et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A native parasitic plant and soil microorganisms facilitate a native plant co‐occurrence with an invasive plant

Oduor

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Invasive plants often interact with antagonists that include native parasitic plants and pathogenic soil microbes, which may reduce fitness of the invaders. However, to date, most of the studies on the ecological consequences of antagonistic interactions between invasive plants and the resident biota focused only on pairwise interactions. A full understanding of invasion dynamics requires studies that test the effects of multiple antagonists on fitness of invasive plants and co‐occurring native plants. Here, we used an invasive plant Mikania micrantha , a co‐occurring native plant Coix lacryma‐jobi, and a native holoparasitic plant Cuscuta campestris to test whether parasitism on M. micrantha interacts with soil fungi and bacteria to reduce fitness of the invader and promote growth of the co‐occurring native plant. In a factorial setup, M. micrantha and C. lacryma‐jobi were grown together in pots in the presence versus absence of parasitism on M. micrantha by C. campestris and in the presence versus absence of full complements of soil bacteria and fungi. Fungicide and bactericide were used to suppress soil fungi and bacteria, respectively. Findings show that heavy parasitism by C. campestris caused the greatest reduction in M. micrantha biomass when soil fungi and bacteria were suppressed. In contrast, the co‐occurring native plant C. lacryma‐jobi experienced the greatest increase in biomass when grown with heavily parasitized M. micrantha and in the presence of a full complement of soil fungi and bacteria. Taken together, our results suggest that selective parasitism on susceptible invasive plants by native parasitic plants and soil microorganisms may diminish competitive ability of invasive plants and facilitate native plant coexistence with invasive plants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A native parasitic plant and soil microorganisms facilitate a native plant co‐occurrence with an invasive plant

Oduor

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…In Spain, a total of 617 species or subspecies are catalogued as threatened, of which only 116 are arthropods (IUCN, 2016), undoubtedly mainly due to a lack of information. This work clearly exemplifi es the mismatch between considering mistletoe as a pest that needs to be controlled vs. a keystone species providing new opportunities for novel species (Mellado & Zamora, 2015;Mellado et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By consuming plant resources, mistletoes are effectively functioning as herbivores (Pennings & Callaway, 2002), with the important functional distinction that they can also compete with host plants for light. By doing so, mistletoes provide new pathways for plant-plant (Fisher et al, 2013;Graffi s & Kneitel, 2015) and plant-animal interactions in forest ecosystems (Watson, 2015;Mellado et al, 2016). For example, the presence of mistletoes growing on the branches of trees may introduce a novel niche within the canopy and increase …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do the arthropod communities on a parasitic plant and its hosts differ?

Lázaro‐González¹,

Hódar²,

Zamora³

2017

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. Parasitic plants growing on tree branches may be a novel niche and phytoresource for arthropods. The spatial continuity between hosts and their parasites in canopies might provide a homogeneous environment for arthropod communities, but differences in mistletoe leaves and host needles could be exploited by different species of arthropods. Therefore, it is important to determine insect-community assemblages in order to discover the role of parasitic plants as a different habitat for arthropods. Thus, we aim to evaluate the level of similarity between the arthropod community on mistletoe (Viscum album) and that on its two principal pine hosts, Black pine (Pinus nigra) and Scots pine (P. sylvestris), on a Mediterranean mountain. Our results reveal that, irrespective of the species of pine host, V. album has a stable, independent and simple arthropod trophic web, composed mainly of two specialist hemipteran herbivores, Cacopsylla visci (Psyllidae) and Pinalitus viscicola (Miridae), and a hemipteran predator, Anthocoris visci (Anthocoridae). Despite this, the composition of the arthropod communities differed signifi cantly on both host species, with a greater richness and diversity on Scots than Black pine and these differences are not refl ected in the community on mistletoe. Overall, we conclude that, although Viscum album is considered to be a pest of pine, its presence increases the heterogeneity of the forest canopy by providing a novel habitat for a new and specifi c community of arthropods. In addition, this is a new record for and most probably an extension of the southernmost limit of the known geographical distribution of the arthropod community inhabiting V. album.

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“…These negative effects of mistletoe on pines prove especially stressful at a site such as Sierra de Baza, with poor soils (Mellado et al. ) and a severe summer drought, where high mistletoe load inevitably leads to the death of the pine (Mellado and Zamora ). When the parasitism is not yet massive, although the pine remains alive, it already shows changes that negatively affect the herbivores that feed on the pine.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mistletoe generates non‐trophic and trait‐mediated indirect interactions through a shared host of herbivore consumers

2019

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Indirect interactions emerge among a wide range of herbivores sharing the same plant resource. Consumers usually belong to different trophic guilds, from folivores and sapsuckers to parasitic plants. We propose that mistletoes parasitizing pines could play a key role acting as herbivores on host pines and coming indirectly into competition with other herbivores feeding on the same host. Changes caused by mistletoes on its host have been well studied, but its effects running across trophic webs remain unrevealed. In this study, we investigate the effect of European mistletoe (Viscum album subsp. austriacum) on the host‐feeding herbivores via trait‐mediated indirect interactions (TMIIs) across their shared pine host (Pinus nigra subsp. salzmannii). We performed field and laboratory experiments, and analyzed the net effect of different mistletoe parasite loads on three host‐phytophagous species: the sapsucker Cinara pini (Aphididae), the winter folivore Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Thaumetopoeidae), and the summer folivore Brachyderes sp. (Curculionidae), all being members of different functional feeding groups (FFGs). We summarize the mistletoe–host–herbivore interactions by means of a TMII, where mistletoe parasitism causes non‐trophic links and detrimental indirect interactions on pine‐feeding herbivores across its shared host, suggesting a worsening of host quality as food. These indirect interactions vary according to three parameters. First, the intensity has a non‐proportional relation with parasite load, showing an impact threshold on highly parasitized pines. Second, the movement capacity of insect herbivores determines their response, by decreasing the abundance of herbivores with low movement ability (aphids and pine processionary caterpillars) while altering the behavior (plant selection) of more mobile herbivores (pine weevils). Finally, FFG determines the intensity of mistletoe parasitism effects, folivores being more responsive than sapsuckers. Overall, mistletoe generates non‐trophic interaction linkages in the forest able to modify community structure by becoming a nexus of the entire herbivore community of the pine canopy.

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Temporal dynamic of parasite‐mediated linkages between the forest canopy and soil processes and the microbial community

Cited by 28 publications

References 70 publications

A native parasitic plant and soil microorganisms facilitate a native plant co‐occurrence with an invasive plant

A native parasitic plant and soil microorganisms facilitate a native plant co‐occurrence with an invasive plant

Do the arthropod communities on a parasitic plant and its hosts differ?

Mistletoe generates non‐trophic and trait‐mediated indirect interactions through a shared host of herbivore consumers

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