Fire and Host Abundance as Determinants of the Distribution of Three Congener and Sympatric Mistletoes in an Amazonian Savanna

Fadini, Rodrigo Ferreira; Lima, Albertina P.

doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2011.00773.x

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…These plants are dispersed primarily by frugivorous birds; dispersal is a critical event for the parasites, since their seeds need to be deposited on the branches and trunks of host plants for successful colonization [5], [6]. Moreover, the distribution of these plants depends on their own physiological tolerance to abiotic factors, since some hemiparasite species are susceptible to frost and fire [7], [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Metapopulation Dynamics of the Mistletoe and Its Host in Savanna Areas with Different Fire Occurrence

2013

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Mistletoes are aerial hemiparasitic plants which occupy patches of favorable habitat (host trees) surrounded by unfavorable habitat and may be possibly modeled as a metapopulation. A metapopulation is defined as a subdivided population that persists due to the balance between colonization and extinction in discrete habitat patches. Our aim was to evaluate the dynamics of the mistletoe Psittacanthus robustus and its host Vochysia thyrsoidea in three Brazilian savanna areas using a metapopulation approach. We also evaluated how the differences in terms of fire occurrence affected the dynamic of those populations (two areas burned during the study and one was fire protected). We monitored the populations at six-month intervals. P. robustus population structure and dynamics met the expected criteria for a metapopulation: i) the suitable habitats for the mistletoe occur in discrete patches; (ii) local populations went extinct during the study and (iii) colonization of previously non-occupied patches occurred. The ratio of occupied patches decreased in all areas with time. Local mistletoe populations went extinct due to two different causes: patch extinction in area with no fire and fire killing in the burned areas. In a burned area, the largest decrease of occupied patch ratios occurred due to a fire event that killed the parasites without, however, killing the host trees. The greatest mortality of V. thyrsoidea occurred in the area without fire. In this area, all the dead trees supported mistletoe individuals and no mortality was observed for parasite-free trees. Because P. robustus is a fire sensitive species and V. thyrsoidea is fire tolerant, P. robustus seems to increase host mortality, but its effect is lessened by periodic burning that reduces the parasite loads.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Australia, changes in fire regimes are affecting spatial patterns of mistletoe diversity and abundance [10]. In Brazilian savannas, Fadini & Lima (2102) showed that the fire effects on the population vary with the mistletoe species, even for sympatric ones [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metapopulation Dynamics of the Mistletoe and Its Host in Savanna Areas with Different Fire Occurrence

2013

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“…Failure at any of these stages reduces the chances for these parasitic plants to complete their life cycles. Many host traits, such as bark thickness, rugosity, xylem resistance and twig size, influence seed adhesion probability and the ability of the mistletoe to penetrate the host tissue and establish a connection to the host vessels, which is essential to the survival of the parasite (Fadini & Lima 2012). Therefore, seed delivery to suitable hosts is a critical stage in mistletoe biology (Reid 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host specificity and experimental assessment of the early establishment of the mistletoe Phoradendron crassifolium (Pohl ex DC.) Eichler (Santalaceae) in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in southeast Brazil

et al. 2014

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Mistletoe establishment relies heavily on a seed reaching a proper host plant. Small frugivorous birds usually disperse large numbers of mistletoe seeds. However, in the field, mistletoes are absent from some potential available hosts. We investigated whether the mistletoe Phoradendron crassifolium has some preferences for specific host trees in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in southeast Brazil. We surveyed 397 tree individuals of 50 species within 25 families. Seven of those species (14%) bore P. crassifolium infections. Although prevalence at the individual level was low (11.6%), there were marked deviations in infection levels among species and families. Most (87%) of the infections (40 of 46) occurred in species belonging to the families Anacardiaceae (Lithraea molleoides and Tapirira guianensis) and Siparunaceae (Siparuna guianensis), which nevertheless accounted for only 26% of the potential individual hosts (103 of 397). We also performed an experiment simulating bird behavior. We inoculated 480 mistletoe seeds to the bark of four potential hosts in field, following the fate of the seeds for five months. No differences in host preference were observed. The low specificity detected at the local level was confirmed by a survey of exsiccata collected over the geographical distribution of the mistletoe, suggesting that P. crassifolium prevalence is more dependent on dispersal limitation than on mistletoe-host compatibility.

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“…The ILEANA ARCE-ACOSTA ET AL. aggregated spatial arrangement can be found in other Psittacanthus species like P. robustus in South East Brazil, (Ferreira-Monteiro et al, 1998;Sales-Teodoro et al, 2010), P. biternatus, P. plagiophyllus and P. eucalyptifolius in North Brazil (Fadini and Lima, 2012).…”

Section: Spatial Aggregation and Association Of Psittacanthus Calyculmentioning

confidence: 92%

Biotic factors associated with the spatial distribution of the mistletoe Psittacanthus calyculatus in a tropical deciduous forest of central Mexico

2016

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Abstract:Psittacanthus calyculatus (Loranthaceae) is a neotropical hemiparasitic mistletoe and one of the most abundant and widely distributed species of the genus. Like most mistletoes, the interaction with its hosts and dispersers are directly related with its distribution and community dynamics. For the last decade, the infested areas in central México have increased, becoming a potential plant health problem. The aim of this study was to investigate three main biotic factors associated with the distribution of P. calyculatus in a tropical deciduous forest: (1) the plant community structure, (2) the host spatial distribution and level of association with P. calyculatus, and (3) bird consumers. Modified Whittaker plots were used to analyze the structure and composition of the plant community, comparing a highly infected mistletoe sites with non-infected sites. The spatial distribution and association of P. calyculatus with its most frequent hosts were calculated through a spatial analysis by distance indices. Study sites differed in plant diversity and species composition, showing a positive relation of mistletoe abundance with low diversity sites. The distance indices analysis presented a clumped distribution of P. calyculatus and Acacia hosts, as well as a high association with leguminous species such as A. farnesiana (X = 0.31, P = 0.0041) and A. schaffneri (X = 0.3977, P = 0.001). Three species consumed P. calyculatus' berries: the Northern mockingbird, the Silky-Flycatcher and the Scott's Oriole. Keywords: dispersers, distance indices, host association, Psittacanthus calyculatus, spatial distribution.Resumen: Psittacanthus calyculatus (Loranthaceae) es un hemiparásito neotropical y uno de los más abundantes y con mayor distribución del género. Como la mayoría de los muérdagos, las interacciones con sus hospederos y dispersores están directamente relacionadas con su distribución y dinámica en la comunidad. En la última década las áreas infectadas se han incrementado, llegando a ser un problema potencial de salud forestal. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron investigar los tres factores bióticos principales asociados a la distribución de P. calyculatus en un bosque tropical caducifolio en la periferia de la ciudad de Querétaro: (1) la estructura de la comunidad vegetal, (2) la distribución espacial y el nivel de asociación de P. calyculatus para con sus hospederos y (3) las aves que consumen los frutos del muérdago Para analizar la estructura y composición de la comunidad vegetal, se comparó un área sin muérdago con un área con numerosos individuos de P. calyculatus con la ayuda de cuadrantes Whittaker. La distribución espacial y los valores de asociación fueron calculados mediante un análisis espacial por índices de distancia. Los sitios difirieron en composición de especies, mostrando una relación entre el muérdago y la importancia de sus hospederos en la comunidad. Se establecieron puntos de observación para registrar a las aves que se alimentaran de los frutos del muérdago. Se observó una distribución ...

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Fire and Host Abundance as Determinants of the Distribution of Three Congener and Sympatric Mistletoes in an Amazonian Savanna

Cited by 15 publications

References 27 publications

Metapopulation Dynamics of the Mistletoe and Its Host in Savanna Areas with Different Fire Occurrence

Metapopulation Dynamics of the Mistletoe and Its Host in Savanna Areas with Different Fire Occurrence

Host specificity and experimental assessment of the early establishment of the mistletoe Phoradendron crassifolium (Pohl ex DC.) Eichler (Santalaceae) in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in southeast Brazil

Biotic factors associated with the spatial distribution of the mistletoe Psittacanthus calyculatus in a tropical deciduous forest of central Mexico

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