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111 results for “mistletoe”
Fig. 1 in Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study
Fig. 1. Longitudinal section through the tissues of the host tree (Tilia cordata) and European mistletoe (Viscum album): A–A1 — section through intact tissues of mistletoe and host tree; B–B1, CC1 — section through infest- ed by xylophagous insects' tissues of mistletoe and host tree; D–D1 — section through infested by xylophagous insects' mistletoe tissue. A–D — sections in the original colors, A1–D1 — sections in the false colors. Labels: a (red) — xylophagous insects' galleries; b (pink) — wood of the host tree; c (orange) — bark and phloem of the host tree; d (yellow) — mistletoe wood; e (green) — bark and phloem of mistletoe; f (grey) — the external surface of plants.
Data for Diniz et al. (2022) Changing the main course: strong bat visitation to the ornithophilous mistletoe Psittacanthus robustus (Loranthaceae) in a Neotropical savanna (Biotropica)
<p>The Neotropical genus <i>Psittacanthus</i> comprises mostly specialized ornithophilous mistletoes, with rare exceptions. <i>Psittacanthus robustus </i>is a common ornithophilous species from the South American savannas whose bright-yellow flowers secrete copious diluted nectar. Due to a three-day-long anthesis and a short, non-restrictive floral tube, we suggest that the species also serves as a resource for flower-visiting bats. In a Cerrado area in central Brazil, we investigated the usage of the species by bats through systematic bat captures for pollen sampling, its nocturnal nectar secretion dynamics, mating system, and the relative dependence on diurnal and nocturnal pollinators for reproduction. Nine phyllostomid bat species visited <i>P. robustus</i>. Up to 50% of pollen samples from bats contained the species<i> </i>during peak flowering, equating or surpassing the prevalence of chiropterophilous species and representing roughly a third of the floral resources consumed by specialized nectarivores <i>Glossophaga soricina </i>and <i>Anoura caudifer</i>. Flowers actively produced nectar at night with volume and concentration values in the ideal ranges for bat consumption. Nectar is continuously secreted after sunset and accumulates in the absence of visitors. <i>Psittacanthus robustus </i>is self-compatible but seeds are set mostly by diurnal visitors. Nocturnal animals had a low and secondary contribution to plant fitness. This is the second report of bat pollination for the genus <i>Psittacanthus</i>, and the largest assemblage of bat visitors for the family Loranthaceae. Although ornithophilous, <i>P. robustus </i>is an important resource for bats in the Brazilian savanna, potentially representing a mixed or early transitional state towards bat pollination.</p>
Data for Diniz et al. (2022) Changing the main course: strong bat visitation to the ornithophilous mistletoe Psittacanthus robustus (Loranthaceae) in a Neotropical savanna (Biotropica)
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Host spatial structure and disperser activity determine mistletoe infection patterns
<p><span>What processes and factors are responsible for species distribution are long-standing questions in ecology and a key element for conservation and management. Mistletoes provide the opportunity to study a forest species whose occurrence is expected to be constrained by multiple factors as a consequence of their life form. We studied the mistletoe <i>Tristerix corymbosus</i> (Loranthaceae) on its most common hosts species in northwest Patagonia. The seeds of this mistletoe are almost exclusively dispersed by the small arboreal and endemic marsupial <i>Dromiciops gliroides</i> (Microbiotheridae). We assessed the underlying causes of plant spatial patterns through point pattern analysis and we used different variables that characterize the neighborhood around each host to analyze the relative effect of host availability, potential for disperser movement, and canopy light conditions. We found that potential hosts were strongly aggregated and that the three most common host species were distributed independent of each other. Considering all host species together, infected and non-infected host were individually aggregated but segregated from each other. The aggregated pattern of infected hosts could be explained in part by the template of potential hosts distribution, but was subsequently modulated by the activity of the mistletoe disperser. Potential for disperser movement, the proximity to reproductive mistletoes and habitat complexity, increased mistletoe infection probability. However, neighboring host availability decreased mistletoe infection probability, and tree DBH (used as surrogate for light conditions) had no detectable effect. Our results suggested that the distribution of mistletoe infection was determined by the structure of potential host populations and by the marsupial disperser activity. Compared to bird dispersed mistletoes, the scale of the infection was smaller and the proximity to reproductive mistletoes and habitat complexity were important for seed arrival and infection. The interplay between landscape structure and disperser activity determine the spatial structure of mistletoe future generations. </span></p>
Data from: Effects of mistletoe (Phoradendron villosum) on California oaks
Mistletoes are a widespread group of plants often considered to be hemiparasitic, having detrimental effects on growth and survival of their hosts. We studied the effects of the Pacific mistletoe Phoradendron villosum, a member of a largely autotrophic genus, on three species of deciduous California oaks. We found no effects of mistletoe presence on radial growth or survivorship and detected a significant positive relationship between mistletoe and acorn production. This latter result is potentially explained by the tendency of Phoradendron villosum to be present on larger trees growing in nitrogen-rich soils or, alternatively, by a preference for healthy, acorn-producing trees by birds that potentially disperse mistletoe. Our results indicate that the negative consequences of Phoradendron presence on their hosts are negligible—this species resembles an epiphyte more than a parasite—and outweighed by the important ecosystem services mistletoe provides.
Mistletoes could moderate drought impacts on woodland birds, but are themselves susceptible to drought-induced dieback
<p>Mistletoes are hemiparasitic plants and keystone species in many ecosystems globally. Given predicted increases in drought frequency and intensity, mistletoes may be crucial for moderating drought impacts on community structure. Dependent on host vascular flows, mistletoes can succumb to stress when water availability falls, making them susceptible to mortality during drought. We counted mistletoe across >350,000 km<sup>2</sup> of south-eastern Australia and conducted standardised bird surveys between 2016 and 2021, spanning a major drought event in 2018-19. We aimed to identify predictors of mistletoe abundance and mortality and determine whether mistletoes might moderate drought impacts on woodland birds. Live mistletoe abundance varied with tree species composition, land use and presence of mistletoebirds. Mistletoe mortality was widespread, consistent with high 2018/19 summer temperatures, low 2019/20 summer rainfall and the interaction between summer temperatures and rainfall in 2019/20. The positive association between surviving mistletoes and woodland birds was greatest in the peak drought breeding seasons of 2018/19 and 2019/20, particularly for small residents and insectivores. Paradoxically, mistletoes could moderate drought impacts on birds, but are themselves vulnerable to drought-induced mortality. An improved understanding of the drivers and dynamics of mistletoe mortality is needed to address potential cascading trophic impacts associated with mistletoe die-off.</p>
Gut passage in frugivores enhances the germination of mistletoe seeds Bakerella gonoclada, in a Madagascar rainforest
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Host spatial structure and disperser activity determine mistletoe infection patterns
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Mistletoes could moderate drought impacts on woodland birds, but are themselves susceptible to drought-induced dieback
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Data from: Effects of mistletoe (Phoradendron villosum) on California oaks
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Examining the needle in the haystack: Evolutionary relationships in the mistletoe genus Loranthus Jacq. (Loranthaceae)
<p>The genus <i>Loranthus</i> Jacq. (Loranthaceae) consists of ca. nine Old World species distributed from eastern Asia to Europe. <i>Loranthus</i>, the type of the family, has had a complex taxonomic history that continues today, partly because most mistletoes in the family have resided in this genus. For this reason, there are over 1800 <i>Loranthus</i> species names, the vast majority of which are synonyms for mistletoes in other genera. The present work sampled representatives of nine species considered bona fide members of the genus. Using complete plastome sequences, nuclear ribosomal DNA, and mitochondrial 26S rDNA, phylogenetic gene trees were generated to assess interspecific relationships. The <i>Loranthus</i> plastomes ranged in size from 121 to 125 kb and exhibited the quadripartite structure seen in most Santalales. These plastomes have lost or pseudogenized 24 genes, including all of the NADH dehydrogenase complex, thus reducing the genomes to ca. 90 functional genes. Cladistic analyses of morphological characters were conducted and these trees compared to the molecular trees, thus informing which taxonomic characters best define clades and characterize species within the genus. Two major clades in <i>Loranthus</i> were identified. The Europaeus clade includes the deciduous species <i>L. europaeus</i>, <i>L. grewingkii</i>, <i>L. lambertianus</i>, and <i>L. tanakae</i> mostly distributed above 30˚ N latitude. The Odoratus clade, mostly distributed below 30˚ N latitude, included <i>L. guizhouensis</i>, <i>L. kaoi</i>, <i>L. odoratus</i>, and <i>L. pseudo-odoratus</i>. The latter four species are genetically closely related, show percurrent (vs. pseudo-dichotomous) branching, and have evergreen leaves. Unisexual flowers have apparently evolved independently in each of the two clades. Future work should focus upon the species delimitation in the Odoratus clade and whether hybridization is occurring among any members.</p>
Data from: Phylogeography and population differentiation in the Psittacanthus calyculatus (Loranthaceae) mistletoe: a complex scenario of climate-volcanism interaction along the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Aim The formation of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) played an important role in driving inter- and intraspecific diversification at high elevations. However, Pleistocene climate changes and ecological factors might also contribute to plant genetic structuring along the volcanic belt. Here, we analysed phylogeographic patterns of the parrot-mistletoe Psittacanthus calyculatus to determine the relative contribution of these different factors. Location Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Methods Using nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence data for 370 individuals, we investigate the genetic differentiation of 35 populations across the species range. We conducted phylogenetic, population and spatial genetic analyses of P. calyculatus sequences along with ecological niche modelling and Bayesian inference methods to gain insight into the structuring of genetic variation of these populations. Results Our analyses revealed population structure with three genetic groups corresponding to individuals from Oaxaca and those from the central-eastern and western TMVB regions. A significant genetic signal of demographic expansion, an east-to-west expansion predicted by species distribution modelling, and approximate Bayesian computation analyses strongly supported a scenario of habitat isolation and invasion of TMVB by P. calyculatus during the late-Pleistocene. Main conclusions The genetic differentiation of P. calyculatus may be explained by the combined effects of (i) geographical isolation linked to the effects of the glacial/interglacial cycles and environmental factors, driving genetic differentiation from congeners into more xeric vegetation and (ii) the invasion of TMVB from east to west, suggesting a role for both colonization and glacial/interglacial cycles models.
Data from: Host cues mediate growth and establishment of oak mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum, Viscaceae), an aerial parasitic plant.
The oak mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum, Viscaceae) is well-documented to exhibit preference for a few potential host species in a given locality, even when many potential host species are present. In trying to explain this distribution, we examined the mechanisms by which mistletoe seedlings recognize potentially suitable hosts in the Piney Woods ecoregion of east Texas. An initial survey of patterns of infection on the campus of Sam Houston State University revealed that water oak (Quercus nigra) was host to nearly half of the mistletoes observed, despite comprising less than 15% of trees surveyed. Field experiments demonstrated that light, host physiochemistry, and volatiles released from potential host trees serve as cues affecting the viability and establishment of mistletoe seedlings. These results provoked further study in controlled laboratory settings, in which it was demonstrated that chemical compounds in the bark of local host trees (compared to trees that serve as hosts elsewhere, but not in our survey) induce significantly although slightly greater seedling viability. Establishment of haustoria depended only on the presence of these chemicals, regardless of host species. Importantly, we demonstrated that three common monoterpenes, limonene, β-myrcene, and β-phellandrene induce a positive growth response of mistletoe radicles. These results taken together suggest a model to explain local host preference in P. leucarpum, in which covariation between mistletoe fruit maturity and monoterpene production by hosts determines the distribution of successful haustorial establishment.
Data from: Metapopulation dynamics of the mistletoe and its host in savanna areas with different fire occurrence
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.
Data from: Divergent effects of forest edges on host distribution and seed disperser activity influence mistletoe distribution and recruitment
1. Species interactions define functional diversity and community stability across ecosystems, and depend on the spatial distribution, the habitat requirements, and the sensitivity to disturbances of all interacting partners. Hence, assessing the effects of such anthropogenic disturbances on multi-species interactions may be essential to improve adaptation and mitigation measures for biodiversity conservation. 2. We determined the importance of edge effects on the interaction and distribution of three keystone species in South American temperate rainforests: the hemiparasitic mistletoe Tristerix corymbosus, its main host (the liana Campsidium valdivianum) and its only seed disperser (the marsupial Dromiciops gliroides). 3. The discordant impacts of forest edges on host (positive) and seed disperser (negative) affected mistletoe distribution at large spatial scales, owing to the combined effects of increased dispersal limitation and decreased host availability. More importantly, marsupial abundance had contrasting effects on mistletoe abundance at small and large spatial scales – suggesting a potential trade-off between local and long-distance dispersal. 4. We found the number of adult mistletoes per host increased with host size, which likely indicates that mistletoe colonization accumulated over the host's life-span. However, the number of juveniles found per host peaked at medium-sized hosts, increased with marsupial abundance and host availability and showed a negligible response to edges. 5. Synthesis: The lack of spatial congruence between host and seed disperser probably explains the scarcity of mistletoes in the study area, although the discordant drivers of juvenile and adult distributions suggest that there is a trade-off between recruitment patterns but also potential dispersal limitation at small scales. In essence, the interdependence among species linked by (mutualistic and antagonistic) interactions makes them more sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance, exacerbating its impact on the diversity and functioning of forest ecosystems.
Data from: Reproductive ecology and isolation of Psittacanthus calyculatus and P. auriculatus mistletoes (Loranthaceae)
Background: Relationships between floral biology and pollinator behavior are important to understanding species diversity of hemiparasitic Psittacanthus mistletoes (c. 120 species). We aimed to investigate trait divergence linked to pollinator attraction and reproductive isolation (RI) in two hummingbird-pollinated and bird-dispersed Psittacanthus species with range overlap. Methods: We investigated the phylogenetic relationships, floral biology, pollinator assemblages, seed dispersers and host usage, and the breeding system and female reproductive success of two sympatric populations of P. calyculatus and P. auriculatus, and one allopatric population of P. calyculatus. Flowers in sympatry were also reciprocally pollinated to assess a post-mating component of RI. Results: Hummingbird assemblages differed between calyculatus populations, while allopatric plants of calyculatus opened more but smaller flowers with longer lifespans and produced less nectar than those in sympatry. Bayesian-based phylogenetic analysis indicated monophyly for calyculatus populations (i.e. both populations belong to the same species). In sympatry, calyculatus plants opened more and larger flowers with longer lifespans and produced same nectar volume than those of auriculatus; populations shared pollinators but seed dispersers and host usage differed between species. Nectar standing crops differed between sympatric populations, with lower visitation in calyculatus. Hand pollination experiments indicated a predominant outcrossing breeding system, with fruit set after interspecific pollination two times higher from calyculatus to auriculatus than in the opposite direction. Conclusions: Given the low genetic differentiation between calyculatus populations, observed trait divergence could have resulted from changes regarding the local communities of pollinators and, therefore, expected divergence for peripheral, allopatric populations. Using RI estimates, there were fewer heterospecific matings than expected by chance in P. calyculatus (RI4A = 0.629) as compared to P. auriculatus (RI4A = 0.20). When considering other factors of ecological isolation that affect co-occurrence, the RI4C values indicate that isolation by hummingbird pollinators was less effective (0.20) than isolation by host tree species and seed dispersers (0.80 and 0.60, respectively), suggesting that host usage is the most important ecological isolation factor between the two species. Accordingly, the absolute and relative cumulative strength values indicated that the host tree species' barrier is currently contributing the most to maintaining these species in sympatry.
Data from: Influence of Pleistocene glacial/interglacial cycles on the genetic structure of the mistletoe cactus Rhipsalis baccifera (Cactaceae) in Mesoamerica
Phylogeographical work on cloud forest-adapted species provides inconsistent evidence on cloud forest dynamics during glacial cycles. A study of Rhipsalis baccifera (Cactaceae), a bird-dispersed epiphytic mistletoe cactus, was conducted to investigate genetic variation at sequence data from nuclear [internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 677 bp] and chloroplast (rpl32-trnL, 1092bp) DNA for 154 individuals across the species range in Mesoamerica to determine if such patterns are consistent with the expansion/contraction model of cloud forest during glacial cycles. We conducted population and spatial genetic analyses as well as gene flow and divergence time estimates between 24 populations comprising the distribution of R. baccifera in Mexico and Guatemala to gain insight of the evolutionary history of these populations, and a complementary species distribution modeling approach to frame information derived from the genetic analyses into an explicit paleoecological context. The results revealed a phylogeographical break at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and high levels of genetic diversity among populations and cloud forest areas. Despite the genetic differentiation of some R. baccifera populations, the widespread ITS ribotypes suggest effective nuclear gene flow via pollen and population differentiation shown by the rpl32-trnL suggests more restricted seed flow. Predictions of species distribution models under past last glacial maximum (LGM) climatic conditions and a significant signal of demographic expansion suggest that R. baccifera populations experienced a range expansion tracking the conditions of the cloud forest distribution and shifted to the lowlands with population connectivity during the LGM.
FIGURE 5 in Scale insect fauna (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) of New Zealand's pygmy mistletoes (Korthalsella: Viscaceae) with description of three new species: Leucaspis albotecta, L. trilobata (Diaspididae) and Eriococcus korthalsellae (Eriococcidae)
FIGURE 5. Leucaspis trilobata Henderson sp. nov., adult female. Pupillarium with vignette of dorsal sclerotisation pattern.
FIGURE 2 in Scale insect fauna (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) of New Zealand's pygmy mistletoes (Korthalsella: Viscaceae) with description of three new species: Leucaspis albotecta, L. trilobata (Diaspididae) and Eriococcus korthalsellae (Eriococcidae)
FIGURE 2. Leucaspis albotecta Henderson sp. nov., adult female. Pupillarium with vignette of dorsal sclerotisation pattern.
FIGURE 1 in Scale insect fauna (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) of New Zealand's pygmy mistletoes (Korthalsella: Viscaceae) with description of three new species: Leucaspis albotecta, L. trilobata (Diaspididae) and Eriococcus korthalsellae (Eriococcidae)
FIGURE 1. New Zealand Korthalsella species in life. A, young fruiting K. clavata parasitic on Coprosma propinqua; B, flowering K. salicornioides parasitic on Leptospermum scoparium; C. fruiting K. lindsayi parasitic on Melicope simplex; D, Leucaspis trilobata sp. nov. on K. lindsayi.
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