Abstract
Parasitic plants are important sources of stress and can strongly impact their host plants through direct and indirect associations with other herbivores and their associated organisms. In the tropics, mistletoes are frequent parasitic plants, influencing different trophic levels involved with the host plant. Here, we investigated the direct and indirect influences of multiple partners involved in interactions between the mistletoe Psittachantus robustus and its host tree, Vochysia thyrsoidea. More specifically, we assessed if the presence of the mistletoe modified herbivory levels of its host by altering the diversity of associated insects. We found that insect feeding guild modulated mistletoe influence on insect community, and there were fewer species and individuals of leaf-chewing insects in parasitized than non-parasitized trees. Despite this decrease in leaf-chewing insects, there were increased levels of herbivory in parasitized plants. Mistletoes’ presence did not influence the hemipteran sap-sucking insects, but this herbivore guild directly responded to the abundance of their associated ants. Overall, our study found empirical support for the crucial role of mistletoes on their host-associated organisms, ultimately shaping the herbivory levels of their tree hosts. By exposing the distinct effects of the different partners involved, our results shed light on the intricated interactions mediated by parasitic plants, opening the path for new investigations.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their insights, and Tadeu Guerra for presenting us with this amazing study system. We would like to thank also the Reserva Vellozia, GSG, and Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó for logistical support.
Funding
This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for funding the Long-Term Ecological Research (PELD Campos Rupestres da Serra do Cipó) and by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais FAPEMIG. FC received a postdoc scholarship from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). FSN received funding from CNPq (306995/2019–0). PAPA received a postdoc scholarship from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, Proc. # 2017/26243–8).
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Matheus de Morais Belchior Couto, Flávio de Carvalho Camarota, Pablo A. P. Antiqueira, and Frederico de Siqueira Neves. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Matheus de Morais Belchior Couto and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Belchior, M.M., Camarota, F., Antiqueira, P.A.P. et al. A neotropical mistletoe influences herbivory of its host plant by driving changes in the associated insect community. Sci Nat 109, 27 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-022-01798-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-022-01798-6