Host preference of the hemiparasite Struthanthus flexicaulis (Loranthaceae) in ironstone outcrop plant communities, southeast Brazil

Autor: Fabiana Alves Mourão, Rafael Barros Pereira Pinheiro, Claudia Maria Jacobi, José Eugênio Côrtes Figueira
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Acta Botânica Brasílica, Vol 30, Iss 1, Pp 41-46 (2016)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1677-941X
0102-3306
DOI: 10.1590/0102-33062015abb0177
Popis: Struthanthus flexicaulis is a hemiparasite abundant in ironstone outcrops in southeast Brazil. We evaluated its host preference among species of the plant community, taking into account the abundance and foliage cover of the hosts. The importance of each species in the community and the mortality caused by the parasite were assessed based on a quantitative survey in 10 strips measuring 1m x 50m. The 10,290 individuals belonged to 42 species. Only 15 had a relative abundance in the plant community greater than 1%, of which 12 showed vestiges of parasitism. More than 80% of deaths in the community were associated with parasitism. Non-infected individuals had significantly less mortality rates (7%) than those infected (83%) (²= 1102.4, df = 1, p < 0.001). The observed infestation was different from the expected both regarding relative host abundance (²= 714.2, df = 11, p
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