The mistletoe Struthanthus flexicaulis reduces dominance and increases diversity of plants in campo rupestre

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe interaction between hemiparasites and their host plants is an important structuring mechanism for plant communities. The mistletoe Struthanthus flexicaulis (Loranthaceae) is widely distributed in the campo rupestre ecosystem and likely has an important role in structuring the communities of which its hosts are part. The main goals of this study were to investigate the effects of parasitism by S. flexicaulis on host plants in a degraded area of campo rupestre and to determine how parasitism affects characteristics of the structure of this plant community over time. We found that parasitized plants had smaller crowns and branch growth, and suffered lower mortality compared to non-parasitized plants. Parasitism by S. flexicaulis decreased dominance and increased the diversity and evenness of plants in the community over time. Parasitism leads to competition with the host for water and nutrients, which may decrease the performance of the host and, consequently, leading to host death. The high mortality of the most abundant plant species led to a restructured woody plant community. These results reinforce the importance of parasitic plants as key species for maintaining species diversity in plant communities.