European Journal of Entomology (2017) 114, 215-221

Alba Lázaro-González, José A. Hódar and Regino Zamora (2017)
Do the arthropod communities on a parasitic plant and its hosts differ?
European Journal of Entomology 114, 215-221
Abstract: Parasitic plants growing on tree branches may be a novel niche and phytoresource for arthropods. The spatial continuity between hosts and their parasites in canopies might provide a homogeneous environment for arthropod communities, but differences in mistletoe leaves and host needles could be exploited by different species of arthropods. Therefore, it is important to determine insect-community assemblages in order to discover the role of parasitic plants as a different habitat for arthropods. Thus, we aim to evaluate the level of similarity between the arthropod community on mistletoe (Viscum album) and that on its two principal pine hosts, Black pine (Pinus nigra) and Scots pine (P. sylvestris), on a Mediterranean mountain. Our results reveal that, irrespective of the species of pine host, V. album has a stable, independent and simple arthropod trophic web, composed mainly of two specialist hemipteran herbivores, Cacopsylla visci (Psyllidae) and Pinalitus viscicola (Miridae), and a hemipteran predator, Anthocoris visci (Anthocoridae). Despite this, the composition of the arthropod communities differed significantly on both host species, with a greater richness and diversity on Scots than Black pine and these differences are not reflected in the community on mistletoe. Overall, we conclude that, although Viscum album is considered to be a pest of pine, its presence increases the heterogeneity of the forest canopy by providing a novel habitat for a new and specific community of arthropods. In addition, this is a new record for and most probably an extension of the southernmost limit of the known geographical distribution of the arthropod community inhabiting V. album.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
[http:// 10.14411/eje.2017.026 Full text of article]
Database assignments for author(s): José A. Hódar

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
environment - cropping system/rotation
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Viscum album (weed)	Pine (Pinus)	Spain (continental)
Cacopsylla visci (weed bioagent)	Viscum album (weed)	Pine (Pinus)	Spain (continental)