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Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2003; 5(1): 79-84
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-37978
Original Paper
Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ·New York

Positive and Negative Interactions among Individuals of a Root Hemiparasite

D. Matthies
  • Institut für Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
  • Present address: Fachbereich Biologie, Pflanzenökologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Received: August 12, 2002

Accepted: November 27, 2002

Publication Date:
18 March 2003 (online)

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Abstract

I studied the effects of a wide range of densities on establishment, survival, growth and reproduction of the annual root hemiparasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus in a field experiment. Seeds of the parasite were sown with those of a mixture of grassland plants as potential hosts. In most plants, seedling survival is strongly reduced by self-thinning at high densities, but in R. alectorolophus the proportion of seeds producing a young plant increased linearly with sowing density, indicating positive interactions among seedlings. Because survival to maturity was not influenced by density, the number of flowering plants per seed sown also increased with density. In contrast, mean plant size and reproduction were strongly reduced at high densities. It is suggested that resource sharing among parasites connected by haustoria is the most likely mechanism responsible for the reduced mortality of seedlings at high densities. The results indicate that facilitation among cohorts of conspecific root hemiparasites can increase the recruitment of young plants. The number of seeds produced per seed sown (a multiplicative fitness measure) was, however, independent of density in Rhinanthus because the early positive effects of density on recruitment were compensated later by the negative effects of crowding on growth and reproduction. Increased survival of seedlings could, however, indirectly increase fitness because it will increase the genetic diversity of offspring and may thus, for instance, reduce the impact of pathogens.

Key words

Competition - facilitation - parasitism - root hemiparasites

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D. Matthies

Fachbereich Biologie, Pflanzenökologie
Philipps-Universität Marburg

Karl-von-Frisch-Straße
35032 Marburg
Germany

Email: matthies@mailer.uni-marburg.de

Section Editor: G. Gottsberger

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