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Host Species Affects Herbivory, Pollination, And Reproduction In Experiments With Parasitic Castilleja, Lynn Adler

Lynn Adler

The relative performance of a parasitic plant on different host species will depend on both direct and indirect effects of hosts on parasite interactions with mutualists and antagonists. Host species could affect parasite interactions with both herbivores and pollinators due to the uptake of defensive compounds and nutrients. However, the effects of different host species on parasitic plants have not been experimentally tested in the field. I determined the effect of two native host species, an alkaloid-producing, nitrogen-fixing lupine and non-alkaloid, non-nitrogen-fixing grass, on herbivory, pollination, and reproduction of the hemiparasitic plant Indian paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa). Within this experiment, I …