Incidence, severity, and aggregation patterns of two sympatric dwarf mistletoe species (Arceuthobium spp.) in Central Mexico

Abstract

Dwarf mistletoes are widely studied because of their significant impact on host populations; however, few studies have focused on sympatric species. The understanding of their coexistence is important because it can provide useful knowledge for future management plans. We investigated the incidence, severity, and aggregation patterns of Arceuthobium vaginatum and A. globosum coexisting in Central Mexico. We estimated the correlation between both species incidences (N = 75 plots), the incidence–severity correlation (N = 47 plots) for each species, and the effect of biotic (host and non-host species abundance) and abiotic (altitude and slope) factors on the mistletoe incidence. In addition, we compared the hierarchical aggregation among and within plots of the two mistletoe species with a χ 2 test. There is a clear dominance of A. vaginatum in the area, and both species incidences are negatively correlated with each other (r s = − 0.54, P < 0.05) and host abundance (r = − 0.26, P < 0.05). The remaining factors were non-significant. Both species have a linear relationship between incidence and severity, i.e., they show a uniform increase in severity with incidence, which could help diagnose the degree of tree infection from incidence measurements. The species are aggregated within plots, but only A. globosum shows an aggregation among plots (χ 2 = 82.25, P < 0.001); aggregation has not been shown previously for two sympatric dwarf mistletoe species. Our results can improve the scientific basis for forest management planning to control dwarf mistletoe and maintain biodiversity.