Hiding in plain sight: experimental evidence for birds as selective agents for host mimicry in mistletoes

Cook, ME; Leigh, A; Watson, DM

Hiding in plain sight: experimental evidence for birds as selective agents for host mimicry in mistletoes

Cook, ME Leigh, A

Watson, DM

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Publisher:: NRC Research Press (Canadian Science Publishing)
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Botany, 2020, 98, (9), pp. 1-7
Issue Date:: 2020

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Cook, ME
dc.contributor.author	Leigh, A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3568-2606
dc.contributor.author	Watson, DM
dc.date.accessioned	2021-04-18T23:33:05Z
dc.date.available	2021-04-18T23:33:05Z
dc.date.issued	2020
dc.identifier.citation	Botany, 2020, 98, (9), pp. 1-7
dc.identifier.issn	0008-4026
dc.identifier.issn	1916-2804
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/148191
dc.description.abstract	<jats:p> Many Australian mistletoe species are cryptic, closely resembling their host foliage and overall appearance. Seed-dispersing birds have been proposed as a selective agent for host resemblance, with cryptic mistletoes only located by thoroughly searching through canopies regardless of infection status, boosting mistletoe populations by increasing the frequency of seeds dispersed to uninfected hosts; however, this idea is as yet untested. We measured bird visitation to fruiting mistletoes (n = 20) over two consecutive days, with manual defoliation of the mistletoe occurring before observation began on the second day to determine the effect of the visual appearance of the mistletoe on potential seed-dispersing birds, expecting defoliation to reduce the number of visits. Visits to the mistletoes were compared between days of observation and dietary guild (mistletoe specialist/nonspecialist). Intact mistletoes were visited more than the defoliated mistletoes, and the dietary guilds differed in their visitation patterns. This work demonstrates that the visual acuity of seed-dispersers can distinguish subtle differences in mistletoe phenotypes within infected hosts, consistent with the hypothesis that those mistletoes that more closely resemble their hosts are more difficult to perceive from afar and therefore more likely to have their seeds dispersed to uninfected hosts. </jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	NRC Research Press (Canadian Science Publishing)
dc.relation	University of Technology Sydney
dc.relation.ispartof	Botany
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1139/cjb-2019-0209
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0603 Evolutionary Biology, 0607 Plant Biology
dc.subject.classification	Plant Biology & Botany
dc.title	Hiding in plain sight: experimental evidence for birds as selective agents for host mimicry in mistletoes
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	98
utslib.location.activity	Curitiba, BRAZIL
utslib.for	0603 Evolutionary Biology
utslib.for	0607 Plant Biology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	true
dc.date.updated	2021-04-18T23:33:03Z
pubs.issue	9
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	98
utslib.citation.issue	9

Abstract:

Many Australian mistletoe species are cryptic, closely resembling their host foliage and overall appearance. Seed-dispersing birds have been proposed as a selective agent for host resemblance, with cryptic mistletoes only located by thoroughly searching through canopies regardless of infection status, boosting mistletoe populations by increasing the frequency of seeds dispersed to uninfected hosts; however, this idea is as yet untested. We measured bird visitation to fruiting mistletoes (n = 20) over two consecutive days, with manual defoliation of the mistletoe occurring before observation began on the second day to determine the effect of the visual appearance of the mistletoe on potential seed-dispersing birds, expecting defoliation to reduce the number of visits. Visits to the mistletoes were compared between days of observation and dietary guild (mistletoe specialist/nonspecialist). Intact mistletoes were visited more than the defoliated mistletoes, and the dietary guilds differed in their visitation patterns. This work demonstrates that the visual acuity of seed-dispersers can distinguish subtle differences in mistletoe phenotypes within infected hosts, consistent with the hypothesis that those mistletoes that more closely resemble their hosts are more difficult to perceive from afar and therefore more likely to have their seeds dispersed to uninfected hosts.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/148191