Host selection in Harper's Dodder, a rare parasitic plant.
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Joel McNeal
Department
CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Abstract
Cuscuta harperi (Harper’s Dodder) is a rare parasitic vine lacking roots and leaves that is endemic to hot, dry outcrop habitats. Cuscuta species find appropriate host plants by following gradients of specific volatile organic compounds in the air emitted by other plants and growing towards appropriate hosts or away from unsuitable species. Geographically separated populations of C. harperi exhibit drastically different host usage from each other, and we aim to determine whether these observed differences are due to differential responses to volatile chemicals, survivorship after host attachment, or other environmental factors such as timing of parasite germination. We will use greenhouse experiments to compare behavior in host choice between specialist and generalist populations and to investigate whether different populations have differential seedling attachment success across multiple potential hosts.
Disciplines
Evolution | Plant Biology | Population Biology
Host selection in Harper's Dodder, a rare parasitic plant.
Cuscuta harperi (Harper’s Dodder) is a rare parasitic vine lacking roots and leaves that is endemic to hot, dry outcrop habitats. Cuscuta species find appropriate host plants by following gradients of specific volatile organic compounds in the air emitted by other plants and growing towards appropriate hosts or away from unsuitable species. Geographically separated populations of C. harperi exhibit drastically different host usage from each other, and we aim to determine whether these observed differences are due to differential responses to volatile chemicals, survivorship after host attachment, or other environmental factors such as timing of parasite germination. We will use greenhouse experiments to compare behavior in host choice between specialist and generalist populations and to investigate whether different populations have differential seedling attachment success across multiple potential hosts.