Parasitic plants—impacts on nutrient cycling

Whilst it is widely accepted that different plant species influence ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, we are still far from understanding and predicting the effects of changes in vegetation composition on biogeochemical cycles. Ameloot E, Verlinden G, Boeckx P, Verheyen K, Hermy M. Impact of hemiparasitic Rhinanthus angustifolius and Rhinanthus minor on nitrogen availability in grassland (this issue) examine, for the first time, the impact of root hemiparasitic plants on in-situ nitrogen dynamics in intact field vegetation, using ¹⁵N techniques. This represents an important step forward in elucidating the unusual roles of parasitic plants in ecosystem function, and builds on a small set of recent studies indicating that parasitic plants have the potential to substantially alter the quantity and quality of resources returned to the soil by the plant community. These results reinforce the need to include parasitic plants in community and ecosystem theory, and emphasise that understanding the roles of parasitic plants in ecosystems is relevant for understanding ecosystem dynamics in a changing world.