Host selectivity,haustorial anatomy and impact of the invasive parasite Parentucellia viscosa on floodplain vegetative communities in Japan

The parasitic plant Parentucellia viscosa has been introduced recently to the Japanese floodplain. Because of its parasitic nature and high fecundity, P. viscosa may well become a major plant invader with a significant impact on floodplain ecosystems. Thus, a knowledge of the host selectivity of P. viscosa will not only provide basic biological information, but will also contribute to the understanding of floodplain vegetation conservation. We evaluated the host selectivity by comparing the observed numbers of haustoria with those expected from the relative below‐ground biomass. In addition, we examined the haustorial anatomy to determine whether haustoria are functional, and compared the above‐ground biomass of three functional plant groups (grasses, legumes and nonleguminous forbs) in intact and parasite removal quadrats. We found that haustoria were nonrandomly distributed amongst host species, suggesting host preference for Poaceae and Fabaceae. In addition, haustoria attached to certain forbs did not penetrate into the stele. The above‐ground biomass of grasses and legumes was increased significantly by the removal of P. viscosa, but the biomass of forbs did not change significantly. These results suggest that host preference depresses the performance of Poaceae and Fabaceae, thus affecting the competitive relationships among plants, meaning that P. viscosa may pose a serious threat to indigenous endangered legumes and grasses. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 170 , 69–78.