Diversity of parasitic plants associated with the tree canopy on the Universidad Intercultural del Estado de Guerrero campus

Abstract

The diversity of parasitic species and their hosts was estimated on the campus of the Universidad Intercultural del Estado de Guerrero (Intercultural University of the State of Guerrero, UIEG). Through surveys of different vegetation fragments, parasitic plants were visually identified, and their abundance, height above ground (m), and diameter (cm) were recorded. The latter measurement was categorized into three groups: small (1 to 15 cm), medium (16 to 30 cm), and large (31 to 60 cm or more). The normal diameter (Nd), total height (Th), and crown diameter (Cd) of the hosts were recorded. Samples of the parasitic and host species were collected for taxonomic identification. Species accumulation curves were constructed to estimate sampling effort using the EstimateS v.9.1 software. Alpha diversity (Shannon-Wiener -H’-, Simpson, and effective species number) was evaluated. In addition, the mensuration variables were correlated with the abundance of parasitic plant taxa. Seventy-nine hosts from eight taxa belonging to six families (Fagaceae, Clethraceae, Cupressaceae, Betulaceae, Solanaceae and Asteraceae) were recorded. Five parasitic species from four families (Santalaceae, Bromeliaceae, Loranthaceae, and Convolvulaceae) were identified. The diversity of parasite species found in this study is low (H'=1.25, five sp.) and represents 12.5 % of the richness cited for the state of Guerrero.