The ecological impact of mistletoe plants — proposed to be keystone species crucial to ecosystem health — has been quantified. This is the first such attempt for any keystone species.
Mistletoes (Loranthaceae; pictured) provide fruit and nectar, as well as nesting and roosting sites for animals such as birds and insects. David Watson and Matthew Herring at Charles Sturt University in Albury, Australia, removed mistletoes from 17 woodland sites in the state of New South Wales in 2004. Three years after the plants' removal, species richness had declined by an average of 20.9% overall, and by 26.5% in the case of woodland-dependent bird species. By contrast, in 11 control sites where mistletoes remained, average species richness had increased.
Mistletoes promote biodiversity mainly by enriching the soil with nutrients through leaf fall and decomposition, the authors suggest.
Proc. R. Soc. B. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0856 (2012)
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For more than just kissing. Nature 487, 274 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/487274a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/487274a
