Genus Melampyrum: Threatened Hemiparasites With an Important Ecological Role to Play

Sarah E. Dalrymple

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The genus Melampyrum is a group of small terrestrial annual plants with a unique set of ecological traits that form a significant functional role in a wide variety of temperate and boreal habitats. Found across the Northern Hemisphere, the genus is associated with a range of habitats from lowland grasslands to subalpine heath, and dry pine forest to wet bogs. The ability to exploit this variety of conditions is a result of their hemiparasitic strategy which enables the movement of nutrients from dominant species to the leaf tissue, and plays host to a range of fungi and invertebrates, some of them threatened species in their own right. Melampyrum seeds are food for ants and small mammals, and flowers provide nectar for pollinators. Despite no formal red listing globally, many species are declining due to habitat loss and degradation from changing agricultural practices and potentially, climate change, and their demise represents the erosion of ecosystem function.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationImperiled
Subtitle of host publicationThe Encyclopedia of Conservation: Volume 1-3
Pages645-650
Number of pages6
Volume1-3
ISBN (Electronic)9780128211397
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2022

Keywords

  • Cow-wheat
  • Haustoria
  • Hemiparasite
  • Myrmecochory
  • Orobanchaceae
  • Pollination

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