Parasitic plants in Europe: ecological niches and spatial patterns.

ABSTRACT: Parasitic plants inhabit a wide range of ecosystems worldwide, where they may have critical roles as "ecosystem engineers". We examined the ecology of parasitic plants in Europe. We aimed to identify habitat preferences, spatial distribution, and environmental drivers of parasitic plant functional types: euphytoid hemiparasites, obligate root parasites, and parasitic vines, and assess individual species' ecological niches. We analysed 244 parasitic plant species in a dataset of 819,452 vegetation plots across European natural vegetation. We used a boosted regression tree model to assess the effects of macro-climate, topography, and habitat descriptors (open, wet, saline) on the distribution of parasitic plant functional types. We analysed their distribution along the gradients of ecologica

SUBMITTER: Fahs N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12631522 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature