Distribution and Abundance of Salt Marsh Dodder Cuscuta salina at Elkhorn Slough

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Distribution and Abundance of Salt Marsh Dodder
(Cuscuta salina) at Elkhorn Slough
Katie Alt Griffith Ocean Sciences Department
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Salt Marsh Plant Zonation

• Abiotic Factors
• Biotic Factors

How would a parasitic plant be distributed in a
salt marsh as a function of its host?
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Cuscuta salina a parasitic plant

• Holoparasite
• Preferred Host
• Native!

Salicornia
Cuscuta
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1. How does Cuscuta distribution correlate with
abiotic factors in Elkhorn Slough?

• Elevation

• Wrack

• Flow Regime

• Land Use

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2. What are the mechanisms involved in
distributional patterns?

• WRACK
• Seed dispersal
• Germination
• Seedling survival

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3. How does nitrogen supply affect this
host-parasite interaction?
Testing the Plant Vigor Hypothesis
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FERTILIZED
UNFERTILIZED
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3. How does nitrogen supply affect this
host-parasite interaction?
Is Cuscuta more abundant in marshes that receive
inputs of synthetic fertilizers??

• How much nitrogen in tissues?
• Source of nitrogen?
• Level of infection / spread?

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Significance

• Contribute to our knowledge of pattern and
  process in salt marsh plant zonation
• Provide insight to how this native plant
  functions in its wetland environment, both
  naturally and in response to ecological
  encroachments