‘Parasite’. Just hearing the word conjures up many images, and generally they’re not positive.
Thoughts of ‘disease’, ‘harm’, ‘laziness’. A parasite is generally thought of something introduced or not required and needs to be removed.
Enter the mistletoe. Technically yes, it is a ‘parasite’. Mistletoe seeds are spread by birds and mammals onto host trees where they then grow, obtaining nutrients from that tree.
However, is this a bad thing for the environment and ecosystems?
Earlier this month, thanks to funding from the State Government through the Victorian Landcare Grants Program, the East Gippsland Landcare Network (EGLN) invited Dr David Watson from Charles Sturt University to the area to share his research. Dr Watson has been studying mistletoe in various countries for more than 30 years and over two days 43 local people had a fantastic time learning more about these fascinating plants.
It’s hard to summarise all the information gleaned by attendees but Dr Watson debunked many mistletoe ‘myths’ including:
– Mistletoe is feral/invasive? Mistletoe is native to Australia and there are currently nearly 100 known native species. Mistletoe first evolved around 70 million years ago – before humans and birds. It is such a key part of the Australian ecosystem that it is now thought of as a ‘keystone’ species – a species that holds an ecosystem together and, without it, that ecosystem could fail entirely.
– Mistletoe is poisonous? Native Australian Mistletoe is not poisonous to people or stock. Mistletoe flowers and fruits are actually full of nutrients and are the preferred food source for a wide range of native birds and mammals. Possums love them and will naturally control mistletoe.
– Mistletoe is harmful? Mistletoe is beneficial in so many ways – a substantial food source; a preferred nesting site; a constant supplier of nutrient rich leaf litter beneath the host tree. Dave’s research found that the number of species of woodland birds decreased by a third when mistletoe was removed from their environment. Now obviously we can all have too much of a good thing and too many mistletoes on a tree may cause that tree stress – but we shouldn’t be too quick to just blame the mistletoe, other things may be impacting that tree. Is this an individual paddock tree where the ecosystem has been disturbed and there is no surrounding vegetation to provide habitat for the mistletoe’s natural predators – possums and caterpillars? Is the tree already infested by termites? Is the tree simply at the end of its life?
Following much positive feedback from the workshops, EGLN coordinator Caroline McGuinn said: “It’s easy to blame the ‘parasite’ when something is not going well, but next time you see a mistletoe, maybe you will view it a little bit differently, and look to learn more – the workshop attendees certainly left feeling that way.”
“The cycle of life in a forest continues – trees live, grow and die – and mistletoe has been around longer than any of us.”
