Kaitlin Bellamy
Plant Galls
This weekend I went on a lovely walk through "Forest C" of UNCW's remnant forest in Wilmington, North Carolina and found several cases of what I thought to be an example of plant galls, and I am not sure of the species of tree in the picture. The galls (the bumpy discolored portions on the leaves) are the plant's response to the invasion of a parasite and cause swelling in the leaf or the twig of the host. The galls come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colorations. I am not sure of the parasite that infected this tree, but would assume that its an arthropod, maybe a wasp? The arthropods that infect the plant release a chemical that actually mutate the plant cell growth. Gall is an integral part of a the reproductive cycle of certain insects, and acts as a protective enclosure for the insect larvae. Also, the gall acts as a great source of food for the larvae providing it with protein and nutrients. Overall, it does not seem that the galls threaten the health of the tree. It is more beneficial for the parasite for the host to be living throughout its life cycle.
Sources:
Plant Galls
This weekend I went on a lovely walk through "Forest C" of UNCW's remnant forest in Wilmington, North Carolina and found several cases of what I thought to be an example of plant galls, and I am not sure of the species of tree in the picture. The galls (the bumpy discolored portions on the leaves) are the plant's response to the invasion of a parasite and cause swelling in the leaf or the twig of the host. The galls come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colorations. I am not sure of the parasite that infected this tree, but would assume that its an arthropod, maybe a wasp? The arthropods that infect the plant release a chemical that actually mutate the plant cell growth. Gall is an integral part of a the reproductive cycle of certain insects, and acts as a protective enclosure for the insect larvae. Also, the gall acts as a great source of food for the larvae providing it with protein and nutrients. Overall, it does not seem that the galls threaten the health of the tree. It is more beneficial for the parasite for the host to be living throughout its life cycle.
Sources: