Quantitative Occurrence of European Mistletoe (viscum Album L. Subsp. Album) in Poplar Stands in the Area of Nessebar (southern Black Sea Coast)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: European mistletoe (Viscum album L. subsp. album) is increasingly abundant in coastal and urban habitats of Europe, but quantitative data from dune-associated plantations remain limited. In this study, artificial poplar stands within approximately 12 km² around Nessebar (Bulgaria) were surveyed. For each tree, diameter at breast height (DBH) and number of mistletoe clusters were recorded. A total of 3,047 mistletoe individuals were counted, ranging from 1 to 39 clusters per tree. The mean abundance was 2.6 clusters per tree overall and 5.2 per infested tree. Populus × canadensis dominated the stands (95.8% of poplars) and was the only infested species, with 50.2% of individuals carrying mistletoe. Infestation frequency and intensity increased with host size, showing moderate positive correlations with DBH (Pearson r = 0.47; Spearman ρ = 0.52). A regression model explained 22% of the variation, suggesting that other factors such as dispersal and microclimate also play a role. The population displayed an aggregated pattern, with most trees uninfested or lightly colonized, while a minority carried heavy parasite loads. These results provide a quantitative baseline for assessing mistletoe dynamics in vulnerable dune-linked plantations.
Authors: Glogov P., Bogdanov S., Kachova V., Stanishev E.
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7081655230
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