Fungal and Insect Parasites Contributing to Niche Differentiation in Mixed Species Stands of Eucalypt Saplings

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Abstract
Parasitic damage to the leading shoot of young regrowth eucalypts was found to vary considerably between trees and between different stands but it averaged greater than 20 % 'effective leaf area loss' overall. Many fungal parasites and some of the phytophagous insects responsible for this damage exhibited host specificity or host preference towards trees of a particular subgenus of Eucalyptus. These findings are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that parasites play an important role in the maintenance of stable associations between codominant species of Eucalyptus.