When parasites bite hardest: mistletoe effects on oak radial growth peak near climatic optima

Abstract

Hemiparasitic mistletoes can alter host water and carbon balance, but their impact on tree growth is expected to vary with phenology, microclimate and stand context. We asked whether the yellow mistletoe Loranthus europaeus shifts the timing or reduces the magnitude of radial growth in Quercus robur, and whether any penalty is strongest near climatic optima for host growth. We instrumented 34 mature oaks across age (young, old), canopy position (solitary, closed-canopy), and infection (infected, non-infected) with point dendrometers at 15-minute intervals for four growing seasons (2020-2023). Air and soil temperatures and soil moisture were logged concurrently. We derived growth phenology, difference curves (non-infected minus infected), monthly climate-growth correlations, and response surfaces in temperature- moisture space. Growth phenology was consistent among years: onset around day-of-year 120-140, peak 150-220, cessation 250-270. Mistletoe did not shift onset or cessation but reduced growth amplitude, especially in high-growth years and solitary, well-lit trees. Suppression was greatest near climatic optima ({approx}10-18 {degrees}C with adequate soil moisture) and diminished when conditions were suboptimal (hot and dry or cold and wet), so infected and non-infected converged. Short-term climate-growth relationships were similar across infection status: temperature effects were negative during the main season, whereas soil moisture effects were positive. Young, solitary, non-infected trees responded more to mid-summer moisture than infected trees, consistent with infection shifting hosts from resource-tracking to stress-limited growth under exposure. Joint temperature-moisture response surfaces for infected versus non-infected trees were highly similar, indicating that mistletoe reduces growth magnitude, not niche. Our results identify the environmental window in which host-parasite competition bites hardest and provide a baseline for forecasting parasite impacts under shifting temperature and moisture regimes. Because the largest penalties arise near growth optima, the frequency of cool, moist periods may modulate impacts at the stand scale, particularly for solitary oaks at woodland-grassland ecotones. Integrating fine-scale growth with microclimate clarifies when hemiparasites depress performance and why effects vary across years, sites and canopy contexts. Results underscore the value of continuous dendrometer records for quantifying parasite impacts.