Arceuthobium pusillum
Eastern dwarf mistletoe
Interactions
The most obvious interaction this organism has is with its host organism, conifers of the Pineae group, usually black, white, or red spruce. This is a parasitic interaction with the Arceuthobium pusillum parasitizing the host spruce tree.
Other interactions are with birds. Arceuthobium pusillum is a source of food for many birds, and various other vertebrates as well. The fruit of the plant is very high in sugar content making it a sweet meal for any flying fowl. This interaction is also beneficial to the eastern dwarf mistletoe too as the birds able to fly long distances from the orginal infection site can deposit the seed in a new area creating a new infection zone. This incidentally is also connected to why we call mistletoe mistletoe. But, more on that later in Other Facts. The witch's broom caused by the eastern dwarf mistletoe also provides a home for many nesting birds too.
The
biggest impact Arceuthobium pusillum has on the
human community is the destruction, through infestation, of
black spruce stands. Black spruce trees are a major
resource in the making of paper products. An infected
spruce stand significantly decreases the quality and
quantity of product that can be harvested from the area.
Not to mention that in order to retard the spreading of the
parasite a 60 foot buffer must be cut around the infection
site, resulting in even more trees loss