Is goldenrod gall fly a parasite?
They are the plant’s response to the parasitic goldenrod gall fly, Eurosta solidaginis. The female fly lays eggs at the base of goldenrod flower buds. Upon hatching, larvae eat into the stem, whereupon they secrete chemical compounds that trigger the plant’s meristem cells to form the gall.
What are the three types of goldenrod gall?
Though E. solidaginis has been reported to form galls on seven different species of goldenrod, only three appear to be common targets: Solidago canadensis, S. gigantea and S. altissima.
What insect lays eggs in goldenrod?
A developing gall. In the spring female flies deposit eggs singly in rapidly growing goldenrod stems. Even though a female may lay several eggs per stem, each stem generally ends up with just a single gall.
What do goldenrod gall flies eat?
The egg hatches in about a week, and the larva journeys down into the meristematic tissue (a plant’s growth cells) within the stem. There it creates an opening as it feeds on plant matter. The goldenrod plant reacts to the gall fly by making a sphere-shaped gall around the insect.
How are goldenrod galls formed?
Spindle-shaped stem swellings, balls on leaves or stems, even tight rosettes of leaves are all galls, created by a plant in response to an insect laying eggs on the plant. Each forms when a wasp, fly, moth, or midge lays an egg, the egg hatches and the larva begins to feed on the goldenrod.
What causes a goldenrod gall?
What is the scientific name for goldenrod?
SolidagoSolidago / Scientific name
What type of symbiotic relationship do the goldenrod and the gall fly have?
An example of a symbiotic relationship is the goldenrod gall fly creating galls, an abnormal plant growth caused by various organisms, on the goldenrod plant. “The goldenrod gall fly lives its entire life on goldenrod plants.
What do gall flies do?
gall fly, any of several different species of insects that cause swelling (galls) in the tissues of the plants they feed on. This group includes gall midges and certain fruit flies (order Diptera), gall wasps (order Hymenoptera), some aphids (order Homoptera), and certain species of moths (order Lepidoptera).
Does the presence of a gall influence the subsequent growth of a goldenrod stem?
The presence of a gall did not significantly affect final stem height but did slow the growth of ramets during the period of most rapid gall growth.
What is goldenrod used for?
The name solidago means “to make whole.” Goldenrod has also been used to treat tuberculosis, diabetes, enlargement of the liver, gout, hemorrhoids, internal bleeding, asthma, and arthritis. In folk medicine, it is used as a mouth rinse to treat inflammation of the mouth and throat.