Pedicularis appears to exert a considerable influence on prairie height and host reproduction. This work centers on several questions. The hemiparasite's benefits from both photosynthesis and parasitism should be maximized under conditions of low nutrient availability, whereas, when nutrients are not limiting, the benefits obtained from photosynthesis and parasitism are both reduced. This system has the potential to be used as a tool to investigate the relative influences of direct and indirect effects of important interactions on community structure.
Hemiparasitic plants prey on and compete with other green plants.
Their parasitism may alter the competitive interactions, e.g., by reducing the prairie canopy height and reducing shading. A long-term research program is being constructed in collaboration with my colleague Victoria Borowicz . Here is the link to more information about research on parasitic plants .