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Boquila trifoliolata General Info & Appearance: Boquila trifoliolata is the sole species of plants in the genus Boquila. B. trifoliolata, a woody vine plant, is native to the temperate rainforests of southern South America. The leaves of a B. trifoliolata are composed of three leaflets with the central leaflet being the larger than the two lateral leaflets, and they are connected to a pulvinus at the base. Boquila trifoliolata are a unique species of plant because of their ability to mimic their leaves to the leaves of the hosts that are supporting them, a phenomenon called mimetic polymorphism. This is distinct in comparison to other plants that can mimic because B. trifoliolata is not limited to mimicking a single host, an individual B. trifoliolata plant can mimic multiple hosts.

Mimicking Behavior Discovery & Study: B. trifoliolata and their mimicking behavior were discovered by researchers Ernesto Gianoli and Fernando Carrasco-Urra. They sampled 12 different species of host trees with 45 total individual B. trifoliolata vines that have climbed these trees. The two closest leaves in proximity between a pair of the 45 vine-trees were measured, 11 different traits in total: angle, thickness, petiole length, leaflet petiole length, leaflet angle, maximum width, maximum length, area, perimeter, area/perimeter, and color. Usage of a generalized linear model showed that 9 of the 11 traits demonstrated mimicry by the vine to its host tree. Gianoli et al. also sampled more individuals that were prostrated, that grew on leafless tree trunks, and more individuals that have climbed on the 8 most common host species. To analyze these samples, the researchers used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). They found that the prostrate individuals were not different from the leafless-host vines, but that they were different for 7 of the 8 common-host vine leaves. They also concluded that the leafless-host vines were different for 6 or the 8 common-host vines. Currently, there is no known mechanism for how B. trifoliolata is able to mimic host leaves so well, but a study also by Gianoli et al. indicated that this leaf mimicry led to lower leaf herbivory rates. Climbing vines had no difference in herbivory compared to supporting host trees but had much lower herbivory compared to prostrated, unsupported individuals. The highest amount of herbivory was on vines that climbed onto leafless hosts.

References: Gianoli and Carrasco-Urra, Leaf Mimicry in a Climbing Plant Protects against Herbivory, Current Biology (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.010 Gianoli, Ernesto et al., Current Biology, Volume 24 , Issue 9 , 984 - 987 Pannell, John R., Current Biology, Volume 24 , Issue 9 , R357 - R359 Researchers discover vine that is able to mimic multiple hosts (2014, April 28) retrieved 21 May 2018 from https://phys.org/news/2014-04-vine-mimic-multiple-hosts.html http://eol.org/pages/5516354/overview

Mimicry
Boquila trifoliolata are a unique species of plant because of their ability to mimic their leaves to the leaves of the hosts that are supporting them, a phenomenon called mimetic polymorphism. This is distinct in comparison to other plants that can mimic, like the Australian mistletoe, because B. trifoliolata is not limited to mimicking a single host and it is also not a parasite to the host tree.

Their mimicking behavior was discovered by researchers Ernesto Gianoli and Fernando Carrasco-Urra. They carried out observations and measurements in a rainforest located at Puyehue National Park in southern Chile. They sampled 12 different species of host trees with 45 total individual B. trifoliolata vines that have climbed these trees. The two closest leaves in proximity between a pair of the 45 vine-trees were measured, 11 different traits in total: angle, thickness, petiole length, leaflet petiole length, leaflet angle, maximum width, maximum length, area, perimeter, area/perimeter, and color. Usage of a generalized linear model showed that 9 of the 11 traits demonstrated mimicry by the vine to its host tree. Gianoli et al. also sampled more individuals that were prostrated, that grew on leafless tree trunks, and more individuals that have climbed on the 8 most common host species. To analyze these samples, the researchers used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). They found that the prostrate individuals were not different from the leafless-host vines, but that they were different for 7 of the 8 common-host vine leaves. They also concluded that the leafless-host vines were different for 6 or the 8 common-host vines.

Currently, there is no known mechanism for how B. trifoliolata is able to mimic host leaves so well, but Gianola propose two possible mechanisms. One hypothesis is that volatile organic compounds emitted from host plant leaves induce a phenotypically change in close by B. trifoliolata leaves. The other hypothesis is that there could be horizontal gene transfer between the host and B. trifoliolata. A study also by Gianoli et al. indicated that this leaf mimicry led to lower leaf herbivory rates. Climbing vines had no difference in herbivory compared to supporting host trees but had much lower herbivory compared to prostrated, unsupported individuals. The highest amount of herbivory was on vines that climbed onto leafless hosts.