Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2012
Plant galls are growth deformities developed under the influence of parasitic insects. The process of differentiation of normal plant tissue into gall tissue has been examined by many authors (Kostoff and Kendall 1929; Rohfristch 1977; see also Mani 1964) but less effort has been made to study the effects of the gallmaker on plant tissues outside the vicinity of active gall formation. Negative effects on the overall growth of the host plant can be expected because the gall acts as an energy and nutrient sink (Palct 1972; Hartnett and Abrahamson 1979), which can cause abnormal patterns of resource allocation among plant organs.