The enemy within: the effects of mistletoe parasitism on infected and uninfected host branches

Silva, Mateus; Guimarães, Aretha Franklin; Teodoro, Grazielle Sales; Bastos, Sara Souza; Castro, Evaristo Mauro de; Berg, Eduardo van den

doi:10.1007/s11258-021-01132-6

Cited by 4 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In addition to site-specific differences, we speculate that different infection intensities might underlie the sensitivity of tree photosynthetic rates to mistletoes (Queijeiro-Bolaños et al, 2020;Sala et al, 2001). Unfortunately, data on the number and volume of mistletoes per host were not available either here or in Silva et al (2021). Future studies could unveil the causes of this inconsistency by testing whether edaphic conditions and parasite loads shape tree photosynthetic responses to mistletoes.…”

Section: Leaf-level Responses To Mistletoesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…We measured leaf anatomical traits (mean vessel lumen area, VA; palisadespongy parenchyma ratio, P:S; mesophyll thickness, MT) and leaf mass per area (LMA) in 10 infected and 10 uninfected trees at the PEQRB site in June 2016 (dry season). The LMA data are derived from Silva et al (2021) while the VA, P:S and MT data are original. The number of mistletoes per infected tree ranged from 1 to 18, averaging 7.1 mistletoes per tree.…”

Section: Leaf Anatomy and Leaf Mass Per Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, there are registers of mistletoes from the Psittacanthus genus (Loranthaceae) parasitizing Qualea grandiflora, Q. parviflora and Vochysia thyrsoidea (Monteiro et al, 1992;Scalon & Wright, 2017;Teodoro et al, 2010), all widespread Vochysiaceae trees abundant where they occur (Bridgewater et al, 2004). Previous studies have shown that mistletoe can impair V. thyrsoidea carbon assimilation (Silva et al, 2021) and survivorship (Teodoro et al, 2013). However, to date, it is still missing an integrative approach linking tree responses to mistletoes across leaf, canopy and whole-tree scales in the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From leaves to the whole tree: Mistletoe effects on the productivity, water relations, and demography of a Neotropical savanna tree

Silva,

Teodoro,

Junior

et al. 2023

Austral Ecology

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Trees' responses to mistletoes occur at multiple organization levels (e.g., leaf, individual, population), yet integrating these multi‐scale responses is still challenging. Here, we compared the traits of infected versus uninfected trees over multiple scales, from leaf anatomy and physiology to canopy allometries and individual growth rate and survivorship. We tested the hypotheses that mistletoes lead in the host (1) the production of leaves with a conservative resource‐use strategy, (2) more mechanically stable canopies and (3) reductions in growth and survival probability in the trees they infect. We addressed these hypotheses in the widespread savanna tree Vochysia thyrsoidea and xylem‐tapping mistletoe Psittacanthus robustus in the Brazilian Cerrado, a global biodiversity hotspot. We found that (1) mistletoe infection did not affect key traits associated with resource conservativeness, such as leaf mass per area (LMA) and carbon assimilation rates (A). Likewise, (2) hosts did not increase the mechanical safety of their trunks in response to mistletoe infection since infected and uninfected trees had a similar allometric scaling between height and crown volume against stem diameter. (3) At the population level, both the relative growth rate and survival probability decreased as the number of parasites increased. However, zero growth and a 50% chance of mortality were estimated to occur in a minority of heavily infected trees (>7 and 14 parasites, respectively). Our results challenge the idea that mistletoes have a ubiquitous negative impact on their hosts. We highlight, therefore, the need for clarifying the mechanisms that allow trees to maintain their functioning even in the face of mistletoe parasitism.

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Section: Leaf-level Responses To Mistletoesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Leaf Anatomy and Leaf Mass Per Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From leaves to the whole tree: Mistletoe effects on the productivity, water relations, and demography of a Neotropical savanna tree

Silva,

Teodoro,

Junior

et al. 2023

Austral Ecology

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“…Lázaro-González and coworkers showed that Viscum album may load-dependently reduce the nitrogen concentrations in its pine hosts and may effectuate defense signals resembling drought, burning, and defoliation [ 130 ]. Recent work with Phoradendron crassifolium and Psittacanthus robustus revealed that tree branches neighboring the mistletoe infection site relatively experienced more adversities [ 132 ]. Studies have also reported a 40% reduction in mycorrhizal richness in tree hosts during mistletoe infestation [ 133 , 134 ].…”

Section: Mistletoe Damages Treesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating the Mistletoe Menace: Biotechnological and Smart Management Approaches

Mudgal

Kaur

Chand

et al. 2022

Biology

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Mistletoes have been considered a keystone resource for biodiversity, as well as a remarkable source of medicinal attributes that attract pharmacologists. Due to their hemiparasitic nature, mistletoes leach water and nutrients, including primary and secondary metabolites, through the vascular systems of their plant hosts, primarily trees. As a result of intense mistletoe infection, the hosts suffer various growth and physiological detriments, which often lead to tree mortality. Because of their easy dispersal and widespread tropism, mistletoes have become serious pests for commercial fruit and timber plantations. A variety of physical and chemical treatment methods, along with silvicultural practices, have shaped conventional mistletoe management. Others, however, have either failed to circumvent the growing range and tropism of these parasitic plants or present significant environmental and public health risks. A biocontrol approach that could sidestep these issues has never achieved full proof of concept in real-field applications. Our review discusses the downsides of conventional mistletoe control techniques and explores the possibilities of biotechnological approaches using biocontrol agents and transgenic technologies. It is possible that smart management options will pave the way for technologically advanced solutions to mitigate mistletoes that are yet to be exploited.

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“…Different mistletoe species are found in 25 Mexican states situated in the north, central, and southern regions [ 8 , 19 ], and one of these mistletoes is Psittacanthus calyculatus (DC.) G. Don (Loranthaceae), a Mexican mistletoe, with a high prevalence in the central region of Mexico and that infests more than 65% of mesquite ( Prosopis laevigata ), an endemic tree in this region [ 8 ], and additionally, it can infect and endanger tree species such as those from the genera Citrus and Persea or the families Fabaceae and Coniferae [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. P. calyculatus produces showy bright yellow- and orange-colored flowers, with the capacity to produce high concentrations of floral nectar secretion, volatile organic compound emission, and high amounts of petal carotenoids; those traits serve to engage and manipulate pollinator visitors, thus to ensure reproduction and subsequent propagation [ 8 , 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protein Profiling of Psittacanthus calyculatus during Mesquite Infection

Aguilar-Venegas

Quintana-Rodríguez²,

Aguilar-Hernández³

et al. 2023

Plants

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Psittacanthus calyculatus is a hemiparasite mistletoe that represents an ecological problem due to the impacts caused to various tree species of ecological and commercial interest. Although the life cycle for the Psittacanthus genus is well established in the literature, the development stages and molecular mechanism implicated in P. calyculatus host infection are poorly understood. In this study, we used a manageable infestation of P. laevigata with P. calyculatus to clearly trace the infection, which allowed us to describe five phenological infective stages of mistletoe on host tree branches: mature seed (T1), holdfast formation (T2), haustorium activation (T3), haustorium penetration (T4), and haustorium connection (T5) with the host tree. Proteomic analyses revealed proteins with a different accumulation and cellular processes in infective stages. Activities of the cell wall-degrading enzymes cellulase and β-1,4-glucosidase were primarily active in haustorium development (T3), while xylanase, endo-glucanase, and peptidase were highly active in the haustorium penetration and xylem connection (T4). Patterns of auxins and cytokinin showed spatial concentrations in infective stages and moreover were involved in haustorium development. These results are the first evidence of proteins, cell wall-degrading enzymes, and phytohormones that are involved in early infection for the Psittacanthus genus, and thus represent a general infection mechanism for other mistletoe species. These results could help to understand the molecular dialogue in the establishment of P. calyculatus parasitism.

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The enemy within: the effects of mistletoe parasitism on infected and uninfected host branches

Cited by 4 publications

References 26 publications

From leaves to the whole tree: Mistletoe effects on the productivity, water relations, and demography of a Neotropical savanna tree

From leaves to the whole tree: Mistletoe effects on the productivity, water relations, and demography of a Neotropical savanna tree

Mitigating the Mistletoe Menace: Biotechnological and Smart Management Approaches

Protein Profiling of Psittacanthus calyculatus during Mesquite Infection

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