Publication details
Approaching a revolution in hemiparasitic plant biology? A commentary on 'Distinguishing carbon gains from photosynthesis and heterotrophy in C-3-hemiparasite-C-3-host-pairs' Comment
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Annals of Botany |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcac019 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcac019 |
| Keywords | Hemiparasitism; heterotrophy; Orobanchaceae; mixotrophy; parasitic plant; Santalales; stable isotope |
| Description | Autotrophy based on photosynthesis is generally considered an essential characteristic of plants. Yet, several plant lineages have evolved parasitic or mycoheterotrophic strategies to obtain part or all of their carbon heterotrophically. Prominent among these are hemiparasitic plants – green plants that attach to other plants to uptake resources from their xylem. Hemiparasitic plants account for ~90 % of the species diversity of parasitic angiosperms. This functional group also has a remarkable ecological impact as ecosystem engineers and keystone species in the communities on the one hand or harmful weeds on the other. The extent of partial mycoheterotrophy (i.e. the ability to obtain a part of organic carbon from fungal symbionts) remains of debate, but it is probably the predominant strategy among mycoheterotrophs (Lallemand et al., 2017; Giesemann et al., 2021). Together, hemiparasitism and partial mycoheterotrophy are examples of mixotrophic nutrition relying on two organic carbon sources (Selosse et al., 2017). The relative contribution of these pathways to the carbon budget of mixotrophic plants is a key physiological trait. Heterotrophic carbon acquisition may mitigate competition for light and thus partly release the mixotrophs from a principal limitation of plant growth (Tešitel et al., 2011, 2018). |
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