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Biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the European mistletoe

The European mistletoe (Viscum album) is an epiphytic hemiparasite that attaches to its host by an endophytic system. Two aspects are essential for its survival: the structural integrity of the host–parasite interface must be maintained during host growth and the functional integrity of the interfac...

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Autores principales: Mylo, Max D, Hofmann, Mara, Balle, Frank, Beisel, Samuel, Speck, Thomas, Speck, Olga
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Oxford University Press 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8866656/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34849736
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab518
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author Mylo, Max D
Hofmann, Mara
Balle, Frank
Beisel, Samuel
Speck, Thomas
Speck, Olga
author_facet Mylo, Max D
Hofmann, Mara
Balle, Frank
Beisel, Samuel
Speck, Thomas
Speck, Olga
author_sort Mylo, Max D
collection PubMed
description The European mistletoe (Viscum album) is an epiphytic hemiparasite that attaches to its host by an endophytic system. Two aspects are essential for its survival: the structural integrity of the host–parasite interface must be maintained during host growth and the functional integrity of the interface must be maintained during ontogeny and under mechanical stress. We investigated the mechanical properties of the mistletoe–host interaction. Intact and sliced mistletoe–host samples, with host wood as reference, were subjected to tensile tests up to failure. We quantified the rough fractured surface by digital microscopy and analysed local surface strains by digital image correlation. Tensile strength and deformation energy were independent of mistletoe age but exhibited markedly lower values than host wood samples. Cracks initiated at sites with a major strain of about 30%, especially along the mistletoe–host interface. The risk of sudden failure was counteracted by various sinkers and a lignification gradient that smooths the differences in the mechanical properties between the two species. Our results improve the understanding of the key mechanical characteristics of the host–mistletoe interface and show that the mechanical connection between the mistletoe and its host is age-independent. Thus, functional and structural integrity is ensured over the lifetime of the mistletoe.
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spelling pubmed-88666562022-02-24 Biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the European mistletoe Mylo, Max D Hofmann, Mara Balle, Frank Beisel, Samuel Speck, Thomas Speck, Olga J Exp Bot Research Papers The European mistletoe (Viscum album) is an epiphytic hemiparasite that attaches to its host by an endophytic system. Two aspects are essential for its survival: the structural integrity of the host–parasite interface must be maintained during host growth and the functional integrity of the interface must be maintained during ontogeny and under mechanical stress. We investigated the mechanical properties of the mistletoe–host interaction. Intact and sliced mistletoe–host samples, with host wood as reference, were subjected to tensile tests up to failure. We quantified the rough fractured surface by digital microscopy and analysed local surface strains by digital image correlation. Tensile strength and deformation energy were independent of mistletoe age but exhibited markedly lower values than host wood samples. Cracks initiated at sites with a major strain of about 30%, especially along the mistletoe–host interface. The risk of sudden failure was counteracted by various sinkers and a lignification gradient that smooths the differences in the mechanical properties between the two species. Our results improve the understanding of the key mechanical characteristics of the host–mistletoe interface and show that the mechanical connection between the mistletoe and its host is age-independent. Thus, functional and structural integrity is ensured over the lifetime of the mistletoe. Oxford University Press 2021-11-26 /pmc/articles/PMC8866656/ /pubmed/34849736 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab518 Text en © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Research Papers
Mylo, Max D
Hofmann, Mara
Balle, Frank
Beisel, Samuel
Speck, Thomas
Speck, Olga
Biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the European mistletoe
title Biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the European mistletoe
title_full Biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the European mistletoe
title_fullStr Biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the European mistletoe
title_full_unstemmed Biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the European mistletoe
title_short Biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the European mistletoe
title_sort biomechanics of the parasite–host interaction of the european mistletoe
topic Research Papers
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8866656/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34849736
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab518
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