DNA barcoding as a tool for identification of host association of root-hemiparasitic plants.

Autor: Holá, Eva
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Jazyk: angličtina
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Druh dokumentu: Non-fiction
ISSN: 1211-9520
Abstrakt: Abstract: Root hemiparasites are green plants which attach to roots of other plants and extract solutes from the host-root xylem parasitically. They frequently act as keystone species by affecting competitive relations in plant communities and altering mineral nutrient cycling. Understanding their ecology has been hindered by the difficulty to identify host associations of hemiparasitic plants growing in natural conditions. Direct examination of host associations is only possible at sites with specific soil types (e.g. sandy substrates) that allow host roots to be traced to the shoot to identify the host species. We investigated the possibility of using a DNA barcoding-based approach to identify host associations of root hemiparasites growing naturally. Host associations of Melampyrum nemorosum, Rhinanthus major and Rhinanthus minor were investigated. Their root systems were washed free of soil to reveal haustorial connections. Host-root fragments were subjected to DNA extraction and the plastid DNA trnL intron was sequenced. The functioning of haustoria was examined in semi-thin anatomical sections. The analysis of the DNA of host roots yielded a ca 60% success rate. The Rhinanthus species were confirmed to attack mostly grasses and legumes. By contrast, Melampyrum nemorosum attached mainly to plants of Rosaceae and Asteraceae. In addition, both conspecific and heterospecific connections between the hemiparasites were frequently observed. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of the DNA barcoding approach for identifying host associations of root hemiparasites at sites where tracing host roots to their shoot is not possible due to soil structure or high rooting density.
Databáze: Katalog Knihovny AV ČR
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