Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures of root-holoparasitic<i>Cynomorium songaricum</i>and its hosts at the Tibetan plateau and the surrounding Gobi desert in China

Yang, Yazhou; Yi, Xin; Peng, Min; Yi, Zhou

doi:10.1080/10256016.2012.680593

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Chenopodioideae (usually Atriplex or Salsola ), Plumbaginaceae (e.g., Limonium ), Tamaricaceae ( Tamarix ), Frankeniaceae (all in the Caryophyllales), Cistaceae (Malvales), Fabaceae (Fabales), and Asteraceae (Asterales). In its eastern range (Afghanistan, Mongolia/China), Cynomorium parasitizes Nitraria , a genus of four to five species in Asia and the Mediterranean ( Zhang et al 2015 ), Peganum harmala L. ( Teryokhin et al 1975 ; Yang et al 2012 ; also Nitrariaceae, Sapindales), Tamarix and Reaumuria (both Tamaricaceae), Zygophyllum (Zygophyllaceae), and Salsola ( Chen and Funston 2007 ; Yang et al 2012 ; Cui et al 2013 ). Cynomoriaceae may have antioxidant properties ( Zucca et al 2013 ), and their inflorescences are widely collected as an aphrodisiac throughout the Middle East and in China, where the plant’s conservation status is thought to be critical ( Cui et al 2013 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assembled Plastid and Mitochondrial Genomes, as well as Nuclear Genes, Place the Parasite Family Cynomoriaceae in the Saxifragales

et al. 2016

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Cynomoriaceae, one of the last unplaced families of flowering plants, comprise one or two species or subspecies of root parasites that occur from the Mediterranean to the Gobi Desert. Using Illumina sequencing, we assembled the mitochondrial and plastid genomes as well as some nuclear genes of a Cynomorium specimen from Italy. Selected genes were also obtained by Sanger sequencing from individuals collected in China and Iran, resulting in matrices of 33 mitochondrial, 6 nuclear, and 14 plastid genes and rDNAs enlarged to include a representative angiosperm taxon sampling based on data available in GenBank. We also compiled a new geographic map to discern possible discontinuities in the parasites’ occurrence. Cynomorium has large genomes of 13.70–13.61 (Italy) to 13.95–13.76 pg (China). Its mitochondrial genome consists of up to 49 circular subgenomes and has an overall gene content similar to that of photosynthetic angiosperms, while its plastome retains only 27 of the normally 116 genes. Nuclear, plastid and mitochondrial phylogenies place Cynomoriaceae in Saxifragales, and we found evidence for several horizontal gene transfers from different hosts, as well as intracellular gene transfers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assembled Plastid and Mitochondrial Genomes, as well as Nuclear Genes, Place the Parasite Family Cynomoriaceae in the Saxifragales

et al. 2016

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“…In the western part of its range, C. coccineum parasitizes mostly species from the Amaranthaceae subfamily Chenopodioideae (usually Atriplex or Salsola ), Plumbaginaceae (e.g., Limonium ), Tamaricaceae ( Tamarix ), and Frankeniaceae ( Frankenia ; all in the Caryophyllales), Cistaceae (Malvales), Fabaceae (Fabales), and Asteraceae (Asterales). In the easternmost part of its range (Afghanistan, Mongolia/China), it parasitizes mostly Nitrariaceae (Sapindales), including Peganum harmala and Nitraria , a genus of 8–12 species in Asia and the Mediterranean, Central Asian Tamaricaceae (genus Reaumuria ), Zygophyllaceae (genus Zygophyllum ), and Salsola as in the western part of its range (Teryokhin et al., ; Chen and Funston, ; Yang et al., ; Cui et al., ; Zhang et al., ).…”

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Sequential horizontal gene transfers from different hosts in a widespread Eurasian parasitic plant, Cynomorium coccineum

Cusimano

Renner

2019

American J of Botany

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Premise Parasitic plants with large geographic ranges, and different hosts in parts of their range, may acquire horizontally transferred genes (HGTs), which might sometimes leave a footprint of gradual host and range expansion. Cynomorium coccineum, the only member of the Saxifragales family Cynomoriaceae, is a root holoparasite that occurs in water‐stressed habitats from western China to the Canary Islands. It parasitizes at least 10 angiosperm families from different orders, some of them only in parts of its range. This parasite therefore offers an opportunity to trace HGTs as long as parasite–host pairs can be obtained and sequenced. Methods By sequencing mitochondrial, plastid, and nuclear loci from parasite–host pairs from throughout the parasite's range and with prior information from completely assembled mitochondrial and plastid genomes, we detected 10 HGTs of five mitochondrial genes. Results The 10 HGTs appear to have occurred sequentially as C. coccineum expanded from East to West. Molecular‐clock models yield Cynomorium stem ages between 66 and 156 Myr, with relaxed clocks converging on 66–67 Myr. Chinese Sapindales, probably Nitraria, were the first source of transferred genes, followed by Iranian and Mediterranean Caryophyllales. The most recently acquired gene appears to come from a Tamarix host in the Iberian Peninsula. Conclusions Data on HGTs that have accumulated over the past 15 years, along with this discovery of multiple HGTs within a single widespread species, underline the need for more whole‐genome data from parasite–host pairs to investigate whether and how transferred copies coexist with, or replace, native functional genes.

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“…Environmental gradients also provide for attractive natural studies, although scarcely explored due to the difficulty of finding a host-parasite interaction along a gradient. Yang et al (2012) , for example, evaluated the parasite-host interaction through an elevational gradient going from the lowlands at the margins of the Gobi Desert to the highlands in the Tibetan Plateau. They compared the isotopic composition of the parasite with its host between sites where soil varies in salt content and compaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Physiological Effect of a Holoparasite Over a Cactus Along an Environmental Gradient

et al. 2021

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Echinopsis chiloensis is an endemic cactus from Chile, distributed in a temperature and rainfall gradient between 30° and 35° South latitude, with mean temperatures increasing and precipitation decreasing toward the north. It is the main host of the mistletoe Tristerix aphyllus, a holoparasite completely dependent on the cactus for water, carbon, and minerals. In this study, we investigated the consequences of parasitism over the fitness and physiology of this cactus throughout its distribution range and how it is affected by the environment. We measured five functional traits in eight populations latitudinally distributed, the first three only for the host: reproductive fitness, stomatal traits (density and size), and photosynthesis (during winter and summer); and the last two for the host and parasite: stable isotopes (∂13C and ∂15N), and nutrients (carbon and nitrogen content). The results showed a negative effect of parasitism over fitness of infected cacti. However, the higher nitrogen concentrations in cactus tissues toward the south improved overall fitness. Regarding photosynthesis, we only observed a negative effect of parasitism during the dry season (summer), which is also negatively affected by the increase in summer temperatures and decrease in winter rainfall toward the north. There were no differences in nutrient concentration or in the isotopic signature of healthy and infected cacti. Conversely, we observed a higher carbon and lower nitrogen concentration in mistletoes than in cacti regardless of latitude. The loss of temperature seasonality toward the north increases the C:N ratio, and the values between the parasite and its host diverge. ∂15N was similar between parasites and hosts while ∂13C of the parasite was enriched when compared to its host. Overall, the infection by T. aphyllus affects Echinopsis chiloensis fitness but showed no strong effects over the cactus physiology, except for the summer photosynthesis. Therefore, our data revealed that E. chiloensis response to T. aphyllus infection is sensitive to environmental changes in a way that could be strongly impacted by the desertification projected for this area due to climate change.

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Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures of root-holoparasiticCynomorium songaricumand its hosts at the Tibetan plateau and the surrounding Gobi desert in China

Cited by 11 publications

References 34 publications

Assembled Plastid and Mitochondrial Genomes, as well as Nuclear Genes, Place the Parasite Family Cynomoriaceae in the Saxifragales

Assembled Plastid and Mitochondrial Genomes, as well as Nuclear Genes, Place the Parasite Family Cynomoriaceae in the Saxifragales

Sequential horizontal gene transfers from different hosts in a widespread Eurasian parasitic plant, Cynomorium coccineum

The Physiological Effect of a Holoparasite Over a Cactus Along an Environmental Gradient

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