Mistletoes are parasitic plants that are capable of penetrating the living tissue of another plant’s stems and branches and extracting the necessary resources for their survival. This study aimed to compare the leaves and branches of parasitized and non-parasitized Tapirira guianensis host trees to gain insights of reciprocal effects of Phoradendron perrottetii (mistletoe) infection and profiles of primary metabolites and phenolic compounds of T. guianensis. Our hypothesis was that either the host’s chemical profile determines mistletoe infestation, or that the mistletoe infestation leads to fundamental changes in the metabolite profile of the host. Plant material was collected from T. guianensis parasitized by P. perrottetii, yielding samples from infested and non-infested host branches and their respective leaves. Infested branches were divided into two regions, the proximal region and the host-parasite interface (gall) region. Leaves and branches of non-parasitized plants were also collected. Statistical analyses revealed negative effects of the parasite on infested branches regarding most of the analyzed primary metabolites, especially soluble carbohydrates. This suggests a flow of carbohydrates towards the mistletoe, indicating a partially heterotrophic nutrition. Additionally, we observed a positive effect on the tannin contents of non-infested host branches caused by the mistletoe, which might suggest that this parasitic relationship induces a systemic response in T. guianensis. Finally, high contents of flavonoids at the gall region could indicate a mechanism of ROS quenching.

中文翻译：

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槲寄生对寄主树Tapirira guianensis的影响：主要和次要代谢产物的见解

槲寄生是寄生植物，能够穿透另一种植物的茎和枝的活组织并提取其生存所需的资源。本研究旨在树叶和树枝比较寄生和非寄生Tapirira花草寄主植物获得的相互影响的见解Phoradendron perrottetii（槲寄生）感染与初级代谢和酚类化合物的轮廓T.花草。我们的假设是，宿主的化学特征决定了槲寄生的侵染，或者槲寄生的侵染导致宿主代谢物特征的根本改变。从寄生的圭亚那T. guianensis收集植物材料。P. perrottetii，从出没和未出没的寄主分支及其各自的叶子中产生样品。受感染的分支被分为两个区域，即近端区域和宿主-寄生虫界面（壁）区域。还收集了非寄生植物的叶子和分支。统计分析表明，对于大多数分析的主要代谢产物，尤其是可溶性碳水化合物，该寄生虫对受感染分支有不利影响。这表明碳水化合物流向槲寄生，表明营养是部分异养的。此外，我们观察到了由槲寄生引起的未侵染宿主分支单宁含量的积极影响，这可能表明这种寄生关系诱导了圭亚那T. guianensis的系统性反应。。最后，在胆区域的类黄酮含量高可能表明ROS淬灭的机制。