Hemiparasitic plants gain virtually all mineral nutrients and water from their host plant whilst organic carbon is provided, at least in part, by their own photosynthetic activity, although their rates of assimilation are substantially lower than that found in non-parasitic plants. Hence, hemiparasites must gain at least some of their organic carbon heterotrophically from the host plant. Despite this, heterotrophic carbon gain by root hemiparasites has been investigated only for a few genera. We investigated heterotrophic carbon gain by two root hemiparasites, Rhinanthus minor L. and Euphrasia rostkoviana Hayne (Orobanchaceae), using natural abundance stable isotope (delta(13)C) profiles of both parasites attached to C(3) (wheat) and C(4) (maize) hosts coupled to a linear two-source isotope-mixing model to estimate the percentage of carbon in the parasite that was derived from the host. Both R. minor and E. rostkoviana attached to maize hosts were significantly more enriched in (13)C than those attached to wheat hosts with R. minor becoming more enriched in (13)C than E. rostkoviana. The natural abundance (13)C profiles of both parasites were not significantly different from their wheat hosts, but were less enriched in (13)C than maize hosts. Using a linear two-source isotope-mixing model, we estimated that R. minor and E. rostkoviana adult plants derive c. 50 and 25% of their carbon from their hosts, respectively. In light of these results, we hypothesise that repeatedly observed negative effect of competition for light on hemiparasites acts predominantly in early ontogenetic stages when parasites grow unattached or the abstraction of host nutrients is less effective.
- MeSH
- biomasa MeSH
- Euphrasia fyziologie MeSH
- fotosyntéza MeSH
- heterotrofní procesy fyziologie MeSH
- interakce hostitele a parazita MeSH
- izotopy uhlíku MeSH
- kořeny rostlin parazitologie MeSH
- kukuřice setá růst a vývoj parazitologie MeSH
- Orobanchaceae fyziologie MeSH
- Plantago růst a vývoj parazitologie MeSH
- pšenice růst a vývoj parazitologie MeSH
- uhlík metabolismus MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Klíčová slova
- Aconitum Napellus, Allium Cepa, Antimonium Tartaricum, Apis Mellifica, Arsenicum Album, Baptisia Tinctoria, Belladonna, Bellis Perennis, Bryonia Alba, Eupatorium Perfoliatum, Gelsemium Sempervirens, Hepar Sulphuris, Ignatia Amara, Kalium Bichromicum, Lac Caninum, Lachesis Muta, Mercurius Solubilis, Natrium Muriaticum, Nux Vomica, Phytolacca Decandra, Pulsatilla Nigricans, Rhus Toxicodendron,
- MeSH
- Euphrasia MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nachlazení farmakoterapie MeSH
- receptáře homeopatické jako téma MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
