Three Types of Resources and an open-access Applied Plant Ecology peer-reviewed example!
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The open access, peer-reviewed article Plant physiology meets phytopathology: plant primary metabolism and plant–pathogen interactions by Susanne Berger and others looks into the effects of phytopathogens on defence mechanisms of different types of plant and plant tissues. Phytopathogens are plant pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses. When studying the effects of phytopathogens on the effects of photosynthesis, it was found that some plants “switch off photosynthesis and other assimilatory metabolism to initiate respiratory and other defence mechanisms”. During phytopathogenic interactions, it was also found that sink areas, such as roots, increase invertase activity in the cell walls. Invertase is an enzyme that is important for sink defensive strength as it affects the apoplastic phloem unloading area of the plant. Another defence mechanism observed is the change in hexose-to-sucrose ratio in the plant tissues, but it was concluded that further research using spatial resolution is required for a full understanding of how sugars are distributed in the plant during pathogenic attacks. Next the relevance of carbohydrate metabolism was discussed in terms of pathogenic resistance. It is summarized in the article that (i) sugars act as nutrients and signals for both the plant partner and for the microbial partner, meaning changes in these levels may change the degree of pathogenic spread; and (ii) “certain pathogens also possess extracellular sucrolytic enzymes, such as invertases”, meaning the pathogens may able able to alter sugar levels on their own. In the end though, more reproducible research needs to be done on a larger scale of plant tissues and plant types for these findings to support further practical applications in the real world.
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Reference:
Berger, Sinha, A. K., & Roitsch, T. (2007). Plant physiology meets phytopathology: plant primary metabolism and plant–pathogen interactions. Journal of Experimental Botany, 58(15-16), 4019–4026. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erm298
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 