Gender dimorphism in the virulence of a dioecious mistletoe

Gender dimorphism in the virulence of a dioecious mistletoe

Parasite virulence often differs between male and female hosts. However, less is known about how virulence might differ between male and female parasites. Here, I show that female plants of the dioecious mistletoe Misodendrum quadrifolium (Misodendraceae) grow larger than male plants. Correspondingl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal for parasitology Vol. 51; no. 12; pp. 985 - 987
Main Author: Burns, K C
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England 01-11-2021
Subjects:
Animals
Mistletoe
Parasites
Plants
Sex Characteristics
Virulence
Tree
Plant
Leaf
Patagonia
Body size
Gender dimorphism
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Summary:Parasite virulence often differs between male and female hosts. However, less is known about how virulence might differ between male and female parasites. Here, I show that female plants of the dioecious mistletoe Misodendrum quadrifolium (Misodendraceae) grow larger than male plants. Correspondingly, females reduce the photosynthetic capacity of infected host branches more than males. Results indicate that in addition to playing an important role in determining host susceptibility to parasitism, gender can also play an important role in determining the virulence of dioecious parasites.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0020-7519
1879-0135
DOI:10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.05.007