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Thermogenesis-triggered seed dispersal in dwarf mistletoe

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Listed:
  • Rolena A. J. deBruyn

    (Thompson Rivers University
    Present Address: Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G4)

  • Mark Paetkau

    (Thompson Rivers University)

  • Kelly A. Ross

    (Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 4200 Highway 97)

  • David V. Godfrey

    (Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 4200 Highway 97)

  • John S. Church

    (Thompson Rivers University)

  • Cynthia Ross Friedman

    (Thompson Rivers University)

Abstract

Lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe (DM), Arceuthobium americanum, is a parasitic flowering plant and forest pathogen in North America. Seed dispersal in DM occurs by explosive discharge. Notably, slight warming of ripe DM fruit in the laboratory can trigger explosions. Previously, we showed that alternative oxidase, a protein involved in endogenous heat production (thermogenesis) in plants, is present in DM fruit. These observations have led us to investigate if thermogenesis induces discharge. Here, infrared thermographs reveal that ripe DM fruits display an anomalous increase in surface temperature by an average of 2.1±0.8 °C over an average time of 103±29 s (n=9, 95% confidence interval) before dehiscence. Furthermore, both non-isothermal and isothermal modulated differential scanning calorimetry consistently show an exothermic event (~1 J g−1) in the non-reversible heat flow just prior to discharge. These results support thermogenesis-triggered seed discharge, never before observed in any plant.

Suggested Citation

  • Rolena A. J. deBruyn & Mark Paetkau & Kelly A. Ross & David V. Godfrey & John S. Church & Cynthia Ross Friedman, 2015. "Thermogenesis-triggered seed dispersal in dwarf mistletoe," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-5, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms7262
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7262
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