André Luis de Alcantara Guimarães
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Title: Gall inducers and host plants. What changes may these organisms induce on plant metabolism?
Biography
Biography: André Luis de Alcantara Guimarães
Abstract
Galls are anomalies in plant development of parasitic origin that affect the cellular differentiation or growth and represent a remarkable plant–parasite interaction. The galls may occur in all organs of the host plant, from roots to fruits. However, the existence of galls in reproductive organs and their effects on host plants are seldom described in the literature. In the past decades, many studies aimed to analyze not only the morphological changes induced by these parasites but also the metabolic changes. Nevertheless, the mechanisms involved and how these organisms regulate these intricate changes still remain unclear.In our research, we present a novel study of galls in plants of the Neotropical region: the ‘witches’ broom’ galls developed in floral structures of Byrsonima sericea (Malpichiaceae). The affected inflorescences and flower buds showed several morphological and anatomical changes. The sepals, petals and carpels converted into leaf-like structures after differentiation and the gynoecium followed new destinations. In this work, we discuss the changes in the development of reproductive structures caused by witches’ broom galls and their effects on the reproductive success of the host plants. These results, combined with patterns in galls in different Neotropical plant species, suggest that gall inducers may alter gene expression, plant hormones and chemical compounds of host plants on their behalf.