Abstract
The question of the nature of the interaction between epiphytic lichens and their host trees remains highly debated. Some authors showed cases of allelopathy, but this needs further investigation. Our study covers the effects caused by the epiphytic lichen Evernia esorediosa (Müll. Arg.) Du Rietz on growth and biochemical processes in Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr. ex Kuzen trees in cryolithozone boreal forests. Usnic acid (UA) is shown to migrate from the thalli of E. esorediosa in the bark and phloem of L. gmelinii, from which it is transported to the root system of the tree, and then UA is moved upward through the xylem into tree needles. Accumulation of UA in L. gmelinii needles causes the following effects: inhibition of photosynthesis, cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylation. These disruptions could reflect on the tree growth processes. The L. gmelinii trees inhabited by the epiphytic lichen E. esorediosa were found to show lower radial and apical growth parameters. Our results show that E. esorediosa exhibits an allelopathic effect toward L. gmelinii through the migration of UA from the lichen thalli to the tissues of the tree, which led to inhibition of energetic processes in cells. This caused the tree growth to slow down and could ultimately lead to its death.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Usnic acid from the lichen moved through larch bark, phloem, roots and xylem to needles.
- Taxon
- L. gmelinii
Larix gmeliniie0 - Organ / stage
- tree needlese0
- Interactor
- E. esorediosa
Evernia esorediosae0other - Outcome
- UA is moved upward through the xylem into tree needlese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Usnic acid (UA) is shown to migrate from the thalli of E. esorediosa in the bark and phloem of L. gmelinii, from which it is transported to the root system of the tree, and then UA is moved upward through the xylem into tree needles.”
Claim · model-written summary
Accumulated usnic acid inhibited photosynthesis, cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylation in larch needles.
- Taxon
- L. gmeliniiLarix gmeliniie0
- Organ / stage
- needlese0
- Compound
- UAe0
- Outcome
- inhibition of photosynthesis, cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylatione0
- Direction
- inhibitione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Accumulation of UA in L. gmelinii needles causes the following effects: inhibition of photosynthesis, cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylation.”
Claim · model-written summary
Larch trees inhabited by the lichen had lower radial and apical growth.
- Taxon
- L. gmeliniiLarix gmeliniie0
- Interactor
- E. esorediosaEvernia esorediosae0other
- Outcome
- radial and apical growth parameterse0
- Direction
- lowere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The L. gmelinii trees inhabited by the epiphytic lichen E. esorediosa were found to show lower radial and apical growth parameters.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attribute slowed larch growth to lichen usnic acid transfer and inhibition of cellular energy processes.
- Taxon
- L. gmeliniiLarix gmeliniie0
- Interactor
- E. esorediosaEvernia esorediosae0other
- Compound
- UAe0
- Outcome
- tree growth to slow downe0
- Qualifier
- could ultimately lead to its deathe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Our results show that E. esorediosa exhibits an allelopathic effect toward L. gmelinii through the migration of UA from the lichen thalli to the tissues of the tree, which led to inhibition of energetic processes in cells. This caused the tree growth to slow down and could ultimately lead to its death.”