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Dryad

Data from: Whole plant disease severity is associated with reduced polyphenolic concentrations in lesioned but not green tissue in eelgrass

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Jan 28, 2025 version files 16.36 KB

Abstract

Plants possess an impressive range of chemical traits to defend themselves against pathogens. Describing and interpreting these traits can provide insight into plant resistance to infection and disease progression. To examine one potentially responsive chemical trait, we measured the polyphenolic content of green and lesioned tissue from Labyrinthula-infected seagrass shoots growing in both the field and a long-term common garden. Infection of eelgrass (Zostera marina) with wasting disease (Labyrinthula zosterae) forms necrotic lesions on host tissue and is known to alter host photobiology and secondary metabolite production. It is common to quantify total polyphenolics as a potential measure of eelgrass defense against infection, yet there is no clear evidence that phenolics are a reliable indicator of host response or immunity. We found that polyphenolic concentrations in green tissue were not correlated with whole-plant lesion cover, while polyphenolic concentrations in lesion tissue fell predictably as lesion cover increased. These results do not support the hypothesis that host plants respond to L. zosterae infection with a systemic polyphenolic induction as an immune function; we suggest instead that total phenolic concentrations in both green and lesioned tissue may be byproducts of other localized metabolic processes influenced by the presence of necrotic tissue. Further research is necessary to understand whether plant defenses influence disease severity in this system.