Poster #5

Does the adaptation of the hemiparasitic Andean mistletoe Tristerix corymbosus (L.) Kuijt (Loranthaceae) to exotic trees induce the alteration of beneficial leaf-associated microorganisms?
CRISTIANE SAGREDO-SÁEZ, HECTOR HERRERA, MARÍA ISABEL MUJICA
Laboratorio de Silvicultura, Departamento de Ciencias Forestales, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Medioambiente, Universidad de La Frontera, 4811230 Temuco, Chile,Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

Tristerix corymbosus (L.) Kuijt (Loranthaceae) is a hemiparasitic medicinal plant that grows in ancient Araucaria araucana-Nothofagus pumilio forests. However, they have developed adaptation mechanisms in branches of invasive species such as Acacia dealbata and Populus nigra. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine how the host tree (native or invasive) influence the diversity of leaf-associated microorganisms, using a fungal and bacterial metabarcoding approach. The results showed that the host plays an important role in determining the diversity of microorganisms associated with T. corymbosus, which was completely different between native and invasive species. Specifically, 35 bacterial OTUs were common to all species, 27 to P. nigra, and 7 were exclusive to A. dealbata. In the case of fungi, 44 common taxa were identified, while 56 were associated with P. nigra and 67 with A. dealbata. At the genus level, Nocardioides, Aeromicrobium, Pseudomonas were significantly enriched bacteria, while Vishniacozyma, Acremonium, and Taphrina were significantly enriched fungi detected in association with the invasive species. In conclusion, our results showed that invasive species, even without being the usual hosts of T. corymbosus, can also be parasitized by it, however leading to significant changes in symbiotic microorganisms.