Comparative study of three local mistletoes: insights from photosynthetic, ionomic, and metabolomic attributes

Abstract

Mistletoes are adapted to parasitize aerial parts of their hosts, and they have a great morphological variation and wide global distribution. Their effects on hosts were more or less investigated; however, no comparative interspecific study had been reported. This study aimed to compare three locale mistletoes Phragmanthera austroarabica, Viscum schimperi, and Plicosepalus acacia based on photosynthetic activity, major-trace- and ultra-trace elements’ distribution and metabolome profiling. P. acacia exhibited the highest net photosynthetic assimilation rate (3.3-folds), water use efficiency (5.5-folds), and accumulated major elements (⁴⁴Ca, ²⁴Mg, and ²³Na). Equally, the untargeted metabolomic method showed a substantial difference in metabolome profiling, with P. acacia being the lesser accumulative of major metabolites than P. austroarabica and V. schimperi. Based on the few identified common metabolite analysis, P. acacia had the ability to avoid the accumulation of the pollutant mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate which, P. austroarabica and V. schimperi, cannot do. Equally, P. acacia had more defence metabolites against stressors than the other mistletoes. Accordingly, P. acacia displayed higher potentialities to be more vigor and more adapted to the parasitism’s life than P. austroarabica and V. schimperi.