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Seagrass–Pathogen Interactions: ‘Pseudo-Induction’ Of Turtlegrass Phenolics Near Wasting Disease Lesions, Latina Steele, Melanie Caldwell, Anne Boettcher, Tom Arnold

Biology Faculty Publications

Marine protists of the genus Labyrinthula cause the seagrass wasting disease, which is associated with regional die-offs of eelgrass Zostera marina and also infects turtlegrass Thalassia testudinum . The ability of seagrasses to resist pathogen attack is determined by multiple factors, which are poorly understood. One factor hypothesized to influence seagrass disease resistance is the presence of (poly)phenolic natural products such as caffeic acid, which inhibits the growth of L. zosterae in in vitro laboratory bioassays. This hypothesis has been supported by reports of pathogen-induced phenolic accumulations in eelgrass Z. marina. To test the response of T. testudinum to …