Mistletoe Berries Research Articles

Unraveling the Rapid Assembly Process of Stiff Cellulosic Fibers from Mistletoe Berries.

The mucilaginous viscin tissue within mistletoe berries possesses an extraordinary ability to be rapidly processed under ambient conditions into stiff cellulosic fibers (>14 GPa) through simple mechanical drawing. This rapid and extreme transformation process is hydration-dependent and involves an astonishing >200-fold increase in length, providing a relevant role model for efforts to produce advanced composites from cellulose-based structures such as cellulose nanocrystals or cellulose nanofibrils. Using a combination of in situ polarized light microscopy, synchrotron X-ray scattering, and humidity-controlled mechanical analysis, we examine here the dynamic transition of a viscin cell bundle from hydrogel-like tissues to high-performance fibers. Our findings indicate a massive phase transition in which cellulose microfibrils containing high-aspect-ratio crystalline domains undergo dramatic reorganization, facilitated by a water-responsive noncellulosic matrix. Transition from an aligned, yet flowing state to a stiff fiber is likely triggered by rapid water loss below 45% relative humidity. These findings not only help understanding the adaptive success of mistletoe but may also be relevant for the development of new facile processing methods for next-generation cellulosic composites.

LC-ESI-MS/MS Identification of Biologically Active Phenolic Compounds in Mistletoe Berry Extracts from Different Host Trees.

A new, rapid, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed to determine the content of flavonoid aglycones and phenolic acids in mistletoe berries (Viscum album L.) harvested from six different Polish host trees. Additionally, the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) as well as an antioxidant and antiproliferative activity were evaluated for the first time. The plant material was selectively extracted using ultrasound assisted maceration with methanol/water (8:2) solution. The obtained TPC and TFC results varied from 7.146 to 9.345 mg GA g−1 and from 1.888 to 2.888 mg Q g−1 of dry extracts, respectively. The LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis demonstrated the highest content of phenolic acids in mistletoe berries from Populus nigra ‘Italica’ L. and flavonoid aglycones in mistletoe berries from Tilia cordata Mill. (354.45 µg and 5.955 µg per g dry extract, respectively). The moderate antioxidant activity of investigated extracts was obtained. The studies revealed that the examined extracts decreased the proliferation of human colon adenocarcinoma cells line LS180 in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity in the human colon epithelial cell line CCD 841 CoTr. Moreover, the obtained results suggest considerable impact of polyphenols on the anticancer activity of these extracts.

Mistletoe Berry Outline Mapping with a Path Curve Function and Recording the Circadian Rhythm of Their Phenotypic Shape Change.

This paper presents a discovery: the change of the outline shape of mistletoe (Viscum album ssp. album) berries in vivo and in situ during ripening. It was found that a plant organ that is usually considered to merely increase in size actually changes shape in a specific rhythmic fashion. We introduce a new approach to chronobiological research on a macro-phenotypic scale to trace changes over long periods of time (with a resolution from hours to months) by using a dynamic form-determining parameter called Lambda (λ). λ is known in projective geometry as a measure for pertinent features of the outline shapes of egg-like forms, so called path curves. Ascertained circadian changes of form were analyzed for their correlation with environmental factors such as light, temperature, and other weather influences. Certain weather conditions such as sky cover, i.e., sunshine minutes per hour, have an impact on the amplitude of the daily change in form. The present paper suggests a possible supplement to established methods in chronobiology, as in this case the dynamic of form-change becomes a measurable feature, displaying a convincing accordance between mathematical rule and plant shape.

An invader supported by a parasite: Mistletoe berries as a host for food and reproduction of Spotted Wing Drosophila in early spring

The Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, an invasive pest species in Europe and the Americas, is able to feed and reproduce on numerous fruit crops and a wide range of wild host plants. SWD is thought to overwinter outside of agricultural fields in forests and hedges. To identify overwintering sites and early spring oviposition hosts, traps were installed in forests. In spring 2015, traps in the canopy of pine trees parasitized by mistletoe, Viscum album subsp. laxum, captured significantly more SWD than traps in pine trees without mistletoe. We found SWD females with ripe eggs coinciding with ripening and ripe mistletoe berries. We investigated whether mistletoe may serve as a host for SWD. Under laboratory conditions, SWD developed from egg to adult in mistletoe berries. More adults emerged from wounded berries. Females were observed to feed on berries and survived up to eight days without other food. A few adults emerged from wild mistletoe berries. To understand the attraction of SWD to parasitized trees, we analyzed the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) collected from the headspace of mistletoe berries by GC–MS and identified the main components. Thirty-two VOCs were found. Wounded and unwounded berries differed significantly in the quantity of 11 VOCs emitted. The odor spectrum showed many similarities to other typical berry odors. The combination of field surveys and laboratory assays identified a new reproduction host for SWD in spring. This host plant may help SWD to withstand the bottleneck period for survival in winter and spring.

Assessment of Shape Changes of Mistletoe Berries: A New Software Approach to Automatize the Parameterization of Path Curve Shaped Contours

Photographs of mistletoe (Viscum album L.) berries taken by a permanently fixed camera during their development in autumn were subjected to an outline shape analysis by fitting path curves using a mathematical algorithm from projective geometry. During growth and maturation processes the shape of mistletoe berries can be described by a set of such path curves, making it possible to extract changes of shape using one parameter called Lambda. Lambda describes the outline shape of a path curve. Here we present methods and software to capture and measure these changes of form over time. The present paper describes the software used to automatize a number of tasks including contour recognition, optimization of fitting the contour via hill-climbing, derivation of the path curves, computation of Lambda and blinding the pictures for the operator. The validity of the program is demonstrated by results from three independent measurements showing circadian rhythm in mistletoe berries. The program is available as open source and will be applied in a project to analyze the chronobiology of shape in mistletoe berries and the buds of their host trees.

Gristhorpe Man: a Raman spectroscopic study of ‘mistletoe berries’ in a Bronze Age log coffin burial

AbstractIn 1834 in a tumulus at Gristhorpe, North Yorkshire, UK, an intact coffin fashioned from the hollowed‐out trunk of an oak tree was found to contain a well‐preserved skeleton stained black from the oak tannins, wrapped in an animal skin and buried with a range of grave artefacts, including a bronze dagger, flints and a bark vessel. The remains were deposited in the Rotunda Museum at Scarborough, where closure due to refurbishment in 2005–2008 provided an opportunity for the scientific investigation of the skeletal remains and artefacts using a wide range of techniques. Dendrochronological and radiocarbon dating has established the age of the skeleton as 2140–1940 BC at 95% confidence, in the Early Bronze Age. As part of this project, Raman spectra of several mysterious small spherical objects discovered in the coffin underneath the skeleton and initially believed to be ‘mistletoe berries’ associated with ancient burial customs have been recorded non‐destructively. The interpretation of the Raman spectral data, microscopic analysis and comparison with modern specimens has led to the conclusion that the small spheres are phosphatic urinary stones, which reflect the archaeological dietary evidence and stable isotope analysis of bone collagen of Gristhorpe Man. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sexual competition explains patterns of individual investment in territorial aggression in western bluebird winter groups

In central California, western bluebirds, Sialia mexicana, live year-round on their breeding territories, feeding extensively on mistletoe berries through the winter. In spring, they usually breed as pairs and occasionally have helpers, whereas in winter they live in groups of up to 13 birds including family members and unrelated immigrants. Individuals of both sexes and all ages defend the winter territory against conspecifics. We presented caged male and female decoys to free-living groups of western bluebirds to test predictions of two hypotheses for adaptive variation in individual investment in winter territorial defence: kin value (kin selection) and reproductive competition (future breeding success). We found that individual investment in defence did not increase with kin value (the number of offspring equivalents that an individual had in the group) but varied as predicted by reproductive competition. Females spent more time on cages of female decoys than they did on cages of male decoys, but they did not differ in their frequency of aggressive displays (hops, wing flicks) towards intruders of either sex. In contrast, males spent equivalent periods on the cages of decoys of both sexes, but they hopped more frequently on cages of males. Although the form of aggression differed for males and females, aggression for both tended to be more pronounced towards same-sex conspecifics. The persistent effect of group size as a negative covariate indicates that group living enables individuals to reduce time spent in active territory defence. Members of large groups were able to reduce their investment while maintaining the same level of response to intruders as did members of smaller groups. Patterns of response to caged intruders provide novel support for the hypothesis that sexual competition is important in territorial defence outside the breeding season.

Watering blue palo verde ( Cercidium floridum) affects berry maturation of parasitic desert mistletoe ( Phoradendron californicum) during an extreme drought in the Mojave Desert

Resources available to parasites are often dependent on resources available to hosts. If a resource is limiting to parasites because it is limiting to hosts, supplementing that resource for hosts should affect parasites. Water availability is a limiting factor for plant productivity in many desert systems. We watered blue palo verde ( Cercidium floridum) with desert mistletoe ( Phoradendron californicum) infestations during a drought in the Mojave Desert during winter of 2002–2003. Mistletoe berries were monitored over a 19-week period on nine trees receiving no water, nine trees receiving “normal” water, and nine trees receiving 10× normal water. No differences were seen in overall berry numbers between treatments. However, berry crops on mistletoe plants parasitizing watered palo verdes matured and numbers declined faster than berry crops on control trees. There were no differences between plants watered a moderate amount and those watered a magnitude more, suggesting that berry maturation may be limited by a factor other than water in wet years, or that palo verde do not uptake significantly more water than is typically present. Future research is needed to conclusively determine factors limiting desert mistletoe berry maturation.

Changes in interactions between juniper and mistletoe mediated by shared avian frugivores: parasitism to potential mutualism.

Although mistletoe is typically viewed as a parasite of juniper in a two-way interaction, its role may become neutral or even mutualistic when their common avian seed dispersing agents are considered as a three-way interaction. In the study area, wintering avian frugivores forage on both one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) berries and on the fruit of its associated mistletoe (Phoradendron juniperinum). Three major findings emerged from our studies that support a three-way interaction and the hypothesis of conditional interactions. First, mistletoes provide a stable resource for shared avian seed dispersers; junipers do not. Whereas juniper berry production varied 10- to 15-fold over the 3years of our study, mistletoe fruit abundance did not vary significantly. Second, the abundance of avian seed dispersal agents, such as Townsend's solitaires (Myadestes townsendi), is strongly tied to the abundance of juniper berries in mast years and mistletoe fruits in all years. In fact, the best overall predictor of their common avian seed dispersal agents was the abundance of mistletoe; stands with mistletoe attracted up to 3times more avian frugivores than stands with little or no mistletoe. Thus, mistletoe berries can serve as the main attractor for birds that disperse juniper berries. Third, in agreement with the hypothesis that mistletoe can benefit junipers by attracting and supporting greater populations of avian seed dispersal agents, the number of juniper seedlings was more than 2-fold greater in stands with high mistletoe density compared with stands that had little or no mistletoe. Results suggest that the occurrence of a three-way interaction, in the presence of environmental variation (in this case, annual variation in juniper berry crops), may change the ecological roles of associated species. A conceptual model is presented to illustrate how the role of mistletoe may range from parasitic to mutualistic, while the role of avian seed dispersers may conversely range from mutualistic to parasitic, the latter by acting as vectors for the spread of mistletoe.

The cellulose system in viscin from mistletoe berries

The cellulose system of the viscous fibrous cellulosic polysaccharide (viscan) in the viscin tissue of the European mistletoe, Viscum album L., was analyzed by chemical and physicochemical techniques including sugar analysis, optical and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray and electron diffraction together with solid state CP/MAS 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The results confirmed that in the elongated thin viscin cells, the cellulose microfibrils (having a diameter of around 3 nm) were tightly coiled with their axes perpendicular to the long axis of the cell. Upon stretching these cells became deformed by more than a hundred fold. In such a deformation, the cellulose microfibrils became unwound to be perfectly aligned along the stretching direction. Based on solid-state CP/MAS 13C-NMR spectroscopic analysis of the viscin tissue, it was found that its cellulose consisted of Iα and Iβ polymorphs in the ratio 1:1.

Traditional Aboriginal Learning How I Learned as a Pitjantjatjara Child

As a child I lived at a place called Angatja. My father, mother, grandmother, older brothers, aunts, and uncles taught me there and I learned from them. My mother taught me about her bush foods. She collected the plant foods and prepared them and I learned by watching her. I learned also from my father. He taught about meat foods, cooking the meat, making spears, joining parts of the spears tightly with sinew and going out hunting for meat. My mother would take me out with her. We two went out together to collect small animals and plant foods, hitting sand goannas, and sometimes collecting bush honey. I watched her and gathered some foods and when we all came together in camp we ate the meat and plant foods. My mother gathered various plant foods, native millet seeds, pigweed, roots which grew in the rocks and other seeds. These foods were available in autumn. Other foods were found on trees in spring. These fruits included mistletoe berries, mulga apples, native plums and quandongs. Also the native fig trees grew on small rocky hills.

Annual Changes in Gizzard Size and Function in a Frugivorous Bird

Frugivory often entails substantial adaptations of the digestive tract, associated with the presence of indigestible seeds and a comparatively low concentration of nutrients in the diet. Species consuming mistletoe berries face the added complication of manipulating the viscous, adhesive pulp characteristic of this birddispersed fruit and commonly exhibit extreme adaptations of digestive anatomy and function (Forbes 1880, Wetmore 1914, Desselberger 1931, Steinbacher 1935, Walsberg 1975). An example is the Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens), a small songbird resident in the Sonoran Desert from October through April. During this period, the bulk of the Phainopepla's diet consists of berries of the desert mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum) (Walsberg 1975, 1977). The pericarp of this fruit (its pulp) is mucilaginous, which aids in adhering the seed to host plants but also makes it more difficult for a consuming animal to manipulate. The Phainopepla's digestive apparatus is highly specialized to process large numbers of these berries by rapidly removing the exocarp (the berry's skin) within the digestive tract (Walsberg 1975). A foraging bird typically fills its crop with berries, then passes them singly to the gizzard (ventriculus). The small gizzard averages only 1.5% of body mass and will contain a single 3to 5-mm diameter mistletoe fruit. The gizzard apparently contracts and extrudes the seed and semiliquid pulp out of the exocarp into the small intestine. The exocarp is retained in the distal portion of the gizzard. This process is repeated for 12-24 berries, then the accumulated mass of exocarps is ejected from the gizzard into the small intestine. As little as 12 min elapse between ingestion and egestion and at least 1,100 berries may be consumed per day with caloric digestive efficiencies averaging 49% (Walsberg 1975, 1977). Desert mistletoe, however, is consumed only during the period between October and May. From late spring until fall, Phainopeplas occupy semiarid habitats to the north, east, and west of the Sonoran Desert (e.g., oak woodland, riparian woodland in chaparral areas) (Walsberg 1977). Compared to the period in the Sonoran Desert, the diet is more generalized and a wide variety of small berries are consumed (e.g., Lycium spp., Rhamnus crocea, Rhus spp., and Sambucus mexicana). We report here a major seasonal change in gizzard size and function correlated with this dietary shift. Data were collected incidental to a larger analysis of this species' annual cycle of reproduction, molt, and body composition. Because the annual shift in gizzard structure was noted only late in our study, comparisons are limited to samples collected between August and December.

The Alimentary-Tract of a Specialist Frugivore, the Mistletoebird, Dicaeum-Hirundinaceum, in Relation to Its Diet

The mistletoebird, Dicaeum hirundinaceum, is unique in Australia for its specialised diet of mistletoe berries. Like other frugivorous dicaeids it has a relatively short alimentary tract. Unlike insect-eating passerine birds, the proventriculus, gizzard and duodenum of dicaeids are all in the same plane, allowing rapid passage of the large numbers of berries consumed. The gizzards of frugivorous dicaeids are much smaller and less muscular than those of insectivorous birds of similar size from the same areas. There is, however, no evidence of a sphincter muscle controlling access to the gizzard, despite accounts of this in the literature.

Assessing mistletoe toxicity

To assess the potential toxicity of mistletoe ingestion, data were collected on 14 cases of ingestion of one to three berries or one or two leaves of American mistletoe (Phoradendron sp) from 1982 to 1985. Eleven patients ingested berries and three ingested leaves; none became symptomatic. Nine patients were observed at home without intervention except poison center telephone follow-up. Five had induced emesis, including two who were referred to emergency departments for evaluation, where no findings other than ipecac-induced vomiting were noted. Also reviewed were data on a total of 318 cases of mistletoe ingestion reported to the Food and Drug Administration Poison Control case reporting system between 1978 and 1983 (n = 177) and the American Association of Poison Control Centers national data collection system (n = 141) in 1984. The majority remained asymptomatic and no deaths were recorded. These data allow the conclusion that ingestion of one to three mistletoe berries or one or two leaves is unlikely to produce serious toxicity.

Assessing mistletoe toxicity

To assess the potential toxicity of mistletoe ingestion, data were collected on 14 cases of ingestion of one to three berries or one or two leaves of American mistletoe (Phoradendron sp) from 1982 to 1985. Eleven patients ingested berries and three ingested leaves; none became symptomatic. Nine patients were observed at home without intervention except poison center telephone follow-up. Five had induced emesis, including two who were referred to emergency departments for evaluation, where no findings other than ipecac-induced vomiting were noted. Also reviewed were data on a total of 318 cases of mistletoe ingestion reported to the Food and Drug Administration Poison Control case reporting system between 1978 and 1983 (n = 177) and the American Association of Poison Control Centers national data collection system (n = 141) in 1984. The majority remained asymptomatic and no deaths were recorded. These data allow the conclusion that ingestion of one to three mistletoe berries or one or two leaves is unlikely to produce serious toxicity.

Interspecific Allopreening Solicitation in Female Brewer's Blackbirds

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Effects of the fungal hyperparasite Colletotrichumgloeosporioides of dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobiumamericanum) on young lodgepole pine

Dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobiumamericanum Nutt. ex. Engelm.) infected by the fungus Colletotrichumgloeosporioides Penz. sensu von Arx was examined in two areas of young lodgepole pine (Pinuscontorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) in southwestern Alberta. The fungus infected 35% and 75% of the dwarf mistletoe plants, 6% and 54% of the aerial shoots, and 7% and 8% of the berries in the respective areas. The number of dwarf mistletoe berries and maximum shoot lengths of dwarf mistletoe plants were significantly reduced by the fungus, and dead plants were more frequent than in areas where the fungus was absent. However, numbers of new dwarf mistletoe plants were not significantly reduced by the fungus. Evidently future increase in numbers of dwarf mistletoe plants and eventual damage to young lodgepole pine in the areas will not be significantly decreased by the fungus.

Digestive Adaptations of Phainopepla nitens Associated with the Eating of Mistletoe Berries

The Phainopepla, Phainopepla nitens, inhabits arid and semiarid areas in Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it associates closely with the Desert Mistletoe, Phoradendron californicum (Cowles 1936, 1972, Crouch 1943). This mistletoe parasitizes Sonoran desert wash plants such as Mesquite, Prosopis juliflora; Ironwood, Olneya tesota; Palo Verde, Cercidium floridum; and Catsclaw, Acacia greggi. The Phainopepla is a common winter and spring resident in these washes and is often seen feeding at the large fruiting clumps of mistletoe. The small (3-5 mm) berries of this mistletoe provide an abundant and succulent food source in this arid habitat. Besides P. nitens, a number of other birds feed upon these berries, including Gambel Quail, Lophortyx gambelii; Bluebirds, Sialis spp.; Mockingbirds, Mimus polyglottus; and House Finches, Carpodacus mexicanus (Cowles 1936, 1972). However, I have observed that none of these species are as closely associated with Desert Mistletoe or feed on it

Mistletoe berries

Journal Article Mistletoe berries Get access John.T. Page John.T. Page Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume s9-XI, Issue 267, 7 February 1903, Page 110, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s9-XI.267.110b Published: 07 February 1903