Dodder, a parasitic vine that attaches to other plants, doesn't just steal water and nutrients — it also shuttles genetic signals and proteins between its host plants, potentially altering how those hosts grow, defend themselves, and interact with their environment.
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Dodder transfers not only water and nutrients but also systemic signals, mRNAs, small RNAs, and proteins bidirectionally between itself and host plants.
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Multiple host plants connected by a single dodder plant can exchange biomolecules indirectly through the parasite, forming an interplant signaling network.
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Transferred macromolecules have documented functional consequences, altering the physiology and ecology of recipient plants — not merely passing through as inert cargo.
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