0000000000070507
AUTHOR
Salmeri Cristina
Seed germination reports for coastal sand dune species from Sicily
This study investigated seed germination in nine psammophilous species occurring in Sicilian sand dunes, some of which, such as Muscari gussonei, Launaea resedifolia and Pancratium maritimum, are endemic and/or rare and very scattered in the area. Different germination protocols were tested for one or more populations and the best germination results per species are provided, reporting experimental conditions and specific comments on the germination behaviour.
Plant morphology: outdated or advanced discipline in modern plant sciences?
Despite an increasing societal awareness and sensitivity about biological diversity and nature conservation as pivotal matters for human survival and well-being, plant systematics has gone through a steady decline in interest, and researches on these topics are often neglected. This particularly applies to plant morphology in its broad sense (i.e. including anatomy, histology, micro-morphology), which has increasingly become marginalized and considered less important than other scientific methods in plant biology. Notwithstanding, even in the current times of genomics (plus other “omics” topics) and functional ecology, when trait-based approaches are essential for studying and understanding…
Seed germination reports for Sicilian endemic taxa of the genus Helichrysum (Asteraceae)
In the present study, successful germination protocols for 11 different taxa of the genus Helichrysum native to Sicily are discussed. Eight of them are representative of strict endemic Sicilian taxa, 2 are Italian sub endemic and one, namely H. stoechas, is a widespread W Mediterranean species. Given the controversial taxonomic status and relationships of the Mediterranean Helichrysum, the taxonomic approach enhancing the existing diversity of Sicilian populations was herein adopted from current literature. First germination records are given for some of the investigated taxa.
Analisi preliminare dello stato di conservazione in situ ed ex situ di 28 specie prioritarie di Allium L. in Italia
Partendo da una checklist aggiornata delle Crop Wild Relatives presenti in Italia, si sono così selezionati i taxa a più alta priorità di conservazione del genere Allium L. (pari a 28 taxa endemici e/o inseriti nelle più recenti Liste Rosse). Si è proceduto alla determinazione della loro distribuzione sulla base di database online, fonti di erbario e bibliografiche per le quali si è effettuato il relativo georeferenziamento. Per gli scopi del presente studio, una volta riportati su mappa i punti corrispondenti alle località di rinvenimento dei taxa oggetto d’analisi, si è poi sovrapposto un layer contenente tutte le aree protette presenti sul territorio (Riserve, Parchi, siti Natura2000, ec…