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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Evolution of the grapevine (Vitis viniferaL.) imprinted by natural and human factorsThis review is one of a selection of papers presented at the symposium onVitisat the XVII International Botanical Congress held in Vienna, Austria, in 2005.

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This paper is concerned with vegetative reproduction, which is the only mode of propagation in cultivated grapevines. After a brief summary of the systematics of the Vitaceae the question of the nomenclature of cultivated grapevines is discussed. Intra-varietal variability is discussed using morphological and molecular characteristics. The origins of variation are presented: mutations, foreign nucleic acids, and memory of previous environmental conditions. Grapevines provide characteristic products, leading viticulturalists to make selections among the diversity observed in the vineyard, thus decreasing diversity. Grapevines interact with various environmental agents. One example, the natural defence provided by resveratrol, is analysed, showing its direct effects against parasitic fungi and its indirect effects, both metabolic and genetic, on other organisms. Thus, the grapevine, viticulturalists, and their environment form a web of biological interactions.