Search results for "Ericaceae"

An approach to determining anthocyanin synthesis enzyme gene expression in an evolutionary context: an example from Erica plukenetii

2019

Abstract Background and Aims Floral colour in angiosperms can be controlled by variations in the expression of the genes of the anthocyanin pathway. Floral colour shifts influence pollinator specificity. Multiple shifts in floral colour occurred in the diversification of the genus Erica (Ericaceae), from plesiomorphic pink to, for example, red or white flowers. Variation in anthocyanin gene expression and its effects on floral colour in the red-, pink- and white-flowered Erica plukenetii species complex was investigated. Methods Next generation sequencing, reverse transcriptase PCR and real-time reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR were used to quantify anthocyanin gene expression. Key Re…

Disentangling the role of heat and smoke as germination cues in Mediterranean Basin flora

2010

9 páginas, 1 figura, 4 tablas.

Factors Affecting Polyphenol Biosynthesis in Wild and Field Grown St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum L. Hypericaceae/Guttiferae)

2009

The increasing diffusion of herbal products is posing new questions: why are products so often different in their composition and efficacy? Which approach is more suitable to increase the biochemical productivity of medicinal plants with large-scale, low-cost solutions? Can the phytochemical profile of a medicinal plant be modulated in order to increase the accumulation of its most valuable constituents? Will polyphenol-rich medicinal crops ever be traded as commodities? Providing a proactive answer to such questions is an extremely hard task, due to the large number of variables involved: intraspecific chemodiversity, plant breeding, ontogenetic stage, post-harvest handling, biotic and abi…

Testing reticulate versus coalescent origins of Erica lusitanica using a species phylogeny of the northern heathers (Ericeae, Ericaceae).

2015

Whilst most of the immense species richness of heathers (Calluna, Daboecia and Erica: Ericeae; Ericaceae) is endemic to Africa, particularly the Cape Floristic Region, the oldest lineages are found in the Northern Hemisphere. We present phylogenetic hypotheses for the major clades of Ericeae represented by multiple accessions of all northern Erica species and placeholder taxa for the large nested African/Madagascan clade. We identified consistent, strongly supported conflict between gene trees inferred from ITS and chloroplast DNA sequences with regard to the position of Erica lusitanica. We used coalescent simulations to test whether this conflict could be explained by coalescent stochasti…

Do pollinator distributions underlie the evolution of pollination ecotypes in the Cape shrub Erica plukenetii?

2013

Background and aims According to the Grant-Stebbins model of pollinator-driven divergence, plants that disperse beyond the range of their specialized pollinator may adapt to a new pollination system. Although this model provides a compelling explanation for pollination ecotype formation, few studies have directly tested its validity in nature. Here we investigate the distribution and pollination biology of several subspecies of the shrub Erica plukenetii from the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa. We analyse these data in a phylogenetic context and combine these results with information on pollinator ranges to test whether the evolution of pollination ecotypes is consistent with the Gra…

Erica sicula subsp. sicula in: Schede per una Lista Rossa della Flora vascolare e crittogamica Italiana

2012

Targeted NGS for species level phylogenomics: “made to measure” or “one size fits all”?

2017

Targeted high-throughput sequencing using hybrid-enrichment offers a promising source of data for inferring multiple, meaningfully resolved, independent gene trees suitable to address challenging phylogenetic problems in species complexes and rapid radiations. The targets in question can either be adopted directly from more or less universal tools, or custom made for particular clades at considerably greater effort. We applied custom made scripts to select sets of homologous sequence markers from transcriptome and WGS data for use in the flowering plant genus Erica (Ericaceae). We compared the resulting targets to those that would be selected both using different available tools (Hyb-Seq; M…

Vaccinium Genus Berry Waxes and Oils

2019

Vaccinium is a common and widespread genus of about 450 species of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). Most of Vaccinium species produce edible berries and many berries are widely cultivated at an industrial scale, for example, bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), and cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccos L.). These berries are important articles in the markets of berries in Northern countries both raw, and processed. Vaccinium berries are at first valued considering high vitamin concentrations as well as high concentrations of phenolics. However, also oils and waxes (lipids) of Vacciniu…

Extraction, Characterization and Incorporation of Hypericum scruglii Extract in Ad Hoc Formulated Phospholipid Vesicles Designed for the Treatment of…

2020

An extract of Hypericum scruglii, an endangered endemic plant of Sardinia (Italy), was prepared and characterized. It was loaded in special phospholipid vesicles, glycerosomes, which were modified by adding maltodextrin (glucidex) and a polymer (gelatin or hyaluronan). The corresponding liposomes were also prepared and used as reference. The vesicles disclosed suitable physicochemical features for skin delivery. Indeed, their mean diameter ranged from 120 to 160 nm, they were homogeneously dispersed (polydispersity index &le