Search results for "Seed"

The Seedbank database of the Hortus Botanicus Panormitanus

2012

A database for the management of the Seedbank of the Palermo’s Botanical Garden has been set up. Its structure and functioning are illustrated. Since November 2010 about 2000 records relating to 460 taxa have been inputted and are accesible via web. Links with other seedbank databases and with the database of the Herbarium Mediterraneum Panormitanum and of the Palermo’s Botanical Garden are explained.

Conservation of forest biodiversity in Sicily: contribution of the University of Palermo Germplasm Bank (Italy)

2017

Germplasm Banks dedicated to the wild plants seeds conservation play a unique role in integrating the in situ conservation of endemic, rare or endangered plant species. One of the missions of the Seed Bank of the University of Palermo (HBP-Bank) is to support the conservation of biodiversity with particular attention to the spectrum of genetic diversity of plants belonging to Mediterranean habitat. Abies nebrodensis (Lojac.) Mattei is an relict species, consisted of 30 natural individuals, gathered in a small area of the Madonie Natural Park in Sicily (1500 -1600 m above s.l.), recorded on the checklist “TOP 50 Mediterranean Island Plants”. It is also one of eight conifers species criticall…

What is Allium paniculatum? Establishing taxonomic and molecular phylogenetic relationships within A. sect. Codonoprasum

2016

Allium paniculatum L. is commonly recorded from the Euro-Mediterranean and Irano-Turanian regions. Evidence from literature and herbarium collections revealed that many different taxa of A. sect. Codonoprasum Rchb., all characterized by big size, diffuse and densely flowered umbrella, very long spathe valves, long pedicels, and cylindrical-campanulate perigon, have been wrongly attributed to this species thus affecting records on its geographic distribution and morphological characterization. In order to define the true identity of A. paniculatum, we analyzed specimens coming from the type locality (Don River), and provided details on morphology, ecology, karyology, leaf anatomy, seed morph…

Flower and fruit structure of the endangered species Petagnaea gussonei (Sprengel) Rauschert (Saniculoideae, Apiaceae) and implications for its repro…

2015

Petagnaea gussonei (Apiaceae) is an endangered species endemic to the Nebrodi mountains (north-eastern Sicily). Although an increasing number of studies have been performed on this species, its reproductive biology remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate in detail the structure of the flower and the fruit of Petagnaea, and the possible implications for its breeding system and seed dispersal mechanism. Results from fieldwork, light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy suggest (1) the presence of protandrous hermaphrodite flowers; (2) geitonogamy, autogamy, and allogamy as breeding system mechanisms of P. gussonei, even if asexual reproduction is preferred b…

Taxonomic implications of seed morphology and seed coat sculputures in Brassica sect. Brassica

2012

Mediterranean plant germination reports – 3

2021

This is the third issue of the series of germination reports from Mediterranean areas (sensu Med-Checklist). It comprises germination protocols for 40 taxa: Teucrium from Sardinia by M. Porceddu & al. (Nos. 46-47); Campanula from North Italy by S. Villa & al. (No. 48); Anacamptis from Greece by S. Oikonomidis & C. A. Thanos. (No. 49); Astragalus, Iris, Jacobaea, and Klasea from central Italy by V. Di Cecco & al. (No. 50-53); Drimia, Periploca, Asparagus, Myrtus, and Pancratium from Malta by J. Buhagiar & al. (Nos. 54-58); Thymus from Sicily by G. Gugliuzza & al. (No. 59); Agrostemma, Bupleurum, and Xeranthemum from North Italy by A. Cucchietti & al. (Nos. 60-62);…

Seed germination reports for Sicilian endemic taxa of the genus Helichrysum (Asteraceae)

2021

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.

Plant morphology: outdated or advanced discipline in modern plant sciences?

2019

In the last decades, with the increase of molecular studies, the study of plant forms has gone through a steady decline in interest, and researches on this topic are often neglected and underestimated. Notwithstanding, comparative morphology as integrative discipline still assumes a pivotal role in modern sciences, remaining fundamentally relevant to nearly all fields of plant biology, such as systematics, evolutionary biology, ecology, physiology, genetics, molecular biology, not to mention also agriculture, bioengineering, and forensic botany. Contrary to common belief, plant morphology is not a conservative finished science, but, like other sciences, it is open to constant innovations in…

Limited potential for bird migration to disperse plants to cooler latitudes

2021

Climate change is forcing the redistribution of life on Earth at an unprecedented velocity1,2. Migratory birds are thought to help plants to track climate change through long-distance seed dispersal3,4. However, seeds may be consistently dispersed towards cooler or warmer latitudes depending on whether the fruiting period of a plant species coincides with northward or southward migrations. Here we assess the potential of plant communities to keep pace with climate change through long-distance seed dispersal by migratory birds. To do so, we combine phenological and migration information with data on 949 seed-dispersal interactions between 46 bird and 81 plant species from 13 woodland communi…

Trophic and spatial complementarity on seed dispersal services by birds, wild mammals, and cattle in a Mediterranean woodland pasture

2021

Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-01T09:47:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-11-01 Università degli Studi di Palermo CYTED Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras Most earth surfaces have undergone intensive land-use changes, creating habitat mosaics. Seed dispersal by animals is a crucial process in such mosaics, but community-wide studies comparing the functional complementarity and response to man-imposed habitat heterogeneity are rare. Here, we investigate the trophic and spatial seed dispersal networks underpinning a strong, woody vegetation expansion over a pastureland inside the largest forest remnant in western Sici…