Search results for "cilia"
showing 10 items of 3650 documents
Phenotypic traits of berries and seeds of Sicilian grape cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.)
2020
Abstract Grapevine is characterized by high variability in seed and berry morphology and their phenotypic traits are usually used to describe V. vinifera varieties. The goal of this study was to investigate the phenotypic diversity of berry and seed traits and the relationships between berry and seed morphological characteristics of autochthonous accessions of Sicilian germplasm. In two seasons, twenty bunches per cultivar were harvested at technological maturity. Berry weight; berry longitudinal and transversal diameters; seed number/weight per berry; and seed length, thickness, width and beak length were determined, after which the diameter ratio was calculated. Black and white cultivars …
Phylogenetic Relationship Among Wild and Cultivated Grapevine in Sicily: A Hotspot in the Middle of the Mediterranean Basin
2019
Grapevine (Vitis vinifera ssp. sativa) is a perennial crop especially important for wine and fruit production. The species is highly polymorphic with thousands of different varieties selected by farmers and clonally propagated. However, it is still debated whether grapevine domestication from its wild ancestor (V. vinifera ssp. sylvestris) has been a single event or rather it occurred on multiple occasions during the diffusion of its cultivation across the Mediterranean. Located in the center of the Basin, Sicily is its largest island and has served as a hotspot for all civilizations that have crossed the Mediterranean throughout history. Hundreds of unique grapevine cultivars are still cul…
Urgent need for preservation of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. Subsp. vinifera) germplasm from small circum-Sicilian islands as revealed by SSR markers…
2016
Since the last decades grapevine germplasm is undergoing a process of rapid genetic erosion. This process is of particular concern in minor circum-Sicilian islands, because of the sharp reduction of the cultivated surfaces and the shift of their economy from agriculture to tourism. Aiming at valorising and preserving the surviving varieties we collected 185 accessions during several surveys since 2007. Six nuclear microsatellite markers were used for germplasm characterization, yielding 75 different genetic profiles. We found out that most genetic profiles (39) were not listed in national and international grapevine databases, confirming that the Sicilian minor islands represent underexplor…
The good, the bad and the ugly: Emys trinacris, Placobdella costata and Haemogregarina stepanowi in Sicily (Testudines, Annelida and Apicomplexa)
2016
Endemic Sicilian pond turtles Emys trinacris Fritz, Fattizzo, Guicking, Tripepi, Pennisi, Lenk, Joger et Wink were examined for the presence of haemogregarine parasites. The presence of haemogregarines, occurring mainly in the microgametocyte stage (13.2 ± 0.12 μm in length and 6.4 ± 0.52 μm in width), was observed in approximately 9% of the sampled E. trinacris. Based on the observed morphology and on the sequencing of nuclear 18S rDNA, we identified the parasite as Haemogregarina stepanowi Danilewsky, 1885. Morphometric study of uninfected and infected red blood cells has shown that H. stepanowi induces different changes in erythrocyte shape depending on the infective stage. The different…
Genetic variation and evolutionary analysis ofPepino mosaic virusin Sicily: insights into the dispersion and epidemiology
2017
Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) is a highly infectious potexvirus that causes a severe disease in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) crops worldwide. In Sicily, the first outbreak was detected in a single greenhouse in 2005 and it was promptly eradicated. However, in 2008, a large number of greenhouses were simultaneously affected, and it was impossible to eradicate or control the virus. This study addressed the dispersion and the genetic diversity of PepMV isolates obtained from the outbreak in Sicily, in comparison with worldwide PepMV isolates, to gain insight into the factors determining the evolution and epidemiology of the virus. A total of 1800 samples from plants with and without symptoms we…
Some like it cold: the glossiphoniid parasites of the Sicilian endemic pond turtle Emys trinacris (Testudines, Emydidae), an example of ‘parasite ine…
2016
The freshwater turtles of the genus Emys and some leech species of the family Glossiphoniidae are the only Palaearctic representatives of primarily Nearctic taxa, which jointly colonized Eurasia and the Maghreb during the Miocene. The strict trophic relationships occurring between the glossiphoniid parasite leech Placobdella costata and its host, the emydid Emys orbicularis, make them a prime example of host–parasite cophylogenetic evolution. In the light of the discovery of the Sicilian cryptic endemic species Emys trinacris, which is the sister species to the widespread Palaearctic E. orbicularis, the possible cophylogenetic divergence of the turtle hosts and their leech parasites was inv…
On the origin of the recent herpetofauna of Sicily: Comparative phylogeography using homologous mitochondrial and nuclear genes
2016
Abstract In contrast to oceanic, continental islands are expected to show less diversification and endemism and thus phylogeographic signatures of multiple colonization events from adjacent continents due to episodic connections by sea level changes. In order to test this situation for the herpetofauna of Sicily, we here focus on three amphibian and four reptile species-groups and investigate their phylogeographic relationships across the Sicily and Messina straits, where Plio-Pleistocene marine transgressions shortened the distances between (or connected) Sicily, North Africa and/or the Italian (Apennine) Peninsula. Using a multi-species, multi-marker phylogeographic approach (mitochondria…
Gene flow from an adaptively divergent source causes rescue through genetic and demographic factors in two wild populations of Trinidadian guppies
2016
Genetic rescue, an increase in population growth owing to the infusion of new alleles, can aid the persistence of small populations, but its use as a management tool is limited by a lack of empirical data geared towards predicting effects of gene flow on local adaptation and demography. Experimental translocations provide an ideal opportunity to monitor the demographic consequences of gene flow. In this study we take advantage of two experimental introductions of Trinidadian guppies to test the effects of gene flow on downstream native populations. We individually marked guppies from the native populations to monitor population dynamics for 3 months before and 26 months after gene flow. We …
Sicilian Myrtle Diversity: Evaluation of Leaf Total Phenols Content and Antioxidant Properties
2017
Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) is an aromatic plant spontaneously growing and increasingly cultivated in Mediterranean area. Recently, interest on myrtle plant is growing due to the pharmacological and antioxidant properties since myrtle leaves are important sources of phenolic and antioxidant compounds with health-promoting effects. Plant genotype is the primary factor affecting antioxidant activity and phenol content. For this reason, a core collection of local selected myrtle accessions from Sicily was evaluated with the aim to identify genotypes with high antioxidant value. Thirty-six myrtle individuals belonging to seven populations were studied for leaf total phenols, tannins and antioxi…
The Monumental Olive Trees as Biocultural Heritage of Mediterranean Landscapes: The Case Study of Sicily
2021
Monumental olive trees, with their longevity and their remarkable size, represent an important information source for the comprehension of the territory where they grow and the human societies that have kept them through time. Across the centuries, olive trees are the only cultivated plants that tell the story of Mediterranean landscapes. The same as stone monuments, these green monuments represent a real Mediterranean natural and cultural heritage. The aim of this paper is to discuss the value of monumental trees as “biocultural heritage” elements and the role they play in the interpretation of the historical stratification of the landscape. We present the results of a survey of the most s…