Search results for "diversity"
showing 10 items of 3950 documents
Micropropagation of Sicilian cultivars with an aim to preserve genetic diversity in hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.)
2018
The use of a small number of cultivars in agriculture can lead to a loss of agrobiodiversity. Since in vitro techniques are valuable tools for conserving plant biodiversity, an efficient micropropagation protocol for four Italian hazelnut cultivars, ‘Carrello’, ‘Ghirara’, ‘Minnulara’, and ‘Panottara’, was developed. The highest axillary bud survival was obtained after decontamination with 40 min 1% sodium hypochlorite followed by 40 min 0.1% sodium merthiolate in ‘Minnulara’ and ‘Ghirara’, while the 35þ35 min treatment was the best for ‘Carrello’ and ‘Panottara’. Shoot multiplication was higher in ‘Minnulara’ and ‘Ghirara’ when 6.6 lM N6-benzyladenine was used, even if some hyperhydric shoo…
Staying cool: preadaptation to temperate climates required for colonising tropical alpine-like environments.
2018
Plant species tend to retain their ancestral ecology, responding to temporal, geographic and climatic changes by tracking suitable habitats rather than adapting to novel conditions. Nevertheless, transitions into different environments or biomes still seem to be common. Especially intriguing are the tropical alpine-like areas found on only the highest mountainous regions surrounded by tropical environments. Tropical mountains are hotspots of biodiversity, often with striking degrees of endemism at higher elevations. On these mountains, steep environmental gradients and high habitat heterogeneity within small spaces coincide with astounding species diversity of great conservation value. The …
New national and regional bryophyte records, 55
2018
1. Acroschisma wilsonii (Hook.f.) A.JaegerContributor: H. Bednarek-OchyraVenezuela: (1) Merida, Paramo de Mucubaji, vertiente de la Laguna de los Patos, Sierra de Santo Domingo, sobre roca ignea, 3...
Toward the valorization of olive (Olea europaea var. europaea L.) biodiversity: horticultural performance of seven Sicilian cultivars in a hedgerow p…
2019
Abstract An intense survey of the Sicilian’s olive growing areas for autochthonous germplasm, mainly represented by centennials olive trees (Olea europaea var. europaea L.) apparently older then III centuries, started at the beginning of the 1980s and resulted in the selection of more than 150 cultivars and accessions. This germplasm was propagated in a nursery, by grafting onto seedlings of Olea europaea L., and planted in an experimental orchard, in an olive district located in the South-west of the Island, where they were evaluated for over 30 years and selected for their early bearing, high and constant productivity, as well as high oil content of the fruits and excellent chemical (olei…
An integrative identification guide to the Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) of Bocas del Toro, Panama
2018
This work is the first attempt to assess the biodiversity of the Hydrozoa in the Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro (Panamá, Caribbean Sea) using morphology and molecular taxonomy, and to produce field identification tools to help future identification and monitoring efforts in the area. We sampled, identified, vouchered, and barcoded 112 specimens of Hydrozoa from shallow coastal waters (0–22 m depth) in the Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro. The specimens belong to 70 taxa, of which 53 were identified at the species level, and 17 were identified at the genus or family level. We produced 64 sequences of the large ribosomal subunit of the mitochondrial RNA (mt lsu-rRNA, 16S), the genetic marker ge…
Seasonal changes in morpho-functional aspects of two Anemonia sulcata (Pennant, 1777) wild populations
2017
Marine benthic organisms can be used as indicators of the quality of environmental status and as monitoring tools to detect natural or anthropogenic perturbations. In temperate waters, metabolic and biochemical responses may be governed by physiological changes driven by seasonal factors. Gathering baseline information on the mechanisms underlying seasonal acclimation patterns is therefore a critical step towards the understanding of the physiological responses of biological indicators. In poikilothermic metazoans, the production of regulatory metabolic enzymes can be used as tools for deciphering the acclimation potential. The aim of this study was to characterize the natural seasonal vari…
Corncrake conservation genetics at a European scale: the impact of biogeographical and anthropological processes
2016
Abstract Understanding patterns of genetic structure, gene flow and diversity across a species range is required to determine the genetic status and viability of small peripheral populations. This is especially crucial in species distributed across a large range where spatial heterogeneity makes it difficult to predict the distribution of genetic diversity. Although biogeographical models provide expectations of how spatially structured genetic variation may be at the range scale, human disturbance may cause strong deviations from these theoretical predictions. In this study, we investigated genetic structure and demography at a pan-European scale in the corncrake Crex crex , a grassland bi…
Phylogeographic patterns of steppe species in Eastern Central Europe: a review and the implications for conservation
2016
The phylogeography of species associated with European steppes and extrazonal xeric grasslands is poorly understood. This paper summarizes the results of recent studies on the phylogeography and conservation genetics of animals (20 taxa of beetles, butterflies, reptiles and rodents) and flowering plants (18 taxa) of such, "steppic" habitats in Eastern Central Europe. Most species show a similar phylogeographic pattern: relatively high genetic similarity within regional groups of populations and moderate-to-high genetic distinctiveness of populations from currently isolated regions located in the studied area. This distinctiveness of populations suggests a survival here during glacial maxima…
Spatio-temporal dynamics of genetic variation in the Iberian lynx along its path to extinction reconstructed with ancient DNA
2017
here is the tendency to assume that endangered species have been both genetically and demographically healthier in the past, so that any genetic erosion observed today was caused by their recent decline. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) suffered a dramatic and continuous decline during the 20th century, and now shows extremely low genome- and species-wide genetic diversity among other signs of genomic erosion. We analyze ancient (N = 10), historical (N = 245), and contemporary (N = 172) samples with microsatellite and mitogenome data to reconstruct the species' demography and investigate patterns of genetic variation across space and time. Iberian lynx populations transitioned from low but …
Throwing down a genomic gauntlet on fisheries-induced evolution
2021
Beginning with studies on crypsis and camouflage, the hypothesis that predators can generate evolutionary change in their prey has a long and rich history (1). Few predators, however, rival humans in their potential to generate selection responses and concomitant phenotypic change on contemporary timescales. In the 1930s, J. B. S. Haldane (2) mused that fishing would be an ideal candidate for such “observable evolution” within a human lifetime, proceeding “with extreme and abnormal speed.” However, it was not until the late 1970s that research on fisheries-induced evolution (FIE) gained a substantive scientific foothold, beginning with thought-provoking work on Canadian whitefish ( Coregonu…