Search results for "ex situ conservation"

Ex situ conservation of Sicilian endemic species in the Botanical garden of Catania University

2009

In-vitro regeneration of Calendula maritima Guss. (Asteraceae), a threatened plant endemic to Western Sicily

2016

Calendula maritima is a critically endangered endemic plant of Western Sicily. Besides habitat destruction, the hybridization with the contiguous congener species C. fulgida is a major threat to its conservation. For this reason, seed-based propagation and seed storage are not appropriate for conservation purposes. In the present paper we describe a rapid and prolific In vitro plant regeneration method by direct organogenesis from leaves of C. maritima. Leaf explants were cultured on solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium in the presence of several plant growth regulator combinations. The best shoot multiplication rate (2.5 shoots/explant) was obtained on the medium containing 4.4 mu M 6-ben…

Isozyme uniformity in a wild extinct insular plant,Lysimachia minoricensisJ.J. Rodr. (Primulaceae)

1999

Isozyme analyses were conducted to evaluate the genetic diversity of seed accessions of Lysimachia minoricensis (a Balearic endemic plant that became extinct in the wild) provided by 10 European botanical gardens. No isozyme variation was detected after examination of the electrophoretic patterns of 22 putative loci in more than 150 plants. The lack of genetic variation in L. minoricensis is probably due to the shortage of sample propagules originally recovered in the field before its extinction. Extant plants of L. minoricensis are believed to have originated from a single source, therefore limiting their use as seed stocks for restoration projects.

Genetic variations in the endangered Sicilian endemic Brassica rupestris: proposals for a conservation strategy

2012

Brassica rupestris Raf. is a chasmophyte species that includes two subspecies, both endemic to Central-Western Sicily (Italy). Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers were used to detect genetic diversity within and among eight populations representative of the species' distribution range. High levels of genetic diversity were revealed both at the population (PPB = 53.88%, HS = 0.212, Sh = 0.309) and at the species level (PPB = 96.55%, HT = 0.307, Sh = 0.464). The correlation between genetic and geographical distances was negative (Mantel test, r = -0.06, P < 0.95). The two subspecies of B. rupestris, subsp. rupestris and subsp. hispida, showed remarkable genetic similarity and molec…

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers detect a single phenotype in Lysimachia minoricensis J.J. Rodr. (Primulaceae), a wild extinct plant

2000

Lysimachia minoricensis is a Mediterranean (Balearic Islands) endemic that is extinct in the wild but extant in botanical gardens. Previously, no variation at 22 isozyme loci was revealed in more than 150 analysed plants. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to examine genetic variation among five individuals from each of eight botanical garden accessions (40 plants). No polymorphisms were detected at 201 amplified bands. This is the first report of RAPD monomorphism in a nonapomictic vascular plant. The lack of detectable genetic variation suggests that an extremely reduced gene pool was recovered in the field before its extinction. Although the screening of other geno…

Ex situ conservation and exploitation of fungi in Italy

2011

Abstract The kingdom Fungi comprises one of the most diverse groups of living organisms. They are numerous, ubiquitous and undertake many roles both independently and in association with other organisms. Fungi display a wide diversity of forms also mirrored by functional diversity and play such a dominant role in human society that they are arguably biotechnologically the most important group of organisms. Ex situ conservation of fungi, not only guarantees correct management and conservation of biodiversity, but also its exploitation in different fields. This article describes the major biological resource centres dealing with fungi in Italy and gives several examples of fungal exploitation…

Micropropagation of Endemic Endangered Taxa of the Italian Flora: Adenostyles alpina subsp. macrocephala (Asteraceae), as a Case Study

2023

The conservation of endangered, rare, and endemic plant species is based on in situ and ex situ conservation strategies. When in situ conservation alone is not sufficient to guarantee the survival of the species, ex situ techniques are adopted in support. This study aimed to develop an efficient micropropagation protocol for Adenostyles by evaluating the effect of different plant growth regulators on leaf explants. Adenostyles alpina subsp. macrocephala (Asterace) is a perennial herbaceous plant endemic to Calabria (Southern Italy). The genus Adenostyles includes three species confined to the mountains of the Mediterranean and southern Europe. For callus induction, media supplemented with d…

Development of Sicilian bean core collection using morphological descriptors

2018

Different species and varieties of bean, spread in Sicily, are representative of local agricultural practices, as result of a careful exploration. Many landraces have become obsolete due to the spread of commercial varieties, but are still cultivated in small areas of Nebrodi Mountains (ME-Italy) and are endangered. The Sicilian bean landraces are often poorly known but represent a genetic heritage to be preserve and to enhance. The ex situ conservation of Sicilian bean landraces was carried out in “Living Plants Germplasm Bank” of Ucria (ME-Italy), founded by the Nebrodi Regional Park, and in “Sicilian Plant Germplasm Repository” of STEBICEF Department - University of Palermo. Within ex si…

The “Sicilian Plant Germplasm Repository” of the University of Palermo: 25 years of activity in biological conservation

2018

The “Sicilian Plant Germplasm Repository” was created in 1993 from the Department of Botanical Sciences of the University of Palermo (SGCR/PA) – today section of Botany and Plant Ecology of the Department “STEBICEF” - with the aim to preserve the genetic diversity of endemic or endangered native plants, species of economical relevance and wild progenitors of plant cultivars. The collections are mostly constituted by seeds, and were recently expanded with tissues and DNA accessions. The specific tasks of SPGR/PA include the short- and long-term ex situ conservation and exchange of seeds, the recovery of the phytogenetic heritage, the reintroduction of threatened or endangered species into th…

Micropropagation from inflorescence stems of the Spanish endemic plant Centaurea paui Loscos ex Willk. (Compositae)

1999

Tissue culture techniques have been established as a useful approach for ex situ conservation of rare, endemic or threatened plant species. This report describes the micropropagation of Centaurea paui Loscos ex Willk (Compositae), an extremely endangered plant species endemic to the Valencia Community (eastern Spain), as a conservation measure which does not cause damage to the wild plants used as explant source. Inflorescence nodal segments of C. paui were selected as explants for in vitro establishment. The best rate of shoot proliferation was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) mineral medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l 6-benzyladenine or with 2 mg/l kinetin. Maximum shoot elongation was…