Arthrocaulon meridionalis (Chenopodiaceae), a new species of Mediterranean flora.

A new species of Arthrocaulon Piirainen & G. Kadereit, A. meridionalis is described. This diploid taxon is known from the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and from circum-Mediterranean territories (from North Africa to the Anatolian Peninsula in Turkey and as far as the Persian Gulf on the Asian continent). The distinctive macro-, micromorphological and chorological features of this taxon are given.post-print1.31 M

Floristic and vegetation changes on a small mediterranean island over the last century

A synthetic and updated overview about the vascular flora and vegetation of the Island of Capo Passero (SE‐Sicily) is provided. These data issue from two series of field surveys—the first carried out between 1997 and 2000, and the second between 2005 and 2019 and mostly focused on refining and implementing vegetation data. The current islet’s flora consists of 269 taxa, of which 149 (58%) are annual plants. The Mediterranean species are largely prevailing, 108 (40%) of which have a strictly Mediterranean biogeographical status. The comparison with a species list published in 1919 and updated in 1957 suggest that, despite the overall prevalence of anemochorous taxa, the vertebrate fauna represents an important vector for the plant colonization of the island, while the immigration of myrmechocorous taxa does not compensate the extinction rate. As many as 202 phy-tosociological relevés, 191 of which issue from original recent field surveys, enabled identifying 12 different plant communities. The comparison with a vegetation map published in 1965 suggests a strong reduction in dune habitats (2120 and 2210 according to EU ‘Habitats’ Directive 92/43), as well as a deep disruption in the succession typical of the local psammophilous vegetation series. In order to preserve rare, endangered and protected plant species (such as Aeluropus lagopoides, Cichorium spinosum, Limonium hyblaeum, L. syracusanum, Poterium spinosum, Senecio pygmaeus and Spergularia heldreichii) and to stop the ongoing habitat degradation, urgent and effective conservation measures should be adopted for this tiny, yet precious islet

Composición elemental y compuestos bioactivos en salicornioideae en Río Tinto (Huelva, España)

Tesis Doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología. Fecha de Lectura: 13-09-2022This study deals with the elemental composition and bioactive compounds in Salicornioideae from the Rio Tinto marshes (Huelva, Spain). Species of the genera Salicornia, Sarcocornia and Arthrocnemum are wild halophytes present on the Iberian Peninsula that have a high nutritional value and are widely used as models to understand the mechanism of tolerance to salinity. In this work, the study of the biotechnological applications of the species ofthese genera is proposed, having as specific objectives: I) Study of the elemental composition in Salicornia and accumulating capacity based on soil analysis. II) Study of the content of phenolic acids, flavonoids and fatty acids of plant extracts. III) Screening of the antioxidant capacity of the extracts of the selected species. IV) Characterization of the antibacterial activity of the extracts. V) Study of the microbial diversity associated with the roots of Salicornia patula in populations of the Tinto RiverEl presente estudio aborda la composición elemental y compuestos bioactivos en Salicornioideas de las marismas de río Tinto (Huelva, España) y de saladares del interior de la Península Ibérica. Las especies de los géneros Salicornia, Sarcocornia y Arthrocnemum consideradas euhalófitas, responden al estrés salino haciendo ajustes osmóticos y adaptaciones fisiológicas y metabólicas. El conocimiento de los compuestos bioactivos en Salicornioideas supone un reto por sus posibles aplicaciones tanto como nutrientes cómo con fines industriales. En este trabajo se plantea el estudio de las aplicaciones biotecnológicas de las especies de estos géneros teniendo como objetivos específicos: I) Estudio de la composición elemental en Salicornioideas y capacidad acumuladora en función del análisis del suelo. II) Estudio del contenido de ácidos fenólicos, flavonoides y ácidos grasos de los extractos vegetales. III) Screening de la capacidad antioxidante de los extractos de las especies seleccionadas. IV)Caracterización de la actividad antibacteriana de los extractos. V) Estudio de la diversidad microbiana asociada a las raíces de Salicornia patula en poblaciones de río TintoEsta Tesis ha sido financiada por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (CGL201566242-R