Characterization of the Essential oil of the Bat-Pollinated Passiflora mucronata

The genus Passiflora is an important source of food, therapeutic substances and for the horticultural economy. In the last decades, a detailed chemical composition of the essential oil of Passiflora species has been reported, but only for few species, mainly of agricultural interest, although little attention has been paid to chiropterophilous Passifloraceae, such as P. mucronata. The present study is focused on analyzing the essential oil composition of P. mucronata, a Brazilian bat-pollinated species. From GC/FID and GC/MS analyses of the volatile fraction from fresh flowers and leaves, hydrocarbons were quantified as 47.9% and 42.8% of the total volatiles of flowers and leaves, respectively, esters for 50.8% in flowers and 6.4% in leaves, and alcohols 38.2% and 0.3% of the total volatiles from leaves and flowers, respectively. Other classes of compounds, such as monoterpenes and aldehydes, together with phytol, were detected in higher concentration in leaves compared with flowers. The higher content of methyl and ethyl esters of long chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, i.e. ethyl linolenate (38.3%), methyl linolenate (7.0%) and ethyl palmitate (3.6%), were the most representative suggesting that esters might play a critical role for fertilization of P. mucronata acting as bat attractors

Composition of Volatile Fraction from Inflorescences and Leaves of Dendrobium moschatum (Orchidaceae)

The volatile fractions from fresh inflorescences and leaves of Dendrobium moschatum (Buchanan-Hamilton) Swartz (Orchidaceae) were isolated by steam distillation with a yield of 0.498% and 0.041% (weight/fresh weight basis), respectively. From GC/FID and GC/MS analyses, coumarin was identified to be the most abundant constituent and quantified as 48.8% and 47.8% of the total volatiles from inflorescences and leaves, respectively. Hydrocarbons, ketones, esters, acids and aldehydes were also detected. Long chain mono unsaturated hydrocarbons were quantified in higher amount in leaves and their structures were elucidated by GC/MS of their dimethyl disulfide derivatives. These compounds together with long chain ethyl esters and methyl ketones may represent a particular feature of this plant species and can play a critical role in the interaction with pollinator insect

Molecular evidence of species- and subspecies-level distinctions in the rare Orchis patens s.l. and implications for conservation

AbstractCharacterizing genetic diversity and structure of populations is essential for the effective conservation of threatened species.Orchis patenssensu lato is a narrowly distributed tetraploid species with a disjunct distribution (i.e., Northern Italy, North Africa and the Canary Islands), which is facing a severe decline. In this study, we evaluated levels of genetic diversity and population structuring using 12 new nuclear microsatellite markers. Our analyses of genetic differentiation based on multiple approaches (Structure analysis, PCA analysis, andF-statistics using the ploidy-independentRho-index) showed that gene flow is low across the range ofO. patens s.l., particularly in the Canary Islands. Clear differences in allele frequencies between Italy, Algeria and the Canary Islands underlie the genetic differentiation retrieved. Our study provides support for the recognition ofO. canariensisas a sister species toO. patensand the separation of the Italian populations as a new subspecies ofO. patens. Despite the high heterozygosity values found in all populations (ranging from 0.4 to 0.7), compatible with the tetraploid status of the species, small population sizes and reduced gene flow will be likely detrimental for the different populations in the long term, and we recommend immediate conservation actions to counteract further fragmentation and population decline

Plant scientists' research attention is skewed towards colourful, conspicuous and broadly distributed flowers

Despite the perception that plant science focuses on strictly scientific criteria, this analysis finds that there is an aesthetic bias in regards to which plants, based on certain traits, receive more research attention. Scientists' research interests are often skewed toward charismatic organisms, but quantifying research biases is challenging. By combining bibliometric data with trait-based approaches and using a well-studied alpine flora as a case study, we demonstrate that morphological and colour traits, as well as range size, have significantly more impact on species choice for wild flowering plants than traits related to ecology and rarity. These biases should be taken into account to inform more objective plant conservation efforts.Peer reviewe

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 1

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of six plant species according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment at global level of Linaria tonzigii Lona, Allium garganicum Brullo, Pavone, Salmeri & Terrasi, Ferula arrigonii Bocchieri, Orchis patens Desf. subsp. patens and Armeria saviana Selvi and the assessment at regional level (Italy) of Viola jordanii Hanry

Molecular ecology and conservation of Mediterranean orchids and their mycorrhizal fungi.

The distribution and abundance of orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF) can influence the the establishment and resulting spatial pattern, as well as the population dynamics, of their host plants. Yet, our understanding of these mycorrhizal associations is currently limited by our restricted knowledge of the ecology and spatial distribution of OMF, especially those belonging to the 'rhizoctonia' complex sensu lato. In a recent investigation focusing on Mediterranean grassland orchids, some OMF rhizoctonias were undetected even in the soil beneath their orchid hosts, questioning the view of these fungi as unspecialized soil saprotrophs. Whereas members of the Sebacinales and Ceratobasidiaceae are known to establish mycorrhizal or nonmycorrhizal endophytic associations with non-orchid plants, the ecology of the Tulasnellaceae is largely understudied. The goal of my research is aimed at assessing the impact of the surrounding non-orchid vegetation on the occurrence of OMF in the roots of the orchid host, by comparing the frequence of the fungal symbionts in the roots of naturally grown orchid plants in either undisturbed soil cores or soil cores in which the neighboring non-orchid plants had been manipulated or removed, and to find alternative niches of the fungal symbionts. A second branch of my research is aimed at investigating the ecology, biology and genetic structure of Orchis patens, an endangered mediterranean orchid with a strong disjunct distribution, and its relatives from Orchis mascula group sensu lato. For these species I am investigating the threatening factors, causes of their rarity, such as mycorrhizal association (supposed to be more selective in polyploids) or pollination activity. I also developed nuclear and plastid microsatellites markers to detect genetic variability among different populations, and sequenced and assembled the whole plastomes of 6 Orchis species

Interactions among mycorrhizal fungi enhance the early development of a Mediterranean orchid.

Orchids depend on mycorrhizal fungi to germinate from seed. While multiple orchid mycorrhizal (OrM) taxa are often found associated with adult orchids, the relative contribution of particular OrM taxa to germination and early orchid development is poorly understood. We isolated 28 OrM fungi associated with the Mediterranean orchid and tested the efficiency of five isolates on germination and early development, four belonging to the species complex and one belonging to . Co-cultures of varying two-way and three-way combinations of OrM isolates were used in vitro to compare the simultaneous effect on seed germination rate with monocultures. We then tested whether, when given initial priority over other fungi, particular OrM taxa were more effective during the early stages of development. Seedlings germinated with different isolates were transferred to a growth chamber, and either the same or different isolate was added 45 days later. After 3 months, the number of roots, length of the longest root, and tuber area were measured. All OrM fungi resulted in seed germination; however, lower germination rates were associated with the isolate compared to the tulasnelloid isolates. There was significant decreased germination in co-culture experiments when the isolate was added. Despite being associated with reduced germination rates, the addition of the isolate to the seedlings germinated with tulasnelloid strains resulted in significant increased tuber size. Although associates with many OrM taxa, these results show that OrM fungi may play different roles during orchid germination and early development. Even when given initial priority, other fungi may colonize developing orchids and interact to influence early orchid development