First steps towards pre-breeding of Sideritis scardica: a phenotypic, agronomic, and phytochemical profiling approach

Sideritis scardica (S. scardica) Griseb., also known as mountain tea, is an important medicinal and aromatic plant species. Due to the high cross-pollination ability of the species, diverse genotypes and phenotypes occur naturally. Considering that superior uniform genotypes are necessary for highly qualitative and sustainable production, this study aimed to conduct a pre-breeding evaluation of three clones (SID1, SID2, and SID3) originating from a selected S. scardica population growing in Greece. According to a phenotypic and agronomic evaluation, SID2 seemed to be superior among the three clones, expressing a good profile with desirable traits (i.e., desired inflorescence length and leaf surface, high length of stems, and high fresh and dry plant biomass). Furthermore, SID3 presented some remarkable measurements regarding morphological (upright growth habit) and agronomic (high number of stems and plant dry weight, desired plant surface) traits. The phytochemical profile of the three clones was assessed with regard to their volatile and polyphenolic compounds. Forty-four constituents were identified in S. scardica essential oil, including hydrocarbon monoterpenes, sesquiterpenoids, oxygenated monoterpenes, and other groups (monoterpene ketones, saturated fatty alcohols, benzoic esters). Liquid chromatographic analysis revealed SID2 as the clone most abundant in the major polyphenolic metabolites: verbascoside (2234.3 mg 100 g−1), isoscutellarein-7-O [6′′-O-acetyl]-allosyl(1 → 2) glucoside (1456.5 mg 100 g−1), and 4-methyl hypolaetin-7-O [6′′-O-acetyl]-allosyl(1 → 2) glucoside (861.8 mg 100 g−1). The results indicate the ability to combine morphological, agronomic, and phytochemical traits, in order to identify superior S. scardica genotypes for further evaluation and utilization in breeding programs, aiming to create cultivars or varieties for farming purposes with desired performance and high quantitative and qualitative yield

Patterns in recent and Holocene pollen accumulation rates across Europe - the Pollen Monitoring Programme Database as a tool for vegetation reconstruction

The collection of modern, spatially extensive pollen data is important for the interpretation of fossil pollen assemblages and the reconstruction of past vegetation communities in space and time. Modern datasets are readily available for percentage data but lacking for pollen accumulation rates (PARs). Filling this gap has been the motivation of the pollen monitoring network, whose contributors monitored pollen deposition in modified Tauber traps for several years or decades across Europe. Here we present this monitoring dataset consisting of 351 trap locations with a total of 2742 annual samples covering the period from 1981 to 2017. This dataset shows that total PAR is influenced by forest cover and climate parameters, which determine pollen productivity and correlate with latitude. Treeless vegetation produced PAR values of at least 140 grains cm−2 yr−1. Tree PAR increased by at least 400 grains cm−2 yr−1 with each 10 % increase in forest cover. Pollen traps situated beyond 200 km of the distribution of a given tree species still collect occasional pollen grains of that species. The threshold of this long-distance transport differs for individual species and is generally below 60 grains cm−2 yr−1. Comparisons between modern and fossil PAR from the same regions show similar values. For temperate taxa, modern analogues for fossil PARs are generally found downslope or southward of the fossil sites. While we do not find modern situations comparable to fossil PAR values of some taxa (e.g. Corylus), CO2 fertilization and land use may cause high modern PARs that are not documented in the fossil record. The modern data are now publicly available in the Neotoma Paleoecology Database and aid interpretations of fossil PAR data.publishedVersio

Patterns in recent and Holocene pollen accumulation rates across Europe - the Pollen Monitoring Programme Database as a tool for vegetation reconstruction

The collection of modern, spatially extensive pollen data is important for the interpretation of fossil pollen assemblages and the reconstruction of past vegetation communities in space and time. Modern datasets are readily available for percentage data but lacking for pollen accumulation rates (PARs). Filling this gap has been the motivation of the pollen monitoring network, whose contributors monitored pollen deposition in modified Tauber traps for several years or decades across Europe. Here we present this monitoring dataset consisting of 351 trap locations with a total of 2742 annual samples covering the period from 1981 to 2017. This dataset shows that total PAR is influenced by forest cover and climate parameters, which determine pollen productivity and correlate with latitude. Treeless vegetation produced PAR values of at least 140 grains cm(-2) yr(-1). Tree PAR increased by at least 400 grains cm(-2) yr(-1) with each 10% increase in forest cover. Pollen traps situated beyond 200 km of the distribution of a given tree species still collect occasional pollen grains of that species. The threshold of this long-distance transport differs for individual species and is generally below 60 grains cm(-2) yr(-1). Comparisons between modern and fossil PAR from the same regions show similar values. For temperate taxa, modern analogues for fossil PARs are generally found downslope or southward of the fossil sites. While we do not find modern situations comparable to fossil PAR values of some taxa (e.g. Corylus), CO2 fertilization and land use may cause high modern PARs that are not documented in the fossil record. The modern data are now publicly available in the Neotoma Paleoecology Database and aid interpretations of fossil PAR data

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

The Eurasian (née European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60 % from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019)Swiss National Science Foundation | Ref. 200021_16959

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

The Eurasian (nee European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60% from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019).Peer reviewe

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

Abstract. The Eurasian (née European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60 % from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019).</jats:p

Human-landscape interactions in Halkidiki (NC Greece) over the last 3.5 millennia, revealed through palynological, and archaeological-historical archives

The palynological investigation of a sediment core from the Tristinika coastal marsh reveals the strong correlation between vegetation development and human settlement in Halkidiki and provides the first complete record of vegetation transformations over the last 3.5 millennia. Taking into consideration the climatic variability of this period, the correlation of pollen data to the rich archaeological and historic archives elucidates the interactive human-environment relationship, in the vicinity of Torone an important ancient harbour of Halkidiki and Mount Athos with its great monastic history. The pollen record shows distinct landscape changes in which an impressive dominance of Erica heaths is succeeded by the expansion of Mediterranean pine woodlands and other maquis vegetation and different land uses (olive, cereal cultivation) show alternating phases of expansion and contraction. Signs of Olea and cereal cultivation appear in the Mycenaean era. Extensive Olea cultivation marks the Archaic/mid-Roman era and post-Byzantine/modern era. Systematic cereal cultivation starts in the Archaic but peaks in late-Roman/early-Byzantine era, it returns in the post-Byzantine era and peaks in Ottoman/Modern Times. Animal husbandry is the most regular human activity in the area and the cause of the great expansion of heaths. The most impressive phase of the diagram coincides with the period of the plague of Justinian (6th-8th century CE) that leads to a collapse of human activity in the area and to an abrupt expansion of Mediterranean pine and oak woodlands due to favorable climatic conditions and the lack of grazing pressure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The Impact of Urban Land-Use Regimes on the Stream Vegetation and Quality of a Mediterranean City

Urban streams are ecosystems of great ecological and hydrological importance for human environments. However, they face pressure on biodiversity, hydromorphology, and water quality. In this study, an urban riparian system of a Mediterranean city (Thessaloniki, Greece) which interacts with several land-use classes, namely forests, pastures, cultivations, industrial-commercial infrastructure, and light and dense urban fabric, is assessed. The analyzed data were collected by implementing mainly QBR and ancillary RMP protocols on 37 plots of the Dendropotamos stream. The QBR protocol provided an assessment of total riparian vegetation cover, cover structure and quality, as well as channel alterations. The RMP protocol was used to enhance the quantitative assessment of dominant tree and shrub cover. Parts of Dendropotamos surrounded by agricultural (median QBR score: 27.5), industrial (50), and dense residential areas (27.5) suffer, in general, from low riparian vegetation cover, bad vegetation structure and quality, the continuous presence of alien/introduced species, and channel alterations. A variety of riparian habitat conditions characterize the sparse residential areas (60) where cover structure and quality of vegetation is improved. The reduction in grazing pressure has improved the riparian habitat in the greatest part of Dendropotamos that is surrounded by semi-natural pastures (65). Within forested areas (85), the stream conditions are considered quasi-natural. All previous land uses are differentiated in terms of the dominant trees found in the vegetation of Dendropotamos: Platanus orientalis in forested areas, alien Ailanthus altissima mainly in residential and industrial areas, and native shrubs, e.g., Quercus coccifera and Pyrus spinosa, in pastures. The QBR protocol could be a valuable tool in urban environment planning to help identify areas with potential for restoration, such as those with moderate residential pressure