Influence of Seed Treatment on Germination Pattern of Chamaerops humilis

Dwarf fan palm (Chamaerops humilis L.) is an important Mediterranean species well known for many uses such as gardening, environmental restoration, and technological uses. Dwarf fan palm is usually propagated from seed, which takes up to 100 days to germinate. The germination pattern of dwarf palm seeds was studied during a 100-days length period in relation to different pre-sowing treatments (hot water, sulphuric acid, or mechanical scarification) in comparison to untreated control. A covariance analysis was performed to test the effect of time within seed-treatment treatment. All germination patterns were significantly fitted by a S-shaped (sigmoidal) distribution function with the general equation y=β+α/(1+exp(-(x-μ)/s)). Treatment with sulphuric acid significantly increased the final germination in comparison to untreated control. No differences were observed in % germination among the other seed treatments. Seed treatments increased by three to seven fold the maximum germination rate and reduced by 26% the mean germination time in comparison to untreated control. The reduction in mean germination time, and the increase in percentage germination and germination rate may have economical implication in the production of dwarf palm and its involvement in environmental restoration strategies, with no need to use dangerous or expensive acid pre-treatment in order to increase the propagation success

Selection and Experimental Evaluation of Universal Primers to Study the Fungal Microbiome of Higher Plants

The impact of primer choice on results of metabarcoding studies was experimentally evaluated by analyzing fungal communities associated with leaves of four plant species. Significant differences in target specificity of primers were highlighted by a percentage of plant reads ranging from almost nothing to 30 to 35% of the total detected sequences. Overall, primer sets targeting the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region proved to be more specific than those targeting the ITS2 region. A comparable taxa coverage was revealed for all investigated primer sets. However, each primer set detected only around 50% of the overall detected taxa highlighting that a consistent part of the actual fungal diversity remains undetected in studies conducted using a single couple of primers. The coverage was increased to 70 to 80% by combining results from two different primer sets. Some fungal taxa were preferentially or exclusively detected by certain primer sets and this association between primers and taxa was generally recurrent on several plant hosts. Data highlighted that a perfect set of primers to investigate the whole fungal diversity does not exist and that whatever the choice, only a fraction of the actual microbial diversity will be investigated. However, provided information may be valuable to select the best primers according to the objective of the analysis

t. Sic. 1 - 2007.qxd

SUMMARY The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus was recently introduced into Europe where it has destroyed many Phoenix canariensis palms. This weevil attacks different species of palms in different countries, mainly cultivated date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) in Egypt and cultivated Canary palms (Phoenix canariensis) in Europe. In Europe, sporadic attacks of the weevil to native dwarf fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) have been reported. The current paper reports attacks of R. ferrugineus on dwarf fan palms in natural environments of Sicily. This insect represents an important threat to dwarf palms and to the complex ecosystem where they live. RIASSUNTO Attacchi di punteruolo rosso delle palme Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera Curculionidae) su popolamenti sponanei di palma nana Chamaerops humilis L. (Arecaceae) in Sicilia. Il punteruolo rosso delle palme è stato recentemente introdotto in Europa. Questo coleottero attacca diverse specie di palme in diversi Paesi, preferenzialmente palme da dattero coltivate (Phoenix dactylifera) in Egitto e palme delle Canarie coltivate (Phoenix canariensis) in Sicilia. In Europa sono stati segnalati attacchi sporadici su palma nana (Chamaerops humilis) ma soprattutto su individui coltivati. Tuttavia, come accertato recentemente in Sicilia, gli attacchi su popolamenti naturali di palma nana da parte del punteruolo sono sempre più frequenti e fanno temere per la sopravvivenza degli ecosistemi ove vive questa palma nel Mediterraneo

Selection and Experimental Evaluation of Universal Primers to Study the Fungal Microbiome of Higher Plants

The impact of primer choice on results of metabarcoding studies was experimentally evaluated by analyzing fungal communities associated with leaves of four plant species. Significant differences in target specificity of primers were highlighted by a percentage of plant reads ranging from almost nothing to 30 to 35% of the total detected sequences. Overall, primer sets targeting the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region proved to be more specific than those targeting the ITS2 region. A comparable taxa coverage was revealed for all investigated primer sets. However, each primer set detected only around 50% of the overall detected taxa highlighting that a consistent part of the actual fungal diversity remains undetected in studies conducted using a single couple of primers. The coverage was increased to 70 to 80% by combining results from two different primer sets. Some fungal taxa were preferentially or exclusively detected by certain primer sets and this association between primers and taxa was generally recurrent on several plant hosts. Data highlighted that a perfect set of primers to investigate the whole fungal diversity does not exist and that whatever the choice, only a fraction of the actual microbial diversity will be investigated. However, provided information may be valuable to select the best primers according to the objective of the analysis

Taxidermal Preparations of an Extinct Sicilian Wolf Population (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758): Biological Studies and Restoration

In last decades, biotechnologies have enabled a deep development of knowledge in all fields of life sciences, allowing the collection of a wide range of data. Furthermore, the relationship between scientific investigations and conservation actions of cultural heritage is increasingly consolidated and now it is one of the peculiar points both for sustainable restoration and use of the cultural asset, also evaluating the cultural assets as source of biological information. In this study, Sicilian wolf (Canis lupus) specimens conserved in Sicilian Natural Museums, become a source of biological information on Sicilian biodiversity, establishing specific conservative protocol developed cooperatively with Sicilian Natural Museums. Using Next-Generation Sequencing technique, ancient DNA (aDNA) molecules extracted from nail were utilized to perform the complete mitochondrial DNA genome sequence. Phylogenetic analyses showed that this genome, which was aligned with a number of historical and extant complete wolf and dog mtDNAs sampled worldwide, was closely related to an Italian wolf mtDNA genome. These mtDNA findings suggest that wolves probably colonized Sicily from southern Italy toward the end of the last Pleistocene glacial maximum, when the Strait of Messina was almost totally dry. Furthermore, a conservative restoration of this peculiar natural specimen (taxidermal preparation) has been performed, basing on: recovery of unglued or unstitched parts; revitalization of the colors of the mucous membranes; restoration of deformed or broken parts of the body, washing of the coat and polishing of the fur; specific treatments against woodworms, moths, and mites; brushing and repositioning of the hair; cleaning, restoration, or creation of adequate supports or display case. The conservative intervention that should be periodically performed on each taxidermized specimen allows the protection against biodeterioration or re-infestation by parasites over time

Taxonomy and conservation of <i>Pancratium maritimum</i> (Amaryllidaceae) and relatives in the Central Mediterranean

<div><p></p><p><i>Pancratium maritimum</i> L. (<i>Amaryllidaceae</i>) is a geophyte occurring in the Mediterranean region, from the Black Sea to part of the Atlantic coast. This plant is receiving much attention from the international scientific community due to its value as a bioindicator, the potential industrial value of its chemical compounds, and its use as a commercial ornamental plant. Plant morphometry and sequences of three plastid DNA regions (<i>rbc</i>L, <i>mat</i>K, <i>trn</i>H-<i>psb</i>A) were used to assess the phenotypic and genetic variability of this taxon and its closest congeneric species (in particular <i>Pancratium linosae</i>, from the volcanic island of Linosa) in the Central Mediterranean (Sicily, Tunisia and surrounding islands). <i>Pancratium maritimum</i> and <i>P. linosae</i> cannot be distinguished based on morphological and genetic data and should belong to the same taxon. Our results also highlight a diversified gene pool in <i>P. maritimum</i> that is worth preserving. The lectotypes of the names <i>Halmira stellaris</i>, <i>Pancratium angustifolium</i> and <i>Pancratium foetidum</i> are here designated.</p></div

Development and Application of a Quantitative PCR Detection Method to Quantify Venturia oleaginea in Asymptomatic Olive (Olea europaea) Leaves.

Olive leaf spot (OLS), caused by Venturia oleaginea, is one of the most common and serious diseases of olive trees in the Mediterranean region. Understanding the pathogen life cycle is important for the development of effective control strategies. Current knowledge is incomplete owing to a lack of effective detection methods. It is extremely difficult to culture V. oleaginea in vitro, so primers were designed to amplify and sequence the internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of the fungus directly from infected olive leaves. Sanger sequencing indicated a unique ITS region present in the European strains screened, confirming the appropriateness of the target region for developing a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay. Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing of the same region excluded the presence of other Venturia species in the olive phyllosphere. The qPCR assay proved very specific and sensitive, enabling the detection of approximately 26 copies of target DNA. The analysis of symptomless leaves during early stages of the epidemic from the end of winter through spring revealed a similar quantity of pathogen DNA regardless of the leaf growth stage. In contrast, the pathogen titer changed significantly during the season. Data indicated that leaf infections start earlier than expected over the season and very young leaves are as susceptible as adult leaves. These findings have important practical implications and suggest the need for improved scheduling of fungicide treatments. The qPCR assay represents a valuable tool providing quantitative results and enables detection of V. oleaginea in all olive organs, including those in which OLS cannot be studied using previously available methods