Papers by Silvia Fineschi
Relationships between protein polymorphism and phenotypic variation in Populus deltoides Bartr
Hereditas, 2008
Allozyme variation within and among cultivated varieties of sweet chestnut (Castaneasativa)
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 1994
Sweet chestnut (Castaneasativa Mill.) is a species that has been cultivated and propagated throug... more Sweet chestnut (Castaneasativa Mill.) is a species that has been cultivated and propagated through grafting for a long time in Italy and Southern European countries. The genetic variability within and among different varieties was analyzed by means of starch gel electrophoresis. Twenty cultivated varieties originating from three different areas located in northern, central, and southern Italy, were analyzed at six polymorphic enzyme gene loci. Our results show a relatively high degree of homogeneity both among individuals of the same variety and among varieties of the same area; on the other hand, high values of genetic distance were found among different geographic areas. The agamic propagation method of this species may have caused a reduction of the genetic diversity within varieties. The causes and consequences of the loss of genetic variation in these varieties are discussed.
Morphological Integration and Genetic Variability in <italic>Juglans regia</italic> L
Journal of Heredity, 1994
Con BIOFORV -Gruppo interregionale per la biodiversità e la vivaistica forestale e RIBES -Rete it... more Con BIOFORV -Gruppo interregionale per la biodiversità e la vivaistica forestale e RIBES -Rete italiana di banche del germoplasma per la conservazione ex situ della flora spontanea italiana.
iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, 2012
Allozyme variation within and among cultivated varieties of sweet chestnut ( Castanea sativa
Canadian Journal of Forest Research-revue Canadienne De Recherche Forestiere, 1994
Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is a species that has been cultivated and propagated throu... more Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is a species that has been cultivated and propagated through grafting for a long time in Italy and Southern European countries. The genetic variability within and among different varieties was analyzed by means of starch gel electrophoresis. Twenty cultivated varieties originating from three different areas located in northern, central, and southern Italy, were analyzed at six polymorphic enzyme gene loci. Our results show a relatively high degree of homogeneity both among individuals of the same variety and among varieties of the same area; on the other hand, high values of genetic distance were found among different geographic areas. The agamic propagation method of this species may have caused a reduction of the genetic diversity within varieties. The causes and consequences of the loss of genetic variation in these varieties are discussed.
Mating system of a naturalized Juglans regia L. population Italy
Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
It is well-acknowledged that plants in urban areas provide multiple ecosystem services. They cont... more It is well-acknowledged that plants in urban areas provide multiple ecosystem services. They contribute improving ambient quality and mitigating negative impacts of human presence, beautifying the anthropic environment, and promoting place identity and cultural heritage. However, the existence of plants in general, and trees in particular, cannot be considered independent on urban activities and infrastructures. Release of plant volatile compounds is profoundly affected in urban environments, in turn modifying plant relationships with other living organisms, both plants and animals, and affecting air chemistry and quality. Plants also interfere with stone artifacts, cultural and historical heritage. Plant-human coexistence requires precise and adequate managing measures, which have often been ignored in cities' government and planning. Plants and humans (and human infrastructures) are frequently considered as independent from each other and plant requirements are often disregarded, thus causing difficult or erroneous management and/or environmental damage. We review some of the most important ecosystem services provided by plants in urban environment, and also focus on possible negative effects of plants that may become relevant if urban vegetation is improperly managed and unintegrated in proper city planning, both of historical centers and of new towns or suburbs. Keywords: ecosystem services, global change, green area typologies in cities, green urban planning and management, positive (negative) plant-human interactions, urban trees
Biodiversity Data Journal
DNA barcoding has rapidly become a useful complementary tool in floristic investigations particul... more DNA barcoding has rapidly become a useful complementary tool in floristic investigations particularly for identifying specimens that lack diagnostic characters. Here, we assess the capability of three DNA barcode markers (chloroplast rpoB, accD and nuclear ITS) for correct species assignment in a floristic survey on the Caucasus. We focused on two herbal groups with potential for ornamental applications, namely orchids and asterids. On these two plant groups, we tested whether our selection of barcode markers allows identification of the “barcoding gap” in sequence identity and to distinguish between monophyletic species when employing distance-based methods. All markers successfully amplified most specimens, but we found that the rate of species-level resolution amongst selected markers largely varied in the two plant groups. Overall, for both lineages, plastid markers had a species-level assignment success rate lower than the nuclear ITS marker. The latter confirmed, in orchids, b...
Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Twenty populations of the species aggregate Rubus fruticosus were collected throughout European n... more Twenty populations of the species aggregate Rubus fruticosus were collected throughout European natural forests and analyzed by chloroplast microsatellites (SSR). Results showed high genetic diversity (hT = 0.73) and haplotipic richness (17 haplotypes were detected), and the presence of several unique alleles. The value of genetic differentiation between populations was low for unordered alleles (GST = 0.29) and for ordered alleles (NST = 0.30), revealing the absence of phylogeographic structure of the haplotypic diversity. This can be mainly ascribed to the mechanisms of seed dispersal, mostly mediated by animal ingestion, which are responsible for a efficient gene flow through seeds. Rubus L. species are characterized by the ability to colonizing disturbed, but also intact forest communities, rapidly propagating though suckering and hybridizing with native species. Our results suggest that efficient seed dispersal can counterbalance the effects of vegetative propagation, maintaini...
Anti-Fibrotic Effect of Ajulemic Acid in Bleomycin-Induced Lung Fibrosis
The Faseb Journal, Apr 1, 2015
Genetics of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.). II: Uniformity of isozyme phenotypes in grafted orchards
Silvae Genetica, 1988
Plant, Cell & Environment, 2016
Chloroplast DNA polymorphism was analysed in forty-four Italian holm oak populations. Results obt... more Chloroplast DNA polymorphism was analysed in forty-four Italian holm oak populations. Results obtained with different markers (PCR-RFLP and SSR) were congruent, showing a clear geographic structure of genetic diversity and high value of genetic differentiation (G ST = 0.80). By combining PCR-RFLP and SSR, eight haplotypes were identified in Italy, six of them in Sicily. Most populations were fixed for one haplotype. Some populations from the extreme West Mediterranean (Morocco) and the extreme East Mediterranean areas (Crete) were interpreted as reproductively isolated populations because they had completely different haplotypes. These results strongly support the hypothesis of glacial refugia existing in southern Italy, and underline the high conservation value of natural tree populations in Sicily, in which most diversity was detected. Quercus ilex / PCR-RFLP / SSR / genetic differentiation Résumé-La Sicile, réservoir italien de la diversité de l'ADN chloroplastique de Quercus ilex L. Le polymorphisme de l'ADN chloroplastique a été analysé chez 44 populations italiennes de chêne vert. Les résultats obtenus avec différents marqueurs (PCR-RFLP et SSR) ont été cohérents, montrant clairement une structure géographique de la diversité génétique et une valeur élevée de la différentiation génétique (G ST = 0,80). En combinant PCR-RFLP et SSR, huit haplotypes ont été identifiés en Italie dont six en Sicile. La plupart des populations ont été fixées par un haplotype. Des populations de l'extrême ouest méditerranéen (Maroc) et de l'extrême est (Crète) ont été interprétées comme des reproductions de populations isolées parce qu'elles ont des haplotypes différents. Ces résultats supportent fortement l'hypothèse d'un refuge glaciaire existant dans le Sud de l'Italie et soulignent la grande importance de la conservation des populations d'arbres en Sicile dans lesquelles une grande diversité a été détectée.
Genetics of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill). III. Genetic analysis of zymograms of single tree offspring
Silvae Genetica, 1990
Genetic resources and genetic conservation in chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.)
The trade-off between defence and reproduction has been investigated in some detail, but little i... more The trade-off between defence and reproduction has been investigated in some detail, but little is known about how herbivores affect floral signalling and related pollinator attraction. Here we investigated the effect of foliar herbivory by the invasive African Cotton Leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis) on floral signalling and fruit set in the White Campion (Silene latifolia). We found no effects of herbivory on floral traits involved in visual signalling to pollinators (flowering time, corolla diameter, calyx length, petals length) and amount of nectar produced both in male and female plants. Only male infested plants produced less flowers than control plants. However, Spodoptera-infested plants emitted higher amounts of the two floral volatiles, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and β-ocimene than control plants. Open pollinated, infested plants were also found to produce more fruits than control plants, but only with nocturnal pollinators. Experimental addition of the two induced floral volati...
Journal of Chemical Ecology, 2015
Although the effect of herbivory on plant reproduction has been investigated in some detail, litt... more Although the effect of herbivory on plant reproduction has been investigated in some detail, little is known about how herbivores affect floral signalling. Here, we investigated the effect of foliar herbivory by the African Cotton Leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis) on floral signalling and fruit set in the White Campion (Silene latifolia). We found no effects of herbivory on floral traits involved in visual signalling (flower number, corolla diameter, calyx length, petal length) or in amount of nectar produced. However, Spodoptera-infested plants emitted higher amounts of the two floral volatiles, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and β-ocimene, than control plants. Open pollinated, infested plants also were found to produce more fruits than control plants, but only with nocturnal pollinators. Experimental addition of the two induced floral volatiles to non-infested Silene flowers also led to the production of more fruits with nocturnal pollination. This suggests that higher fruit production in herbivore-infested plants was caused by increased nocturnal pollinator attraction, mediated by the induced floral emission of these two volatiles. Our results show that the effects of herbivory on plant reproductive success are not necessarily detrimental, as plants can compensate herbivory with increased investment in pollinator attraction.
This chapter describes the many applications for neutral genetic markers from the perspectives of... more This chapter describes the many applications for neutral genetic markers from the perspectives of population and conservation genetics, phylogeography and gene flow studies of conifers and includes a comprehensive review of the studies performed in these research fields. The chapter starts with a review of the different kinds of neutral genetic markers most frequently used in conifers in the recent literature. In a second part, it describes how variation is organized within and among natural populations at the three conifer genomes (chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear). In a third part, it highlights how stochastic processes have shaped this organization focusing on two large areas of investigation in population genetics: phylogeography and gene flow. Finally, it demonstrates that neutral genetic markers and the information they generate are fundamental for the conservation and management of genetic resources. This chapter is addressed to plant molecular geneticists as well as pl...
Forest@ - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale, 2004
Chloroplastic diversity in Italian oaks: evidence of a higher genetic richness in Southern and is... more Chloroplastic diversity in Italian oaks: evidence of a higher genetic richness in Southern and islander populations. Results of the analysis of non-coding regions of the chloroplast genome in Italian population of deciduous oaks (subgenus Quercus) and holm oak (subgenus Scleropyllodris) are reported. Deciduous oak revealed the occurrence of six chloroplast haplotypes, differently distributed in the single geographic areas (northern, central, and southern Italy, and major islands). Moreover, most of the present Italian oak populations seems to derive from two major refugia, located in Sicily and in the Balkans, respectively. The most likely migration dynamics from the refugia towards the central and northern part of the peninsula are discussed. Migration pathways resulted to have been different in the various geographic areas. The presence of an endemic haplotype in Sardinia and Corsica was considered of particular interest. In Italian holm oak populations eight haplotypes were detected, six of them in Sicily. Five out of six Sicilian haplotypes resulted to be endemic. The Italian peninsula was colonized by two major haplotypes, one of them originating from Sicily. Results on deciduous oaks and holm oak in Italy highlight the important role played by the populations from the south and from the major islands in the colonization the Italian peninsula after the last ice age.
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Papers by Silvia Fineschi