Directive 2004/24/EC sets the frame for the herbal trade in Europe emphasizing the need of the botanical characterization of herbal substances intended for human consumption. Thus, the aim of the ...present study is to survey and identify taxonomically the herbs sold in the market of Cyprus and to document and evaluate their uses. Moreover, the relationship of the nowadays market to the local ethnobotanical tradition, as well as to other eastern Mediterranean markets (i.e. Greece, Israel, Jordan, Turkey) is also traced.
Herbs sold in 15 shops scattered in three major cities of Cyprus were surveyed. Data concerning their uses were collected through interviews with the herbal traders and studied quantitatively by the use of ethnobotanical indices (informant consensus factor, use value, relative importance value, fidelity level) and statistical tests (Spearman's correlation coefficient, Kruskal–Wallis test, paired-sample
t-test). Comparisons to published information concerning other eastern Mediterranean markets were performed by multivariate tests (Ward's hierarchical cluster).
A total number of 57 taxa were surveyed from 15 selected shops, out of which 32 are cultivated, 14 are collected from the wild and 11 are imported. The highest Informant Consensus Factors were presented by the neuropsychiatric (0.78), gastrointestinal (0.76) and respiratory ailments (0.71). The comparison of our results to published information has shown that 40 of the traded taxa have also been used traditionally, while a considerable number of herbs are also found in the markets of Greece and Turkey (35 and 29 taxa, respectively); a lower number of the taxa traded, is found in the markets of the Middle East.
The nowadays herbal trade in Cyprus is still linked to the local ethnobotanical legacy. Moreover the similarities between the Cypriot herbal market and the markets of Greece and Turkey are more prominent than those between Cyprus and the Middle East, reflecting the cultural exchanges among the three neighbouring countries.
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2.
Emergent Learning and Learning Ecologies in Web 2.0 Williams, Roy; Karousou, Regina; Mackness, Jenny
International review of research in open and distance learning,
03/2011, Volume:
12, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Open access
This paper describes emergent learning and situates it within learning networks and systems and the broader learning ecology of Web 2.0. It describes the nature of emergence and emergent learning and ...the conditions that enable emergent, self-organised learning to occur and to flourish. Specifically, it explores whether emergent learning can be validated and self-correcting and whether it is possible to link or integrate emergent and prescribed learning. It draws on complexity theory, communities of practice, and the notion of connectivism to develop some of the foundations for an analytic framework, for enabling and managing emergent learning and networks in which agents and systems co-evolve. It then examines specific cases of learning to test and further develop the analytic framework. The paper argues that although social networking media increase the potential range and scope for emergent learning exponentially, considerable effort is required to ensure an effective balance between openness and constraint. It is possible to manage the relationship between prescriptive and emergent learning, both of which need to be part of an integrated learning ecology.
Salvia tomentosa essential oils from Greece were studied for the first time here. The oils from five populations growing in Mediterranean pine forests on the island of Thassos (northern Aegean Sea) ...and from 14 populations situated in deciduous forests in Thrace (northeastern Greek mainland) were investigated. Their essential‐oil contents ranged from 1.1 to 3.3% (v/w, based on the dry weight of the plant material). The populations from Thassos had high contents of α‐pinene (18.0±2.9%), 1,8‐cineole (14.7±3.0%), cis‐thujone (14.0±6.9%), and borneol (12.8±2.2%) and smaller amounts of camphene, camphor, and β‐pinene, whereas the populations from Thrace showed high α‐pinene (16.7±4.0%), β‐pinene (22.8±4.5%), camphor (18.3±4.3%), and camphene (10.3±2.4%) contents, much lower 1,8‐cineole and borneol amounts, while cis‐thujone was completely lacking. The comparison of the present results with published data showed that oils having cis‐thujone as one of the main compounds were reported for the first time here. Multivariate statistical analyses indicate that the observed essential‐oil variation was related to geographical and environmental factors.
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Understanding the distribution of wild medicinal plants and areas that are suitable for cultivation of these plants is important for both conservation and agriculture. Here, we study ten taxa with ...known ethnopharmacological uses, which have been used extensively in traditional medicine and as culinary supplements. We aim to (1) predict and map the potential habitat suitability for these taxa across the study area, (2) investigate spatial patterns that could have management implications, such as niche similarities among the taxa and suitability “hotspots” with the use of novel indices, and (3) develop a platform where parts of this information can be accessed and utilized by all interested groups, from the policy-maker level to the individual practitioner level. Ecological Niche Models developed for each study taxon, based on topographic, bioclimatic, soil, and land use variables had high predictive power and were used as the basis for suitability visualization. A series of informative indices were also calculated and mapped, revealing spatial patterns not readily observable from the single-taxon predictions, and providing valuable information to managers. Finally, a web-based, easy-to-use application was also created, where the predicted suitability scores for the study area can be made accessible to anyone interested. The application can provide information both in a visual form (i.e. maps of predicted suitability) and in a numerical form (i.e. estimated suitability scores for all taxa in a given geographical location). This study provides the scientific tools to make a step towards cultivating a group of economically important wild medicinal plants in Crete, as well as the tools to disseminate this information to decision makers and practitioners, and eventually integrate the research findings in local agricultural practices.
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•The study provides tools for shifting from wild harvest towards cultivating wild medicinal plants.•Ecological Niche Modelling of studied taxa showed areas of high and low suitability.•Multi-taxon indices revealed underlying spatial patterns and taxa correlations.•An interactive application was created to disseminate the results to non-scientists.•The study provides an example of a decision support tool in conservation.
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The herbs of the “mint” group traded in the herbal market of Thessaloniki include eight taxa, members of two genera,
Acinos (two species) and
Mentha (four species and two hybrids). The essential oil ...content of 72 samples examined ranged from traces up to 1.69
ml/100
g of dry weight. Besides three almost scentless samples, the different “mints” are distinguished according to their prominent smell differences, i.e. samples with a pungent, musty and sweet type of smell. As a result, the commercial names attributed to them correspond to a particular type of smell and not to a particular taxon. A number of 29 medicinal uses were recorded in total. In most cases uses were not associated with particular taxa but were rather determined by plant smells. A literature survey has shown that the “mints” traded in Thessaloniki are also used as herbal medicines all over the Mediterranean area, with 67 different therapeutic uses. Among them the 22 uses, already mentioned by Dioscurides, show that the utilization of “mints” as herbal medicines in the Mediterranean countries has a long tradition.
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The essential oils of
Coridothymus capitatus and
Satureja thymbra are characterized by high amounts of carvacrol or thymol or almost equal amounts of both phenols, depending on the habitat type ...wherefrom plants are growing. The natural habitat unit is introduced as a tool for the assessment of the essential oil variation.
The study of essential oils obtained from
Coridothymus capitatus and
Satureja thymbra collected from different natural habitat types of 11 NATURA 2000 sites scattered all over Crete has shown that they are characterized either by a high amount of carvacrol (up to 75.7%) or thymol (up to 65.6%) or by a more or less equal amount of the two phenols. The results of a discriminant analysis with predefined groups the natural habitat types wherefrom the plants were collected have shown that the oils of both species collected from the dry dwarf-shrub formations of the lowland have a high carvacrol content whereas those collected from the more mesic timber or highland formations have a high thymol content. Furthermore, the results of this study introduce the use of natural habitat unit as a tool for the assessment of essential oil variation.
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The essential‐oil composition of three not previously studied taxa belonging to the Nepeta argolica aggregate was examined. The oils of N. argolica ssp. malacotrichos and N. argolica ssp. vourinensis ...(both Greek endemics) are rich in 1,8‐cineole (30.9–55.6% of the total oil composition), while those of the Balkan endemic N. spruneri are rich in either sesquiterpenes (mainly caryophyllene oxide, 14.6–19.8%) or in 4aα,7α,7aβ‐ and 4aα,7α,7aα‐nepetalactones (total content 17.5–40.5%), accompanied by caryophyllene oxide (11.5–11.7%) and 1,8‐cineole (up to 16.5%). The comparison of our results with published information concerning the related taxa of the N. argolica aggregate showed that while oils with as main components nepetalactones or 1,8‐cineole are common, sesquiterpene‐rich oils are reported for the first time within the aggregate.
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The aim of the present study was to contribute to the knowledge of the essential‐oil composition of the Calamintha officinalis‐nepeta complex in Greece and to clarify the main patterns of its ...variation. The oils obtained from 22 wild‐growing populations of C. glandulosa, C. nepeta, and C. menthifolia were studied. They could be classified into two different chemotypes, which correspond to the main biosynthetic routes of the C(3)‐oxygenated p‐menthane compounds. Chemotype I includes oils rich in trans‐piperitone oxide, cis‐piperitone oxide, and piperitenone oxide, while Chemotype II comprises oils rich in pulegone and menthone or menthone and isomenthone. Within both chemotypes, quantitative fluctuations of the main components were observed. Comparison with published data showed that the presence of Chemotype II has not been observed before in C. menthifolia, while Chemotype I has been reported in C. nepeta plants from Greece for the first time.
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The essential oils of 13 Greek populations of Micromeria dalmatica, a Balkan endemic species and member of the section Pseudomelissa, were examined for the first time. Among the studied populations, ...two main oil types could be distinguished. Type I was found to be rich in β‐pinene, limonene, and germacrene D (accounting for 55.6–70.2% of the total oil), and Type II was characterized by the preponderance of p‐menthane compounds (accounting for 64.2–89.9% of the oil). The latter oil type could be further divided into two subtypes, one comprising oils with predominance of piperitenone and piperitenone oxide and another composed of oils containing high proportions of pulegone, menthone, and isomenthone. The abundance of p‐menthane compounds is a common feature of the oils of all members of the section Pseudomelissa studied to date. However, the existence of oils of Type I has not been previously reported for M. dalmatica, neither for other members of the section Pseudomelissa.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The role of environment and the relative significance of endogenous versus exogenous selection in shaping hybrid zones have been crucial issues in the studies of hybridization. Recent advances in ...ecological niche modeling (ENM) offer new methodological tools, especially in combination with the genotyping of individuals in the hybrid zone. Here, we study the hybrid zone between the widely known spices Origanum onites and Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum in Crete. We analyze the genetic structure of both parental taxa and their hybrid Origanum × intercendens using AFLP markers on 15 sympatric and 12 allopatric populations and employ ecological niche modeling and niche similarity tests to study their niche patterns. We complement these analyses with seed viability measurements. Our study revealed that the hybridizing taxa O. onites and O. vulgare ssp. hirtum and the resulting genotypic classes showed geographical and environmental niche similarities based on the predictions of ENMs and the subsequent similarity tests. The occurrence of the hybrid zone is not directly dependent on environmental factors which favor the fitness of the hybrid compared to the parental taxa, but rather on aspects such as historical factors and management practices, which may contribute to the localization and maintenance of the contact zone between parental species. Our results suggest that if a minimum required niche differentiation between genotypic classes is not achieved, environmental dependence might not have a prominent role on the outcome of the hybridization.
Our results suggest that if a minimum required niche differentiation between genotypic classes is not achieved, environmental dependence might not have a prominent role in the outcome of the hybridization.
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