Climate warming in mountain areas is increasing faster than the global average, threatening alpine plants. Climate affects many traits including seeds, the longevity of which is important for ...conservation, facilitating genebank storage. Seeds of alpine species are considered short-lived in storage, but their longevity increases when produced under a warmer parental environment. Consequently, with climate warming, seeds of alpine species may have increased fitness and be longer-lived in genebank storage. We assessed seed longevity under artificial ageing in 10 accessions of the arctic-alpine species
Viscaria alpina
stored under genebank conditions for different time periods over the last 20 years. The seed collection site was in the northern Apennines, where above average warming and variable precipitation has been recorded. The time taken for viability to fall to 50% (
p
50
) was estimated using probit analysis; correlation and general linear regression were used to investigate the effects of length of time in storage, seed mass and climate under which seeds were produced on seed longevity.
p
50
varied between 7.77 and 18.49 days. There was no relationship between length of time in storage or seed mass on seed longevity.
p
50
was higher in years with increased temperature and lower precipitation during the growing season, with precipitation having more impact than temperature. The results suggest that seeds of alpine species are suitable for genebank storage, and inter-annual variation in precipitation induces a plastic response in seed longevity. Using genebank stored seeds provides insights into how alpine species may respond to future climate changes and could have implications for genebank storage.
Habitat Directive is the core strategy of nature conservation in Europe aiming at halting biodiversity loss. In this study the results of the third Italian assessment regarding the conservation ...status (CS) of plants listed in the Habitat Directive (Flora of community interest—FCI) was presented. Data was collected from several sources related to plant distribution, population data, habitats and pressures. Following the official European procedure, all parameters were evaluated and combined to give the CS of each taxon in each biogeographical region of presence. A comparison between the recent Italian IUCN and Reporting assessments was performed in order to evaluate the consistency between these two assessments. The official EU checklist comprises 113 Italian plant taxa, 107 of which were examined in this study. Our results showed a critical situation with only 34% of favourable CS, while 50% were unfavourable (40% inadequate plus 10% bad) and 16% unknown, in particular in the Mediterranean bioregion, where the unfavourable assessments reach the 65%. The results of the Report were consistent with those of the IUCN assessment, in which 41.9% of plants were threatened with extinction. This report highlighted some benefits and criticisms at national level, but it may have a wider significance. Although a general advance of knowledge, a great effort is needed to reach the Habitats Directive goals. Despite the limited resources, monitoring activities needs to be improved in order to close information gaps for several plants. A positive outcome was the development of a specific national project funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment, with the ambitious target to set future monitoring activities for FCI and optimize monitoring efforts.
Background and AimsSeed longevity, a fundamental plant trait for ex situ conservation and persistence in the soil of many species, varies across populations and generations that experience different ...climates. This study investigates the extent to which differences in seed longevity are due to genetic differences and/or modified by adaptive responses to environmental changes.MethodsSeeds of two wild populations of Silene vulgaris from alpine (wA) and lowland (wL) locations and seeds originating from their cultivation in a lowland common garden for two generations (cA1, cL1, cA2 and cL2) were exposed to controlled ageing at 45 °C, 60 % relative humidity and regularly sampled for germination and relative mRNA quantification (SvHSP17.4 and SvNRPD12).Key ResultsThe parental plant growth environment affected the longevity of seeds with high plasticity. Seeds of wL were significantly longer lived than those of wA. However, when alpine plants were grown in the common garden, longevity doubled for the first generation of seeds produced (cA1). Conversely, longevity was similar in all lowland seed lots and did not increase in the second generation of seeds produced from alpine plants grown in the common garden (cA2). Analysis of parental effects on mRNA seed provisioning indicated that the accumulation of gene transcripts involved in tolerance to heat stress was highest in wL, cL1 and cL2, followed by cA1, cA2 and wA.ConclusionsSeed longevity has a genetic basis, but may show strong adaptive responses, which are associated with differential accumulation of mRNA via parental effects. Adaptive adjustments of seed longevity due to transgenerational plasticity may play a fundamental role in the survival and persistence of the species in the face of future environmental challenges. The results suggest that regeneration location may have important implications for the conservation of alpine plants held in seed banks.
ABSTRACT
Kosteletzkya pentacarpos seashore mallow, is recognised as an important plant species for several industrial applications, especially in North America and Asia. In Europe, seashore mallow is ...highly threatened and subject of conservation actions (e.g. reintroduction). In order to define appropriate multipurpose cultivation protocols, suitable for biomass production and for conservation purposes, we investigated the effect of varying levels of soil salt content and nutrient availability on seashore mallow. As expected, seashore mallow had the best performance in terms of growth rate, flowering and fruit production when fertiliser was applied, while salt had only limited effects. Interestingly, seeds produced by fertilised plants showed a lower germination performance and higher mortality than seeds developed from non‐fertilised plants. Our results highlight a trade‐off between parental plant growth and seed performance, the former being enhanced and the latter being reduced by fertiliser application. The causes of this trade‐off are related to a transgenerational maternal effect of fertiliser application that has important implications for seashore mallow cultivation. Biomass production benefits from fertiliser application but if the quality of seeds and the fitness of the next generation are major objectives (e.g. seed production and species conservation), fertiliser application is not recommended.
In Europe, the decline in agriculture in traditional mountain farming areas has caused abandonment, or irregular grazing, of less accessible pastures. In the Italian Alps, we studied plant diversity, ...forage value and trophic traits in six large‐scale heterogeneously grazed Nardus pastures, in their central and peripheral parts, and across the montane, lower and upper subalpine zones. Seventy cover‐abundance floristic relevés were performed in randomly located permanent plots, half at the pasture edge (M‐plots) and half in their central part (C‐plots). Plant diversity varied significantly with respect to the distance from the edge, being higher in M‐plots because of shrub invasion as a consequence of reduced cattle pressure. Nardus cover was slightly higher in C‐plots and negatively related to plant diversity. Forage value was lower in M‐plots and negatively correlated with the cover of Nardus and woody species, implying that different grazing pressure was negatively influencing sward productivity. Differences in trophic traits of swards between C‐ and M‐plots existed mostly as trends. Forage value significantly decreased in the lower subalpine and montane pastures, which are further grazed in late summer. Heterogeneous grazing management was therefore exerting positive effects on plant diversity and negative effects on forage value. Results are discussed in the context of future management recommendations.
Crop Wild Relatives are often used to improve crop quality and yields because they contain genetically important traits that can contribute to stress resistance and adaptation. Seed germination of ...different populations of Aegilops geniculata Roth collected along a latitudinal gradient was studied under different drought stress in order to find populations suitable for improving drought tolerance in wheat. Different accessions of Aegilops neglecta Req. ex Bertol., Triticum aestivum L. and T. durum Desf. were used as comparison. Under full hydration, germination was high in all populations, but increasing drought stress led to reduced and delayed germination. Significant differences in final germination and mean time to germinate were detected among populations. Wheat, durum wheat and the southern population of Ae. geniculata were not significantly affected by drought stress, germinating similarly under all treatments. However, seed germination of the northern populations of Ae. geniculata was significantly reduced under high water stress treatment. Differences between populations of the same species could not be explained by annual rainfall across populations' distributions, but by rainfall during seed development and maturation. Differences in the germination responses to drought found here highlight the importance of source populations as criteria for genotype selection for pre-breeders.
The conservation of landraces in Europe is challenging because very often they have already disappeared or cannot be properly identified, which in turn prevents any possibility for their utilization. ...This work deals with the collection of molecular and historical data to identify and study the original landraces of common buckwheat (
Fagopyrum esculentum
Moench), locally cultivated in Northern Italy (Valtellina) and to date surviving among other commercial varieties, recently introduced in the same areas of the Alps. As plant materials of
F. esculentum
, we analyzed a number of Italian accessions along with two foreign accessions from Poland and Nepal, for a total of 174 individuals. Molecular investigations were based on a set of eight nuclear SSR marker loci. The mean observed heterozygosity over all accessions was equal to H
o
= 0.466, being significantly lower than the expected heterozygosity (H
e
= 0.764). A major finding was the recognition of a marked inbreeding rate (F
it
= 0.387) and a reduced fixation index (F
st
= 0.061), indicating that most genetic variation is found within populations. A significant overall gene flow among accessions was found (N
m
= 3.846). Results indicated that only two of the examined accessions, the so-called “Nustran” and “Curunin”, could be considered, authentic Valtellina landraces. On the basis of results, we successfully developed a multi-locus marker system and identified a number of co-dominant marker alleles suitable for genetic traceability and authenticity certification of a “Nustran” and a “Curunin” autochthonous landraces of Valtellina and its food derivatives (i.e., Pizzoccheri, Polenta taragna).
This study was the first to investigate the direct effects of anomalous concentrations of ozone mediated by summer heat waves on seed germination in alpine plants. During germination, the seeds were ...exposed to three peaks of O
3
concentration (125 ppb for 5 and 10 days; 185 ppb for 5 days), derived from measurements taken close to the species growing site. High O
3
concentration delayed the first germination time, increased the mean germination time, and reduced the germination percentage during and immediately after the treatment, but, in most cases, effects were weak and had almost vanished three weeks after the treatments. In few cases, chronic exposure to O
3
(125 for 10 days' treatment) enhanced seed germination compared to the control, suggesting that ozone may induce antioxidant and DNA-repair mechanisms or dormancy-breaking effects in hydrated seeds. Although seed mortality increased during O
3
treatments in four species, the effect of O
3
on seed germination is mostly limited to the period of exposure, indicating that it is unlikely to produce permanent negative effects on seeds, during the germination phase. Our results show that the direct effect of O
3
on seeds of alpine plants may have minor impacts on plant reproductive performance during seed germination.
The use of human-assisted colonization for species affected by climate change is now being adopted by some conservationists but remains controversial. In order to deter extreme translocation actions, ...a decision framework is proposed that incorporates a biogeographical approach.
“The New Red List of the Italian Flora” includes all the Italian policy species and other species of known conservation concerns for a total of 400 taxa , 65% of which are threatened with extinction. ...The Red List is based on a huge georeferenced data-set useful for conservation purposes.
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