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Editorial from the New Editor in Chief, Open Questions and Outlooks for the Future. JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL GARDENS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/jzbg3040053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
I am proud to have accepted the invitation to become the new Editor in Chief of the Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, a new open-access journal published by MDPI, dedicated to ex-situ research and the conservation of our planet’s biodiversity [...]
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Pezoa I, Villacreses J, Rubilar M, Pizarro C, Galleguillos MJ, Ejsmentewicz T, Fonseca B, Espejo J, Polanco V, Sánchez C. Generation of Chloroplast Molecular Markers to Differentiate Sophora toromiro and Its Hybrids as a First Approach to Its Reintroduction in Rapa Nui (Easter Island). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:plants10020342. [PMID: 33578941 PMCID: PMC7916652 DOI: 10.3390/plants10020342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Sophora toromiro is an endemic tree of Rapa Nui with religious and cultural relevance that despite being extinct in the wild, still persists in botanical gardens and private collections around the world. The authenticity of some toromiro trees has been questioned because the similarities among hybrid lines leads to misclassification of the species. The conservation program of toromiro has the objective of its reinsertion into Rapa Nui, but it requires the exact genotyping and certification of the selected plants in order to efficiently reintroduce the species. In this study, we present for the first time the complete chloroplast genome of S. toromiro and four other Sophora specimens, which were sequenced de-novo and assembled after mapping the raw reads to a chloroplast database. The length of the chloroplast genomes ranges from 154,239 to 154,473 bp. A total of 130-143 simple sequence repeats (SSR) loci and 577 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Pezoa
- School of Biotechnology, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (I.P.); (V.P.)
- Advanced Genomics Core, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (J.V.); (C.P.); (M.J.G.); (T.E.); (B.F.)
- Network Biology Laboratory, Centro de Genómica y Bioinformática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile
| | - Javier Villacreses
- Advanced Genomics Core, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (J.V.); (C.P.); (M.J.G.); (T.E.); (B.F.)
- Network Biology Laboratory, Centro de Genómica y Bioinformática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile
- PhD Program in Integrative Genomics, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile;
| | - Miguel Rubilar
- PhD Program in Integrative Genomics, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile;
| | - Carolina Pizarro
- Advanced Genomics Core, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (J.V.); (C.P.); (M.J.G.); (T.E.); (B.F.)
| | - María Jesús Galleguillos
- Advanced Genomics Core, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (J.V.); (C.P.); (M.J.G.); (T.E.); (B.F.)
| | - Troy Ejsmentewicz
- Advanced Genomics Core, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (J.V.); (C.P.); (M.J.G.); (T.E.); (B.F.)
| | - Beatriz Fonseca
- Advanced Genomics Core, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (J.V.); (C.P.); (M.J.G.); (T.E.); (B.F.)
| | - Jaime Espejo
- National Botanic Garden of Viña del Mar, Valparaíso 2561881, Chile;
| | - Víctor Polanco
- School of Biotechnology, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (I.P.); (V.P.)
| | - Carolina Sánchez
- Advanced Genomics Core, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile; (J.V.); (C.P.); (M.J.G.); (T.E.); (B.F.)
- Applied Genomics Laboratory, Centro de Genómica y Bioinformática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 8580745, Chile
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +56-2-2328-1305
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Quantifying the Geometric Shell Shape between Populations of True Limpets Lottia Mesoleuca (Mollusca: Lottidae) in Colombia. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10040675. [PMID: 32294895 PMCID: PMC7222701 DOI: 10.3390/ani10040675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing activity in morphological studies has provided new tools to analyses the shape quantitatively, these quantitative measurements allow the researcher to examine the variation in shape and perform analysis to examine the quantitative differences among the species shapes, where geometric morphometrics has rendered great results in the last years. This study was focused on assessing the morphometric variation between populations of Lottia mesoleuca of the family Lottidae, an abundant group of gastropods in the rocky ecosystems of Bahía Málaga and Isla Gorgona (Colombian Pacific). This family has a high morphological diversity, making the identification of some morphotypes problematic work. Geometric morphometrics methods were applied on the shell using dorsal, lateral and ventral views. Different multivariate analyses were performed to differentiate the groups of species and populations (principal component analysis, morphological distances comparisons and grouping analysis by means of the Ward method). The results indicate that individuals of the species Lottia mesoleuca have key geometric characteristics associated to the different populations (depth intertidal zones) for classification, being the geometric shape of the shell enough to determine morphotypes between the different populations studied. Aspects associated with the combination of ecological variables with morphometric ones are necessary to be able to visualize with a higher resolution the structural complexity of populations and their adaptation processes. Furthermore, it is obvious that there is a strong need to conduct more explorations of environmental and ecological processes that provide some insight on why the morphological characteristics are so variable in the same species.
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Abeli T, Dalrymple S, Godefroid S, Mondoni A, Müller JV, Rossi G, Orsenigo S. Ex situ collections and their potential for the restoration of extinct plants. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2020; 34:303-313. [PMID: 31329316 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The alarming current and predicted species extinction rates have galvanized conservationists in their efforts to avoid future biodiversity losses, but for species extinct in the wild, few options exist. We posed the questions, can these species be restored, and, if so, what role can ex situ plant collections (i.e., botanic gardens, germplasm banks, herbaria) play in the recovery of plant genetic diversity? We reviewed the relevant literature to assess the feasibility of recovering lost plant genetic diversity with using ex situ material and the probability of survival of subsequent translocations. Thirteen attempts to recover species extinct in the wild were found, most of which used material preserved in botanic gardens (12) and seed banks (2). One case of a locally extirpated population was recovered from herbarium material. Eight (60%) of these cases were successful or partially successful translocations of the focal species or population; the other 5 failed or it was too early to determine the outcome. Limiting factors of the use of ex situ source material for the restoration of plant genetic diversity in the wild include the scarcity of source material, low viability and reduced longevity of the material, low genetic variation, lack of evolution (especially for material stored in germplasm banks and herbaria), and socioeconomic factors. However, modern collecting practices present opportunities for plant conservation, such as improved collecting protocols and improved cultivation and storage conditions. Our findings suggest that all types of ex situ collections may contribute effectively to plant species conservation if their use is informed by a thorough understanding of the aforementioned problems. We conclude that the recovery of plant species currently classified as extinct in the wild is not 100% successful, and the possibility of successful reintroduction should not be used to justify insufficient in situ conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Abeli
- Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Viale Guglielmo Marconi 446, Roma, 00146, Italy
| | - Sarah Dalrymple
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, U.K
| | - Sandrine Godefroid
- Research Department, Botanic Garden Meise, Nieuwelaan 38, Meise, 1860, Belgium
- Service général de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, rue A. Lavallée 1, Brussels, 1080, Belgium
- Laboratory of Plant Ecology and Biogeochemistry, Université libre de Bruxelles, CP 244, Boulevard du Triomphe, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Andrea Mondoni
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Jonas V Müller
- Millennium Seed Bank, Conservation Science, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, RH17 6TN, West Sussex, U.K
| | - Graziano Rossi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Simone Orsenigo
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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Godefroid S, Piqueray J, Delescaille LM, Monty A, Mahy G. A framework to identify constraints to post-extinction recovery of plant species—Application to the case of Bromus bromoideus. J Nat Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Innangi M, Friščić M, Hazler Pilepić K, Danise T, Conti F, Bartolucci F, Fioretto A, Peruzzi L. Explaining Intricate Morphometric Variability with Environmental Predictors: The Case of Globularia cordifolia Species Complex. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:E314. [PMID: 32138221 PMCID: PMC7154870 DOI: 10.3390/plants9030314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Globularia is a genus of small evergreen and perennial shrubs that are widespread in Europe. Globularia section Empetron includes a group of three species, G. cordifolia, G. meridionalis, and G. neapolitana, that have been taxonomically disputed for more than 150 years. Many morphological features have been proposed to discriminate these species. Nevertheless, evidence from both past and recent literature suggest that these differences among species are not consistent. In order to shed new light in this long-disputed group, we investigated 10 populations of the G. cordifolia species complex with both classical and geometric morphometrics and used environmental predictors in multivariate regression to explain patterns of variation. Our results showed that bract area and calyx teeth length are correlated with solar radiation and annual precipitation, whereas leaf dry mass per unit area can be explained by temperature seasonality. Leaf shape can be explained by temperature seasonality as well, although with a lower amount of explanatory and predictive power. Despite a comparatively low sample size in terms of populations, our results were based on a large number of individuals and were supported by a robust statistical approach. We can conclude that differences among the three species of Globularia could be related to the combined effects of several ecological variables and might not have taxonomical value. Our novel approach provided an ecological interpretation on a species complex that makes up a continuum of forms within the environmental framework of the Mediterranean basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Innangi
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Maja Friščić
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Schrottova 39, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.F.); (K.H.P.)
| | - Kroata Hazler Pilepić
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Schrottova 39, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.F.); (K.H.P.)
| | - Tiziana Danise
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Fabio Conti
- Floristic Research Center of the Apennines, University of Camerino—Gran Sasso-Laga National Park, San Colombo, 67021 Barisciano (L’Aquiila), Italy; (F.C.); (F.B.)
| | - Fabrizio Bartolucci
- Floristic Research Center of the Apennines, University of Camerino—Gran Sasso-Laga National Park, San Colombo, 67021 Barisciano (L’Aquiila), Italy; (F.C.); (F.B.)
| | - Antonietta Fioretto
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Lorenzo Peruzzi
- Department of Biology—Botany Unit, University of Pisa, Via Derna 11, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
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