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Lucia Conte

Bio: Lucia Conte is an academic researcher from University of Bologna. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Genetic diversity. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 23 publications receiving 156 citations.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Analysis of genetic diversity within and among six populations representative of the species distribution range revealed a weak but significant spatial genetic structure in P. apennina, with gene flow acting as a homogenizing force that prevents a stronger differentiation of populations.
Abstract: Primula apennina Widmer is endemic to the North Apennines (Italy). ISSR were used to detect the genetic diversity within and among six populations representative of the species distribution range. High levels of genetic diversity were revealed both at population percentage of polymorphic band (PPB = 75.92%, H S = 0.204, H pop = 0.319) and at species level (PPB = 96.95%, H T = 0.242, H sp = 0.381). Nei gene diversity statistics (15.7%), Shannon diversity index (16.3%) and AMOVA (14%) detected a moderate level of interpopulation diversity. Principal coordinate and Bayesian analyses clustered the populations in three major groups along a geographic gradient. The correlation between genetic and geographic distances was positive (Mantel test, r = 0.232). All together, these analyses revealed a weak but significant spatial genetic structure in P. apennina, with gene flow acting as a homogenizing force that prevents a stronger differentiation of populations. Conservation measures are suggested based on the observed pattern of genetic variability.

32 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results seem to confirm the hypothesis that the Italian populations of this species may not be indigenous but naturalised and due to the high withaferin A content of the Sardinian samples, these plants could be used as a source for pharmaceutical purposes.

31 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The observed genetic depauperation is indicative of historical factors, such as the bottleneck effect associated with migration, and the founder effect in population re-establishment, indicating that extant populations have not been established long enough for divergence to have occurred.
Abstract: Cytisus aeolicus Guss, is an endemic plant restricted to the isles of Vulcano, Stromboli and Alicudi in the Aeolian archipelago. All known populations were assayed for genetic variability using enzyme polymorphism. Allozyme variation at 16 loci coding for 10 enzyme systems was examined. The great majority of loci turned out to be monomorphic or fixed heterozygous. The observed genetic depauperation is indicative of historical factors, such as the bottleneck effect associated with migration, and the founder effect in population re-establishment. The low genetic diversity is largely partitioned within rather than among populations, indicating that extant populations have not been established long enough for divergence to have occurred. The genetic uniformity, combined with the scattered distribution of small populations, and the negative shift of population size point to a critically endangered species. Strategies for conservation are considered.

24 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that habitat fragmentation has not induced genetic depauperation and differentiation in the Italian stand of V. pumila; moreover, they provide evidence of past extensive outcrossing and a common evolutionary history of the examined populations.
Abstract: Viola pumila Chaix is a rare violet with a Eurasian-continental distribution. It has undergone a severe population decline during the last decades, and is endangered in Europe. Its southernmost extrazonal occurrence is in northern Italy, with only four populations. Inter-simple sequence repeat markers were used to detect genetic diversity level and distribution in the Italian stand and to compare it to a small sample from Germany. Estimates of genetic diversity revealed retention of genetic variation and weak genetic structure in the Italian populations of V. pumila. Comparable levels of genetic variation were detected in the German population. Principal component and cluster analyses on the whole data-set grouped individuals regardless of their geographical distribution, pointing out that genetic diversity in the V. pumila populations surveyed is homogeneously distributed. Analysis of molecular variance showed that most of the genetic variation is within populations rather than among them. Our results in...

12 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI

365 citations

Book ChapterDOI
12 Dec 2016

133 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Mar 1999-Heredity
TL;DR: How spatial population structure of genetic markers provides insights into the evolutionary significance of episodes of colonization and isolation in the Mediterranean flora is reviewed.
Abstract: Colonization and isolation are critical events in the evolutionary dynamics of plant populations. In this paper I review how spatial population structure of genetic markers provides insights into the evolutionary significance of episodes of colonization and isolation in the Mediterranean flora. I use as themes to structure my review the following topics: spatial structure induced by historical associations among populations of widespread species; population differentiation in relation to the evolution of closely related species with disjunct distributions; the potential effect of founder events during colonization on character evolution; and the conservation implications of spatial population structure. My review illustrates that the Mediterranean flora is full of examples that provide key insights into such evolutionary and conservation issues.

125 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Cladistic analyses of restriction map variation in the slowly evolving chloroplast DNA inverted repeat regions of 43 genera of the large and economically important legume tribe Phaseoleae indicate that several plastome groups correspond well to subtribes recognized largely on the basis of mor- phological variation.
Abstract: Restriction map variation has been assayed in the slowly evolving chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) inverted repeat regions of 43 genera of the large and economically important legume tribe Phaseoleae and representatives of several allied tribes. Cladistic analyses of these data indicate that several plastome groups correspond well to subtribes recognized largely on the basis of mor- phological variation. Based on these cpDNA data, the tribe as a whole does not appear to be monophyletic, a result in accordance with current, morphologically-based hypotheses. Plastomes of several genera belonging to subtribes considered basal within Phaseoleae have as their sister groups plastomes of non-Phaseoleae tribes, notably Millettieae, the tribe considered to represent the ancestral stock from which diverse elements of Phaseoleae were derived. More unexpectedly, plastomes of the tribe Desmodieae fall within the clade that includes the most derived chloroplast genomes of Phaseoleae.

87 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The phenolic composition of the ethanolic extract obtained from the flowers of the medicinal plant Cytisus multiflorus has been elucidated by high performance liquid chromatography, electrospray mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis as discussed by the authors.

70 citations