Article
Plant Sciences
Christos Bazakos, Konstantinos G. Alexiou, Sebastian Ramos-Onsins, Georgios Koubouris, Nikolaos Tourvas, Aliki Xanthopoulou, Ifigeneia Mellidou, Theodoros Moysiadis, Ioanna-Theoni Vourlaki, Ioannis Metzidakis, Chrysi Sergentani, Ioanna Manolikaki, Michail Michailidis, Adamantia Pistikoudi, Alexios Polidoros, George Kostelenos, Filippos Aravanopoulos, Athanassios Molassiotis, Ioannis Ganopoulos
Summary: In this study, the most complete genomic variation map and comprehensive catalog of molecular variation to date for 89 olive tree genotypes originating from the entire Mediterranean basin were developed, revealing the genetic diversity of this commercially significant crop tree and explaining the divergence/similarity among different variants. Additionally, the potential origin or routes of olive tree domestication were characterized through the study of the monumental ancient tree 'Throuba Naxos'.
Article
Geography, Physical
Federico Di Rita, Fabrizio Michelangeli, Alessandra Celant, Donatella Magri
Summary: By analyzing pollen records from the Mediterranean region, clear spatiotemporal patterns of tree cover variations before and after the 4.2 ka BP climate event are revealed, with some areas showing increasing forest cover while others exhibit decreasing trends. This discovery sheds new light on the geographical patterns of environmental vulnerability to rapid climate change in the Mediterranean Basin.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yunyun Song, Yongyan Tang, Lingtong Liu, Yunyuan Xu, Tai Wang
Summary: Pollen exine, composed of nexine, bacula, and tectum, is essential for pollen viability and function. This study reveals the role of PEM1 in rice pollen development and suggests that PEM1 mediates Ubisch body formation and pollen exine development by negatively modulating gene expression.
Review
Plant Sciences
Xiaofeng Ma, Yu Wu, Genfa Zhang
Summary: The formation of pollen wall is a complex process that involves the development of the exine and intine layers with different regulatory mechanisms. Studies have mainly focused on the molecular mechanisms of exine development, while fewer have explored the regulatory mechanisms of intine development.
JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Roberto Mariotti, Saverio Pandolfi, Isabelle De Cauwer, Pierre Saumitou-Laprade, Philippe Vernet, Martina Rossi, Federica Baglivo, Luciana Baldoni, Soraya Mousavi
Summary: The study revealed that self-incompatibility (SI) plays a key role in determining fertilization success in olive trees. Varieties from different SI groups can pollinate each other, while varieties from the same SI group cannot. The results demonstrate that the diallelic SI (DSI) system is crucial in determining pollination success among olive varieties in orchards.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Beatriz Lara, Jesus Rojo, Ana R. Costa, Ana M. Burgos-Montero, Celia M. Antunes, Rosa Perez-Badia
Summary: More than one quarter of the population in industrialised countries suffers from allergies, primarily caused by inhaled pollen. This study analysed the concentrations of airborne allergens and their relationship with pollen concentrations in two urban areas in Spain and Portugal. Weather conditions up to 6 days prior were found to affect the discrepancies in this relationship. The findings provide insights for improving allergy risk prediction models based on atmospheric pollen.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Tejaswini Kolipaka, Pooja Khairnar, Vivek Phatale, Giriraj Pandey, Paras Famta, Saurabh Shah, Amit Asthana, Srinivas Nanduri, Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Saurabh Srivastava
Summary: Oral drug delivery of microparticles has limitations such as aggregation, decreased loading capacity, and batch-to-batch variation, which hinders its scale-up. Porous structures have gained attention for their high loading capacity and ability to carry biomacromolecules, but non-uniform particle size distribution and the impact of porogen properties are challenges. To overcome these drawbacks, natural carriers like pollen are explored as drug delivery systems due to their ability to withstand harsh environments and exhibit uniform particle size distribution. Additionally, pollen contains phytoconstituents with various pharmacological applications. This review focuses on the microstructure, composition, and utility of pollen in cancer management, highlighting extraction strategies, characterization techniques, and the use of sporopollenin exine capsule for oral delivery of antineoplastic drugs. It also discusses emerging cancer treatments such as photothermal therapy, immunotherapy, and microrobots. The anticancer activity of pollen extract, regulatory perspective, bottlenecks, and future directions related to pollen are summarized.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Timme Donders, Konstantinos Panagiotopoulos, Andreas Koutsodendris, Adele Bertini, Anna Maria Mercuri, Alessia Masi, Nathalie Combourieu-Nebout, Sebastien Joannin, Katerina Kouli, Ilias Kousis, Odile Peyron, Paola Torri, Assunta Florenzano, Alexander Francke, Bernd Wagner, Laura Sadori
Summary: The sediment record from Lake Ohrid represents the longest continuous lake archive in Europe, revealing changes in vegetation cover and forest diversity during glacial-interglacial cycles. The study shows that changes in tree richness were largely driven by the amplitude and duration of these cycles, with periods of aridity affecting tree population survival. The assessment of long-term legacy effects between global climate and regional vegetation change demonstrates that Lake Ohrid functioned as a refugium for both thermophilous and temperate tree species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Asja Radja
Summary: Studying pollen wall development can help identify the connection between genetic products and physical processes, leading to a better understanding of morphological development. The accumulation of morphological data and comprehensive understanding in pollen wall biology provide rich material for mathematical and physical modeling.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Masahiro M. Kanaoka, Kentaro K. Shimizu, Bo Xie, Sinisa Urban, Matthew Freeman, Zonglie Hong, Kiyotaka Okada
Summary: Fertilization is a key event in sexually reproducing plants. A study on Arabidopsis thaliana identified a mutant, kompeito-1 (kom-1), which showed defects in pollen wall patterning and pollen-stigma adhesion. The study found that the KOM gene is involved in the regulation of CalS5 protein accumulation, which in turn affects callose accumulation and pollen wall formation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Jaume Lordan, Lourdes Zazurca, Merce Rovira, Laura Torguet, Ignasi Batlle, Theodore DeJong, Xavier Miarnau
Summary: Almond fruit drop patterns were studied in 20 Mediterranean almond cultivars, showing differences in drop patterns among different cultivars. Rootstocks and pruning strategies also had significant effects on fruit drop patterns, suggesting the need for tailored strategies for each cultivar x rootstock x pruning type combination.
Article
Plant Sciences
Lei Xu, Yimiao Tang, Yanzhi Yang, Dezhou Wang, Haijun Wang, Jianmei Du, Yajun Bai, Shichao Su, Changping Zhao, Lei Li
Summary: SCULP1 protein in wheat is involved in the assembly of pollen wall, and its absence leads to surface structural damage of pollen grains, resulting in reduced fertility.
Article
Plant Sciences
Dasmeet Kaur, Diana Moreira, Silvia Coimbra, Allan M. Showalter
Summary: The successful development and function of stamens, pollen grains, and pollen tubes are crucial for male reproductive function in flowering plants. Highly glycosylated arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) play important roles in male gamete formation, pollen grain, and pollen tube cell walls. The study on a quintuple Hyp-GALT mutant revealed the significant contributions of Hyp-arabinogalactans (Hyp-AGs) to the normal development and function of anthers and pollen.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Huiting Yang, Feng Liu, Wang Wang, Qingchen Rui, Ge Li, Xiaoyun Tan, Jie Ye, Haodong Shen, Yanping Liu, Wenlong Liu, Rong Tang, Jingru Hu, Kai Liu, Yunhui Zhang, Huadong Zhan, Yihua Wang, Yiqun Bao
Summary: It has been discovered that OsTKPR2 plays a critical role in sporopollenin synthesis during rice pollen wall formation, and there is a complementary relationship between OsTKPR1 and OsTKPR2. Within a metabolon formed in collaboration with other enzymes, OsTKPR2 facilitates the development of anthers and pollen, thereby affecting the formation of the pollen wall.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Mirela Petric, Marina Mihaljevic, Jure Brcic, Zeljka Trumbic
Summary: This study provides the first comprehensive data on the characteristics, biology, and genetics of the shamefaced crab Calappa granulata from the central eastern Adriatic Sea. The study reveals the crab's dietary preferences, size at first sexual maturity, and presence of epibiotic polychaetes. The analysis of genetic sequences also suggests a homogenous population in the Adriatic Sea.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Assunta Florenzano, Andrea Zerboni, Joseph C. Carter, Eleonora Clo, Guido S. Mariani, Anna Maria Mercuri
Summary: This study presents the results of palynological and geoarchaeological investigation on the Greek-Roman site of Pantanello, providing insights into the natural and human-controlled sedimentary processes and the impact of human activities on land use in this area over the past two millennia.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Ecology
A. Izdebski, P. Guzowski, R. Poniat, L. Masci, J. Palli, C. Vignola, M. Bauch, C. Cocozza, R. Fernandes, F. C. Ljungqvist, T. Newfield, A. Seim, D. Abel-Schaad, F. Alba-Sanchez, L. Bjoerkman, A. Brauer, A. Brown, S. Czerwinski, A. Ejarque, M. Filoc, A. Florenzano, E. D. Fredh, R. Fyfe, N. Jasiunas, P. Kolaczek, K. Kouli, R. Kozakova, M. Kupryjanowicz, P. Lageras, M. Lamentowicz, M. Lindbladh, J. A. Lopez-Saez, R. Luelmo-Lautenschlaeger, K. Marcisz, F. Mazier, S. Mensing, A. M. Mercuri, K. Milecka, Y. Miras, A. M. Noryskiewicz, E. Novenko, M. Obremska, S. Panajiotidis, M. L. Papadopoulou, A. Pedziszewska, S. Perez-Diaz, G. Piovesan, A. Pluskowski, P. Pokorny, A. Poska, T. Reitalu, M. Roesch, L. Sadori, C. Sa Ferreira, D. Sebag, M. Slowinski, M. Stancikaite, N. Stivrins, I Tunno, S. Veski, A. Wacnik, A. Masi
Summary: By using the approach of 'big data palaeoecology', the authors of this study demonstrated the variability of land use change across Europe following the Black Death pandemic. The findings confirmed the heterogeneous responses to the pandemic with empirical data.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Gabriel Servera-Vives, Maurici Mus Amezquita, Grant Snitker, Assunta Florenzano, Paola Torri, Joan Estrany Bertos, Anna Maria Mercuri
Summary: This paper presents a study on modern pollen analogs from the Balearic Islands, focusing on their vegetation dynamics and landscape composition. The research combines vegetation surveys, pollen analysis, and multivariate statistics to examine the relationships between pollen and vegetation, understand modern pollen representation, and propose pollen indicators for interpreting past pollen records. The study highlights the importance of factors such as landscape form, climate variables, and human activities in shaping the modern pollen assemblages. It also emphasizes the power of pollen analysis and multivariate analysis in characterizing the mosaic landscape of the Balearic Islands.
Article
Plant Sciences
Giovanna Bosi, Simona De Felice, Michael J. Wilkinson, Joel Allainguillaume, Laura Arru, Juri Nascimbene, Fabrizio Buldrini
Summary: This paper investigates the species identification of Brassica seeds recovered from archaeological sites in Italy using various methods including archaeobotanical keys, ancient DNA barcoding, and references to ancient herbarium specimens. The study finds that the combined use of these methods can provide accurate species diagnosis, which is particularly important for studying the early use of closely related crops like Brassicaceae.
Letter
Ecology
A. Izdebski, M. Bauch, P. Guzowski, S. Mensing, A. M. Mercuri, T. Newfield, G. Piovesan, L. Sadori, C. Vignola, A. Masi
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Filippo Del Stabile, Vittoria Marsili, Luca Forti, Laura Arru
Summary: Traditionally, plants have been seen as passive and unchanging organisms, but recent research suggests that they are aware of their surroundings and can modify their growth and development in response to stimuli. Plants communicate extensively with their environment, and sound perception and communication have become an emerging field of study.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Anna Maria Mercuri, Eleonora Clo, Assunta Florenzano
Summary: This study reports on the ancient unusual morphological trait of Poaceae pollen apertures found in archaeological layers, suggesting that anomalies in pollen development could be related to polyploidy, climatic changes, and anthropogenic pressures. The presence of multiporate pollen in samples from an archaeological site in Libya indicates that grasses in the central Sahara region faced various stresses during the early and middle Holocene, with adaptive responses observed in the form of multiporate pollen.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Eleonora Clo, Assunta Florenzano
Summary: This paper presents a new analysis of heterocysts of the Rivularia type as a bioindicator for local eutrophic conditions. The study found that the concentrations and percentages of the Rivularia type, combined with pollen curves of wet environments, can describe local variability and rapid changes in ecological conditions. The findings suggest that the Rivularia type can be used as an indicator of agriculture and livestock presence.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Umberto Tecchiati, Paola Salzani, Fiorenza Gulino, Barbara Proserpio, Chiara Reggio, Cristiano Putzolu, Eleonora Rattighieri, Eleonora Clo, Anna Maria Mercuri, Assunta Florenzano
Summary: The palynological and archaeobotanical analyses of the prehistoric site in Colombare di Negrar, northern Italy, reveal the importance of forest resources and natural environment in the region's paleoenvironment and economy from the Late Neolithic to the beginning of the Early Bronze Age. The analysis of pollen and plant remains suggests a mixed economy of animal breeding and cereal cultivation in the area.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Marie-Claude Bal, Alessandra Benatti, Giovanna Bosi, Assunta Florenzano, Salvia Garcia- Alvarez, Anna Maria Mercuri, Juan Manuel Rubiales
Summary: The study examines and compares changes in three mountain areas and identifies the natural and human processes that have shaped today's mountain landscapes. Despite differences in vegetation and history, there are similarities in agropastoral practices, such as livestock pressure and the use of fire. These similarities are supported by strong evidence and various other indicators.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Gabriel Servera-Vives, Maurici Mus Amezquita, Grant Snitker, Assunta Florenzano, Paola Torri, Maurici Ruiz, Anna Maria Mercuri
Summary: This study proposes new anthropogenic pollen indicators for the Balearic Islands and attempts to assess gradients of human impact on vegetation in Mediterranean islands. The research used a combination of modern pollen analogue studies, complemented by phytosociological descriptions and ordination techniques. Redundancy analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between pollen types and environmental variables and propose regional and local/microregional anthropogenic pollen indicators. The results contribute to the understanding of land-use dynamics and the assessment of colonization and anthropization rhythms in Mediterranean island environments.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jessica Zappa, Nicola Degasperi, Michele Bassetti, Assunta Florenzano, Paola Torri, Gabriel Servera-Vives, Anna Maria Mercuri, Roberto Micheli
Summary: This paper presents palynological data obtained from a trench excavated at the Neolithic pile-dwelling archaeological site of Palu di Livenza in northeastern Italy. The study provides insight into the development of a Neolithic settlement and the surrounding environment based on the analysis of preserved archaeological materials and botanical remains. The palynological analysis reveals the vegetation response to climatic changes and human activities.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Assunta Florenzano, Eleonora Clo, Jeremy Jacob
Summary: This study proposes a method to improve the information provided by biological indicators from sedimentary archives by integrating biomolecular techniques and botanical skills. It is the first proposal to combine pollen and biomolecular markers to detect land use and improve understanding of past environmental change drivers. The research aims to verify the relationship between miliacin and Panicum pollen in three stratigraphic sequences of Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio, Italy, which potentially record the beginning of Panicum miliaceum cultivation in the area. Despite their rarity and limited detectability, the combination of Panicum pollen and sedimentary miliacin suggests the adoption of millet crops during the Recent Bronze Age by the Terramare culture.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Eleonora Clo, Paola Torri, Michele Baliva, Agostino Brusco, Roberto Marchiano, Elisabetta Sgarbi, Jordan Palli, Anna Maria Mercuri, Gianluca Piovesan, Assunta Florenzano
Summary: Modern cultivated varieties of European grapes have been domesticated from wild grapevines growing in riparian zones and wet environments. The decline in wild grapevine populations is mainly due to habitat destruction, land-use change, and the spread of pathogens. The River Crati Natural Reserve in southern Italy plays a crucial role in conserving and restoring the relic population of wild grapevines, contributing to Mediterranean biodiversity conservation.
