Analysis of non‐Saccharomyces yeast populations isolated from grape musts from Sicily (Italy)

Aims: The aim of this study was to identify the non‐Saccharomyces yeast populations present in the grape must microflora from wineries from different areas around the island of Sicily. Methods and Results: Yeasts identification was conducted on 2575 colonies isolated from six musts, characterized using Wallerstein Laboratory (WL) nutrient agar, restriction analysis of the amplified 5·8S‐internal transcribed spacer region and restriction profiles of amplified 26S rDNA. In those colonies, we identified 11 different yeast species originating from wine musts from two different geographical areas of the island of Sicily. Conclusions: We isolated non‐Saccharomyces yeasts and described the microflora in grape musts from different areas of Sicily. Moreover, we discovered two new colony morphologies for yeasts on WL agar never previously described. Significance and Impact of the Study: This investigation is a first step in understanding the distribution of non‐Saccharomyces yeasts in grape musts from Sicily. The contribution is important as a tool for monitoring the microflora in grape musts and for establishing a new non‐Saccharomyces yeast collection; in the future, this collection will be used for understanding the significance of these yeasts in oenology.     

Middle to Late Jurassic radiolarians from Sicily (Italy)

Middle and Upper Jurassic radiolarian faunas from two sections of Sicily are compared with the previously proposed zonations. The ages of the faunas are estimated by correlation with these zonations and by concurrent range zone. The faunas could be assigned to the Bathonian or earlier late Tithonian or early Berriasian. Two new spumellarian species (Bernoullius furcospinus andBernoullius rectispinus) from Middle Jurassic are described.     

Exceptional record of submarine cave communities from the Pleistocene of Sicily (Italy)

An Early Pleistocene benthic community, discovered inside the Rumena Cave in NW Sicily, Italy, was studied. Analysis of the community led to the recognition of several encrusting species – notably scleractinians, bryozoans, serpuloideans, cirripeds, foraminifera and brachiopods – and borings mostly referable to the ichnogenus Gastrochaenolites. All fossils detected are typical of the present‐day hard‐surface submarine cave biota, at both high taxonomic rank and species level. The biogenic crust, restricted to a few sectors of the cave but locally up to few centimetres thick, largely consist of scleractinians, mainly represented by dendrophylliids. Bryozoans and serpuloideans are also present with Hippaliosina depressa and Spiraserpula massiliensis, locally forming multi‐layered sheets and dense specimen aggregates, respectively. Basing mostly on the composition of the encrusting community and on morphological/morphometric features of some species, it has been hypothesized that at least part of the cave was blind when the crust formed, possibly at relatively shallow depth in a sheltered setting or, more probably, at higher depths, below the fair weather swell zone. Encrustations and borings on the rocky cave ceiling and on occasional speleothems broken surfaces document subsequent phases of cave submersion/colonization separated by emersion/erosion phases. The importance of the Early Pleistocene fossils of the Rumena Cave for the knowledge of submarine cave communities through time and for the understanding of sea‐level variations and the uplift of the area has been remarked.     

Messinian palaeoenvironments and hydrology in Sicily (Italy): The dinoflagellate cyst record

Hydrological conditions prevailing before, during and after the Messinian salinity crisis in Sicily have been approached using dinoflagellate cyst records. The synthetic sequence considered is based on five classical sections from the Caltanissetta Basin. Our interpretations are based on the recognition of autochthonous, allochthonous and reworked population among the dinocyst assemblages. For the first time, sea-surface temperatures and seasonal salinity contrasts were tentatively reconstructed using a “Mutual Climatic Range Method”. Sicilian late Tortonian deposits correspond to marine environment with significant terrestrial inputs favourable to eutrophic dinocyst species. Immediately after the beginning of the Messinian Stage, euryhaline assemblages took place, followed by meso-hyperhaline taxa, within a general trend to shallowing. At the end of the Tripoli diatomitic Formation, environment appears confined, with regular oceanic inflows. Such marine inflows remain persistent during the deposition of the salt Member, witnessing the probable persistence of nearby normal marine sea-surface water conditions in the Mediterranean Sea but with possible reduced hydrological circulation and/or low nutrient component. Such inflows are slightly decreasing up to the top of the Sicilian Upper Evaporites. At the same time, river inputs appear weak during the salt deposition, as the consequence of a rather dry climatic context. As shown by reworking activity, terrestrial inputs increase progressively from the base of the Upper Evaporites. During the Lago Mare period, while climate remains rather dry (absence of freshwater algae inputs, very low amount in trees requiring humid conditions), local deposition environment is confined with mesohaline to hypohaline sea-surface waters, in a context with relatively high seasonal sea-surface salinity contrast (up to 6‰). The very high reworking observed in the Arenazzolo silts, in addition to slightly increasing water depth, led us to consider the presence of a discontinuity between the Lago Mare and the Arenazzolo Fms. We consider the Arenazzolo Formation as a transgressive facies following a deep downcutting period. The Arenazzolo Formation presents a two-step development. The first one, correlative with the presence of a G. etrusca (a species with Paratethyan affinities), corresponds to a relative high-stand sea-level with oceanic influxes, low seasonal sea-surface salinity contrast and probable more humid context, as revealed by the important freshwater algal inputs. During the second step, salinity becomes much more variable, with a clear increase of seasonal sea-surface salinity contrast, a possible slight mean sea-surface temperature increase (only few degrees) and a clear weakening of the river inputs. Taking the proposed Zanclean position of the Arenazzolo Fm. into consideration, we state that mean sea-surface temperature did not change significantly from the base of the Messinian to the earliest Zanclean. At 5.33 Ma, the suddenly achieved flooding restored a fair, deep oceanic environment characterized, at the beginning, by a clear mean sea-surface temperature cooling (up to 6-7 °C) and a nutrient depletion, associated with the basins starvation. Sea-surface salinities were normal, with very low seasonal contrast. Hydrodynamics then nutrient supply became then quite normal from c.a. 5.08 Ma. The status of the Sicilian Caltanissetta Basin as a marginal basin although fastly deepening and the stratigraphical location of the Messinian discontinuity at the base of the Arenazzolo is the scenario that best matches our dinocyst record.     

The urban vascular flora of Palermo (Sicily,Italy)

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive inventory of the urban vascular flora of the town of Palermo. The data were gathered from extensive field collections, from specimens kept in different herbaria, and publications of the last 30?years. The floristic catalogue includes all the vascular plants that occur spontaneously within the urban area. Thirteen taxa are endemic to Sicily and one of these, Clinopodium raimondoi, is exclusive to Palermo’s area. The inventory comprises 1052 taxa belonging to 119 families and 225 genera, and contains 170 taxa non-native to the Italian flora.     

Enological and genetic traits of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from former and modern wineries

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from two different wineries in central Italy were subjected to enological and molecular characterization to investigate the influence of the winery environment. One of the selected wineries is a modern, working winery, whereas the second one was abandoned since 1914 and was located in an artificial cavern. The results obtained by our analysis of the fermentation traits underline the selectivity of the winery environment (winery effect), since strains isolated from the industrial winery showed higher values for characters typically subjected to selective pressure, such as maximum capability to produce ethanol, fermentation rate and SO(2) resistance. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR and SAU-PCR were carried out to assesss genetic differences between the two populations studied. Only RAPD-PCR could distinguish between the two populations based on their provenience, whereas PFGE and SAU-PCR gave profiles shared between strains isolated from the industrial and former winery. Moreover, analysis of the karyotypes suggested the presence of chromosomal-length polymorphism; differences in the size and number of chromosomes between the two groups of isolates, as well as within each group, were observed.     

Hieracium busambarense,a new species of the sect. Grovesiana (Asteraceae) from Sicily (Italy)

Hieracium busambarense (Asteraceae), a new species from calcareous-dolomite cliffs of Rocca Busambra (western Sicily, Italy) is described and illustrated here.     

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in western Sicily (Italy) and preliminary survey of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae)

A survey of phlebotomine sandflies was carried out in two provinces of western Sicily (Italy), where 65 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) had been diagnosed by the Dermatology Department of the University of Palermo, between 1977 and 1987. Eight collecting stations, distributed throughout the CL foci of the Agrigento and Palermo provinces produced a total of 2,410 specimens (12.78% males). Of these, 77.59% were Phlebotomus perfiliewi, 12.78% P. perniciosus, 0.74% P. major and 2.07% Sergentomyia minuta. P. perfiliewi, the probable vector of CL, was present in 7 out of the 8 collecting stations with very high densities in two localities.     

Genetic introgression of hybrid Rhododendron x intermedium Tausch is habitat mediated: Evidences from south-eastern Alps (Italy)

Hybridization between Rhododendron ferrugineum L. and R. hirsutum L. in south-eastern Alps was examined in order to (i) evaluate the breeding direction and the extent of backcrossing between hybrids and the parental species, (ii) define which processes facilitate speciation and maintain species identities and (iii) clarify the role of rock geochemistry in hybridization events. Individuals of three hybrid populations were analysed by morphological and molecular markers. The internal transcribed spacer and trnH–psbA distinguished the parental species and F₁ hybrids while only the simple sequence repeat markers recognized genotype classes: F, H, F₁, F₂, BxF (backcross to R. ferrugineum) and BxH (backcross to R. hirsutum). Combining morphological and molecular data, we found that the tested populations had complex genetic structure: the F₁ individuals produce F₂ hybrids and backcross to parental species. Due to R. hirsutum phenology, most backcrossing events were with this parental species (asymmetric hybridization). Geochemical analyses indicate that alkaline soil conditions linked to calcareous dolomitic rocks promoted the genetic assimilation of R. hirsutum. In addition, R. x intermedium shows a higher edaphic adaptation than R. hirsutum as it can be found on a wide range of calcareous-dolomitic rocks as well as on weakly acidic soils of natural or anthropogenic origin.     

Holocene vegetation and fire history of the mountains of Northern Sicily (Italy)

Knowledge about vegetation and fire history of the mountains of Northern Sicily is scanty. We analysed five sites to fill this gap and used terrestrial plant macrofossils to establish robust radiocarbon chronologies. Palynological records from Gorgo Tondo, Gorgo Lungo, Marcato Cixé, Urgo Pietra Giordano and Gorgo Pollicino show that under natural or near natural conditions, deciduous forests (Quercus pubescens, Q. cerris, Fraxinus ornus, Ulmus), that included a substantial portion of evergreen broadleaved species (Q. suber, Q. ilex, Hedera helix), prevailed in the upper meso-mediterranean belt. Mesophilous deciduous and evergreen broadleaved trees (Fagus sylvatica, Ilex aquifolium) dominated in the natural or quasi-natural forests of the oro-mediterranean belt. Forests were repeatedly opened for agricultural purposes. Fire activity was closely associated with farming, providing evidence that burning was a primary land use tool since Neolithic times. Land use and fire activity intensified during the Early Neolithic at 5000 bc, at the onset of the Bronze Age at 2500 bc and at the onset of the Iron Age at 800 bc. Our data and previous studies suggest that the large majority of open land communities in Sicily, from the coastal lowlands to the mountain areas below the thorny-cushion Astragalus belt (ca. 1,800 m a.s.l.), would rapidly develop into forests if land use ceased. Mesophilous Fagus-Ilex forests developed under warm mid Holocene conditions and were resilient to the combined impacts of humans and climate. The past ecology suggests a resilience of these summer-drought adapted communities to climate warming of about 2 °C. Hence, they may be particularly suited to provide heat and drought-adapted Fagus sylvatica ecotypes for maintaining drought-sensitive Central European beech forests under global warming conditions.     

Microbial Biomineralization in Biotic Crusts from a Pleistocene Marine Cave (NW Sicily,Italy)

Biotic crusts occurring in the Early Pleistocene Rumena Cave, in NW Sicily, have been analyzed from a geomicrobiological point of view. The crusts consist largely of scleractinians and of subordinate bryozoans and serpuloideans, all typical of submarine cave biota. Encrustations document a blind cave in a shadowed setting, or possibly below the fair weather swell zone. Autochthonous and, subordinately, detrital fractions were observed within the skeletal framework of biotic crusts. The syndepositional lithified fraction occurs mainly as very fine-grained laminations. Clotted peloidal and aphanitic (structureless) textures occur in the micrites as well. Autochthonous micrite is always associated with a significant amount of organic matter remains. In caves from the Plemmirio area in SE Sicily, the autochthonous microbial micrite, occurring in the bioconstructions, contains bacterial lipid biomarkers, including abundant compounds derived from sulfate-reducing bacteria. It is likely that a similar microbial mediation was involved in the formation of the autochthonous micrite present in the biotic crusts of the Rumena Cave.     

Cenomanian rudist-dominated shelf-margin limestones from the panormide carbonate platform (Sicily, Italy): Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy

Summary Sedimentological, paleontological and sequence analyses of Cenomanian limestones in Sicily reveal the facies architecture and dynamics of a Mid Cretaceous rudistdominated platform margin from Western Tethys. The studied deposits outcrop near Palermo, as part of a large structural unit of the Sicilian Maghrebids. They belong to the Panormide carbonate platform, a Mesocenozoic paleogeographic domain of the African margin. The lateral continuity of the beds along three nearly parallel E-W outcrop sections allowed the recording of cm/dm thick lithological and faunal variations. Nine main lithofacies associations have been recognised along about 200 m of subvertical strata. Their vertical and lateral organisation points to a transition from highenergy shelf-margin rudist patches and shoals to more internal lagoonal-tidal environments over a short distance. The lithofacies evolution and stacking pattern along the three sections made it possible to define elementary cycles, composite cycles and larger-scale sequences with a dominant shallowing-upward trend. Their hierarchical organisation implies that sea-level fluctuations were an important factor in their formation. The cycles are characterised by a great variation in facies as a result of transgressive-regressive events in different sectors of the inferred Cenomanian shelf. Subtidal cycles typical of the shelf margin (4–10 m-thick) are particularly well identifiable. They are made of large Caprinidae and Sauvagesiac rudstone-to-floatstone (about 2/3 of the total thickness), capped by rudist-conglomerates, often organised into 3–5 fining-upward amalgamated beds and showing, in places, effects of surface-related diagenesis. In more internal shelf areas the cycles consist of Caprinidae-Radiolitidae floastone grading up into amalgamated beds of angular bioclastic rudstone/grainstone. Alternations of foraminifer/ostracod mudstone/wackestone and bioclastic grainstone/fine-rudstone, capped by loferites and/or by other emersion-related overprintings, characterise the cycles formed in the peritidal zones. these cycles are stacked into three incomplete depositional sequences. The sequence boundaries have been identified by the abrupt interposition of peritidal cycles in subtidal rudist-rich cycles, with evidence of brief subaerial exposure.     

Comparative unpalatability of mimetic viceroy butterflies (Limenitis archippus) from four south-eastern United States populations

Viceroy butterflies (Limenitis archippus), long considered palatable mimics of distasteful danaine butterflies, have been shown in studies involving laboratoryreared specimens to be moderately unpalatable to avian predators. This implies that some viceroys are Müllerian co-mimics, rather than defenseless Batesian mimics, of danaines. Here, I further test this hypothesis by assessing the palatability of wild-caught viceroys from four genetically and ecologically diverse populations in the southeastern United States. Bioassays revealed that viceroys sampled from three sites in Florida and one in South Carolina were all moderately unpalatable to captive redwinged blackbird predators, which ate fewer than half of the viceroy abdomens presented. Red-wings commonly exhibited long manipulation times and considerable distress behavior when attempting to eat a viceroy abdomen, and they taste-rejected over one-third of viceroys after a single peck. These findings, the first based on wild-caught butterflies, support the hypothesis that the viceroy-danaine relationship in some areas represents Müllerian mimicry, prompting a reassessment of selective forces shaping the interaction. Moreover, considerable variation in palatability of individual viceroys, and in behavior of individual birds, contributes to the complexity of chemical defense and mimicry in this system.     

Ichnology and sedimentology of the early Permian deep-water deposits from the Lercara-Roccapalumba area (Western Sicily,Italy)

Summary Diverse and abundant trace fossils of the deep-waterNereites ichnofacies have been found in well-dated Early Permian deep-water turbidites (Lercara Formation) of western Sicily (Italy). Conodonts indicate a latest Artinskian to Cathedralian (late Early Permian) age. Microfossils (pelagic conodonts, albaillellid Radiolaria, paleopsychrospheric ostracods, foraminiferal associations dominated byBathysiphon), trace fossils (deep-bathyal to abyssalNereites ichnofacies) and sedimentologic data collectively indicate a deep-water environment for the Early Permian turbidites of the Lercara Formation. The dominance ofAgrichnium and of thePaleodictyon subichnogeneraSquamodictyon andMegadictyon suggests that this icnofauna is closely related in ichnotaxonomic composition to other late Paleozoic deep-water ichnofaunas. The occurrence ofAcanthorhaphe. Dendrotichnium andHelicoraphe, to date only reported from Cretaceous or Tertiary flysch deposits, suggests that the entire ichnofauna corresponds well to previously documented Silurian-Tertiary flysch ichnofaunas. Eight new ichnospecies and a new ichnosubgenus,Megadictyon, are described.     

Biodiversity of Klebsormidium (Streptophyta) from alpine biological soil crusts (Alps,Tyrol, Austria,and Italy)

Forty Klebsormidium strains isolated from soil crusts of mountain regions (Alps, 600–3,000 m elevation) were analyzed. The molecular phylogeny (internal transcribed spacer rDNA sequences) showed that these strains belong to clades B/C, D, E, and F. Seven main (K. flaccidum, K. elegans, K. crenulatum, K. dissectum, K. nitens, K. subtile, and K. fluitans) and four transitional morphotypes (K. cf. flaccidum, K. cf. nitens, K. cf. subtile, and K. cf. fluitans) were identified. Most strains belong to clade E, which includes isolates that prefer humid conditions. One representative of the xerophytic lineage (clade F) as well as few isolates characteristic of temperate conditions (clades B/C, D) were found. Most strains of clade E were isolated from low/middle elevations (<1,800 m above sea level; a.s.l.) in the pine‐forest zone. Strains of clades B/C, D, and F occurred sporadically at higher elevations (1,548–2,843 m a.s.l.), mostly under xerophytic conditions of alpine meadows. Comparison of the alpine Klebsormidium assemblage with data from other biogeographic regions indicated similarity with soil crusts/biofilms from terrestrial habitats in mixed forest in Western Europe, North America, and Asia, as well as walls of buildings in Western European cities. The alpine assemblage differed substantially from crusts from granite outcrops and sand dunes in Eastern Europe (Ukraine), and fundamentally from soil crusts in South African drylands. Epitypification of the known species K. flaccidum, K. crenulatum, K. subtile, K. nitens, K. dissectum, K. fluitans, K. mucosum, and K. elegans is proposed to establish taxonomic names and type material as an aid for practical studies on these algae, as well as for unambiguous identification of alpine strains. New combination Klebsormidium subtile (Kützing) Mikhailyuk, Glaser, Holzinger et Karsten comb. nov. is made.     

Distribution,ecology and conservation survey on Trifolium michelianum Savi (Fabaceae) in Sicily (Italy)

We report the identification of four residual stations for Trifolium michelianum Savi (Fabaceae) in Sicily, whereas the species was documented to be extinct at the Gorgo Cerro station (western Sicily), the only locality previously reported in the literature. In addition to an update on the distribution of the species, a survey on the new Sicilian populations led to their biological, ecological and phytosociological characterization, as well as to an assessment of the risk factors. The species, here relegated to the limit of its distribution area, occurs in particularly sensitive and vulnerable environments, such as the “Mediterranean temporary ponds”, considered “priority” by the Council Directive 92/43/EEC. Moreover, a new Sicilian association (Trifolio micheliani–Glycerietumspicatae ass. nova), framed in the alliance Glycerio-Sparganion (class Phragmito-Magnocaricetea), is described.     

Stephos marsalensis new species (Copepoda, Calanoida, Stephidae) from coastal waters of Sicily, Italy

A new species of calanoid copepod, Stephos marsalensis, isdescribed from central Mediterranean coastal waters. It differsfrom congeners mainly in the structure of the fifth legs inboth sexes.     

Adaptation of indigenous larval parasitoids to Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Italy

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a serious threat to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) crops in South America. In Europe, after its first detection in Spain in 2006, it rapidly spread through the Mediterranean basin, reaching Italy 2 yr later. The aim of our work was to find indigenous effective biological control agents and to evaluate their potential role in the control of larval populations of T. absoluta in controlled conditions. Nine species of larval parasitoids emerged from field-collected tomato leaves infested by T. absoluta. The most abundant, Necremnus near artynes (Walker) and Necremnus near tidius (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), were tested in laboratory parasitism trials. Furthermore, because the species N. artynes and N. tidius are each reported in literature as an ectoparasitoid of Cosmopterix pulchrimella Chambers (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae) on upright pellitory plants, olfactometer bioassays were performed to assess the response of our parasitoids to the odors of tomato and pellitory leaves infested by T absoluta and C. pulchrimella, respectively, compared with healthy ones. Both Necremnus species showed good adaptation to the invasive pest, and we observed a high larval mortality of T. absoluta because of host feeding and parasitism. Even olfactory responses highlighted a preference of both wasps for tomato plants infested by the exotic pest. These preliminary results demonstrated a high suitability of these indigenous natural enemies for controlling T. absoluta. Further investigations are needed to confirm their role as potential biological agents in commercial tomato plantations.     

Biodiversity of Apis mellifera populations from Tenerife (Canary Islands) and hybridisation with East European races

The biodiversity of honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations from Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) has been assessed by restriction analysis of a mitochondrial non-coding intergenic region. Seventy-nine colonies were analysed from thirteen apiaries in six populations that have been kept from recent queen introduction. The length and restriction pattern of the PCR amplified products of the intergenic region identified four mitochondrial haplotypes. One of these haplotypes shows the same restriction pattern and composition of the intergenic region carried by honeybees belonging to the African lineage. Two haplotypes are characterised by a particular intergenic region found with high frequency in the Canarian populations. The haplotype representative of the East European honeybee lineage shows a frequency of 35%, thus indicating introduction of queen honeybees. The finding of this haplotype in Canarian honeybees suggests that hybridisation between the endemic Apis mellifera populations and imported bees is occurring in Tenerife.