Molecular and Morphometric Update on Italian <i>Salicornia</i> (Chenopodiaceae), with a Focus on the Species <i>S. procumbens</i> s. l.
<i>Salicornia</i> is a highly taxonomically problematic genus due to the reduced morphological observable characters. Ten Eurasian species are currently recognized: <i>S. alpini</i>, <i>S. europaea</i>, <i>S. fruticosa</i>, <i>S. hispanica</i&...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/2/375 |
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| author | Katia Sciuto Marion A. Wolf Adriano Sfriso Lisa Brancaleoni Mauro Iberite Duilio Iamonico |
| author_facet | Katia Sciuto Marion A. Wolf Adriano Sfriso Lisa Brancaleoni Mauro Iberite Duilio Iamonico |
| author_sort | Katia Sciuto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Salicornia</i> is a highly taxonomically problematic genus due to the reduced morphological observable characters. Ten Eurasian species are currently recognized: <i>S. alpini</i>, <i>S. europaea</i>, <i>S. fruticosa</i>, <i>S. hispanica</i>, <i>S. lagascae</i>, <i>S. perennans</i>, <i>S. perennis</i>, <i>S. persica</i>, <i>S. procumbens</i>, and <i>S. pruinosa</i>. In addition, eleven subspecies are accepted, mainly based on their distribution areas. Along the Venetian coasts and in Sardinia, in the past, an endemic species called <i>S. veneta</i> was recognized, but this name was later synonymized with <i>S. procumbens</i> subsp. <i>procumbens</i>. The aim of the present research is investigating different Italian <i>Salicornia</i> populations by a molecular point of view, using the nuclear ribosomal external transcribed spacer ETS and the plastid <i>psb</i>A-<i>trn</i>H intergenic spacer. A particular focus is on the comparison between Venetian (including those occurring in <i>locus classicus</i> of <i>S. veneta</i>) and Sardinian <i>S. procumbens</i> and other Italian populations of this species. The molecular analyses based on the plastid marker highlight that the Italian <i>S. procumbens</i> populations form two well distinct groups. In particular, some of the Venetian (<i>Locus classicus</i> of <i>S. veneta</i>) and all the Sardinian specimens are genetically distinct (=plastid haplotype 1) from the other investigated populations (=plastid haplotype 2). This indicates that the <i>psb</i>A<i>-trn</i>H haplotype 1 glassworts represent a distinct entity, which we suppose to coincide with the former <i>S. veneta</i>. Therefore, we suggest to recognize this taxonomic entity at the subspecies rank, as <i>S. procumbens</i> subsp. <i>veneta</i> comb. and stat. nov. However, contrary to the results found with the plastid <i>psb</i>A<i>-trn</i>H intergenic spacer, the ETS locus does not show a separation into two distinct clades for <i>S. procumbens</i>, probably due to a different evolution of the two loci. Nevertheless, in the ETS phylogenetic reconstruction, the Sardinian specimens (=ribotypes 2 and 3) are placed, together with a Moroccan sample, in a subclade separated from all the other <i>S. procumbens</i>. These results suggest that the Sardinian populations can represent a subspecies/incipient speciation process, probably due to geographic isolation. In the light of this, morphometric analyses (k-means, MANOVA, PCA, DA, and Box-Plot) have been carried out on the Sardinian and Venetian populations to verify if this distinction is detectable also by a morphological point of view. The morphometric analyses highlight the existence of two groups, concerning both the nuclear and plastid trees. Six characters were found to be diagnostic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:23:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03fc52847ec04770b52f46123b7faac1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:23:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-03fc52847ec04770b52f46123b7faac12023-12-01T00:05:52ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-01-0112237510.3390/plants12020375Molecular and Morphometric Update on Italian <i>Salicornia</i> (Chenopodiaceae), with a Focus on the Species <i>S. procumbens</i> s. l.Katia Sciuto0Marion A. Wolf1Adriano Sfriso2Lisa Brancaleoni3Mauro Iberite4Duilio Iamonico5Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Mestre, ItalyDepartment of Environment and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, C.so Ercole I D’Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, ItalyCe.R.S.I.Te.S., Sapienza University of Rome, Via XXIV Maggio 7, 04100 Latina, Italy<i>Salicornia</i> is a highly taxonomically problematic genus due to the reduced morphological observable characters. Ten Eurasian species are currently recognized: <i>S. alpini</i>, <i>S. europaea</i>, <i>S. fruticosa</i>, <i>S. hispanica</i>, <i>S. lagascae</i>, <i>S. perennans</i>, <i>S. perennis</i>, <i>S. persica</i>, <i>S. procumbens</i>, and <i>S. pruinosa</i>. In addition, eleven subspecies are accepted, mainly based on their distribution areas. Along the Venetian coasts and in Sardinia, in the past, an endemic species called <i>S. veneta</i> was recognized, but this name was later synonymized with <i>S. procumbens</i> subsp. <i>procumbens</i>. The aim of the present research is investigating different Italian <i>Salicornia</i> populations by a molecular point of view, using the nuclear ribosomal external transcribed spacer ETS and the plastid <i>psb</i>A-<i>trn</i>H intergenic spacer. A particular focus is on the comparison between Venetian (including those occurring in <i>locus classicus</i> of <i>S. veneta</i>) and Sardinian <i>S. procumbens</i> and other Italian populations of this species. The molecular analyses based on the plastid marker highlight that the Italian <i>S. procumbens</i> populations form two well distinct groups. In particular, some of the Venetian (<i>Locus classicus</i> of <i>S. veneta</i>) and all the Sardinian specimens are genetically distinct (=plastid haplotype 1) from the other investigated populations (=plastid haplotype 2). This indicates that the <i>psb</i>A<i>-trn</i>H haplotype 1 glassworts represent a distinct entity, which we suppose to coincide with the former <i>S. veneta</i>. Therefore, we suggest to recognize this taxonomic entity at the subspecies rank, as <i>S. procumbens</i> subsp. <i>veneta</i> comb. and stat. nov. However, contrary to the results found with the plastid <i>psb</i>A<i>-trn</i>H intergenic spacer, the ETS locus does not show a separation into two distinct clades for <i>S. procumbens</i>, probably due to a different evolution of the two loci. Nevertheless, in the ETS phylogenetic reconstruction, the Sardinian specimens (=ribotypes 2 and 3) are placed, together with a Moroccan sample, in a subclade separated from all the other <i>S. procumbens</i>. These results suggest that the Sardinian populations can represent a subspecies/incipient speciation process, probably due to geographic isolation. In the light of this, morphometric analyses (k-means, MANOVA, PCA, DA, and Box-Plot) have been carried out on the Sardinian and Venetian populations to verify if this distinction is detectable also by a morphological point of view. The morphometric analyses highlight the existence of two groups, concerning both the nuclear and plastid trees. Six characters were found to be diagnostic.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/2/375biometryendemismETS<i>Salicornia</i> L.<i>psb</i>A<i>-trn</i>H |
| spellingShingle | Katia Sciuto Marion A. Wolf Adriano Sfriso Lisa Brancaleoni Mauro Iberite Duilio Iamonico Molecular and Morphometric Update on Italian <i>Salicornia</i> (Chenopodiaceae), with a Focus on the Species <i>S. procumbens</i> s. l. Plants biometry endemism ETS <i>Salicornia</i> L. <i>psb</i>A<i>-trn</i>H |
| title | Molecular and Morphometric Update on Italian <i>Salicornia</i> (Chenopodiaceae), with a Focus on the Species <i>S. procumbens</i> s. l. |
| title_full | Molecular and Morphometric Update on Italian <i>Salicornia</i> (Chenopodiaceae), with a Focus on the Species <i>S. procumbens</i> s. l. |
| title_fullStr | Molecular and Morphometric Update on Italian <i>Salicornia</i> (Chenopodiaceae), with a Focus on the Species <i>S. procumbens</i> s. l. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular and Morphometric Update on Italian <i>Salicornia</i> (Chenopodiaceae), with a Focus on the Species <i>S. procumbens</i> s. l. |
| title_short | Molecular and Morphometric Update on Italian <i>Salicornia</i> (Chenopodiaceae), with a Focus on the Species <i>S. procumbens</i> s. l. |
| title_sort | molecular and morphometric update on italian i salicornia i chenopodiaceae with a focus on the species i s procumbens i s l |
| topic | biometry endemism ETS <i>Salicornia</i> L. <i>psb</i>A<i>-trn</i>H |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/2/375 |
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