Adaptive divergence generates distinct plastic responses in two closely related Senecio species.

The evolution of plastic responses to external cues allows species to maintain fitness in response to the environmental variations they regularly experience. However, it remains unclear how plasticity evolves during adaptation. To test whether distinct patterns of plasticity are associated with adaptive divergence, we quantified plasticity for two closely related but ecologically divergent Sicilian daisy species (Senecio, Asteraceae).

Conditional Seed Dormancy Helps Brullo & Signor. Overcome Stressful Mediterranean Summer Conditions.

Investigations on seed biology and ecology are of major importance for the conservation of threatened plants, both providing baseline information and suggesting practical approaches. In our study, we focused on the germination behavior of Brullo & Signor., a narrow endemic species to Panarea and Alicudi (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy), as well as one of the 50 most threatened Mediterranean island plants.

Population variation in early development can determine ecological resilience in response to environmental change.

As climate change transforms seasonal patterns of temperature and precipitation, germination success at marginal temperatures will become critical for the long-term persistence of many plant species and communities. If populations vary in their environmental sensitivity to marginal temperatures across a species' geographical range, populations that respond better to future environmental extremes are likely to be critical for maintaining ecological resilience of the species. Using seeds from two to six populations for each of nine species of Mediterranean plants, we characterized patterns of among-population variation in environmental sensitivity by quantifying genotype-by-environment interactions (G × E) for germination success at temperature extremes, and under two light regimes representing conditions below and above the soil surface.

Temperature and storage time strongly affect the germination success of perennial species in Mediterranean regions.

This study aims to explore the effect of environmental factors (temperature, light, storage time) on germination response and dormancy patterns in eight Mediterranean native wildplants, belonging to the L. genus. In detail, we considered subsp.