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Scientific research is the main driver to push forward and disseminate botanical knowledge. Despite many institutions having this fundamental aim as a core activity, many of them do not have a complete set of facilities, expertise, staff, and resources to cover all the steps involved in the study, management, conservation, and popularization of plant diversity. Accordingly, we propose a workflow formalizing the cooperation between a botanical garden and a botanical research center, focused on the study of plant endemic species. Specifically, the cooperation was implemented between the PLANTSEED Lab of the Department of Biology and the Botanic Garden and Museum of the University of Pisa. We present seven representative case studies (Armeria arenaria complex, Bellevalia webbiana, Crocus etruscus and C. ilvensis, Dianthus virgineus complex, Pulmonaria hirta complex, and Santolina chamaecyparissus complex) to disentangle the approaches and opportunities arising from cooperative approaches, from laboratory to cultivation. We analyze the emerging properties derived from this synergistic cooperation by promoting open research questions and answering them using a comprehensive approach to improving endemic plant species research, conservation, and popularization in the botanical garden. In this manuscript, we show how a cooperative approach between heterogeneous botanical institutions can constitute an effective and easy-to-implement approach to achieve the goals of each partner involved in the cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dianthus superbus is one of the most endangered species in Latvia and is on the verge of local extinction. Therefore, the aim of this study was to inventory previously identified populations of D. superbus in Latvia and to develop activities to conserve this species in accordance with the results obtained in situ. Expeditions on 18 previously documented locations, according to the data of Nature Conservation Agency, revealed only three existing D. superbus localities in Latvia with a significant number of specimens located in the Latgale region near Silenieki. In 2020, for the first time, two more new D. superbus localities were found in the vicinity of these three approved locations. As it is not possible to create micro-reserves in the existing localities which are mainly located either on roadsides or in a cemetery, additional activities are needed to preserve the D. superbus in Latvia. In vitro culture was initiated from shoot explants obtained in situ , from which, in turn, ex vitro plantings were done in the National Botanic Garden (NBG) and the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia (BG UL). Their quality and compliance with plants in situ were analysed. Overall, it was concluded that the plants grown ex situ were qualitatively equivalent to those obtained in situ , as a very high percentage of seed viability and germination was found both for in situ and ex situ growing D. superbus. Based on the results obtained we could conclude that D. superbus is a species that is able to adapt to different soils with a wide range of nutrient levels, moisture conditions and pH, as long as there are three main preconditions—adequate lighting, low overgrowth of other plant species and non-destructive human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The germination requirements of four taxonomically related taxa of Dianthus ( D. arenarius L. subsp. borussicus Vierh., D. carthusianorum L., D. gratianopolitanus Vill., and D. deltoides L.) were studied under controlled conditions in a laboratory. A set of experiments were conducted to evaluate seed germination responses to storage period and cold stratification, different hydrogen ion concentrations (pH), potassium nitrate (), temperatures, and light conditions. Experiments were also performed to study the effects of sowing depth and water supply on seedling emergence. There were no differences in germination between seeds incubated under light or dark conditions for any of the taxa we studied. Germination percentages increased significantly with increases in temperature. The taxa of Dianthus we studied showed similar responses to sand burial, i.e., seeds placed on or near the soil surface had maximum emergence, and emergence declined with increasing depth of seed burial. In the studied taxa, germination was reduced by declining osmotic potentials. Cold stratification increased the germination rate, but did not affect final germination percentage of Dianthus seeds. A higher concentration of nutritious solutions (KNO3) negatively affected the germination percentage. The results show that seeds of the studied taxa are potentially germinable in the species' habitat at any time between April and October. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperhydricity symptoms are common and significant during the in vitro culture of Dianthus chinensis L. and greatly affect the micropropagation and regeneration of cultured plantlets. However, effective measures for preventing such abnormalities have not been developed for this species. Silver nitrate (AgNO) has been shown to revert hyperhydric plantlets to a normal state. Nevertheless, the effect of AgNO on the prevention of hyperhydricity and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, 98.7% of the Dianthus chinensis L. plantlets cultured in a hyperhydricity induction medium (HIM) developed symptoms of hyperhydricity; however, hyperhydricity symptoms were inhibited to different degrees when D. chinensis L. plantlets were cultured in HIM supplemented with various concentrations of AgNO. In particular, approximately 97% of the D. chinensis L. plantlets grew normally and did not show any symptoms of hyperhydricity when cultured in HIM supplemented with 30 μmol L AgNO. Compared with the plantlets cultured in HIM alone, the plantlets cultured in HIM containing AgNO displayed dramatic decreases in water content, ethylene content, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (particularly regarding HO accumulation in guard cells) and showed increased antioxidant enzyme activity, stoma aperture, and water loss. These changes not only prevented excess water from accumulating in the tissues of plantlets but also improved the antioxidant capacity of plantlets, ultimately resulting in the prevention of hyperhydricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an appropriate accuracy measure is essential for assessing prediction accuracy in species distribution modelling. Therefore, model evaluation as an analytical uncertainty is a challenging problem. Although a variety of accuracy measures for the assessment of prediction errors in presence/absence models is available, there is a lack of spatial accuracy measures, i.e. measures that are sensitive to the spatial arrangement of the predictions. We present 'spind', a new software package (based on the R software program) that provides spatial performance measures for grid-based models. These accuracy measures are generalized, spatially corrected versions of the classical ones, thus enabling comparisons between them. Our method for evaluation consists of the following steps: 1) incorporate additional autocorrelation until spatial autocorrelation in predictions and actuals is balanced, 2) cross-classify predictions and adjusted actuals in a 4 × 4 contingency table, 3) use a refined weighting pattern for errors, and 4) calculate weighted Kappa, sensitivity, specificity and subsequently ROC, AUC, TSS to get spatially corrected indices. To illustrate the impact of our spatial method we present an example of simulated data as well as an example of presence/absence data of the plant species Dianthus carthusianorum across Germany. Our analysis includes a statistic for the comparison of spatial and classical (non-spatial) indices. We find that our spatial indices tend to result in higher values than classical ones. These differences are statistically significant at medium and high autocorrelation levels. We conclude that these spatial accuracy measures may contribute to evaluate prediction errors in presence/absence models, especially in case of medium or high degree of similarity of adjacent data, i.e. aggregated (clumped) or continuous species distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dianthus L. is one of the highly valued plant species in the family Caryophyllaceae. More than 30,000 cultivars of commercial carnations have been recorded and there is a need for an effective and cheap method to reveal their genetic diversity and identify the cultivars. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of implementation of the touchdown direct amplification of minisatellite-region DNA polymerase chain reaction (Td-DAMD-PCR) technique in the genus Dianthus. A total of 12 core minisatellite primers empirically selected from 22 primers were used in fingerprinting and phylogenetic studies of some commercial carnation cultivars. Analysis revealed that commercial carnations have a wide genetic base and they were probably obtained using inter-crosses between and among different species of the genus Dianthus. A total of 17 DNA markers were variety specific and most of the remaining markers obtained in the present study were useful in fingerprinting of the commercial varieties studied. Commercial varieties were differentiated in spray and standard carnation groups in a principal coordinate analysis and a Bayesian 50% majority-rule consensus tree. Td-DAMD-PCR markers reported in this study could be very useful in species identification, determination of genetic relationships, and phylogenetic studies of species of Dianthus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method of preservation and in vitro propagation of rare species Dianthus mainensis was offered. Seeds were used as starting material for in vitro propagation. Explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP and NAA. The greatest number of shoots was obtained when supplementing 3 µM BAP (5.5 shoots per an explant). This medium provided direct morphogenesis without appearance of somaclonal variants. Rooting of shoots in vitro observed when using half strength MS medium without growth regulators. Regenerants of Dianthus mainensis were successfully adapted and transferred to the experimental field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the flora of 20 oxbow lakes in the Warta valley near Uniejów, ten of which are situated between the river-bed and the flood embankment, and ten are behind the flood bank. 152 plant species have been identified in the studied area: 112 within the embankment, and 148 outside of it. The plants include Nymphaea alba, Lemna gibba and Wolffia arrhiza, as well as Dianthus superbus and Thalictrum lucidum on the banks. The flora of oxbow lakes behind the flood bank includes a greater proportion of anthropofites and more synanthropic vegetation than inside the embankment. To prevent further synanthropisation of the flora, a buffer zone should be created around the oxbow lakes consisting of semi-natural meadow vegetation and single trees. All natural water reservoirs should come under legal protection as ecological lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our work was to evaluate the seed germination ability of native species representing calamine populations of Alyssum montanum, Biscutella laevigata (Brassicaceae), and Dianthus carthusianorum (Caryophyllaceae). As substrata for germination, calamine substrate on which populations of examined plant species were grown in natural conditions, and horticultural substrate constituting a mixture of sand and garden soil were used. A. montanum and B. laevigata seeds demonstrated a high ability to germinate on calamine substrate, which was characterized by large contents of soluble forms of zinc (115.1 mg•kg-1), lead (0.91 mg•kg-1), and cadmium (3.12 mg•kg-1), and low water capacity (18.95% g/g). The seed germination ability of calamine Dianthus carthusianorum ecotype was comparable on both studied substrata types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dianthus polylepis complex consists of two already known endemic species, Dianthus polylepis and D. binaludensis, in Khorassan-Kopetdagh floristic province. The taxonomic position of these species has long been debated. The aim of the present study is to shed light on the evolutionary relationships of the members of the complex using morphological and molecular data. In morphological study, firstly, 56 vegetative and floral characters were measured on 33 specimens of the both species. Multivariate analyses were performed on 25 (out of 56) significantly discriminating morphological traits. In molecular study, we sequenced alleles obtained from a region between 2nd and 6th exons of the gene coding for the enzyme dihydroflavonol 4-reductase copy1 (DFR1). Morphological results show that most of a priori identified accessions were not grouped in a posteriori classification. It is difficult to discriminate D. polylepis from D. binaludensis in morphological continuum among the accessions. Results obtained from the molecular data indicated no monophyly for the members of the D. polylepis complex. Consistency between the morphological and molecular results shows that D. polylepis and D. binaludensis were not morphologically and molecularly well differentiated. Therefore, we propose a new combination as D. polylepis subsp. binaludensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, in vitro culture is of the great importance in both scientific investigation of under-researched plant species and plant production. In this paper, a review of development and methods of in vitro culture is presented. The main principles are given and the most commonly used methods are described. Special attention was paid to the propagation of Dianthus spp. Tissue culture of commercially important taxa is described in detail, and the review of propagation of other decorative Dianthus spp. that can be used as ornamental plants is also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five populations belonging to three subspecies of Dianthus rupicola Biv. (D. rupicola subsp. rupicola, D. rupicola subsp. aeolicus, and D. rupicola subsp. lopadusanus) and growing in different geographical areas of Sicily were tested for seed germination at various temperatures. All populations showed high germination rates with an optimum temperature between 15°C and 25°C. Efficient seed germination might contribute significantly to the preservation of these subspecies which are currently exposed to several environmental threats. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Seed germination, seedling emergence and seed persistence in the soil were investigated for Dianthus morisianus (Caryophyllaceae), a psammophilous endemic species of Sardinia. Stored and freshly collected seeds were incubated in a range of constant temperatures (5–25°C) and an alternating temperature regime (25/10°C). The effect of seed burial depth on seedling emergence was investigated under controlled environmental conditions. Seed persistence in the soil was verified by in situ experimental seed burials. Seeds of this species were non-dormant, and all seed lots germinated both in the light and darkness, mainly at low temperatures (≤20°C), with a maximum at 15°C (≥95%). Optimal seedling emergence was obtained when seeds were buried at a depth of 1–2 cm, and a declining emergence with increasing depth was observed. D. morisianus was also unable to form a persistent soil seed bank. The fate of the seeds that, after dispersal, do not emerge from the soil in the spring is, therefore, presumably to die before the next favourable growing season. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

4 plant communities unknown in the the European syntaxonomy are described from the alpine and subalpine belts of Parâng Mountains, based on vegetation studies of the authors during 1955-1960. These are: Arabis alpina-Saxifraga aizoides, Arabis alpina-Delphinium elatum, Dianthus tenuifolius- Festuca dalmatica and the Primula minima-Dryas octopetala communities. These communities could be described later as new associations in the possession of more relevés from different localities. The East and South Carpathian Doronico carpatici-Festucetum pictae association is distinguished under this new name from the Festucetum pictae Krajina described from the Tatra Mountains. 7 further associations are found as new to the Parâng Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Scent emission is important in nocturnal pollination systems, and plant species pollinated by nocturnal insects often present characteristic odor compositions and temporal patterns of emission. We investigated the temporal (day/night; flower lifetime) and spatial (different flower parts, nectar) pattern of flower scent emission in nocturnally pollinated Dianthus inoxianus, and determined which compounds elicit physiological responses on the antennae of the sphingid pollinator Hyles livornica. The scent of D. inoxianus comprises 68 volatile compounds, but is dominated by aliphatic 2-ketones and sesquiterpenoids, which altogether make up 82% of collected volatiles. Several major and minor compounds elicit electrophysiological responses in the antennae of H. livornica. Total odor emission does not vary along day and night hours, and neither does along the life of the flower. However, the proportion of compounds eliciting physiological responses varies between day and night. All flower parts as well as nectar release volatiles. The scent of isolated flower parts is dominated by fatty acid derivatives, whereas nectar is dominated by benzenoids. Dissection (= damage) of flowers induced a ca. 20-fold increase in the rate of emission of EAD-active volatiles, especially aliphatic 2-ketones. We suggest that aliphatic 2-ketones might contribute to pollinator attraction in D. inoxianus, even though they have been attributed an insect repellent function in other plant species. We also hypothesize that the benzenoids in nectar may act as an honest signal (‘nectar guide’) for pollinators. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]