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Purpose: This paper aims to understand if a project work methodology proposed to students, based on an inquiry perspective and dealing with different dimensions of sustainable development, contributed to creating an interdisciplinary solution for a problem on sustainability challenged by food production and consumption, and also to understand if this methodological approach is perceived as important to their learning as professionals and citizens. Data were collected by direct observation, a questionnaire applied to the students and students' individual reflections. Design/methodology/approach: This paper aims to present the research results of the impact of a pedagogical approach on students, implemented as a part of the Doctoral Programme in Sustainability Science, which was designed following an innovative model at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. The main drivers include building a new body of interdisciplinary knowledge leading to the application of science to address real problems towards transdisciplinary education. Findings: The results suggest great potential for an inquiry perspective in trying to solve a real problem. Students' proposals were realistic, viable and complementary enough to collectively contribute in response to the global problem. The use of approaches acquired from different areas of knowledge was clear, and the project methodology was well understood. Students considered the experience very rewarding in terms of learning and contributing positively to their personal and professional development. Originality/value: This Doctoral programme is anchored in a progressive continuum encompassing holistic debates with a multidisciplinary team of professors in environments that promote interdisciplinary attitudes and new knowledge, and also project work aimed at guiding students to transdisciplinary learning, which constitutes an innovative form of dealing with the complex challenges created by the science of sustainability.

Since the last decade of the last century, it is known that many old grapevine varieties are descendants of other varieties through natural crossing. Portugal has an important program for the conservation of representative samples of intra-varietal variability of all autochthonous varieties, managed by the Portuguese Association for Grapevine Diversity (PORVID), which makes looking for genotypes with dubious identification an important activity from a perspective of its valorisation. This communication presents the results of the molecular analysis of 5,000 samples (accessions) from the PORVID’s collection, using nine microsatellite loci currently recommended by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) for genetic grapevine identification. The results obtained confirmed the molecular identity of 4,220 samples corresponding to 214 varieties present in the official list of Portuguese varieties. In 780 samples, 95 profiles with a plural number of accessions revealed not to be listed in the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) database, corresponding to possible varieties either descendent from natural crossing from at least one known parental variety, or from undetermined origin. Furthermore, the need for a comprehensive strategy aimed at uncovering other hidden varieties is discussed to prevent their imminent loss, deepen understanding of their origin, and add economic value and sustainability to the vine and wine sector.

Soil characteristics, land management practices, and plant genotypes influence arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities, leading to the proliferation of AMF taxa with different growth and nutritional outcomes in their hosts. However, the specific patterns driving these relationships are still not well understood. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the influence of soil characteristics, land use, and rootstock on AMF diversity and community structure and (2) assess the effect of those AMF communities on grapevine growth and nutrition. Soil samples were collected from vineyard and non-agricultural areas in Lisbon and Pegões, Portugal, and trap cultures established using Richter 110 and 1103 Paulsen rootstocks. After 3.5 months growth under greenhouse conditions, root-associated AMF communities were assessed by amplicon metagenomic sequencing using AMF-specific primers. Alpha diversity was only influenced by the soil type, while in β-diversity, an interaction was found between the soil type and land use. Both diversity measures were positively correlated with foliar K and negatively with leaf Mn and Mg. Notably, the concentrations of these nutrients were highly correlated with the relative abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) within the genera Glomus, Rhizophagus, and Claroideoglomus. These results are valuable for supporting AMF selection for improved plant nutrition based on varying soil types and land uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyploidization is one of the major driving forces in plant evolution and is extremely relevant to speciation and diversity creation. Polyploidization leads to a myriad of genetic and epigenetic alterations that ultimately generate plants and species with increased genome plasticity. Polyploids are the result of the fusion of two or more genomes into the same nucleus and can be classified as allopolyploids (different genomes) or autopolyploids (same genome). Triticeae synthetic allopolyploid species are excellent models to study polyploids evolution, particularly the wheat-rye hybrid triticale, which includes various ploidy levels and genome combinations. In this review, we reanalyze data concerning genomic analysis of octoploid and hexaploid triticale and different synthetic wheat hybrids, in comparison with other polyploid species. This analysis reveals high levels of genomic restructuring events in triticale and wheat hybrids, namely major parental band disappearance and the appearance of novel bands. Furthermore, the data shows that restructuring depends on parental genomes, ploidy level, and sequence type (repetitive, low copy, and (or) coding); is markedly different after wide hybridization or genome doubling; and affects preferentially the larger parental genome. The shared role of genetic and epigenetic modifications in parental genome size homogenization, diploidization establishment, and stabilization of polyploid species is discussed. Key words: genome restructuring, Triticeae, synthetic hybrids, polyploids. La polyploidisation est l'une des forces motrices les plus importantes de l'evolution chez les plantes et joue un role important dans la speciation et la creation de diversite. Elle mene a un ensemble d'alterations genetiques et epigenetiques qui generent ultimement des plantes et des especes avec une plasticite genomique accrue. Les polyploides resultent de la fusion de deux genomes ou plus au sein d'un meme noyau et sont classifies en allopolyploides (des genomes differents) et autopolyploides (le meme genome). Les allopolyploides synthetiques chez les Triticees constituent d'excellents modeles pour etudier l'evolution des polyploides. Cela est particulierement le cas pour le triticale, un hybride entre le ble et le seigle, lequel presente divers niveaux de ploidie et combinaisons genomiques. Dans cette synthese, les auteurs reexaminent les donnees portant sur l'analyse genomique de triticales hexaploides et octoploides, ainsi que differents bles hybrides synthetiques, en les comparant a d'autres especes polyploides. Cette analyse revele d'importants changements dans la structure des genomes chez le triticale et les bles hybrides dont : la disparition de bandes parentales majeures et l'apparition de nouvelles bandes. De plus, les donnees montrent que ces rearrangements structuraux dependent des genomes parentaux, du niveau de ploidie et du type de sequence (repetitive, a faible nombre de copies et codante/non-codante). Ils different de facon importante selon qu'ils suivent un croisement interspecitique ou un doublement chromosomique et ils touchent de maniere preferentielle le genome parental le plus grand. Les auteurs discutent des roles partages que jouent les changements genetiques et epigenetiques dans l'homogeneisation de la taille des genomes parentaux ainsi que dans l'etablissement et la stabilisation des especes polyploides Mots-cles : restructuration des genomes, Triticees, hybrides synthetiques, polyploides. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Polyploidy is a major mode of evolution in plants, which involves two or more genomes being joined into the same nucleus. It has been estimated that 30%-70% of plant [...]

Allopolyploidy is a significant evolutionary process, resulting in new species with diploid or greater chromosome complements derived from two or more progenitor species. We examined the chromosomal consequences of genomic merger in Arabidopsis suecica, the allotetraploid hybrid of Arabidopsis thaliana and Arabidopsis arenosa. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with centromere, nucleolus organizer region (NOR), and 5S rRNA gene probes reveals the expected numbers of progenitor chromosomes in natural A. suecica, but one pair of A. thaliana NORs and one pair of A. arenosa-derived 5S gene loci are missing. Similarly, in newly formed synthetic A. suecica-like allotetraploids, pairs of A. thaliana NORs are gained de novo, lost, and/or transposed to A. arenosa chromosomes, with genotypic differences apparent between [F.sub.3] siblings of the same [F.sub.2] parent and between independent lines. Likewise, pairs of A. arenosa 5S genes are lost and novel linkages between 5S loci and NORs arise in synthetic allotetraploids. By contrast, the expected numbers of A. arenosa-derived NORs and A. thaliana-derived 5S loci are found in both natural and synthetic A. suecica. Collectively, these observations suggest that some, but not all, loci are unstable in newly formed A. suecica allotetraploids and can participate in a variety of alternative rearrangements, some of which resemble chromosomal changes found in nature. plant | polyploidy | speciation | translocation

Abstract Background Transposable elements (TEs) make up a large part of eukaryotic genomes. Due to their repetitive nature and to the fact that they harbour regulatory signals, TEs can be responsible for chromosomal rearrangements, movement of gene sequences and evolution of gene regulation and function. Retrotransposon ubiquity raises the question about their function in genomes and most are transcriptionally inactive due to rearrangements that compromise their activity. However, the activity of TEs is currently considered to have been one of the major processes in genome evolution. Findings We report on the characterization of a transcriptionally active gypsy-like retrotransposon (named Corky) from Quercus suber, in a comparative and quantitative study of expression levels in different tissues and distinct developmental stages through RT-qPCR. We observed Corky’s differential transcription levels in all the tissues analysed. Conclusions These results document that Corky’s transcription levels are not constant. Nevertheless, they depend upon the developmental stage, the tissue analysed and the potential occurring events during an individuals’ life span. This modulation brought upon by different developmental and environmental influences suggests an involvement of Corky in stress response and during development.