The question of how local adaptation takes place remains a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. The variation of allele frequencies in genes under selection over environmental gradients remains mainly theoretical and its empirical assessment would help understanding how adaptation happens over environmental clines. To bring new insights to this issue we set up a broad framework which aimed to compare the adaptive trajectories over environmental clines in two domesticated mammal species co-distributed in diversified landscapes. We sequenced the genomes of 160 sheep and 161 goats extensively managed along environmental gradients, including temperature, rainfall, seasonality and altitude, to identify genes and biological processes shaping local adaptation. Allele frequencies at putatively adaptive loci were rarely found to vary gradually along environmental gradients, but rather displayed a discontinuous shift at the extremities of environmental clines. Of the 430 candidate adaptive genes identified, only 6 were orthologous between sheep and goats and those responded differently to environmental pressures, suggesting different putative mechanisms involved in local adaptation in these two closely related species. Interestingly, the genomes of the 2 species were impacted differently by the environment, genes related to signatures of selection were most related to altitude, slope and rainfall seasonality for sheep, and summer temperature and spring rainfall for goats. The diversity of candidate adaptive pathways may result from a high number of biological functions involved in the adaptations to multiple eco-climatic gradients, and a differential role of climatic drivers on the two species, despite their co-distribution along the same environmental gradients. This study describes empirical examples of clinal variation in putatively adaptive alleles with different patterns in allele frequency distributions over continuous environmental gradients, thus showing the diversity of genetic responses in adaptive landscapes and opening new horizons for understanding genomics of adaptation in mammalian species and beyond.

In the last decade, several studies aimed at dissecting the genetic architecture of local small ruminant breeds to discover which variations are involved in the process of adaptation to environmental conditions, a topic that has acquired priority due to climate change. Considering that traditional breeds are a reservoir of such important genetic variation, improving the current knowledge about their genetic diversity and origin is the first step forward in designing sound conservation guidelines. The genetic composition of North-Western European archetypical goat breeds is still poorly exploited. In this study we aimed to fill this gap investigating goat breeds across Ireland and Scandinavia, including also some other potential continental sources of introgression. The PCA and Admixture analyses suggest a well-defined cluster that includes Norwegian and Swedish breeds, while the crossbred Danish landrace is far apart, and there appears to be a close relationship between the Irish and Saanen goats. In addition, both graph representation of historical relationships among populations and f4-ratio statistics suggest a certain degree of gene flow between the Norse and Atlantic landraces. Furthermore, we identify signs of ancient admixture events of Scandinavian origin in the Irish and in the Icelandic goats. The time when these migrations, and consequently the introgression, of Scandinavian-like alleles occurred, can be traced back to the Viking colonisation of these two isles during the Viking Age (793-1066 CE). The demographic analysis indicates a complicated history of these traditional breeds with signatures of bottleneck, inbreeding and crossbreeding with the improved breeds. Despite these recent demographic changes and the historical genetic background shaped by centuries of human-mediated gene flow, most of them maintained their genetic identity, becoming an irreplaceable genetic resource as well as a cultural heritage.

Castanea sativa Mill. is a multi-functional species with a high ecological and cultural relevance. Thanks to its features, chestnut has become an essential element of subsistence for many societies in mountain and sub-mountainous areas.In this context, the principal aim of this study was to characterize the chestnut germplasm grown in pilot areas of the Lombardy Region (Municipality of Serle, province of Brescia, and the Varese Prealps, province of Varese) by integrating genetic and morphometric data analysis, in order to evaluate the regional chestnut genetic resources and promote their conservation. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite (SSRs) markers were used for genotyping 467 trees sampled between 2021 and 2022 in eight fruit tree orchards and three natural populations. Leaves and embryos were sampled for each individual to evaluate inter and intra-population gene flow. In parallel, a subset of fifty individuals from different collection sites were selected for replicated fruit morphological and nutritional analyses (specific carbohydrates, moisture, fat, protein, ash and fibers). The genetic data showed a number of clones identified as "Marrone" in Serle area. The analysis of the genetic structure, conducted with a Bayesian method and Principal Coordinates Analysis, showed different gene pools representing the two geographical areas. The combined data of mother plants and embryos from Varese showed high genetic similarity among individuals of the same area, whereas we found high genetic divergence between mother plants and embryos in Serle area. In addition, we found large inter-individual variation of several morphological traits, with the dimensional characteristics principally affected by local environmental drivers. Our results suggest that the genetic diversity and structure of the cultivated chestnut populations was shaped by different historical management systems in the two areas.

The European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is one of the most widespread forest trees in Europe whose distribution and intraspecific diversity has been largely shaped by repeated glacial cycles. Previous studies, mainly based on palaeobotanical evidence and a limited set of chloroplast and nuclear genetic markers, highlighted a complex phylogeographic scenario, with southern and western Europe characterized by a rather heterogeneous genetic structure, as a result of recolonization from different glacial refugia. Despite its ecological and economic importance, the genome of this broad-leaved tree has only recently been assembled, and its intra-species genomic diversity is still largely unexplored. Here, we performed whole-genome resequencing of nine Italian beech individuals sampled from two stands located in the Alpine and Apennine mountain ranges. We investigated patterns of genetic diversity at chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear genomes and we used chloroplast genomes to reconstruct a temporally-resolved phylogeny. Results allowed us to test European beech differentiation on a whole-genome level and to accurately date their divergence time. Our results showed comparable, relatively high levels of genomic diversity in the two populations and highlighted a clear differentiation at chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. The molecular clock analysis indicated an ancient split between the Alpine and Apennine populations, occurred between the Günz and the Riss glaciations (approximately 660 kyrs ago), suggesting a long history of separation for the two gene pools. This information has important conservation implications in the context of adaptation to ongoing climate changes.

In light of the dramatic decline in amphibian biodiversity, new cost-efficient tools to rapidly monitor species abundance and population genetic diversity in space and time are urgently needed. It has been amply demonstrated that the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for single-species detection and characterization of community composition can increase the precision of amphibian monitoring compared to traditional (observational) approaches. However, it has been suggested that the efficiency and accuracy of the eDNA approach could be further improved by more timely sampling; in addition, the quality of genetic diversity data derived from the same DNA has been confirmed in other vertebrate taxa, but not amphibians. Given the availability of previous tissue-based genetic data, here we use the common frog Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758 as our target species and an improved eDNA protocol to: (i) investigate differences in species detection between three developmental stages in various freshwater environments; and (ii) study the diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes detected in eDNA (water) samples, by amplifying a specific fragment of the COI gene (331 base pairs, bp) commonly used as a barcode. Our protocol proved to be a reliable tool for monitoring population genetic diversity of this species, and could be a valuable addition to amphibian conservation and wetland management.

Wisteria vein mosaic virus (WVMV) is a member of the genus Potyvirus associated with Wisteria mosaic disease (WMD), the most serious disease affecting Wisteria spp. In 2022, severe symptoms of WMD were observed on the leaves of a Chinese wisteria (W. sinensis) tree growing in an urban area in Apulia (Italy). The presence of WVMV was ascertained by RT-PCR analysis. Although the occurrence of WVMV in Italy had been posited in the late 1960s, no molecular information had been reported for any Italian isolate prior to this study. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses based on NIb and CP genes placed the WVMV Italian isolate within a large clade identified in the genus Potyvirus as the BCMV supergroup. Based on the increasing number of reports of the virus worldwide, we attempted an exploratory analysis of its genetic diversity and possible mechanisms that may have shaped its geographic population structure. Relying on the N-terminus of the CP, available for twenty WVMV isolates from Europe, Asia, and Oceania, sixteen different haplotypes were identified. A high haplotype diversity was found, particularly relevant in the European population. The measured dN/dS ratio led to the assumption that the target region is under purifying selection. Tests evaluating the neutrality of nucleotide variability showed different results for the European and Asian groups. The estimation of inter-population genetic differentiation showed a high level of gene flow between the two populations. Overall, our results provide a possible approach to understanding the mechanisms of WVMV emergence in Europe and draw attention to its further spread and the increasing threat of this and other neglected potyvirus species to the ornamental nursery sector.

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most cultivated tree species in Iran. This plant is characterized by its tolerance to drought, salt, and heat stresses while being vulnerable to frost. During the last decade, periods of frost have occurred several times in Golestan Province, in the northeast of Iran, which caused severe damage to olive groves. This study aimed to evaluate and individuate autochthonous Iranian olive varieties with regard to frost tolerance and good agronomic performance. For this purpose, 218 frost-tolerant olive trees were selected from 150,000 adult olive trees (15-25 years old), following the last harsh autumn of 2016. The selected trees were reassessed at different intervals, i.e., 1, 4, and 7 months after the cold stress in field conditions. Using 19 morpho-agronomic traits, 45 individual trees with relatively stable frost-tolerance were reevaluated and selected for this research. Ten highly discriminating microsatellite markers were used for the genetic profiling of the 45 selected olive trees, and, ultimately, five genotypes with the highest tolerance among 45 selected ones were placed in a cold room at freezing temperatures for image analyses of cold damage. The results of morpho-agronomic analyses evidenced no bark splitting or symptoms of leaf drop in the 45 cold-tolerant olives (CTOs). The oil content of the cold-tolerant trees comprised almost 40% of the fruit dry weight, highlighting the potential of these varieties for oil production. Moreover, through molecular characterization, 36 unique molecular profiles were individuated among the 45 analyzed CTOs that were genetically more similar to the Mediterranean olive cultivars than the Iranian ones. The present study demonstrated the high potential of local olive varieties, which would be promising and more suitable than commercial olive varieties, with regard to the establishment of olive groves under cold climate conditions. This could be a valuable genetic resource for future breeding activities to face climate changes.

Studying the genetic diversity and structure of the current forest populations is essential for evaluating the ability to survive future biotic and abiotic changes and planning conservation strategies. This is also in line with the objective of the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), whose vision is to promote the sustainable management of Italian biodiversity at all its levels. Quercus trojana Webb is an eastern Mediterranean tree species with a fragmented distribution range, and its westernmost outposts are located in southern Italy. The demand for timber and cropland over the centuries has severely reduced its occurrence in this part of the range. In a previous preliminary work, we assessed, the genetic diversity and structure of 17 populations of Q. trojana by means of six polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers. In the present study, within the NBFC project, we expanded the sampling to other 12 sites to cover the whole distribution area in Italy. We also increased the number of markers for the genotyping to 12 microsatellites. The aims of this research are: 1) to estimate the main genetic parameters for evaluating population genetic diversity and divergence 2) to detect fragmented areas 3) to identify valuable areas and reservoirs of genetic diversity, and 3) to provide guidelines for adequate measures to reestablish gene flow and reduce fragmentation. The ongoing results will be a useful tool for proposing suitable conservation and management programs for the species

Large old trees are extraordinary organisms. They not only represent an historical, landscape and environmental heritage of inestimable value, but they are also witness to a long history of environmental changes and human interventions. For all this, they constitute a reserve of genetic variability, which can be considered a great resource for management programmes of forest species. The genetic characterization of these trees can be crucial to improve our knowledge of the molecular basis of local adaptation, identify selective drivers, and contribute to explain the contemporary genetic variation of tree species. In this study, we performed a comprehensive field survey to uncover the occurrence of large old chestnut trees in South-Central Italy, Spain and UK. We selected a total of 182 ancient trees that were genotyped using nuclear (SSRs) and adaptive (EST-SSRs) microsatellite markers with the main goals of: (1) to asses their genetic identity; (2) to derive temporal indications on the application of the grafting practice; (3) to compare their diversity with the present chestnut genetic resources; (4) to provide hypotheses on the origin of this ancient germplasm. Using the softwares GeneALex and HPrare, we evaluated the observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity, allelic richness (Ar) and private allelic richness (pAr). A Bayesian analysis was performed using the software STRUCTURE to identify the different genepools and genotypes. The obtained genetic data were compared with those of natural populations and cultivars collected in the same geographic areas. Higher values of allelic richness were observed in the ancient chestnut trees, a genetic similarity of these individual trees to the natural populations was highlighted. Our final objective is to contribute towards knowledge and valorisation of these large old trees, and to highlight germplasm sources of potential interest for both genetic improvement and conservation of European chestnut

Wisteria vein mosaic virus (WVMV) is a member of the genus Potyvirus, found to be associated with the Wisteria mosaic disease (WMD). In 2022, severe symptoms resembling WMD were observed on the foliage of a Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) tree growing in Apulia (Italy). The presence of WVMV was ascertained by RT-PCR using the universal degenerate primers NIb2F/NIb3R in the NIb gene. Next, we derived the complete sequence of the CP gene. MAFFT pairwise align-ment of the two target regions showed a high amino acid sequence identity of isolate Bari with other WVMV isolates, confirming they belonged to the same species. NIb phylogenetic analysis placed WVMV Bari within the lineage identified in the genus Potyvirus as the bean common mo-saic virus supergroup. Closer analysis based on the CP gene showed that WVMV Bari was part of a sub-clade gathering all WVMV isolates within a larger clade clustering closely related species. An exploratory analysis of the genetic diversity and possible mechanisms underlying the evolution of geographic populations of WVMV was attempted. The analysis was based on the N-terminal cod-ing region of CP, available for 20 isolates from Europe, Asia, and Oceania. A high diversity, mainly found in the European population, led to the identification of 16 different haplotypes. Based on the dN/dS ratio, the target region appears to be under negative selective pressure. Neutrality tests in-dicated a potential population expansion in Europe and a recent decrease in Asia. The two popula-tions exhibited a high level of gene flow. We found that WVMV Bari may have originated from a recombination event in the NIb gene. To date, the presence of WVMV had never been reported on W. sinensis in Italy, and no molecular information was available on any Italian isolate. Our re-port draws attention to the further spread of WVMV in the European territory and its rising threat to the ornamental nursery sector.

Wetlands are highly productive environments with an increasingly recognized economic, social, and ecological value. The high primary productivity characterizing wetlands is mainly due to a dense macrophytes vegetation, which plays several roles in biological processes and associated ecosystem services. Like terrestrial plants, the persistence and resilience of macrophytes is affected by altering environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, the availability of nutrients and light and by the intraspecific diversity dimension. The intraspecific diversity leads the species' adaptive response to biotic and abiotic environmental factors and plays a crucial role in populations' ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Therefore, understanding patterns and processes of genetic and phenotypic intraspecific diversity become essential for environmental, evolutionary and conservation studies. Moreover, it is crucial to determine the role of selective and neutral processes in driving observed differentiation. In the last years, several studies have investigated the potential of natural selection on morphological evolution by comparing phenotypic divergence with neutral genetic divergence via a PST/FST approach. In this context, we aimed to assess and compare the genetic differentiation and functional traits variation at the intraspecific level of two macrophyte species, the helophyte Phragmites australis and the emergent hydrophyte Nuphar lutea. We first analyzed the AFLP-fingerprinting profiles and morphological and biochemical traits in both species sampled across several lakes in north-central Italy. The functional traits were estimated using both proximal measures on the leaves (Leaf Area, Leaf SLA, Chl-a and Chl-a/Chl-b) and inversion of the PROSPECT model (Chl_ab, LMA, LDMC, and Nmesophyll). Then, we investigated the correspondence between the degree of population differentiation in neutral genetic markers and the quantitative traits, as measured by FST and PST indices, respectively. As for P. australis, results showed that traits variability was almost entirely shaped by phenotypic plasticity, except for three traits: Leaf SLA for Chiusi, Chl-a for Iseo and the Chl-a/Chl-b ratio for the Pusiano-Annone site. As for N. lutea, results were much more complex and heterogeneous. The phenotypic plasticity and genetic diversity appear to have affected the variability of different traits within each site, except for Pusiano-Annone where traits variability was mostly due to genetic diversity (Tab. 1). This work allowed to understand the contribution of genetic variability and phenotypic plasticity to the traits' variability of P. australis and N. lutea and to propose new considerations on health conditions or response to environmental factors of both species.

Climate change and global population growth call for urgent recovery of genetic variation from underexploited or unexplored durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) landraces. Indeed, these untapped genetic resources can be a valuable source of favorable alleles for environmental adaptation and tolerance or resistance to (a)biotic stress. In southern Italy, in addition to the widespread modern and highly productive durum wheat cultivars, various landraces have been rediscovered and reused for their adaptation to sustainable and low-input cropping systems and for their peculiar qualitative characteristics. Sicily is a semiarid area rich in landraces, some of which are independently reproduced by many farmers. Among these, "Timilia" and "Russello" have been independently grown in various areas and are now cultivated, mostly under organic systems, for their hypothetical greater benefits and height, which give them a high level of competitiveness against weeds despite their low yield potential. So far, there is little information on the genetic variations of "Timilia" and "Russello" despite their putative origin from a common funder. This work aims to dissect the genetic variation patterns of two large germplasm collections of "Timilia" and "Russello" using SNP genotyping. The analysis of intra-and inter-population genetic variation and the identification of divergent loci between genetic groups showed that (i) there are two "Russello" genetic groups associated with different Sicilian geographical areas, which differ in important traits related to gluten quality and adaptation, and (ii) the individuals of "Timilia", although presenting wide genetic variation, have undergone a conservative selection, likely associated with their distinctive traits. This work paves the way for a deeper exploration of the wide genetic diversity in Sicilian landraces, which could be conveniently exploited in future breeding programs, and points out that intra-population genetic diversity should be taken into account when 'conservation varieties' are to be registered in national registers of crops.

L'analisi genetica è un potente strumento per la caratterizzazione, tracciabilità e valorizzazione delle produzioni agroalimentari, specialmente nelle varietà locali o ecotipi. Tipicamente, si considera come riferimento il profilo genetico di una varietà e ad esso vengono riferite anche le caratteristiche genetiche delle produzioni, spesso rappresentate da frutti, semi e loro prodotti di trasformazione. Questo approccio convenzionale non tiene conto del contributo pollinico esterno alla varietà, che può essere molto rilevante nelle piante auto-incompatibili o maschiosterili. Il castagno rappresenta un modello unico per studiare questo flusso genico, perché varietà coltivate, impollinatori selezionati e piante selvatiche possono coesistere in uno stesso sito. Per di più, le varietà di castagno del tipo "Marrone" sono generalmente maschiosterili, e ricevono flusso genico obbligato dagli impollinatori locali, selezionati o selvatici. Una situazione simile si ritrova in pochissime specie domesticate. L'obiettivo di questo studio era è stato la caratterizzazione genetica di alcune aree castanicole della regione Umbria, considerando le varietà, i frutti e gli impollinatori. Lo studio dettagliato si è concentrato su 7 zone castanicole del comune di Spoleto, ma ha incluso anche altri importanti aree della regione Umbria. Con un approccio di caratterizzazione varietale, per ogni area di studio un campione di piante da frutto innestate è stato analizzato tramite 12 marcatori neutrali corrispondenti a loci microsatellitari (SSR). L'analisi genetica delle piante da frutto mostrato un'elevata similarità genetica tra 5 delle zone di Spoleto, geneticamente raggruppate con i campioni provenienti da Lippiano Pescaloto (Città di Castello, PG) e Stroncone (TR). Le rimanenti zone di Spoleto si distaccano geneticamente dalle prime e sono simili ai campioni di Melezzole (Montecchio, TR) e Morre (Baschi, TR). La ridotta diversità genetica osservata era comunque molto bassa, come ci si attende nel germoplasma selezionato e coltivato in una ristretta area geografica. Su un sottogruppo delle aree di studio è stato applicato un approccio nuovo, consistente nell'analisi genetica dei frutti, insieme agli impollinatori e alle piante di castagno non innestate dei castagneti cedui adiacenti alle aree di studio. L'obiettivo era di verificare l'impronta genetica degli impollinatori locali sulla costituzione genetica della progenie. I risultati hanno mostrato che i frutti hanno una diversità genetica molto più alta rispetto alle piante madri che li hanno prodotti e risultano geneticamente separati da esse. Inoltre, la struttura genetica dei campioni di frutti è molto simile a quella degli impollinatori selvatici. Frutti prodotti in siti diversi da piante geneticamente simili, esprimono un profilo genetico diverso e associato al germoplasma locale che svolge funzione di impollinatore. Questi risultati aprono la strada ad un nuovo concetto di "terroir", in cui il territorio di coltivazione lascia una traccia nelle produzioni locali, non solo per i fattori pedo-climatici ed ecologici, ma anche per le caratteristiche genetiche del germoplasma locale.

Abstract Pea (Pisum sativum L. subsp. sativum) is one of the oldest domesticated species and a widely cultivated legume. In this study, we combined next generation sequencing (NGS) data referring to two genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) libraries, each one prepared from a different Pisum germplasm collection. The selection of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci called in both germplasm collections caused some loss of information; however, this did not prevent the obtainment of one of the largest datasets ever used to explore pea biodiversity, consisting of 652 accessions and 22 127 markers. The analysis of population structure reflected genetic variation based on geographic patterns and allowed the definition of a model for the expansion of pea cultivation from the domestication centre to other regions of the world. In genetically distinct populations, the average decay of linkage disequilibrium (LD) ranged from a few bases to hundreds of kilobases, thus indicating different evolutionary histories leading to their diversification. Genome-wide scans resulted in the identification of putative selective sweeps associated with domestication and breeding, including genes known to regulate shoot branching, cotyledon colour and resistance to lodging, and the correct mapping of two Mendelian genes. In addition to providing information of major interest for fundamental and applied research on pea, our work describes the first successful example of integration of different GBS datasets generated from ex situ collections - a process of potential interest for a variety of purposes, including conservation genetics, genome-wide association studies, and breeding.

The only native species of the Castanea genus in Europe is Castanea sativa Mill., a widespread and important multipurpose tree species in the Mediterranean area that provides fruit, wood and shelter for hives. With the aim of expanding the knowledge of the genetic variability of the chestnut species (wild trees and varieties) and promoting the traceability of local products, an analysis based on 16 SSRs was carried out on 630 single trees from Italy and Spain. 319 unique genotypes were identified. A Bayesian approach combined with the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation method revealed the existence of two genetically distinct groups of chestnuts: Cluster 1 (Spain) and Cluster 2 (Italy), with a clear separation between the cultivars from (northern and southern) Spain and from Italy. The results also confirmed a common genetic structure between chestnut populations from southern Spain and southern Italy, which is the result of historical events and long-term human impact. The results showed no genetic differentiation between chestnut cultivars (grafted trees) and wild chestnut trees, probably as a consequence of the proximity of orchards and natural populations, which resulted in a gene flow between them.

Background: Since their domestication 10,500 years ago, goat populations with distinctive genetic backgrounds have adapted to a broad variety of environments and breeding conditions. The VarGoats project is an international 1000-genome resequencing program designed to understand the consequences of domestication and breeding on the genetic diversity of domestic goats and to elucidate how speciation and hybridization have modeled the genomes of a set of species representative of the genus Capra. Findings: A dataset comprising 652 sequenced goats and 507 public goat sequences, including 35 animals representing eight wild species, has been collected worldwide. We identified 74,274,427 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 13,607,850 insertion-deletions (InDels) by aligning these sequences to the latest version of the goat reference genome (ARS1). A Neighbor-joining tree based on Reynolds genetic distances showed that goats from Africa, Asia and Europe tend to group into independent clusters. Because goat breeds from Oceania and Caribbean (Creole) all derive from imported animals, they are distributed along the tree according to their ancestral geographic origin. Conclusions: We report on an unprecedented international effort to characterize the genome-wide diversity of domestic goats. This large range of sequenced individuals represents a unique opportunity to ascertain how the demographic and selection processes associated with post-domestication history have shaped the diversity of this species. Data generated for the project will also be extremely useful to identify deleterious mutations and polymorphisms with causal effects on complex traits, and thus will contribute to new knowledge that could be used in genomic prediction and genome-wide association studies.

Understanding tree species responses to climate change is crucial for preserving biodiversity especially in Southern Europe hot spots where Abies alba is widely spread. Three Apennine silver fir populations, Pigelleto (PIG), La Verna (LV) and Bocca Trabaria (BT), ensured gene flows in interglacial periods between the two phylogenetically different groups of northern and southern Apennines. These stands were analysed (nuclear and chloroplast SSRs) with the aim to establish a baseline for their future management in view of the expected changes. The three forests were tested for the Centre-Periphery Hypothesis (CPH) compared to forty-five Italian populations. At the same time, permanent areas were surveyed within LV and PIG on dominant (a) and dominated or natural regeneration (r) tree layers, and on age classes. In two consecutive years, spring cambial phenology activity was also weekly monitored on microcores, and critical phenology dates recorded. The stands matched CPH only partially, showing different phylogenetic history and their bridging between northern and southern groups of silver fir populations was confirmed. LV was distinct from PIG and BT. The within-population variance component was significantly high, and no narrow relatedness was observed between dominant and dominated/ regeneration spatially closer trees, and genetic parameters were comparable in both layers at LV and PIG. In both stands, older age classes ensured natural regeneration. Cambium phenology was highly variable within populations, consistently to other Mediterranean conifers, and highly sensitive to local and year's conditions and monitoring will improve population's adaptive capacity detection. Shelterwood-system silvicultural treatments are suggested on small areas to drive the demographic and panmictic balance towards an uneven-aged more resilient structure, and iterated monitoring will help to adapt the forest management to the isotherm shift.

Small pelagic fish play a key role in the marine ecosystem, controlling predator abundance and regulating primary production rates by foraging on plankton. Alterations induced at different ecological levels by fishing activities and/or environmental changes are affecting the reproductive success of several small pelagics, including European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), which is a major target of Adriatic mid-water trawl and purse-seine fisheries. In this study, we evaluated short-term genetic changes of the species in the Adriatic Sea by applying molecular markers in samples of three generations of European anchovy. Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite markers and a mitochondrial gene were used in cohorts of adults and larvae, collected at three sites in the north-east, central, and southern Adriatic Sea in 2015. Furthermore, temporal, and spatial genetic variation was assessed by comparing the above dataset with a sample of adult anchovy collected in 2012 at three sites close to those sampled in 2015. Expected heterozygosity was higher in adults than in larvae, suggesting a loss of genetic diversity and uneven reproduction. In addition, comparison of the two datasets demonstrated a change in the anchovy population structure from 2012 to 2015. In the reproductive event of 2015, this change led the two main genetic stocks described in the Adriatic Sea to merge into one. We suggest that the population structure of European anchovy in the north-eastern Adriatic may be influenced by changes in environmental parameters and by periodic alterations in the temporal pattern of population connectivity.

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is a diploid species (2n = 2x = 16) belonging to the Rosaceae family, believed to have originated around the Caspian and Black Sea regions. Cherry trees expanded through Europe during Roman times and are currently widely cultivated in temperate areas. Many sweet cherry landraces can still be found in rural areas in Italy, along with modern and improved varieties, which have been selected for some important traits such as fruit size, shape, and firmness, selfcompatibility, etc. The availability of the sweet cherry genome sequence (Shirasawa et al. 2017; Pinosio et al. 2020) allows the mapping of thousands of SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) obtained by the GBS (Genotyping-by-Sequencing) technology. As part of a project funded by the Basilicata Region, BioDruBa (Biodiversità delle Drupacee della Basilicata), sweet cherry local varieties maintained in the ALSIA (Rotonda, PZ) field collection, have been genotyped using GBS technology together with other known varieties from the University of Bari collection. The SNP markers obtained from sequencing were used to assess genetic diversity and relationships among genotypes. Population structure, principal component, and phylogenetic analysis showed that most of the local varieties from Basilicata are genetically closer to some traditional varieties from the Campania Region, suggesting a common genetic origin. The other genotypes showed groupings generally referable to common genealogical origins and/or to the sharing of morpho-agronomic traits. In order to associate SNPs with highly inherited phenotypic traits, a GWAS (Genome Wide Association Study) analysis was performed. The results showed the association of some SNP markers with agronomically important traits (e.g. self-compatibility). For the sweet cherry varieties whose genome sequence is available in NCBI and for which we possess phenotypic data, the genomic sequence of candidate genes was retrieved, aligned to the reference genome, and polymorphisms characterized. Pinosio et al. 2020. Plant J. 103, 1420-1432. Shirasawa et al. 2017. DNA Res. 12, 60-8.