The plant Silene latifolia has separate sexes and sex chromosomes, and is of interest for studying the early stages of sex chromosome evolution, especially the evolution of non-recombining regions on the Y chromosome. Hitch-hiking processes associated with ongoing genetic degeneration of the non-recombining Y chromosome are predicted to reduce Y-linked genes' effective population sizes, and S. ...

Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) is maternally inherited in the majority, but not all, of angiosperm species. The mode of inheritance of cpDNA is a critical determinant of its molecular evolution and of its population genetic structure. Here, we present the results of investigations of the inheritance of cpDNA in Silene vulgaris, a plant used in a variety of studies in which cpDNA is an important compon...

Most dioecious plant species are believed to derive from hermaphrodite ancestors. The regulatory pathways that have been modified during evolution of the hermaphrodite ancestors and led to the emergence of dioecious species still remain unknown. Silene latifolia is a dioecious plant species harboring XY sex chromosomes. To identify the molecular mechanisms involved in female organ suppression i...

Pollination syndromes suggest that convergent evolution of floral traits and trait combinations reflects similar selection pressures. Accordingly, a pattern of selection on floral traits is expected to be consistent with increasing the attraction and pollen transfer of the important pollinator. We measured individual variation in six floral traits and yearly and lifetime total plant seed and fr...

This paper deals with the survey and communications of Cultural Heritage through the development of innovative methodologies. The case of study is the polychrome wooden ceiling in the “Magna” Hall of “Palazzo Steri”. The “Steri”, built in the XIV century by the noble family Chiaromonte, is at the present the headquarter of the Rector’s Office of Palermo University. A 3D model of the wooden ceil...