Climate change is likely to produce more frequent and longer droughts in the Mediterranean region, like that of 1994, which produced important changes in the Quercus ilex forests, with up to 76% of the trees showing complete canopy dieback. At the landscape level, a mosaic of responses to the drought was observed, linked to the distribution of lithological substrates. Damage to the dominant tre...

Quercus ilex (L.) leaves emit monoterpenes, particularly alpha-pinene, beta-pinene and sabinene. Apart from the monoterpene pools that are stored in specialized structures and have a clear defensive or attractive role, the function of monoterpenes in Q. ilex leaves is unknown. We tested whether monoterpenes have an antioxidant role, as has previously been found for isoprene in isoprene-emitting...

ilex spinigera (aquifoliaceae) plant is an evergreen tree or shrub with thick glossy dark green leaves and red fruits. this plant has medicinal properties and has been used traditionally in northern iran for malaria treatment. the aim of this work is to evaluate the antioxidative activities and the inhibitory effect of i.spinigera on the oxidation of dna. we have found no reports about the popu...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS In the last decades, the geographical location of the centre of origin of Quercus suber (cork oak), a strictly western Mediterranean oak species, has been the subject of controversy. METHODS RFLP variation over the whole chloroplast DNA molecule and PCR-RFLPs over seven specific cpDNA fragments were analysed phylogeographically to reconstruct the evolutionary history of co...

Purpose: To determine and compare the antioxidant, antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of leaf infusions of Ilex laurina and Ilex paraguariensis in colon cancer cells. Methods: Antioxidant activity was determined by ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) and FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power). Cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects were analyzed using MTT ((3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol...

We illustrate experimentally the importance of species-specificity in the soil-mediated interactions among plants inhabiting heterogeneous landscapes. Topsoils from nine microhabitats were used to experimentally grow Quercus ilex acorns in the laboratory. We recorded germination, emergence, acorn left and seedling performance (HGR, biomass and root allocation). Different topsoils had very contr...

Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire é uma espécie sul-americana da qual ramos e folhas são utilizados para o preparo de uma bebida de grande consumo em alguns países da América do Sul. A planta é conhecida como “erva-mate” em português ou “yerba-mate” em espanhol. Tendo em vista o potencial uso das saponinas como tensoativo bem como o seu potencial terapêutico, o presente trabalho propõe um método ...

Micropropagation of Ilex dumosa var. dumosa R. ("yerba señorita") from nodal segments containing one axillary bud was investigated. Shoot regeneration from explants of six-year-old plants was readily achieved in 1/4 strength Murashige and Skoog medium (1/4 MS) plus 30 gr x L(-1) sucrose and supplemented with 4.4 microM BA. Further multiplication and elongation of the regenerated shoots were obt...