WILD PLANTS: IDENTIFICATION, USES AND CONSERVATION -- WILD PLANTS: IDENTIFICATION, USES AND CONSERVATION -- Contents -- Preface -- Identification of Plant Species Using Traditional and Molecular-Based Methods -- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, -- AECS, Damascus, Syria -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Systematics and Taxonomy -- Nomenclature -- Classification -- Identification of Plant Species -- Morphological Characters -- Anatomical Characters -- Pollen Characters -- Chromosomes Characteristics -- Phytochemical Characters -- Early Methods of Species Diagnosis -- The Diagnostic Keys -- Data Matrices and on-Line Identification Programs -- Computer-Assisted Diagnosis in Plants -- Computer-Stored Keys -- Computer-Constructed Keys -- The Need for Molecular Identification -- of -- Plant Species -- Molecular Tools Used for Plant Species Identification -- Molecular Marker Methods Based on Protein Analysis -- DNA-Based Molecular Methods of Plant Identification -- Multi-Locus Systems of DNA Fingerprinting -- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) -- Analysis of Nuclear Ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) -- Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) Analysis -- Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat-PCR (ISSR-PCR) -- Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) -- Single or Oligo-Locus Systems of DNA Fingerprinting -- Simple Sequence Repeat-PCR (SSR-PCR) -- DNA Sequencing -- Intergenic Spacer (IGS) and ITS of Nuclear rDNA -- Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) -- Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequence (CAPS) -- DAN-Barcoding -- Conclusion -- References -- Antioxidants from Wild Plants: Sources, Features and Assays -- 1CBQF/Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Dr. António Bernardino -- de Almeida, Porto, Portugal -- 2CIMAR/CIIMAR - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Rua dos Bragas 289, Porto, Portugal.

3Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, -- Avenida da República, Oeiras, Portugal -- 4ISMAI - Instituto Superior da Maia, Avenida Carlos Oliveira Campos, -- Avioso S. Pedro, Portugal -- Abstract -- 1. Oxidants and Oxidation -- 1.1. Nature of Oxidation Reactions -- 1.2. Nature of Oxidant Compounds -- 1.2.1. Food Matrices -- 1.2.2. Biological Systems -- 2. Characteristics of Antioxidants -- 2.1. Role of Antioxidant Compounds -- 2.1.1. Food Matrices -- 2.1.2. Biological Systems -- 2.1.2.1. Antimicrobiological Activity -- 2.1.2.2. Antitumoral Activity -- 2.2. Mechanisms of Action of Antioxidant Compounds -- 2.3. Sources of Antioxidant Compounds -- 2.4. Chemical Nature of Antioxidant Compounds -- 2.4.1. Phenolic Compounds -- 2.4.1.2. Classes -- 2.4.2.2. Chemical Structure -- 2.5. Plants Used in Traditional Medicine -- 3. Analysis of Antioxidants -- 3.1. Chemical Methods -- 3.1.2. Determination of Antioxidant Capacity -- 3.1.2.1. HAT Assays -- 3.1.2.2. ET Assays -- 3.1.3. Quantification of Antioxidant Compounds -- 3.2. Biological Methods -- 4. Bioavailability of Antioxidants -- 5. Sampling and Extraction of Antioxidants -- References -- Wild Plant Seeds Identification through Image and Linear Discriminant Analysis -- Stazione Sperimentale di Granicoltura per la Sicilia - Via Buganvillea, -- Caltagirone, Italy -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Image Analysis and Computer Vision -- 2.1. Image Analysis Systems -- 2.2. Image Acquiring and Digitalization -- 2.3. Digital Image Storage Formats -- 2.4. Image Understanding and Processing -- 2.4.1. Noise Removal -- 2.4.2. Contrast Enhancement -- 2.4.3. Shading Correction -- 2.4.4. Colour Calibration -- 2.5. Segmentation and Binary Images -- 2.5.1. Thresholding -- 2.6. Processing Operations and Mathematical Morphology -- 2.7. Image Measurements -- 2.7.1. Size Measurements.

2.7.2. Shape Measurements -- 2.7.3. Densitometric Measurements -- 3. Statistics -- 3.1. Linear Discriminant Analysis -- 3.2. The Cross-Validation -- 4. Results -- Conclusions -- References -- Landscape Genetics of Fagus Sylvatica in One of its Glacial Refuge Areas -- Dept. Biologia - Università degli Studi della Basilicata -- Via Ateneo Lucano, Potenza - Italy -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Material and Method -- Sampling Design -- Molecular Analysis -- Statistical Analysis -- Bottom-Up Analysis -- Top Down Analysis -- Analysis of Variance and Genetic Parameter Estimation -- Correlation and Correspondence Analysis -- Gene-Flow Estimation -- Landscape Maps -- Result -- Polymorphism -- Genetic Disequilibrium -- Genetic Differentiation -- Chloroplast Genetic Diversity -- Parental vs. Filial Generation -- Effect of Ecology -- Landscape Genetics Map -- Site Specific Genetic Map -- Ecologic Diversity -- Conclusion -- Spatial vs Temporal Scale -- Heterozygosity vs Adaptation -- Sampling -- Conservation -- Management -- References -- Importance of Dominant Plant Species for Ecological Interactions in Forest Soil and Litter: Example from the Heron Wood Reserve, Dawyck Botanic Garden, Scotland -- 1CECS, The Crew Building, King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, -- Edinburgh, UK -- 2SIMBIOS, School of Science and Engineering, University of Abertay Dundee, -- Dundee, Scotland, UK -- 3Caledonian Mycological Enterprises, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK -- 4 National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK -- 5165 Braid Road, Edinburgh EH10 6JE, Scotland, UK -- 6Department of Ecology, Kharkov State University, -- Kharkov, USSR, Ukraine -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Materials and Methods -- Results -- Soil -- Forest Floor Layer -- Soil and Forest Floor Layer Properties in Different Habitats -- Forest Floor Composition -- Discussion -- References.

An Overview on the Human Exploitation of Sicilian Native Edible Plants -- 1 Istituto di Genetica Vegetale del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche UOS di Palermo, Corso Calatafimi 414, I-90129 Palermo, Italy -- 2 EnBioTech s.r.l., Via Aquileia 34/B, I-90144 Palermo -- Abstract -- 1. Sicily, a Land of Diversities -- 2. Humans in the Mediterranean Basin and their Diet -- 3. A Check-List of Sicilian Edible Plants: -- Investigation Approach and Sources -- 4. Phytonyms: Handle with Care -- 5. Edible Wild Plants and Crop Wild Relatives -- Allium -- Asparagus -- Beta -- Brassica -- Capparis -- Cichorium -- Cynara -- Foeniculum -- Woody Species -- Fabaceae -- Poaceae -- 6. Food or Medicines? -- 7. Underutilized Edible Plants, a Resource -- to Be (Re-)Explored -- Concluding Remarks and Future -- Research Addresses -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Wild Rice: Identification, Uses and Conservation -- Introduction -- Wild Species in Oryza Genus -- The Crossability and Hybrid Fertility Between Cultivated Rice and Wild Rice -- Three Levels of Gene Pool for Rice -- The Beneficial Characters Identified in Wild Rice -- Identification of QTLs for Yield Related Traits in A BC2F2 Population between O. Sativa and O. Rufipogon -- Identifying Neutral Genes at the Pollen Sterility Loci in Cultivated Rice with O. Rufipogon Origin -- Identifying New Germplasm Resources Containing S5 n -- Gene from Wild Rice with Functional Molecular Markers -- Wild Rice as Important Germplasm Resources -- in Cultivated Rice Improvement -- Construction of Chromosome Single Segment Substitution Line with Wild Rice as Donor Parents -- Transferring Stress Tolerance Gene through a TAC Library of O. Officinalis -- The Importance for Conservation of Wild Rice -- Two Approaches for Conservation of Wild Species -- Ex Situ Conservation of Wild Rice in China -- In Situ Conservation of Wild Rice in China.

Prospects for Conservation, Identification -- and -- Use for Wild Rice -- References -- Persian Shallot (Allium Hirtifolium Boiss): An Endangered Wild Plant -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Persian Shallot (Allium Hirtifolium Boiss) -- A: Origin and Distribution of Presian Shallot -- B: Botany Characteristics -- C: Harvesting, Storage and Consumption of Persian Shallot -- Nutritional Value of Persian Shallot and Other Vegetable Alliums -- Medicinal Value of Persian Shallot and Other -- Vegetable Alliums -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgment -- References -- Index.