Morphological Characterization of Fossil <i>Vitis</i> L. Seeds from the Gelasian of Italy by Seed Image Analysis
Mariano Ucchesu,
Edoardo Martinetto,
Marco Sarigu,
Martino Orrù,
Michela Bornancin,
Gianluigi Bacchetta
Affiliations
Mariano Ucchesu
Institute of Evolution Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM) UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34090 Montpellier, France
Edoardo Martinetto
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
Marco Sarigu
Centro Conservazione Biodiversità (CCB), Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente (DISVA), Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, 13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Martino Orrù
Centro Conservazione Biodiversità (CCB), Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente (DISVA), Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, 13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Michela Bornancin
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
Gianluigi Bacchetta
Centro Conservazione Biodiversità (CCB), Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente (DISVA), Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, 13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
The discovery of well-preserved fossil Vitis L. seeds from the Gelasian stage in Italy has provided a unique opportunity to investigate the systematics of fossilized Vitis species. Through seed image analyses and elliptical Fourier transforms of fossil Vitis seeds from the sites Buronzo−Gifflenga and Castelletto Cervo II, we pointed out a strong relationship to the group of extant Eurasian Vitis species. However, classification analyses highlighted challenges in accurately assigning the fossil grape seeds to specific modern species. Morphological comparisons with modern Vitis species revealed striking similarities between the fossil seeds and V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris, as well as several other wild species from Asia. This close morphological resemblance suggests the existence of a population of V. vinifera sensu lato in Northen Italy during the Gelasian. These findings contributed to our understanding of the evolution and the complex interplay between ancient and modern Vitis species.
