XIV Optima meeting - Palermo, 9-15 settembre 2013

Scientific programme
Sunday, 08 September: Commission meetings (restricted)
8:30-18:30 – Meeting Secretariat, Herbarium Mediterraneum, Orto Botanico – Registration
of the participants. The Registration desk will remain open as per official programme timings
through- out the entire conference.
Monday, 09 September
8:30 – Orto Botanico, Aula Lanza – Executive Council Meeting (restricted)
10:00 – Orto Botanico, Aula Lanza – International Board Meeting (restricted)
12:30 – Palazzo Steri, Sala delle Capriate – Opening ceremony, followed by Plenary Lecture –
S. Knapp & al.: “Run for your lives!” – has there been a revolution in publishing and
communicating botanical results?
15:00 – Hall A – Symposium 1 - K. Marhold: New frontiers in Plant Systematics (IAPT supported
Symposium)
V. A. Funk: Evolution Of Life In Pacific Oceania: A Biogeographic Analysis.
N. Turland: What is the future for biological nomenclature?
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
K. Marhold: Botanical monography – where to go for future?
C. Oberprieler & al.: Next generation phylogenetics – Inferring species trees and networks from
gene trees.
15:00 – Hall B – Symposium 2 - R. M. Ros & M. G. Dia: Mediterranean Bryophytes
A. Vanderpoorten: The role of the Mediterranean peninsulas in the Quaternary history of European
bryophytes.
J. Kučera & J. Košnar: Hidden diversity in Pottiaceae: a story of morphological convergence or
taxonomists’ ignorance?
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
C. Sérgio: Bryophytes in selecting Important Plant Areas (IPA) for the Mediterranean region based
on a new Portuguese Red-List. Analysis and modelling distribution of species-richness and
endangered species.
R. Garilleti & al.: All that glitters is not gold: assessing intercontinental disjunctions in the genus
Orthotrichum.
M. Puglisi & al.: Analysis of the bryophyte diversity of mountain ranges in Sicily.
18:30 – Guided visit to the Orto Botanico and Welcome Reception (IAPT sponsored)

Tuesday, 10 September
9:00 – Hall A – Symposium 3 - F. M. Raimondo: Taxonomy and floristics in Italy
S. Pignatti: Rewriting a Flora in the time of Information Technology and Capital driven Science.
G. Domina & al.: 1, 10, 100, how many floristic databases are there in Italy?
L. Cecchi & F. Selvi: From Alysseae to Alyssum sect. Odontarrhena (Brassicaceae): a case study
for Flora Critica d’Italia.
10.45-11.15 – Coffee break
S. Crema & G. Cristofolini: Phylogeny and Endemism Genesis in Primula Section Auricula Subsection
Euauricula, a South-European Orophilous Species Group.
G. Astuti & al.: The mysterious case of Bellevalia webbiana: which and how many parents for this
rare angiosperm species?
9:00 – Hall B – Symposium 4 - A. Crespo & A. R. Burgaz: Lichen studies in the Mediterranean
area
A. R. Burgaz & al.: The Iberian Lichen Flora project. A case of study related with the genus
Cladonia.
A. Crespo & al.: Cryptic speciation in Mediterranean lichen flora.
10.45-11.15 – Coffee break
H. Mayrhofer & P. O. Bilovitz : Lichenized and lichenicolous fungi of the Balkan Peninsula.
O. Nadyeina & C. Scheidegger: Lichen red-listing on the national and global levels.
C. G. Boluda & al.: Phylogeny of alectorioid lichens (Parmeliaceae, Lecanoromycetes) with special
emphasis on Bryoria sect. Implexae.
15:00 – Hall A – Symposium 5 - K. Marhold: Floristic relationships of Italy with the Balkan
Peninsula (IAPT supported Symposium)
K. Marhold: Introduction.
B. Frajman & Peter Schönswetter: Facts and fancies about transadriatic connections in plants -
phylogenetic evidence.
G. Nieto Feliner: The Mediterranean stage for plant phylogeography. An overview.
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
N. G. Passlacqua: Phytogeographic analysis of the Southern Apennine mountain flora.
S. Bogdanovic & al.: Phylogeny of the trans-Adriatic Campanula garganica complex
(Campanulaceae).
15:00 – Hall B – Symposium 6 - M. Fennane: Conservation: legal instruments and their
application
M. Fennane: Présentation du Symposium.
M. Rejdali: Plant conservation from a politician botanist view.
B. de Montmollin: Les différents types de législation sur la protection de la flore et leur mise en
oeuvre.
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
S. Lochon-Menseau & al. [J. Molina]: Aires protégées et législation: le cas de la France dans le
contexte euro-méditerranéen.
T. Ulian: Ex situ plant conservation: Access and Benefit Sharing Agreements under Kew’s
Millennium Seed Bank Partnership.
S. Brunel: Conservation actions and legal instruments: the case study of invasive alien plants.
Wednesday, 11 September
9:00 – Herbarium Mediterraneum – Poster session. The posters will be at display throughout the
entire conference.
10:45-11:15 – Coffee break
15:00 – Hall B – Symposium 7 - P. Mazzola: The Mediterranean as source of ornamentals.
A. Santos Guerra: Ornamental flora of the Canary Islands (Macaronesian region).
N. Özhatay & al. [M. Koçyiğit]: Two Important symbols genera for Turkey: Tulipa and Hyacinthus.
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
L. Can & Osman Erol: The synopsis of the ornamental genus Crocus (Iridaceae) in Turkey.
Off topic presentations
M. Cambornac: The Yves Rocher Foundation actions for conservation of nature and supports to
botany.
S.-W. Breckle & al.: Visualization of flora and vegetation of Afghanistan.
15:00 – Hall A – Symposium 8 - B. Valdés: The present and future of Mediterranean floristics.
B. Valdés: Introduction, with special reference to the Flora iberica project.
J. El Oualidi, M. Ibn Tattou, M. Fennane: Horizons des recherches floristiques au Maroc.
E. Vela: Etat des lieux et perspectives de recherches sur la flore méditerranéenne d’Algérie et de
Tunisie.
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
G. Kamari: The present and future of the flora of Greece and its conservation assessment.
N. Özhatay: Mediterranean flora and its conservation in Turkey: with special reference to Monocot
Geophytes.
O. Vasić: Josif Pančić and the New Flora of Serbia.
19:00 – Garden Party at the Orto Botanico
Thursday, 12 September
8:00-22:00 – Mid-Congress excursion to Mt. Cofano (N.W. Sicily)

Friday, 13 September
9:00 – Hall A – Symposium 9 - E. von Raab-Straube: Taxonomic data in the information age.
E. von Raab-Straube: Taxonomic data in the information age – state of the art.
P. Wilkin & al.: eMonocot: biodiversity informatics for monocot plants.
D. Mathieu & al.: eFAN: a free electronic database on flora of North Africa.
10:45-11:15 – Coffee break
R. Vignes-Lebbe & al.: Handling descriptive data: Xper2 and Xper3.
P. L. Nimis & Stefano Martellos: Digital identification tools: progress and problems.
R. Venanzoni & al.: A web collaborative project to store and map botanical data.
9:00 – Hall B – Symposium 10 - L. Sadori, M. Mariotti, A. M. Mercuri: Palynology for the
Mediterranean vegetation history.
L. Sadori & al.: Vegetation history of the Mediterranean region.
A. Bertini & N. Combourieu-Nebout: The origin of the Mediterranean vegetation.
N. Roberts & al.: Pollen records of Holocene vegetation change and the conservation of
Mediterranean biodiversity.
10:45-11:15 – Coffee break
K. Kouli: Archaeopalynology of lacustrine records from Greece.
A. M. Mercuri: Present and past pollen rain: aerobiological data applied to palaeoenvironmental
reconstructions.
15:00 – Hall A – Symposium 11 - E. Vitek: Collection data in the information age.
S. Knapp: The use of available collection data for taxonomy and systematics.
H. Rainer: Virtual Herbaria - a joint action to present specimens in the web and to connect with
other international undertakings (JSTOR, GBIF, Europaeana .....).
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
G. Le Bras: The mass digitisation effort at the Paris National herbarium: implication and prospects
of a new broadly available tool.
E. Vitek: The use of specimen databases for exploration and conservation.
15:00 – Hall B – Symposium 12 - C. Galán Soldevilla: Mediterranean pollen studies.
M. Thibaudon & al.: Medaeronet Website.
R. Albertini & HIALINE working team: Monitoring Networks in Aerobiology, from pollen to
allergens.
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
R. Brandao: Airborne pollen transport in the Mediterranean.
G. Frengueli: Climatic change in the Mediterranean area and pollen monitoring
M. Fornaciari & al.: Airborne pollen as bioindicator of olive crop forecast for the Mediterranean
area.
20:00 – Conference Dinner at the Orto Botanico
Saturday, 14 September
9:00 – Hall A – Symposium 13 - S. Šiljak-Yakovlev & L. Peruzzi: Progress in Mediterranean
karyosystematics and molecular cytogenetics.
G. Bedini & L. Peruzzi: A comparison of plant chromosome number variation among Corsica,
Sardinia and Sicily, the three largest Mediterranean Islands.
N. Abdel Samad & al.: Molecular phylogeny and cytogenetic characterization of the Lebanese Iris
species.
10:45-11:15 – Coffee break
S. Garcia & al.: Polyploidy shaping Tanacetum’s diversity in Iran: chromosome number, rDNA
organization and genome size.
S. Peccenini & al.: Genome size variation in Italian species of the genus Erysimum (Brassicaceae).
15:00 – Hall A – Symposium 14 - S. Šiljak-Yakovlev & L. Peruzzi: Progress in Mediterranean
molecular systematics and data bases.
A. Crowl & al. [N. Cellinese]: Evolution and biogeography of the Campanula drabifolia species
complex in the eastern Mediterranean basin.
S. Tomasello & al.: Inferring species networks from gene trees in polyploid complexes by
minimising deep coalescences: examples from the genus Leucanthemopsis (Compositae,
Anthemideae).
D. Vitales & al.: Asymmetrical speciation patterns among Mediterranean and Macaronesian
Cheirolophus (Asteraceae).
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
T. Garnatje & al.: Two cytogenetic databases: Genome size in the Asteraceae (GSAD) and Plant
rDNA. M. Bou Dagher-Kharrat, & al.: First steps toward genome size database of the
Mediterranean flora.
15:00 – Hall B – Symposium 15 - S. L. Jury: Mediterranean Umbelliferae.
S. S. Neves: Bupleurum in the Mediterranean: species boundaries and underestimated diversity.
J.-P. Reduron & E. Geoffriau: Recent advances in the Daucus carota complex in France.
16:45-17:15 – Coffee break
A. Papini: Phylogenetic relationships of Careae and related tribes of Apiaceae.
Y. Menemen: An overview of the family Apiaceae in Turkey.
Sunday, 15 September
9:00 – Hall A – Symposium 16 - V. H. Heywood: In-situ conservation of target species.
V. H. Heywood: Introduction: an overview of the issues.
E. Laguna & al. [J. Jiménez]: Plant micro-reserves in the Valencian Region (Spain): Are we
achieving the expected results?
G. Rossi & N. Tartaglini: Translocation guidelines for wild flora in Italy from the Italian Ministry
of Environment (MATTM).
10:45-11:15 – Coffee break
V. Valdimirov & al.: Plant micro-reserves in Bulgaria: the beginning of the initiative and future
perspectives.
15:00 – Hall A – Closing Ceremony and OPTIMA General Meeting
16:30 – Farewell drinks (offered by OPTIMA)

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Locations
1. Orto Botanico, via Lincoln 2;
2. Herbarium Mediterraneum, Orto Botanico, via Lincoln 2;
3. Palazzo Steri, Piazza Marina 61;
4. Lecture halls, Dip. STEBICEF / Sez. Chimica e Tecnologie Farmaceutiche, via
Archirafi 32;
5. Aula Lanza, Orto Botanico, via Lincoln 2;
6. Dipartimento STEBICEF / Sez. Botanica, via Archirafi 38.