Morphological Characterization of Fossil Vitis L. Seeds from the Gelasian of Italy by Seed Image Analysis

Abstract

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.