Assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Fabaceae) at the Mediterranean scale
Background and aims – The thermophilous woodlands of the Mediterranean region constitute reservoirs of genetic resources for several fruit trees. Among them, the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is a key component of traditional Mediterranean agroecosystems but its ecology was never assessed at the sc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Meise Botanic Garden
2018-08-01
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| Series: | Plant Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://plecevo.eu/article/24537/download/pdf/ |
| _version_ | 1827608757352267776 |
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| author | Alex Baumel Pascal Mirleau Juan Viruel Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat Stefano La Malfa Lahcen Ouahmane Katia Diadema Marwa Moakhar Hervé Sanguin Frédéric Médail |
| author_facet | Alex Baumel Pascal Mirleau Juan Viruel Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat Stefano La Malfa Lahcen Ouahmane Katia Diadema Marwa Moakhar Hervé Sanguin Frédéric Médail |
| author_sort | Alex Baumel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background and aims – The thermophilous woodlands of the Mediterranean region constitute reservoirs of genetic resources for several fruit trees. Among them, the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is a key component of traditional Mediterranean agroecosystems but its ecology was never assessed at the scale of its whole distribution area. Fortunately, phytosociological literature shelters invaluable resources for several issues in conservation, among them the possibility to analyse plant biodiversity at regional or continental scale. Here, we present the results of a comprehensive survey of the phytosociological literature associated to carob tree. Methods – We collected 1542 floristic relevés performed in 18 geographical areas distributed around the Mediterranean in which the presence of C. siliqua was recorded. Species composition of the plant communities was analysed by multivariate ordination and hierarchical classification, and species diversity was evaluated by rarefaction and prediction analyses of Hill numbers. Key results – Multivariate analyses revealed that plant communities associated with the carob tree are well differentiated between the Western and Eastern basins. A wider range of floristic differentiation is revealed in the Western basin where the vegetation reaches its maximal heterogeneity. By comparison, in the Eastern basin the plant assemblages associated with the carob tree are more homogeneous and with a lower species richness but a higher Simpson diversity. Conclusions – The large ecological range of the Mediterranean carob trees is potentially an important evolutionary legacy for the conservation of genetic resources and seed sourcing for new uses such as restoration ecology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:19:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca02f96b65cc4c2f8df83d8f0943a0c7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2032-3921 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:19:17Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | Meise Botanic Garden |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plant Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca02f96b65cc4c2f8df83d8f0943a0c72023-12-03T07:56:12ZengMeise Botanic GardenPlant Ecology and Evolution2032-39212018-08-01151218519310.5091/plecevo.2018.142324537Assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Fabaceae) at the Mediterranean scaleAlex Baumel0Pascal Mirleau1Juan Viruel2Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat3Stefano La Malfa4Lahcen Ouahmane5Katia Diadema6Marwa Moakhar7Hervé Sanguin8Frédéric Médail9Aix Marseille UniversityInstitut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE) [IMBE is sponsored by Aix Marseille University, Avignon University, CNRS and IRD], Station marine d’Endoume, Chemin de la Batterie des Lions, FR-13007 MarseilleRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3DSUniversité Saint-Joseph, Faculté des sciences, Laboratoire Caractérisation Génomique des Plantes, B.P. 11-514 Riad El Solh, Beyrouth 1107 2050Università degli Studi di Catania, Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A) Via Valdisavoia 5 – IT-95123 CataniaUniversité Cadi Ayyad Marrakech, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Laboratoire d’Ecologie et EnvironnementConservatoire Botanique National Méditerranéen de Porquerolles (CBNMed), 34 avenue Gambetta, FR-83400 HyèresInstitut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE) [IMBE is sponsored by Aix Marseille University, Avignon University, CNRS and IRD], Station marine d’Endoume, Chemin de la Batterie des Lions, FR-13007 MarseilleLaboratoire des Symbioses Tropicales et Méditerranéennes (LSTM) [LSTM is sponsored by Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro], TA A-82/J Campus International de Baillarguet FR-34398 Montpellier cedex 5Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE) [IMBE is sponsored by Aix Marseille University, Avignon University, CNRS and IRD], Station marine d’Endoume, Chemin de la Batterie des Lions, FR-13007 MarseilleBackground and aims – The thermophilous woodlands of the Mediterranean region constitute reservoirs of genetic resources for several fruit trees. Among them, the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is a key component of traditional Mediterranean agroecosystems but its ecology was never assessed at the scale of its whole distribution area. Fortunately, phytosociological literature shelters invaluable resources for several issues in conservation, among them the possibility to analyse plant biodiversity at regional or continental scale. Here, we present the results of a comprehensive survey of the phytosociological literature associated to carob tree. Methods – We collected 1542 floristic relevés performed in 18 geographical areas distributed around the Mediterranean in which the presence of C. siliqua was recorded. Species composition of the plant communities was analysed by multivariate ordination and hierarchical classification, and species diversity was evaluated by rarefaction and prediction analyses of Hill numbers. Key results – Multivariate analyses revealed that plant communities associated with the carob tree are well differentiated between the Western and Eastern basins. A wider range of floristic differentiation is revealed in the Western basin where the vegetation reaches its maximal heterogeneity. By comparison, in the Eastern basin the plant assemblages associated with the carob tree are more homogeneous and with a lower species richness but a higher Simpson diversity. Conclusions – The large ecological range of the Mediterranean carob trees is potentially an important evolutionary legacy for the conservation of genetic resources and seed sourcing for new uses such as restoration ecology.https://plecevo.eu/article/24537/download/pdf/biodiversitybiogeographyMediterraneanspecies |
| spellingShingle | Alex Baumel Pascal Mirleau Juan Viruel Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat Stefano La Malfa Lahcen Ouahmane Katia Diadema Marwa Moakhar Hervé Sanguin Frédéric Médail Assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Fabaceae) at the Mediterranean scale Plant Ecology and Evolution biodiversity biogeography Mediterranean species |
| title | Assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Fabaceae) at the Mediterranean scale |
| title_full | Assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Fabaceae) at the Mediterranean scale |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Fabaceae) at the Mediterranean scale |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Fabaceae) at the Mediterranean scale |
| title_short | Assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Fabaceae) at the Mediterranean scale |
| title_sort | assessment of plant species diversity associated with the carob tree ceratonia siliqua fabaceae at the mediterranean scale |
| topic | biodiversity biogeography Mediterranean species |
| url | https://plecevo.eu/article/24537/download/pdf/ |
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