For decades, local and traditional species have been neglected and replaced by industrial and improved species. Sweet chestnut 'Castanea sativa MILL.', found in a small area in northern Morocco, is no exception. Indeed, Moroccan ecotypes are neither classified nor characterized. This study aims to evaluate the local genetic resources of Castanea sativa MILL. via multivariate analysis of morphometric parameters of leaves. The study involved 6200 leaves from 31 villages in 3 regions; 10 trees/village and 20 leaves/tree were sampled. Then eight morphometric parameters were analyzed: lamina length (LL), lamina width (LW), petiole length (PL), distance from the base of the leaf to the widest point of the leaf (DBW), surface (S), perimeter (P), and ratios LL/LW and LL/DBW. Analysis of the descriptive statistics within and between ecotypes initially showed a large variation in the ten parameters studied. This finding was supported by analysis of variance (ANOVA) which revealed a very highly significant difference (p < 0.0001) for all parameters. Indeed, the analysis of agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) made it possible to group the studied populations into 3 distinct groups based on the surface. Overall, the high level of variability in leaf morphometric parameters indicates that the region is an important center of genetic diversity which assessment is crucial for the implementation of conservation and enhancement strategies for this heritage.
Marine spatial planning and ecosystem based management such as MPA’s has been used as tools to manage human activities, to conserve coastal ecosystems and biodiversity for the sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources. In this study, we focused on establishing a spatial distribution of the fishing grounds used by local fishermen in the projected MPA “Jabal Moussa”, identifying the most important species targeted, the gears used, and the depths of fishing grounds. A survey with 99 skippers was conducted between February and March 2019. Then data collected was analyzed and geo-referenced through geographic information system (GIS). The results identified 16 fishing grounds. Distribution of fishing gears was dominated by the blackspot seabream longline which was the most used gear. The most targeted species was the blackspot seabream. Fishing grounds where blackspot seabream was found had a deep ranging from 95.9 m to 328.9 m. Results of the study will provide managers of the projected MPA with valuable information and data to help the to adopt direct measures that can reduce the pressure on these valuable species, preserve the ecosystem and lead to a sustainable fishing.
Moroccan chestnut populations cover a small area in northern Morocco. They occupy great environmental and socio-economic interests. Nonetheless, such interests remained unvalued and little studied. This study aims to characterize and assess phenotypic similarities (or disparities) among the Moroccan populations of C. sativa via univariate and multivariate analyses of leaves traits. The experiments involved 6200 leaves from 31 populations, 10 trees per population, and 20 leaves per tree. Six morphometric parameters [blade area (S), perimeter (P), lamina length (LL), lamina width (LW), distance between the base and largest width (DBW), petiole length (PL)] and four ratios [LL/LW, LL/LP, LL/DBW, DBW/LP] were analyzed. Analysis of descriptive statistics within and between populations showed large variations among the studied parameters. This trend was supported as well by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) which revealed a highly significant differences (P <0.0001). Furthermore, the statistical analysis revealed a high phenotypic plasticity. The correlation analysis showed a significant relationship between most of the studied parameters. The principal component analysis (PCA) assigned the studied populations into two groups. We conclude that the studied parameters have great potential to determine the phenotypic polymorphism of C. sativa populations
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.