Agrobiodiversity and genetic erosion of crop varieties and plant resources in the Central Great Caucasus

Akhalkatsi, Maia; Otte, Annette; Togonidze, Natalia; Bragvadze, Tamar; Asanidze, Zezva; Arabuli, Giorgi; Chikhelidze, Natia; Mazanishvili, Lamar

doi:10.1016/j.aasci.2016.12.002

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…), rye (Secale cereale), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and barley (Hordeum spp.) [48,[61][62][63]. As shown by this study, most of the landraces that are part of the Fabaceae family are cultivated in hilly and sub-mountain areas and 70% are beans (Figure 8).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 89%

The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

et al. 2021

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Landraces are an agri-food and historical-cultural heritage but are undergoing losses worldwide. Italy is taking action to counteract this problem by following European guidelines. One of the most important measures is the Agrobiodiversity National Register (ANR), but 12 Italian regions currently appear without any landraces and around 80% of the landraces listed are trees, with less detailed data on herbaceous species. The aim of this study is to investigate the situation for Italian herbaceous landraces preserved on farms (in situ) by merging and analyzing data contained in the main databases on plant agrobiodiversity in Italy. Data were georeferenced, organized by botanic families and Italian regions, and analyzed by GIS and R. A total of 1615 herbaceous landraces were found (versus the 416 recorded in the ANR). Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Solanaceae together comprise 70% of all herbaceous landraces and are mostly preserved/grown in areas between 150 and 800 m a.s.l. Some hilly and sub-mountain areas of the Apennines and the Alps are hotspots of herbaceous landraces due to anthropic and environmental factors. The results of this research will be useful to enrich the ANR and trigger actions of characterization, conservation, and promotion of these plant resources.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 89%

The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

et al. 2021

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“…For example, some farmers attribute longer-term change to what is seasonal variability (e.g., seasonal fluctuations in surface water). Many perceptions of changes in species distributions and habitat are equally supported by previous research (e.g., Akhalkatsi et al 2017; Peniston 2013; Government of Nepal 2014b; Makul 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Adaptation “from below” to changes in species distribution, habitat and climate in agro-ecosystems in the Terai Plains of Nepal

Thorn

2019

Ambio

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Recent land-use and climatic shifts are expected to alter species distributions, the provisioning of ecosystem services, and livelihoods of biodiversity-dependent societies living in multifunctional landscapes. However, to date, few studies have integrated social and ecological evidence to understand how humans perceive change, and adapt agro-ecological practices at the landscape scale. Mixed method fieldwork compared observed changes in plant species distribution across a climatic gradient to farmers’ perceptions in biodiversity and climate change in rice-cultivated farms. In contrast to the global context, farmers in the Terai Plains of Nepal are acutely aware of high levels of change observed in the last 10 years, and incrementally adapt as new invasive species emerge (93%), the incidence and severity of pest/diseases increase (66%), genetic diversity of indigenous varieties erodes (65%), forest habitats diminish (98%), irrigation water declines (60%), and wildlife ranges shift. Twenty-five changes in climate were reported by 97.5% of farmers to reduce provisioning services and food self-sufficiency, and increase exposure to waterborne pathogens, heat stress, and human or livestock mortality. The study illustrates the need for financial and institutional supports at all levels to strengthen agro-ecological practices, upscale Information Communication Technology for extension services, clarify tenure agreements, and safeguard natural ecosystems to slow biodiversity loss. Existing incentives to conserve, restore, or sustainably manage ecosystems offer lessons for other societies undergoing rapid change.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-019-01202-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Differences in habitat use might arise from niche partitioning as a strategy to coexist. Domestic sheep are herded in the area for millennia (Akhalkatsi et al., ), and mouflon could have adapted to avoid competition. Mouflon were found in terrain that is more rugged and with only sparse vegetation, both of which are generally associated with decreased forage availability (Chirichella et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing niche overlap between domestic and threatened wild sheep to identify conservation priority areas

Bleyhl

Arakelyan

Askerov

et al. 2018

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim:Populations of large ungulates are dwindling worldwide. This is especially so for wild sheep, which compete with livestock for forage, are disturbed by shepherds and their dogs, and are exposed to disease transmissions from livestock. Our aim was to assess spatial patterns in realized niche overlap between wild and domestic sheep to better understand where potential competition might arise, and thus to identify priority areas for wild sheep recovery. Location: Southern Caucasus (220,000 km 2 ). Methods: We studied Gmelin's mouflon (Ovis orientalis gmelinii), an ancestor of domestic sheep, to investigate seasonal habitat use and niche overlap with domestic sheep. To map habitat, we analysed mouflon occurrences collected during 2006-2016, and domestic sheep occurrences from shepherd camp locations digitized on high-resolution satellite imagery. We mapped areas of potential competition between mouflon and domestic sheep and assessed potential habitat displacement. Results: Mouflon and domestic sheep niches overlapped substantially (overlap index I = 0.89, where 1 means perfect overlap) but were not identical. Mouflon habitat was less widespread than domestic sheep habitat (14,000 vs. 40,270 km 2 ) and tended to be located in more rugged areas with less vegetation cover. We identified 51 priority patches as reintroduction candidates if grazing pressure and poaching were reduced. Main conclusions: Our results suggest that competition with domestic sheep might have pushed mouflon into marginal habitat. Thus, conservation efforts focusing on current mouflon habitat might miss suitable reintroduction sites. We demonstrate that a combined habitat model for wild and domestic sheep can identify generalsheep habitat, which might be more useful for conservation planning than understanding current mouflon habitat selection. Our results highlight that considering competition with livestock is important for large ungulate conservation, both in terms of reactive (e.g., lessening livestock pressure in prime habitat) and proactive strategies (e.g., reintroduction in areas with low contemporary overlap).

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Agrobiodiversity and genetic erosion of crop varieties and plant resources in the Central Great Caucasus

Cited by 19 publications

References 4 publications

The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

Adaptation “from below” to changes in species distribution, habitat and climate in agro-ecosystems in the Terai Plains of Nepal

Assessing niche overlap between domestic and threatened wild sheep to identify conservation priority areas

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