Recent climatic and anthropogenic impacts on endemic species in southwestern Morocco

Zhao, Xiaoxia; Dupont, Lydie M; Cheddadi, Rachid; Kölling, Martin; Reddad, Hanane; Groeneveld, Jeroen; Ain‐Lhout, F.; Bouimetarhan, Ilham

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105889

Cited by 26 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Sachse et al, 2012). The past vegetation can best be assessed by analyses of pollen assemblages (Zhao et al, 2019). δ 13 C wax data can provide additional information on pathways of carbon fixations (C 3 or C 4 plants, Collister et al, 1994).…”

Section: Characterization Of Isotope Signalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Morocco stands out as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change (Christensen et al, 2007;Simonneaux et al, 2015). While many paleoclimate studies focused mainly on northern Morocco (Campbell et al, 2017;Cheddadi et al, 2016;El Bait et al, 2014;Esper et al, 2007;Lamb et al, 1989Lamb et al, , 1991Lamb et al, , 1995Lamb et al, , 1999Tabel et al, 2016;Wassenburg et al, 2013;Zielhofer et al, 2017aZielhofer et al, , 2017b, the climatic history of southern Morocco is understudied (Ait Brahim et al, 2016Brahim et al, , 2017McGregor et al, 2007McGregor et al, , 2009Zhao et al, 2019). Ait Brahim et al (2017) used high-resolution stable-isotope and trace-element speleothem records from southwestern Morocco covering the last 1000 years to identify the influence of the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on hydroclimate variability during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and Little Ice Age (LIA).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate and land-use effects on hydrological and vegetation signals during the last three millennia: Evidence from sedimentary leaf waxes in southwestern Morocco

et al. 2021

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The southwest of Morocco is considered to be an area of refuge within the Mediterranean region, hosting the endemic tropical Argan tree. This region is presently subject to severe droughts, desertification and land degradation, and likely facing increased climate variability and socio-economic stress in the future. Here, we use the stable hydrogen and carbon isotope composition (δD and δ13C) of plant-waxes in a high-resolution marine sediment core (GeoB8601-3) collected off Cape Ghir in southwestern Morocco, in combination with published data on pollen and XRF element ratios from the same archive. We aim to reconstruct the hydroclimate and vegetation history during the last 3000 years. Stable carbon isotope compositions of leaf waxes (δ13Cwax) show that natural vegetation in southwestern Morocco consists of C3 plants. Minor variations in δ13Cwax were positively correlated to changes in stable hydrogen isotope compositions of leaf waxes (δDwax) before 700 CE. Changes in rainfall amounts and water use efficiency indicate a clear vegetation response to precipitation changes and thus to climate forcing. After 700 CE, δDwax and δ13Cwax became de-coupled suggesting that the plant wax discharge and their isotope signals were no longer solely controlled by climate; the waxes likely mainly originate from the lowlands and carry an enriched (dry) δD signal but a depleted 13C signature. The depletion of δ13Cwax correlates with the increase of Argan pollen concentration in the record. The period between ~700 and 900 CE coincides with the Arabization of Morocco which had an impact on the demographic composition of the country leading to new agricultural habits and, as a result, on the land-use triggering a higher erosion of lowland material by the Souss River.

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Section: Characterization Of Isotope Signalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and land-use effects on hydrological and vegetation signals during the last three millennia: Evidence from sedimentary leaf waxes in southwestern Morocco

et al. 2021

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“…If groundwater pumping exceeds the natural recharge over an extensive area and a long time period, persistent groundwater depletion occurs [1,3]. [16]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moroccan Groundwater Resources and Evolution with Global Climate Changes

et al. 2020

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In semi-arid areas, many ecosystems and activities depend essentially on water availability. In Morocco, the increase of water demands combined to climate change induced decrease of precipitation put a lot of pressure on groundwater. This paper reports the results of updating and evaluation of groundwater datasets with regards to climate scenarios and institutional choices. The continuous imbalance between groundwater extraction and recharge caused a dramatic decline in groundwater levels (20 to 65 m in the past 30 years). Additionally, Morocco suffers from the degradation in groundwater quality due to seawater intrusion, nitrate pollution and natural salinity changes. Climate data analysis and scenarios predict that temperatures will increase by 2 to 4 °C and precipitation will decrease by 53% in all catchments over this century. Consequently, surface water availability will drastically decrease, which will lead to more extensive use of groundwater. Without appropriate measures, this situation will jeopardize water security in Morocco. In this paper, we zoom on the case the Souss-Massa basin, where management plans (artificial recharge, seawater desalination, and wastewater reuse) have been adopted to restore groundwater imbalance or, at least, mitigate the recorded deficits. These plans may save water for future generations and sustain crop production.

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“…Moroccan plant resources have potential use in medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and agro-alimentary fields. Two-thirds of Moroccan lands can be classified as arid and semiarid with low amounts of rainfall and frequent droughts [ 7 ]. Climate change is likely to have a strong effect resulting in more aridity in Morocco.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Climate change is likely to have a strong effect resulting in more aridity in Morocco. Moreover, arid conditions are accentuated by a continuously increasing crop to respond to the demographic pressure and economic development [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization, activities, and ethnobotanical uses of Mentha species in Morocco

Hassani

2020

Heliyon

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This work is a summary of the characterization, activities, and ethnobotanical surveys about aromatic and medicinal plants belonging to the genus Mentha in Morocco. The Mentha species investigated are Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata, Mentha viridis, Mentha suaveolens, Mentha longifolia, Mentha gattefossei, Mentha rotundifolia, and Mentha vulgare, with M. pulegium being the most studied species. M. spicata and M. viridis are poorly explored even though they are daily consumed by Moroccans in tea infusions. The elucidated factors affecting the composition of Mentha essential oils are fertilization, drying conditions, mechanical impedance, NaCl stress, and Gamma irradiation. Investigation of the activities of the Mentha species showed that the main interest was dedicated to addressing the antibacterial effect towards gramþ and gram-bacteria. Essential oils of Mentha species exhibited antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, insecticidal, licidal, niticidal, allelopathic, antidiabetic, derma-protective, and anticorrosive activities. The ethnobotanical surveys revealed that Mentha species are used in seven regions: Tafilalet, High Atlas, Fez-Boulemane, Taounat, Oujda, Ouazzane, and Rabat. By calculating the Jaccard index, the highest degree of similarity was found between Tafilalet, Rabat, and Oujda regions. The wide use of the Mentha species in Morocco highlights the high ethnobotanical value of the genus.

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Recent climatic and anthropogenic impacts on endemic species in southwestern Morocco

Cited by 26 publications

References 64 publications

Climate and land-use effects on hydrological and vegetation signals during the last three millennia: Evidence from sedimentary leaf waxes in southwestern Morocco

Climate and land-use effects on hydrological and vegetation signals during the last three millennia: Evidence from sedimentary leaf waxes in southwestern Morocco

Moroccan Groundwater Resources and Evolution with Global Climate Changes

Characterization, activities, and ethnobotanical uses of Mentha species in Morocco

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