Volatile Compounds in Oleo-gum Resin of Socotran Species of Burseraceae

Abstract

Socotra Island is well known for its high rate of plant species endemism and having the highest concentration of frankincense species in the world. Thirteen species in Burseraceae occur on the island, of which 12 are endemic. A total of only four species from the island have had the chemical compositions of their resins published. Moreover, in general, most studies on chemical composition of frankincense and myrrh resins have analysed samples that were not freshly collected (including some of considerable age). Our study therefore aimed at analysing the volatile compound composition of all Socotran Burseraceae species, using fresh resin sample analysis. We found a total of 103 volatile compounds in all the species, with 53 of them fully identified, 27 of them partially determined and 23 still unidentified. These include four compounds (α-fenchene, calarene, trans-β-farnesene, α-elemene) newly reported from Boswellia and two (phytol and ledene) newly reported from Commiphora. Our results suggested the huge potential to find new chemical compounds among endemic Burseracean species.

Sustainable Land Use Management Needed to Conserve the Dragon’s Blood Tree of Socotra Island, a Vulnerable Endemic Umbrella Species

“…[58,59], Commiphora spp. [60] and others [4] are strongly endangered. Unfortunately, strict conservation of selected valuable areas, as the Socotra Archipelago Master Plan supposed in 2002, are now not feasible on Socotra due to the weak governmental administration and a complicated land tenure system based on tribal organization of society.…”

Development of a population of Boswellia elongata Balf. F. in Homhil nature sanctuary, Socotra island (Yemen)

“…The current decline of the population of B. elongata shows parallels to the decline of populations of B. papyrifera in eastern Africa studied by Bongers et al (2019). Establishing plantations and enrichment planting in current populations has been put forward as a possible solution to reverse the decline of such populations, as has also been suggested for B. elongata (Maděra et al 2017).…”

“…The genus is composed of species of which several are under threat of extinction and are included in the list of globally endangered tree species (IUCN 2020). Many current populations are under threat due to land conversion towards agricultural use and grazing (Ogbazghi 2001;Gebrehiwot et al 2003;Ogbazghi et al 2006;Eshete et al 2012), over-harvesting (Mengistu et al 2012;Groenendijk et al 2012;Maděra et al 2017) and fire (Ogbazghi 2001;Bongers and Tennigkeit 2010), among other factors such as mining (Farah 2008). For B. papyrifera and B. serrata threats have been extensively documented (Brendler et al 2018;Bongers et al 2019) but for most other species data are scarce.…”

Local Management System of Dragon’s Blood Tree (Dracaena cinnabari Balf. f.) Resin in Firmihin Forest, Socotra Island, Yemen

“…Up to 80% of the population in developing countries depend on nontimber forest products (NTFPs) for economic and food subsistence [1]. The link between NTFPs and the objectives of conservation and development has achieved global resonance, especially among forest researchers [2][3][4][5]. The harvesting of NTFPs requires serious attention as part of viable rural development alternatives and the sustainable use of tropical forests [1,2].…”

“…In Yemen, there are many species that provide NTFPs, such as Ziziphus spina-christi, Commiphora spp., Boswellia spp. [4,5], and D. cinnabari [6], and many other species are famous for their products, which are traded and used in local, national, and international markets. Very little is known about harvesting, processing, or marketing of NTFP species.…”