Image analysis of Moroccan carob seeds(Ceratonia siliqua L.)revealed substantial intraspecific variations depending on climate and geographic origin

作     者：Jalal Kassout Younes Hmimsa Salama El Fatehi Abdeltif El Ouahrani Khalil Kadaoui Soufian Chakkour David Ariza‑Mateos Guillermo Palacios‑Rodríguez Rafael Navarro‑Cerrillo Mohammed Ater Jalal Kassout;Younes Hmimsa;Salama El Fatehi;Abdeltif El Ouahrani;Khalil Kadaoui;Soufian Chakkour;David Ariza-Mateos;Guillermo Palacios-Rodriguez;Rafael Navarro-Cerrillo;Mohammed Ater

作者机构：Laboratory of Applied BotanyBio‑Agrodiversity TeamFaculty of SciencesUniversity of Abdelmalek EssaadiTétouanMorocco Associated International Laboratory EVOLEAINEE‑CNRS‑CNRSTMontpellierFrance Polydisciplinary Faculty of LaracheUniversity of Abdelmalek EssaadiLaracheMorocco Forestry Engineering DepartmentERSAF Research Group RNM‑360University of CórdobaCórdobaSpain 

出 版 物：《Ecological Processes》 (生态过程（英文）)

年 卷 期：2022年第11卷第1期

页      面：455-468页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 071001[理学-植物学] 0907[农学-林学] 07[理学] 0903[农学-农业资源与环境] 0901[农学-作物学] 0713[理学-生态学] 

基　　金：This study was supported by the Agencia Andaluza de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo(AACID)and the project“Amélioration de la productivitédes cultures forestières d’intérêt socio-économiqueélevédans les zones rurales du nord du Maroc n°2018004”. 

主　　题：Carob tree Image analysis Seed traits Intraspecific variation Morocco 

摘      要：Background:The carob tree(Ceratonia siliqua L.)is one of the most iconic tree species of the Mediterranean region,with valuable economic,ecological and cultural value.Carob has been exploited around the Mediterranean region since antiquity and has been regarded as an important component of natural habitats and traditional agroecosystems.Several studies have focused on its morphological,biochemical,and genetic diversity.However,less is known about the intraspecific variation of seed traits.In this regard,and as an overall objective,we intend to evaluate the amplitude and the expression of intraspecific variations of carob seed traits at different ecological scales ranging from individual trees to different geographical landscapes.In addition,we investigated how the climate along the study area affects the extent of carob seed variability.Using image analysis techniques,we measured seven traits related to the size and the shape of 1740 seeds collected from 18 populations of spontaneous C.siliqua distributed along a latitudinal transect in Morocco under different bioclimatic conditions.Results:The morphometric analysis of carob seed showed the effectiveness of adopted approach to highlight the amount and the amplitude of intraspecific variation according to geographic and climatic factors.Seed trait analysis revealed high intraspecific variability,explained by differences between and among carob populations and geographic zones.Seed area,perimeter,length,and width showed the largest variability between geographic zones.However,circularity,aspect ratio,and seed roundness showed higher variability at the tree level.Finally,our results show that seed traits vary depending on altitude and climate condition.Conclusions:Revealing the amount and the structure of intraspecific traits variability of carob seed provides interesting insights to understand the mechanisms underlying trees adaptation to various environmental and ecological conditions.Therefore,intraspecific variation of seed traits should be integrated into trait‑based functional ecology to assess plant species responses to environmental changes.