Ecological aspects and relationships of the emblematic Vachellia spp. exposed to anthropic pressures and parasitism in natural hyper-arid ecosystems: ethnobotanical elements, morphology, and biological nitrogen fixation
Main conclusion Emblematic Vachellia spp. naturally exposed to hyper-arid conditions, intensive grazing, and parasitism maintain a high nitrogen content and functional mutualistic nitrogen-fixing symbioses. AlUla region in Saudi Arabia has a rich history regarding mankind, local wildlife, and fertil...
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Published in | Planta Vol. 259; no. 6; p. 132 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Berlin/Heidelberg
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
01.06.2024
Springer Nature B.V Springer Verlag |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Main conclusion
Emblematic
Vachellia
spp. naturally exposed to hyper-arid conditions, intensive grazing, and parasitism maintain a high nitrogen content and functional mutualistic nitrogen-fixing symbioses.
AlUla region in Saudi Arabia has a rich history regarding mankind, local wildlife, and fertility islands suitable for leguminous species, such as the emblematic
Vachellia
spp. desert trees. In this region, we investigated the characteristics of desert legumes in two nature reserves (Sharaan and Madakhil), at one archaeological site (Hegra), and in open public domains at Al. Ward and Jabal Abu Oud. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), isotopes, and N and C contents were investigated through multiple lenses, including parasitism, plant tissues, species identification, plant maturity, health status, and plant growth. The average BNF rates of 19
Vachellia gerrardii
and 21
Vachellia tortilis
trees were respectively 39 and 67%, with low signs of inner N content fluctuations (2.10–2.63% N) compared to other co-occurring plants. The BNF of 23
R. raetam
was just as high, with an average of 65% and steady inner N contents of 2.25 ± 0.30%. Regarding parasitism, infected
Vachellia
trees were unfazed compared to uninfected trees, thereby challenging the commonly accepted detrimental role of parasites. Overall, these results suggest that
Vachellia
trees and
R. raetam
shrubs exploit BNF in hyper-arid environments to maintain a high N content when exposed to parasitism and grazing. These findings underline the pivotal role of plant-bacteria mutualistic symbioses in desert environments. All ecological traits and relationships mentioned are further arguments in favor of these legumes serving as keystone species for ecological restoration and agro-silvo-pastoralism in the AlUla region.
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0032-0935 1432-2048 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00425-024-04407-0 |