To learn more about the map elements, please download the "Pan-European strategy for genetic conservation of forest trees"
This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)
Caudullo, G., Welk, E., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., 2017. Chorological maps for the main European woody species. Data in Brief 12, 662-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.007
The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:
Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
Status of Cedrus atlantica conservation in Europe
The genetic diversity of Atlas cedar is high within populations, but there is minor variation and differentiation between populations (Renau-Morata et al., 2005). This could be because gene exchange occurs easily among populations due to the easy dispersion of the species’ pollen, despite mountain ranges providing barriers. The high variation in genetics within populations is consistent with research on other conifers where gene flow can occur between populations far from each other. However, several populations have barriers to their gene flow as they are genetically distinct and possess a low genetic diversity (Bobo‐Pinilla et al., 2022). Across the Atlas cedar’s entire range, two to three genetic groups show significant differentiation, but even within populations there are genetically distinct subpopulations (Renau-Morata et al., 2005). One genetic group is found in the Rif mountains while another is found in Algerian, both genetic groups are found in the Middle Atlas Mountains (Terrab et al., 2008). It has been suggested that populations in the Rif Mountains have the greatest genetic diversity, possessing greater allelic richness than those in the Middle or High Atlas Mountains (Cheddadi et al., 2022).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
During the last glacial maximum the species was pushed back to glacial refugia in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. Isolation in refugia and habitat fragmentation can cause populations to diverge genetically or reduce gene flow. Reduced gene flow between populations increases genetic drift and inbreeding and thus increases the risk of extinction (Cheddadi et al., 2022). However, genetic differentiation among populations of Atlas cedar is low, which may be because of moderate genetic flow within populations or because a single genotype was successful but has since gone extinct (Cheddadi et al., 2022). The species has been able to survive past climate cycles not through its genetic variation granting it adaptive capacity but rather through adapting its range and surviving in microrefugia (Cheddadi et al., 2022). Population fragmentation and reliance on isolated refugia is partly the result the restrictions in migration space; when climate shifts occurred, the mountains created a boundary while also providing a variety of microclimates (Cheddadi et al., 2017).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
Translocating populations of Atlas cedar to areas that may potentially be future refugia could be a viable option for conservation of the species. This could be done using seeds collected from the High Atlas Mountains, where the highest genetic diversity has been found. Prioritization of conserving current refugial areas with populations that are already genetically adapted to survive environmental change will help to conserve the species and its genetic resources over the long term (Cheddadi et al., 2022). As Atlas cedar is introduced for afforestation in European countries or commercial populations are established, alteration of the species genetic structure could become an issue (Karam et al., 2019). Domestication can alter reproductive behaviour and natural selection and thus the genetic structure of the species (Renau-Morata et al., 2005).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
Genetic Characterisation of Cedrus atlantica and its GCUs
Availability of FRM
FOREMATIS
Contacts of experts
NA
Further reading
Bou Dagher-Kharrat, M., Grenier, G., Bariteau, M., Brown, S., Siljak-Yakovlev, S., and Savouré, A. 2001. Karyotype analysis reveals interspecific differentiation in the genus Cedrus despite genome size and base composition constancy. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 103(6–7): 846–854.
Fady, B., Lefèvre, F., Reynaud, M., Vendramin, G.G., Bou Dagher-Kharrat, M., Anzidei, M., Pastorelli, R., Savouré, A., and Bariteau, M. 2003. Gene flow among different taxonomic units: Evidence from nuclear and cytoplasmic markers in Cedrus plantation forests. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 107(6): 1132–1138.
References
Bobo‐Pinilla, J., Nieto Lugilde, D., Terrab, A., Balao, F., and Peñas, J. 2022. Spatially explicit assessment of genetic variation to inform conservation effort for an endangered Mediterranean conifer, Cedrus atlantica. Ecology and Evolution, 12(12): e9613. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9613
Cheddadi, R., Taberlet, P., Boyer, F., and Coissac, É. 2022. Priority conservation areas for Cedrus atlantica in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco. Conservation Science and Practice, 4(6): e12680. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12680
Cheddadi, R., Henrot, A.-J., François, L., Boyer, F., Bush, M., Carré, M., Coissac, É., et al. 2017. Microrefugia, climate change, and conservation of Cedrus atlantica in the Rif Mountains, Morocco. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 5: 114. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2017.00114
Karam, M.-J., Aouad, M., Roig, A., Bile, A., Dagher-Kharrat, M.B., Klein, E.K., Fady, B., and Lefèvre, F. 2019. Characterizing the genetic diversity of Atlas cedar and phylogeny of Mediterranean Cedrus species with a new multiplex of 16 SSR markers. Tree Genetics & Genomes, 15: 60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-019-1366-1
Navarro-Cerrillo, R.M., Sarmoum, M., Gazol, A., Abdoun, F., and Camarero, J.J. 2019. The decline of Algerian Cedrus atlantica forests is driven by a climate shift towards drier conditions. Dendrochronologia, 55: 60–70.
Renau-Morata, B., Nebauer, S.G., Sales, E., Allainguillaume, J., Caligari, P., and Segura, J. 2005. Genetic diversity and structure of natural and managed populations of Cedrus atlantica (Pinaceae) assessed using random amplified polymorphic DNA. American Journal of Botany, 92(5): 875–884.
Terrab, A., Hampe, A., Lepais, O., Talavera, S., Vela, E., and Stuessy, T.F. 2008. Phylogeography of North African atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica, Pinaceae): Combined molecular and fossil data reveal a complex quaternary history. American Journal of Botany, 95(10): 1262–1269.
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