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The aim of this study is to better understand the phylogeography and evolution of the Lebanese oaks and to assess the convergence between their morpho-ecological and molecular characteristics. We i...

22 Pág. Centro de Investigación Forestal (CIFOR), Purpose of Review: Recognizing that in the context of global change, tree genetic diversity represents a crucial resource for future forest adaptation, we review and highlight the major forest genetics research achievements of the past decades in biodiversity-rich countries of the Mediterranean region. For this, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature spanning the past thirty years (1991–2020). Putting together the representative regionwide expertise of our co-authorship, we propose research perspectives for the next decade. Recent Findings: Forest genetics research in Mediterranean countries is organized into three different scientific domains of unequal importance. The domain “Population diversity and Differentiation” related to over 62% of all publications of the period, the domain “Environmental conditions, growth and stress response” to almost 23%, and the domain “Phylogeography” to almost 15%. Citation rate was trending the opposite way, indicating a strong and sustained interest in phylogeography and a rising interest for genetics research related to climate change and drought resistance. The share of publications from Asia and Africa to the total within the Mediterranean increased significantly during the 30-year period analyzed, reaching just below 30% during the last decade. Summary: Describing poorly known species and populations, including marginal populations, using the full potential of genomic methods, testing adaptation in common gardens, and modeling adaptive capacity to build reliable scenarios for forest management remain strategic research priorities. Delineating areas of high and low genetic diversity, for conservation and restoration, respectively, is needed. Joining forces between forest management and forest research, sharing data, experience, and knowledge within and among countries will have to progress significantly, e.g., to assess the potential of Mediterranean genetic resources as assisted migration material worldwide. Introductory quote:: Let us collect with care the facts we can observe, let us consult experience wherever we can, and when this experience is inaccessible to us, let us assemble all the inductions which observation of facts analogous to those which escape us can furnish and let us assert nothing categorically; in this way, we shall be able little by little to discover the causes of a multitude of natural phenomena, and, perhaps, even of phenomena which seem the most incomprehensible.. J.B. de Lamarck (Philosophie zoologique, 1809), cited by O. Langlet (1971)., European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 676876 COST Action FP1202 “Strengthening conservation: a key issue for adaptation of marginal/peripheral populations of forest trees to climate change in Europe (MaP-FGR)

Juniperus drupacea is a unique relict species found in the mountains of southern Greece, southern Turkey, and western Syria and Lebanon. The aim of this study was to describe the natural range of this juniper by determining the current locations of its populations and to predict a theoretical range for the species based on current, past, and future climatic conditions. We used data from the literature, herbarium materials, and our unpublished field notes (about 500 georeferenced points in total) to determine the current natural distribution of J. drupacea (realized niche). To predict suitable conditions with the program MaxEnt, we used data from the WordClim database, which allowed estimation of the potential niche. The potential niche of J. drupacea was much wider during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and was severely restricted during the Eemian interglacial period. Depending on the climate scenario, this species could become endangered in the future due to climate changes. Considering the relatively restricted geographic range of J. drupacea and the decreasing numbers of localities where it is found, conservation strategies should be adopted to allow for preservation of its genetic and morphological diversity., The study was financially supported by the Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Kórnik, Poland, and by the Polish Ministry of Science under grant no. NN303153037.

Archaeological, palaeontological and geological evidence shows that post-glacial warming released human populations from their various climate-bound refugia. Yet specific connections between these refugia and the timing and routes of post-glacial migrations that ultimately established modern patterns of genetic variation remain elusive. Here, we use Y-chromosome markers combined with autosomal data to reconstruct population expansions from regional refugia in Southwest Asia. Populations from three regions in particular possess distinctive autosomal genetic signatures indicative of likely refugia: one, in the north, centered around the eastern coast of the Black Sea, the second, with a more Levantine focus, and the third in the southern Arabian Peninsula. Modern populations from these three regions carry the widest diversity and may indeed represent the most likely descendants of the populations responsible for the Neolithic cultures of Southwest Asia. We reveal the distinct and datable expansion routes of populations from these three refugia throughout Southwest Asia and into Europe and North Africa and discuss the possible correlations of these migrations to various cultural and climatic events evident in the archaeological record of the past 15,000 years.

The geographic position of Lebanon in the Mediterranean basin at the transition of two major landmasses, Eurasia and Africa, has contributed to its high plant diversity and makes its flora particularly interesting to study. This paper contributes to the plant DNA C-value database of native Lebanese taxa. These data should reinforce biodiversity evaluation, systematic and evolution studies involving processes of speciation such as polyploidisation. C-values have been estimated by flow cytometry using propidium iodide as intercalary fluorochrome stain. Each sample comprised at least five individuals. Where possible, several populations were measured for each species. This study presents C-values for 225 taxa belonging to 55 families and 141 genera. C-values are novel for 193 taxa including 126 plants endemic to the Eastern Mediterranean region. These are the first values for 50 genera. In this panel, genome size ranged from 1C = 0.28 pg in Hypericum thymifolium to 54.69 pg in Fritillaria alfredae. The life ...

We report for the first time the occurrence of Trisetacus acari Eriophyoid parasite infesting Juniperus excelsa seeds in Lebanon. The specimen studied belong most probably to the species T. kirghizorum (Shevchenko 1962) living on J. semiglobosa in the Kirghiz mountains. We suggest that Trisetacus spp. found in the seed cones of Kirghiz junipers as well as J. excelsa comprise a complex of cryptic species that might be distinguished using molecular markers. It is necessary to revise the group cupressi in the genus Trisetacus and an integrated phylogenetic study of the mites belonging to this genus could elucidate the patterns of eriophyoid mites evolution on conifers and could help in a better resolution of the Juniper phylogeny.

21 p., tablas, gráf., mapas, Juniperus drupacea is an eastern Mediterranean mountain tree with a disjunct geographical range. We hypothesized that this disjunct occurrence (the Peloponnese in Europe and the Taurus and Lebanon Mountains in Asia) should be reflected in the patterns of genetic and morphological diversity and differentiation. Nuclear microsatellite markers (nSSR) and biometric variables of the cones and seeds were examined on material sampled from four populations in Europe and eight in Asia. The Asian populations were characterized by a higher level of genetic diversity than the European populations. The genetic differentiation among populations was moderate but significant (FST = 0.101, P < 0.001). According to the clustering performed with BAPS, six genetically and geographically groups of populations were found: I and II from the Peloponnese; III from the Taurus Mountains; IV and V from the Anti-Taurus Mountains; and VI from the Lebanon Mountains. The level of genetic differentiation among these six groups (4.30%, P = 0.012) probably reflects long-lasting genetic isolation during the Pleistocene, as limited genetic admixture was found. In accordance with genetic analysis, the biometric investigations indicated a high level of morphological divergence between the European and Asian populations of the species, with further differentiation between the populations from the Taurus and Lebanon Mountains., The research was financially supported partly by the Polish Ministry of Science (under grant no. NN303 153037) and partly by the Institute of Dendrology (Poland) (under statutory activity).

Background: Elevated levels of total plasma homocysteine are a risk factor for atherosclerotic disease. Aims: The rationale behind this study is to explore the correlation between degree and site of coronary lesion and hyperhomocysteinemia in Lebanese CAD patients and assess environmental and genetic factors for elevated levels of total plasma homocysteine. Methods: A total of 2644 patients were analyzed for traditional CAD risk factors. Logistic regression was performed to determine the association of hyperhomocysteinemia with degree and site of coronary lesions controlling for risk factors. Environmental and genetic factors for hyperhomocysteinemia were analyzed by logistic regression using a candidate gene approach. Results: Traditional risk factors were correlated with stenosis. Hyperhomocysteinemia associated with increased risk of overall stenosis, and risk of mild and severe occlusion in major arteries. Hyperhomocysteinemia and hypertension were highly correlated suggesting that hyperhomocysteinemia acts as a hypertensive agent leading to CAD. Diuretics and genetic polymorphisms in MTHFR and SLCO1B1 were associated with hyperhomocysteinemia. Conclusions: Hyperhomocysteinemia is a medical indicator of specific vessel stenosis in the Lebanese population. Hypertension is a major link between hyperhomocysteinemia and CAD occurrence. Genetic polymorphisms and diuretics' intake explain partly elevated homocysteine levels. This study has important implications in CAD risk prediction. © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Badro, Danielle A. et al.-- The Genographic Consortium, The Middle East was a funnel of human expansion out of Africa, a staging area for the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution, and the home to some of the earliest world empires. Post LGM expansions into the region and subsequent population movements created a striking genetic mosaic with distinct sex-based genetic differentiation. While prior studies have examined the mtDNA and Y-chromosome contrast in focal populations in the Middle East, none have undertaken a broad-spectrum survey including North and sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Middle Eastern populations. In this study 5,174 mtDNA and 4,658 Y-chromosome samples were investigated using PCA, MDS, mean-linkage clustering, AMOVA, and Fisher exact tests of FST's, RST's, and haplogroup frequencies. Geographic differentiation in affinities of Middle Eastern populations with Africa and Europe showed distinct contrasts between mtDNA and Y-chromosome data. Specifically, Lebanon's mtDNA shows a very strong association to Europe, while Yemen shows very strong affinity with Egypt and North and East Africa. Previous Y-chromosome results showed a Levantine coastal-inland contrast marked by J1 and J2, and a very strong North African component was evident throughout the Middle East. Neither of these patterns were observed in the mtDNA. While J2 has penetrated into Europe, the pattern of Y-chromosome diversity in Lebanon does not show the widespread affinities with Europe indicated by the mtDNA data. Lastly, while each population shows evidence of connections with expansions that now define the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, many of the populations in the Middle East show distinctive mtDNA and Y-haplogroup characteristics that indicate long standing settlement with relatively little impact from and movement into other populations. © 2013 Badro et al., The Genographic Project is supported by funding from the National Geographic Society, IBM and the Waitt Family Foundation.

Juniperus excelsa is the second most widespread conifer tree in Lebanon. It grows in sites where no other conifer can survive. Despite its high ecological value, until now no field study was made in order to characterize these woodlands in Lebanon. We gathered data on the density, size structure, regeneration rate, cone production, proportion of filled seeds (using radiography) and spatial structure. The study was based on the monitoring of eight plots located in contrasted bioclimatic zones in Lebanon. We showed that the overall density of the Lebanese stands of J. excelsa is low and does not exceed 257 trees/ha. Moreover, the regeneration rate of these stands is lower than one and the percentage of filled seeds does not exceed 40%. The main threat affecting the survival of the Lebanese populations differs among sites including woodcutting, expansion of agricultural lands, overgrazing and the coupling with the hydric stress. This makes the future of the Juniper woodland in Lebanon largely uncertain., Juniperus excelsa pousse dans des sites où aucun autre conifère ne survit et souffre d’une forte pression anthropique. Il est cependant le second, Cheikha Douaihy Bouchra, Restoux Gwendal, Machon Nathalie, Bou Dagher-Kharrat Magda. Ecological characterization of the Juniperus excelsa stands in Lebanon. In: Ecologia mediterranea, tome 39 n°1, 2013. Actes du IVe Colloque international sur le Genévrier thurifère. 5-8 octobre 2011 Mont-Dauphin et Saint-Crépin (Hautes-Alpes, France) pp. 169-180.

Despite being an important target of conservation concern and horticultural interest, Lebanese irises yet have a confusing taxonomic history and species’ delimitation is often considered problematic, more especially among royal irises (Iris section Oncocyclus). Indeed, these irises of exceptionally large and spectacular flowers have radiated across Caucasus and eastern Mediterranean giving rise to a number of strict endemic taxa, many of them being considered under threat. Whilst efforts have mostly focused on clarifying the evolutionary relationships in the group based on morphological and molecular data, karyological and cytogenetic characters have been comparatively overlooked. In this study, we established for the first time the physical mapping of 35S rDNA loci and heterochromatin, and obtained karyo-morphological data for ten Lebanese Iris species belonging to four sections (Iris, Limniris, Oncocyclus and Scorpiris). Our results evidenced distinctive genomic profiles for each one of the sections, where Oncocyclus irises, while having the lowest chromosome numbers, exhibit both the highest number of 35S loci and CMA3+ sites. The continental radiation of royal irises has been accompanied by a relative karyological and cytogenetic stasis, even though some changes were observed regarding karyotype formula and asymmetry indexes. In addition to that, our results enabled taxonomic differentiation between I. germanica and I. mesopotamica–two taxa currently considered as synonyms–and highlighted the need for further studies on populations of I. persica and I. wallasiae in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

41 p., Background and aims: Juniperus excelsa M.-Bieb. is a major forest element in the mountains of the eastern part of Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean regions. This study comprises the first morphological investigation covering a large part of the geographical range of J. excelsa and aims to verify the congruency between the morphological results and molecular results of a previous study. Methodology: We studied 14 populations sampled from Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Turkey and Lebanon, from which 11 have previously been investigated using molecular markers. Three hundred and ninety four individuals of J. excelsa were examined using nine biometric features characterising cones, seeds and shoots; and eight derived ratios. Statistical analyses were conducted in order to evaluate the intra and interpopulation morphological variability. Principal results: The level of intra-population variability observed did not show any geographic trends. The total variation mostly depended on the ratios of cone diameter/seed width and seed width/seed length. The discrimination analysis, the Ward agglomeration method and barrier analysis results showed a separation into three main clusters of the sampled populations. These results confirmed, in part, the geographic differentiation revealed by molecular markers with a lower level of differentiation and a less clear geographic pattern. The most differentiated populations using both markers corresponded to old, isolated populations in the high altitudes of Lebanon (>2000 m). Moreover a separation of the northern Turkish population from the southern Turkish populations was observed using both markers. Conclusions: Morphological variation together with genetic and biogeographic studies together make an effective good tool for detecting relict plant populations and also populations subjected to more intensive selection., The research was conducted within the statutory research programme of the Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kórnik, Poland and supported by the Research Council of Saint-Joseph University of Beirut.

The manifestation of coronary artery disease (CAD) follows a well-choreographed series of events that includes damage of arterial endothelial cells and deposition of lipids in the sub-endothelial layers. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of multiple populations with distinctive genetic and lifestyle backgrounds are a crucial step in understanding global CAD pathophysiology. In this study, we report a GWAS on the genetic basis of arterial stenosis as measured by cardiac catheterization in a Lebanese population. The locus of the phosphatase and actin regulator 1 gene (PHACTR1) showed association with coronary stenosis in a discovery experiment with genome wide data in 1,949 individuals (rs9349379, OR = 1.37, p = 1.57×10(-5)). The association was replicated in an additional 2,547 individuals (OR = 1.31, p = 8.85×10(-6)), leading to genome-wide significant association in a combined analysis (OR = 1.34, p = 8.02×10(-10)). Results from this GWAS support a central role of PHACTR1 in CAD susceptibility irrespective of lifestyle and ethnic divergences. This association provides a plausible component for understanding molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of stenosis in cardiac vessels and a potential drug target against CAD.

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) and their replications that have associated DNA variants with myocardial infarction (MI) and/or coronary artery disease (CAD) are predominantly based on populations of European or Eastern Asian descent. Replication of the most significantly associated polymorphisms in multiple populations with distinctive genetic backgrounds and lifestyles is crucial to the understanding of the pathophysiology of a multifactorial disease like CAD. We have used our Lebanese cohort to perform a replication study of nine previously identified CAD/MI susceptibility loci (LTA, CDKN2A-CDKN2B, CELSR2-PSRC1-SORT1, CXCL12, MTHFD1L, WDR12, PCSK9, SH2B3, and SLC22A3), and 88 genes in related phenotypes. The study was conducted on 2,002 patients with detailed demographic, clinical characteristics, and cardiac catheterization results. One marker, rs6922269, in MTHFD1L was significantly protective against MI (OR = 0.68, p = 0.0035), while the variant rs4977574 in CDKN2A-CDKN2B was significantly associated with MI (OR = 1.33, p = 0.0086). Associations were detected after adjustment for family history of CAD, gender, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and smoking. The parallel study of 88 previously published genes in related phenotypes encompassed 20,225 markers, three quarters of which with imputed genotypes The study was based on our genome-wide genotype data set, with imputation across the whole genome to HapMap II release 22 using HapMap CEU population as a reference. Analysis was conducted on both the genotyped and imputed variants in the 88 regions covering selected genes. This approach replicated HNRNPA3P1-CXCL12 association with CAD and identified new significant associations of CDKAL1, ST6GAL1, and PTPRD with CAD. Our study provides evidence for the importance of the multifactorial aspect of CAD/MI and describes genes predisposing to their etiology.

Juniperus excelsa constitutes a precious woody species of high ecological value able to grow up to Mountain treeline around the Mediterranean. Nuclear microsatellites were used to shed light on genetic diversity and differentiation of different Mediterranean populations. This information is essential in planning conservation strategies and reforestation programs., Background and aims Juniperus excelsa is an important woody species in the high mountain ecosystems of the eastern Mediterranean Basin where it constitutes the only coniferous species found at the tree line. The genetic diversity within and among J. excelsa populations of the eastern Mediterranean Basin is studied in the light of their historical fragmentation. Methodology Nuclear microsatellites originally developed for Juniperus communis and J. przewalskii were tested on 320 individuals from 12 different populations originating from Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and the Ukraine. Principal results Among the 31 nuclear microsatellite primers tested, only three produced specific amplification products, with orthology confirmed by sequence analysis. They were then used for genetic diversity studies. The mean number of alleles and the expected heterozygosity means were Na=8.78 and He=0.76, respectively. The fixation index showed a significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and an excess of homozygotes (FIS=0.27–0.56). A moderate level of genetic differentiation was observed among the populations (FST=0.075, P2000 m) in Lebanon. These populations were differentiated from the other populations that are grouped into three sub-clusters. Conclusions High levels of genetic diversity were observed at species and population levels. The high level of differentiation in the high-mountain Lebanese populations reflects a long period of isolation or possibly a different origin. The admixture observed in other populations from Lebanon suggests a more recent separation from the Turkish–southeastern European populations.