Camel potentiality in survival and germination of wild pastoral species: The case of Fabaceae in Sahara rangelands of Algeria

Trabelsi Hafida, Chehma Abdelmadjid, Senoussi Abdelhakim, Faye Bernard, Kherraze Mohamed Elhafed. 2023. Camel potentiality in survival and germination of wild pastoral species: The case of Fabaceae in Sahara rangelands of Algeria. Journal of Arid Environments, 216:105015, 6 p.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2023.105015

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Résumé : Previous studies conducted in the Sahara desert have reported the consumption of wild native pastoral plants by camels. To test the hypothesis that camels may effectively break seed dormancy, we collected fresh faeces from different Saharan rangelands frequented by camels.Seeds were extracted from camel faeces and were quantified. Germination of extracted seeds was compared with that of freshly collected seeds under controlled conditions. Sixteen native pastoral species in 8 families and two unidentified species were quantified, with a high proportion of Fabaceae seeds recovered especially Astragalus ghysensis. The Digestive system of camels, effectively (1) broke seed physical dormancy exceptionally for Argyrolobium uniflorum, Astragalus cruciatus and Astragalus ghysensis there by promoting seed germination; (2) enhanced the percentage of germination of non-dormant seeds in Bassia muricata, Erodium glaucophyllum, Fagonia glutinosa and Plantago ciliata and (3) maintained viability but did not contribute to a prompt germination of Cornulaca monacantha seeds. Therefore, camels act as effective dispersers of these Fabaceae species by scattering seeds and promoting germination. We conclude that it is necessary to better understand the role of camels in the maintenance and conservation of the studied species by endozoochory.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : pastoralisme, Fabaceae, dromadaire, fèces, étude de cas, Astragalus, Erodium, xérophyte

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Algérie

Mots-clés libres : Camel, Sahara rangeland, Wild plants, Seed dormancy, Seed germination

Classification Agris : F62 - Physiologie végétale - Croissance et développement
F40 - Écologie végétale

Champ stratégique Cirad : CTS 2 (2019-) - Transitions agroécologiques

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