Abstract:To contribute to the knowledge of beetles (Coleoptera) of the mountainous region of Morocco, Talassemtane National Park (Western Rif, Chefchaouen district, Morocco) was surveyed. This is an exceptional protected area of the Mediterranean Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve (RIBM). The inventory was made using different traps combined with active searching periodically during 2013 and 2014. Among numerous species belonging to various families, the darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) represent one of the major groups, in terms of diversity and heritage value. Thirty five species were identified, two species are new records to Morocco, and two other species, which were hitherto only known by the type specimens, have been rediscovered

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The cork oak (Quercus suber L.) has been the focus of research dealing with the conservation and reforestation of this species due to its economic importance and the problem of deforestation affecting it. The genetic diversity of this tree species, its main aspect of adaptation, has not been sufficiently studied. The Moroccan cork oak tree is found in the northern part of the country, where the fruits of the tree are soft corns. This forest tree species has undergone a strong decline due to many factors, including a significant loss of its biological diversity. While working within the national framework of protection and enhancement of this tree species, our research aimed to analyze and assess the phenotypic diversity of different provenances, using qualitative and quantitative dendrometric traits and geographical characteristics such as the total height of the tree (H), the height to the first branch (Hbr), girth (Gir), surface coefficient of the bole (K) (K = (H × Gir/200)), number of branches (NbrBr), vigor (V), foliage density (D), and altitude. The population of trees studied included 390 individuals from 6 regional provenances: the central plateau, Mamora, the Middle Atlas, the western Rif, the eastern Rif, and the Atlantic Rif. Univariate analysis showed a highly significant variability among these provenances. The highest coefficient of variation concerned K (62.79%) and Gir (42%), followed by NbrBr and Hbr with 32% and 30%, respectively. Hierarchical clustering led to the identification of 2 major groups, with the central plateau and eastern Rif representing the first group, and the Middle Atlas, western Rif, Atlantic Rif, and the Mamora forest representing the second group. The assembling of different groups as explained by dendrometric variation is mainly based on geographical traits.

Morocco is one of the most important regions of the world in terms of L. number and variation. This species is in decline due to several factors, which can lead to permanent loss of this resource. It would be essential to evaluate the genetic diversity in order to conserve maximum genetic variability of this species. The genetic diversity and differentiation of 16 sites from five regions representing the entire range of Moroccan Cork Oak were assessed. Twenty-three ISSR primers used generated 985 polymorphic fragments with an average of 42.8 bands per primer and showed 100% of polymorphism. The 173 individuals revealed a moderate level of genetic diversity at species level (I = 0.27, He = 0.161). The AMOVA showed that the highest level of diversity occurred within populations (64%), this was also confirmed by the coefficient of differentiation (Gst = 0.47). The estimated gene flow (Nm = 0.56) and the Mantel test revealed a significant correlation between geographic and genetic diversity (r = 0.266; = 0.001). This genetic structure was further shown by the topology of the UPGMA, sPCA and STRUCTURE analysis. In addition, a core collection of 34 genotypes was established representing the essential diversity detected. This research advocates populations and individuals to preserve in order to improve and conserve this resource in the future.

Assessing biodiversity loss and species extinction is necessary to warn society and raise awareness of the impacts of ongoing climate change. Prioritizing protected areas is the pragmatic and applicable management measure under the pressure of ongoing climate change and limited resources to conserve species at risk of extinction. We developed a novel conservation index (CI) to prioritize areas and populations of an endangered mountain tree species that need protection in the face of ongoing climate change, as conservation of all populations may not be realistic. This CI integrates (1) mountain topography to identify potential refugial areas with suitable microclimates, (2) genetic diversity to assess the adaptive capacity of local populations, and (3) hypothetical climate change in the species' range. We applied this CI to Atlas cedar, an endemic and threatened species whose populations are scattered throughout the Moroccan mountains. This index provided a scale for 33 populations studied and suggests that genetically diverse populations located in rugged areas where future local climate may overlap with their current climatic niche should receive a higher conservation priority. This index may also be applicable to other mountain species with scattered populations and is likely to be more accurate if more precise climate data are used at the microrefugia scale.