The aim of the present study was to extract starch from acorn (Quercus suber L.) fruits using water and alkaline methods. Structural and functional properties of extracted starches were investigated and compared to those of corn and modified starches in order to determine their innovative potential application in food industry. The yield of extraction using the two methods was about 48.32% and 48.1%. The isolated starches showed low moisture, fat and protein contents, revealing high purity and quality. Additionally, the starch extracted using the alkaline method (AAS) showed higher lightness (60.41) when compared to starch isolated using hot water (WAS). However, the lightest white color was found for studied commercial starches. Moreover, AAS starch exhibited the highest swelling power, solubility and water absorption, followed by WAS and commercial starches. Results showed that extracted acorn starches were characterized by greater enthalpy and gelatinization temperatures. Similar observations were noted using FT-IR spectra analysis for all analyzed starches. In addition, granule starches observed using scanning electron microscopy were found to be spherical and ovoid. However, from the analysis by X-ray diffraction, a crystalline pattern of C-type was found for acorn starches, while commercial starches presented an A-type pattern. As an innovative food application, these underexploited acorn starches were valued and served to produce new custards with improved functional properties and better microstructure when compared to commercial custard.

Climate change and land degradation menace ecosystem sustainability. This study assessed the effectiveness of integrating nature-based solutions (NBSs); soil and water conservation techniques, agroforestry, and reforestation, to mitigate these impacts. Focusing on carbon storage and sediment retention at the watershed level (Sidi Barrak), the InVEST model quantified changes from 1990 to 2050 under the Business as Usual (BAU) and management scenarios. The results showed a significant decrease in sediment retention and carbon storage from 19.25 to 15.5 t ha⁻¹year⁻¹ and from 1.72 to 1.61 t ha⁻¹year⁻¹, respectively, between 1990 and 2021. By 2050, BAU scenario projections demonstrate a 28% decrease in sediment retention and a 16% drop in carbon storage under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5. The Management scenarios indicate substantial improvements, with carbon storage increasing by 77% and sediment retention by 87% when all strategies were combined. The economic valuation, performed through the application of the cost–benefit analysis, shows positive net benefit values (NPVs) for the different NBS management scenarios. The combined management scenario, which includes soil and water conservation techniques, agroforestry, and reforestation under the same scenario, presents the highest total NPV with 11.4 M€ (2%, 2050), an average of 130 €/ha (2%, 2050), and an opportunity cost of 1.7 M€ compared to BAU. Such results may orient decision-making by providing solid arguments toward ecosystem resilience and climate change mitigation.

Forest ecosystems are an important anthropogenic pillar to human wellbeing, providing a multitude of ecosystem services. In Mediterranean countries, where climate change effects are exponentially increasing, the value of the forest ecosystem services is even higher and their preservation is more crucial. However, the biophysical and economic value of such services is usually not observable due to their non-marketable characteristics, leading to their underestimation by decision-makers. This paper aims to guide decision-making through a set of new management scenarios based on ecosystem services’ values and their spatial distribution. It is a cumulative multidisciplinary study based on biophysical models results, economically valued and implemented using the geographic information system (GIS) to analyze spatial data. The investigation was based on a biophysical and economic valuation of cork, grazing, carbon sequestration and sediment retention as a selection of ecosystem services provided by cork oak forest (Ain Snoussi, Tunisia). The valuation was made for the actual situation and two management scenarios (density decrease and afforestation of the shrub land), with emphasis on their spatial distribution as a basis to new management. The total economic value (TEV) of the investigated services provided by Ain Snoussi forest (3787 ha) was €0.55 million/year corresponding to €194/ha/year. The assessment of two different scenarios based on the land cover changes showed that the afforestation scenario provided the highest TEV with €0.68 million/year and an average of €217/ha, while the density decrease scenario provided €0.54 million/year and an average of €191/ha. Such results may orient decision-makers about the impact new management may have, however they should be applied with caution and wariness due to the importance of the spatial dimension in this study.

1. Oaks, belonging to the Quercus genus, are extensively distributed in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, encompassing regions such as Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, a...

Background and Aims: Assessing intra-specific trait covariation across populations is essential to understand species’ adaptive responses to climatic variation. However, in tree species this is understudied for early-life stages despite their greater vulnerability to environmental changes, and climatic adaptations can differ between tree ages. In this paper we study the integrated phenotype of Quercus suber during the months following germination. For this purpose we assessed the covariation of key traits involved in seedlings’ water and C economies along a gradient of aridity at seed origin. Methods: We performed a provenance trial with 157 Q. suber seedlings originating from seven different populations across the species distribution. The seedlings were germinated and grown for 4 months under common conditions. Acorn mass along with 11 above- and below-ground traits involved in water and carbon use were measured. They were organized into latent variables and their covariation with increasing aridity and temperatures was analysed using structural equation modelling. Individual traits were also analysed with linear mixed-effects models to account for maternal effects. Key Results: Seedlings from arid populations displayed a higher leaf evaporative surface coupled with greater root development. They also showed greater stomatal size and chlorophyll content, strongly linked to traits conferring drought and heat tolerance (low root–shoot ratio and high flavonoids). The development of above- and below-ground tissues responded mainly to acorn mass, whereas leaf physiology variations were associated with the populations’ climate. Conclusions: Surprisingly, dry-origin seedlings display a more acquisitive strategy at the whole-plant level compared with seedlings from mesic provenances. This allows greater water and carbon uptake capacities following germination, which is critical for their survival during their first summer. Leaf physiology adjustments to populations’ climate contrasts with observations by other studies addressing juvenile trees, highlighting the use by Q. suber of varying adaptive strategies at different ontogenic stages.