Faten Y. Ellmouni
@fayoum university
Botany department/ Faculty of Science
associate professor
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Plant Science, Agronomy and Crop Science, Molecular Biology, Computer Science
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Monier Abd El-Ghani, Hasnaa Hosni, Eman Shamso, and Faten Ellmouni
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract Background Endemism is essential in biodiversity, biogeography, and conservation tasks. Based on herbarium specimens kept in some local herbaria, many published literature, and available information, we compiled a comprehensive list and an updated assessment of the Egyptian endemic and near-endemic taxa. The application of quantitative approaches to the distribution patterns, conservation status, and habitat preference of endemic taxa in Egypt was provided. Comparisons of the near-endemic taxa with other neighbouring flora were explained. For each taxon, the distribution patterns, most preferable habitat, biological spectrum, and taxa among 14 phytogeographical regions (Operational Geographical Units; OGUs) of Egypt were determined. Results In this study, 19 endemics (out of 70) and 76 near-endemics (out of 181) are newly added taxa. Differentiation indices represented the taxonomic degrees of differentiation among endemic taxa. Two different indices were used to assess endemism: single-region endemic taxa (SRET) and multiple-region endemic taxa (MRET). Most endemic and near-endemic taxa were recorded from the mountainous Sinai (S) and the Mareotis sector of the Mediterranean coastal land (Mm). Generally, the most represented families in endemic and near-endemic areas were Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Lamiaceae, and Fabaceae. More than 60% of the endemic taxa occurred in the sandy plains, wadis (desert valleys), and rocky plains and mountains. Applying hierarchical cluster analysis to the occurrences of 70 endemic taxa in the 14 studied OGUs revealed five main floristic groups (I–V), each characterized by certain OGUs. We provided eight groups of near-endemic taxa that represented their extension in neighbouring countries. Conclusions The presented data will help to fill the gap in our knowledge of endemism, provide baseline information to understand biogeographical processes and facilitate further cooperation toward conservation purposes.
Ahmed S. Fuoad, Abdelfattah Badr, Ahmed Faried, and Faten Yousef Ellmouni
Egyptian Knowledge Bank
The classification of species in the subtribe Plucheinae (Inuleae - Asteraceae) has been addressed by several authors using morphological characters and DNA sequences. However, neither of the published investigations afforded a convenient classification of the subtribe Plucheinae. Therefore, the present investigation aimed to evaluate the potential use of rbcL sequence, which has not been used before in phylogenetic studies of Plucheinae, taxa, either alone or in combination with morphological characters. In the current study, phylogenetic trees based on the morphological traits variation strongly support the differentiation of Tessaria integrifolia, Cylindrocline commersonii, Geigeria alata, Sphaeranthus suaveolens , and Sphaeranthus indicus , from a larger clade that encompasses all species of Pluchea and other species, such as Dittrichia viscosa and Pulicaria dysenterica , which served as outgroup species within the subtribe Inulinae in the current study. However, the rbcL polymorphism demonstrated the separation of Dittrichia viscosa and Pulicaria dysenterica from Plucheinae species. Furthermore, it revealed the paraphyly of Pluchea and Laggera and the incorporation of Laggera alata and Tessaria integrifolia into the Pluchea clades. The rbcL data confirmed the current taxonomic position of most of the Plucheinae species at the genus level. The analysis of the combined rbcL sequence polymorphism and variations in the morphological traits produced a better resolution of the examined species compared to the trees based on the analysis of the rbcL only. Heat maps illustrating the taxonomic relatedness of the studied species generally revealed results like those of the cluster trees and the PCA scatter diagrams. In conclusion, the rbcL sequences are helpful for the authentication and discrimination of Plucheinae species. However, the phylogenetic analysis of the rbcL barcode polymorphism revealed ambiguous taxonomic relationships among Plucheinae species and its heterogeneity of the taxonomic group.
Ahmed S. Mohamed, Mohamed M. Moawad, Faten Y. Ellmouni, Mohamed E. Tantawy, and Alsafa H. Mohamed
Egypts Presidential Specialized Council for Education and Scientific Research
Heba H. Abouseada, Al-Safa H. Mohamed, Samir S. Teleb, Abdelfattah Badr, Mohamed E. Tantawy, Shafik D. Ibrahim, Faten Y. Ellmouni, and Mohamed Ibrahim
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract Background Wheat is a major cereal that can narrow the gap between the increasing human population and food production. In this connection, assessing genetic diversity and conserving wheat genetic resources for future exploitation is very important for breeding new cultivars that may withstand the expected climate change. The current study evaluates the genetic diversity in selected wheat cultivars using ISSR and SCoT markers, the rbcL and matK chloroplast DNA barcoding, and grain surface sculpture characteristics. We anticipate that these objectives may prioritize using the selected cultivars to improve wheat production. The selected collection of cultivars may lead to the identification of cultivars adapted to a broad spectrum of climatic environments. Results Multivariate clustering analyses of the ISSR and SCoT DNA fingerprinting polymorphism grouped three Egyptian cultivars with cultivar El-Nielain from Sudan, cultivar Aguilal from Morocco, and cultivar Attila from Mexico. In the other group, cultivar Cook from Australia and cultivar Chinese-166 were differentiated from four other cultivars: cultivar Cham-10 from Syria, cultivar Seri-82 from Mexico, cultivar Inqalab-91 from Pakistan, and cultivar Sonalika from India. In the PCA analysis, the Egyptian cultivars were distinct from the other studied cultivars. The rbcL and matK sequence variation analysis indicated similarities between Egyptian cultivars and cultivar Cham-10 from Syria and cultivar Inqalab-91 from Pakistan, whereas cultivar Attila from Mexico was distinguished from all other cultivars. Combining the data of ISSR and SCoT with the rbcL and matK results retained the close resemblance among the two Egyptian cultivars EGY1: Gemmeiza-9 and EGY3: Sakha-93, and the Moroccan cultivar Aguilal, and the Sudanese cultivar El-Nielain and between Seri-82, Inqalab-91, and Sonalika cultivars. The analysis of all data distinguished cultivar Cham-10 from Syria from all other cultivars, and the analysis of grain traits indicated a close resemblance between cv. Cham-10 from and the two Egyptian cultivars Gemmeiza-9 and Sakha-93. Conclusions The analysis of rbcL and matK chloroplast DNA barcoding agrees with the ISSR and the SCoT markers in supporting the close resemblance between the Egyptian cultivars, particularly Gemmeiza-9 and Sakha-93. The ISSR and SCoT data analyses significantly expressed high differentiation levels among the examined cultivars. Cultivars with closer resemblance may be recommended for breeding new wheat cultivars adapted to various climatic environments.
Iman H. Nour, Khadiga Alhadead, Faten Y. Ellmouni, Reem Badr, Tamannouha I. Saad, Ahmed EL-Banhawy, and Salwa M. Abdel Rahman
MDPI AG
Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceae, Acalyphoideae) is a highly variable species known as the castor oil plant. This study aimed to describe R. communis using several methodologies, such as vegetative morphometry, leaf surface ultrastructure, soil analysis, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, to understand the diversity of this species. The morphological analysis revealed that some samples had purple stems while others were grayish-green. The purple-stemmed R. communis phenotype reflects the intra-specific diversity of the species. The multivariate analysis of 25 R. communis samples based on 34 vegetative morphometric characteristics revealed that they belonged to three main groups (morphotypes). Each group attained some specific characteristics discriminating it from the other groups. Selected samples from each group were investigated using SEM, soil analysis, and GC-MS. The performed GC-MS technique revealed that six major compounds were detected in the chromatograms of the studied samples. The highest percentages of n-Hexadecanoic acid and 9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid were recorded. Ricinus communis demonstrated adaptive growth capability, where plants inhabiting coastal sites are salt-sensitive, while inland plants are relatively drought-tolerant species. The intra-specific variation between R. communis morphotypes indicated the possibility of the direct and indirect use of these varieties in genetic improvement programs of the species.
Ahmed Elkordy, Iman H. Nour, Faten Y. Ellmouni, Najla A. Al Shaye, Dhafer A. Al-Bakre, and Ahmed EL-Banhawy
MDPI AG
Jabal Al-Ward is one of the Hijazi mountains situated between Al-Ulā and Al-Wajh, southwest Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia’s northwesterly border region. It is considered the highest mountain in this area and is enriched in wildlife. For the first time, the present research aimed to investigate the floristic composition, phytogeographical distribution, and plant diversity in Jabal Al-Ward. One hundred ninety-eight species representing 47 plant families have been identified. The Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Fabaceae represented more than a third of the region’s floristic composition. The perennial species (53.5%) were dominant over the annuals (46.46%). This is a prominent feature in Jabal Al-Ward, where the perennial species may be more tolerant of climatic changeability than the annuals. Seven life form categories were found; therophytes (46.46%) showed to be the most common life form. In addition, there were four main phytogeographical groups: Mono-regional, Bi-regional, Pluri-regional, and Worldwide. The Mono-regional and Bi-regional categories had the highest participation, with 38.5% and 37.4%, respectively. Thirty-six species (18.2%) were found to be native to the Saharo-Arabian region. The Saharo-Arabian region was combined with eight more regions, including Saharo-Arabian/Sudano-Zambesian (12.6%), Irano-Turanian/Saharo-Arabian (9.1%), Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian (5.6%), Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian (4.5%), Irano-Turanian/Saharo-Arabian/Sudano-Zambesian (2%), Euro-Siberian/Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian and Saharo-Arabian/Sudanian (1% each), Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian/Sudano-Zambesian, and Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian/Saharo-Zambesian (0.5% each). The current study demonstrated the highest species richness compared to earlier research on various locations in Tabuk Province. In future work, the species and endemic richness along elevation gradients should be studied in Jabal Al-Ward. As well as the IUCN status of each taxon, the DNA barcoding of endangered species will be of great significance if applied in the surveyed area.
Marwa A. Fakhr, Yasser S. A. Mazrou, Faten Y. Ellmouni, AlBaraa ElSaied, Mohamed Elhady, Amr Elkelish, and Iman H. Nour
MDPI AG
Phenotypic plasticity is frequently highlighted as a key factor in plant invasiveness, as it enables invasive species to adapt to diverse, complicated habitats. Trianthema portulacastrum is one of the most common aggressive species that threaten different crops around the world. Phenotypic plasticity in T. portulacastrum was investigated by comparing variation in germination, vegetative macromorphology, photosynthetic pigments, stomatal complexes, and seed micromorphological traits of 35 samples collected from 35 different localities. One-way cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to classify samples into homogeneous groups based on the measured traits. Pairwise statistical comparisons were conducted between the three resulting groups. The phenotypic plasticity index (PI) was calculated and compared among different groups of characters. Results showed that photosynthetic pigments and macromorphological characteristics had the highest PI, followed by seed micromorphology, and then stomatal complex traits, while germination parameters showed the lowest PI. We propose that soil moisture, salinity, and temperature are the most determinative and explanative variables of the variation between the three classified groups. We strongly believe that the phenotypic plasticity of T. portulacastrum will support species abundance and spread even under expected changes in climatic conditions, in contrast to the vulnerable traditional crops.
Hanan Ahmed, Abdelfattah Badr, Hanaa El-Shazly, Linda Watson, Ahmed Fouad, and Faten Ellmouni
MDPI AG
The genus Trifolium is one of the largest genera of the legume family Fabaceae with ca. 255 species. The genus is divided into eight sections; the section Trifolium is a major section of the genus, comprising 73 species mainly distributed in the Mediterranean region. We used nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and morphological variation to reconsider the delimitation and phylogenetic relationships of species in the section Trifolium with reference to chromosomal variations. Bayesian analysis of ITS data delimited the species as three clades based on the analysis of ITS sequence and informative indels in combination with morphological variation. The phylogeny of the species by different analyses methods does not support their current delimitation in 17 subsections. The basic chromosome number x = 8 is the number for the genus Trifolium, from which x = 7, 6 and 5 were derived through successive aneuploidy events. With reference to the distribution of these numbers in the species of the section Trifolium, species in clade III and clade II are more evolved than species in clade I.
Ahmed EL-Banhawy, Iman H. Nour, Carmen Acedo, Ahmed ElKordy, Ahmed Faried, Widad AL-Juhani, Ahmed M. H. Gawhari, Asmaa O. Olwey, and Faten Y. Ellmouni
MDPI AG
The genus Silene L. is one of the largest genera in Caryophyllaceae, and is distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and South America. The endemic species Silene leucophylla and the near-endemic S. schimperiana are native to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. They have reduced population size and are endangered on national and international scales. These two species have typically been disregarded in most studies of the genus Silene. This research integrates the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), species micromorphology, and the phylogenetic analysis of four DNA markers: ITS, matK, rbcL and psb-A/trn-H. Trichomes were observed on the stem of Silene leucophylla, while the S. schimperiana has a glabrous stem. Irregular epicuticle platelets with sinuate margin were found in S. schimperiana. Oblong, bone-shaped, and irregularly arranged epidermal cells were present on the leaf of S. leucophylla, while Silene schimperiana leaf has “tetra-, penta-, hexa-, and polygonal” epidermal cells. Silene leucophylla and S. schimperiana have amphistomatic stomata. The Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of each marker individually or in combination represented the first phylogenetic study to reveal the generic and sectional classification of S. leucophylla and S. schimperiana. Two Silene complexes are proposed based on morphological and phylogenetic data. The Leucophylla complex was allied to section Siphonomorpha and the Schimperiana complex was related to section Sclerocalycinae. However, these two complexes need further investigation and more exhaustive sampling to infer their complex phylogenetic relationships.
Ahmed EL-Banhawy, Ahmed ElKordy, Reham Farag, Ola Abd Elbar, Ahmed Faried, and Faten Ellamouni
Egypts Presidential Specialized Council for Education and Scientific Research
The genus Mangifera L. belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, order Sapindales with 69 known species. Mangifera indica is an essential major tropical crop in the globe economy. This study aims to portray the significance of the usage of geometric and micrometric leaf traits to characterize Mango cultivars. Thirty-three morphological and anatomical leaf traits of 41 Mango accessions belong to six cultivars were investigated. The data were analyzed using statistical packages under R environment. Results showed that geometric and micrometric leaf traits such as the leaf length, width, petiole length, leaf blade shape, the shape of upper and lower epidermal cells, the outline of the vascular cylinder, and the number of phloem resin canal were of significance value in the characterization of Mango cultivars. Taxonomic diagnostic key based on some of those traits was constructed. ANOVAs, MANOVA, correlation, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) retrieved the significance of applying those leaf traits as cultivar identifiers. The cluster analysis (pvclust) divided the six Mango cultivars into two clusters. The morphological and anatomical clusters similarities gathered “Ewias, Alfons and Sokare” in the one cluster and “Fagr Kilane and Balade” in another cluster, only one cultivar (Zebdah), spread among both clusters. Heatmap clustering confirms the anatomical (pvclust) and the diagnostic key. The present investigation estimate that the attributes of the Mango leaf could be useful and straightforward cultivar identifiers that could be followed by Mango breeders to save time, efforts and money in terms of being unhindered by long juvenile stage of the tree.
Nahla El-Sherif, Faten Ellmouni, Avtar Handa, and Mohamed Ibrahim
Egypts Presidential Specialized Council for Education and Scientific Research
EFFECT of higher levels of polyamines (PAs), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM), were evaluated on the salicylic acid biosynthesis genes. It has been previously reported that higher steady state levels of a pathogenesis protein pR1b1, a salicylic acid (SA) regulated protein, are present in tomato fruits with higher levels of anabolic biogenic amines, spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) resulting from the expression of yeast S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC), under a fruit specific E8 promoter in ripening tomato fruit. Based on this observation, we hypothesized that high SPD/SPM fruit would enhance the expression of SA- biosynthesis genes leading to enhanced SA production. In plants, SA is synthesized either through phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) or isochorismate synthase (ICS) pathway. We identified ten putative genes for the SA biosynthesis pathways in tomato and determined the relative abundance of their transcript based on RNAseq transcriptomic analyses of mature green and turning stage tomato fruits from WT and two isogenic independent SAMDC-transgenic homozygous lines with higher levels of SPD/SPM in ripening fruits. We show that at MG stage the transgenic fruits exhibited higher steady state levels of transcripts of CS, PAL1-7, ICS, IPL/PRXR1, CS, and PAL 4-10, but lower levels for CM1, CM2, EPS1, and PBS3-2. At the turning stage of tomato fruit ripening the steady state levels of only CS and PBS3-2 were upregulated whereas the transcript levels of CM1, CM2, PaL1-4AAO, PBS3-1and EPS1 were down regulated. Taken together these results suggest that SPD/SPM play role in the SA biosynthesis and higher levels of various genes especially in in PAL pathway likely increased the SA levels in the transgenic fruits.
Faten Y. Ellmouni, Mohamed A. Karam, Refaat M. Ali, and Dirk C. Albach
Elsevier BV