Forest Of Madagascar Research Articles

Effects of future climate change on the forests of Madagascar

AbstractGlobal climate change is continuing to occur at an alarming rate. In addition to increases in global weather extremes, melting of polar ice caps, and subsequent sea level rises, climate change is known to directly impact the life cycles and ecologies of many animals and plants. While climate change is projected to result in substantial geographic range and habitat contractions for many species in future, the effects of climate change on many habitats of conservation concern remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how future climate change is projected to impact the occurrence and distribution of four major forest types of Madagascar, a global biodiversity hotspot and conservation priority, over the next 60 years. We also compared how climate change effects vary among the four forest types under a “mitigation” climate forecast and under a “business‐as‐usual” trajectory. As expected, our models suggest that future climate change will affect the distribution of the four forest types under both trajectories, and forest occurrence is likely to decrease if mean temperatures, temperature seasonality, and precipitation rates increase as predicted. The exception is that forest gain is predicted to occur in the northwest of Madagascar, resulting in a small increase in transitional forest area under the “business‐as‐usual” climate change trajectory. Our study highlights that unmitigated climate change will have a negative impact on Madagascar's forests during the period up to the year 2080, and climate change therefore needs to be mitigated. Madagascar remains a global conservation priority, and urgent conservation action and protective legislation are required to safeguard the future of its native forest.

Diversité des Arthropodes de sous-bois des forêts sèches de Madagascar

Diversity of understory arthropods in the dry forests of Madagascar. The arthropods of Madagascar are among the most poorly known animal groups on the island. The principal objective of this study was to determine the diversity of this group at three different localities in lowland dry forests of western Madagascar. The three sites, all inventoried during the dry season in 2017, include: the Ankarafantsika National Park (16°18’S, annual rainfall: 867 mm) in the northwest; the forest of the Centre National de Formation, d’Études et de Recherches en Environnement et Forestier (CNFEREF) at Kirindy (20°04’S, annual rainfall: 555 mm) in the central west; and the Tsimanampesotse National Park (24°01’S, annual rainfall: 334 mm) in the extreme southwest. Malaise and pit-fall traps were used to capture arthropods and 24 orders belonging to 133 families were identified. The community at Ankarafantsika was the most diverse with 19 orders and 89 families with a more balanced taxonomic representation, while Tsimanampesotse had 18 orders and 69 families and Kirindy CNFEREF had 17 orders and 70 families. Calculated similarity between the different sites at the family level was relatively high, while that at the order level relatively low even given a certain level of homogeneity was noted between the three localities. The composition of arthropods in the dry forests of Madagascar varies according to local conditions, which include bioclimatic factors, and the characteristics of the vegetation at the three localities.

Areas of endemism in the Afrotropical region based on the geographical distribution of Tipulomorpha (Insecta: Diptera)

AbstractThis article explores the distributional data of 2440 occurrence records for 1415 Tipulomorpha (Insecta: Diptera) species to search endemism patterns in the Afrotropical region and to propose a regionalisation scheme. The results were compared to areas of endemism proposed in previous works for other taxa. Areas of endemism were established using NDM/VNDM based on a grid size of 8° and consensus cut‐off of 24%. In this study, five subregions were found: Arabian, Atlantic, Indian, Southern Africa and Central Africa. These subregions are divided into 12 dominions: Arabian Peninsula, Atlantic Islands, Central Africa, Central Madagascar, Eastern Africa, Indian Ocean, Northwestern Africa, Southeastern Africa, Southern Africa, Southern Madagascar, Southwestern Africa and Western Africa. There is a general congruence of the dominions with the distribution of the main hydrographic basins and divisions of the forests of Madagascar.

Seasonal variation in the vertical distribution of birds in the dry deciduous forest of central western Madagascar

The annual patterns of precipitation in the dry deciduous forest of Madagascar are characterized by a dry season when the majority of trees lose their leaves and a wet season with full foliage development. Such variation allows the examination in shifts in the vertical distribution of birds and to their response to changing environmental conditions. Patterns of birds in the dry deciduous forest of Kirindy CNFEREF, central western Madagascar, were analyzed related to the vertical variation of vegetation structure and microclimate during 2 study periods: the dry (24 Aug to 16 Sep 2017) and wet seasons (25 Jan to 17 Feb 2018). Six line transects in forest habitat of 1,000 m each were used to survey birds, and each was associated with linear sampling to quantify vegetation structure. Data loggers were employed to record temperature and relative humidity across the vertical strata. During the dry season, associated with the microclimate aridity and reduction in vegetation cover in the upper strata, the number of species and individual birds found on the ground increased. During the wet season, fewer birds occurred on the ground, and abundance and species richness increased in the canopy. These results show the sensitivity of birds with regard to environmental fluctuations. However, regardless of the season, birds frequented mainly the mid-story, which had the highest abundance of species as compared to upper and lower vertical strata.

The influence of seasonality, anthropogenic disturbances, and cyclonic activity on the behavior of northern sportive lemurs (Lepilemur septentrionalis) at Montagne des Français, Madagascar.

Anthropogenic tropical deforestation and degradation imminently threaten primates today. Primates living in these disturbed habitats may also be subjected to increasingly severe tropical storms such as cyclones or hurricanes. These disturbances pose an immediate risk to their livelihood and can dramatically alter their habitats, in turn potentially shifting behavioral patterns. We had the unique opportunity to study the effects of seasonality, anthropogenic disturbances, and the immediate effects of a cyclone on the behavior of the critically endangered northern sportive lemur (NSL) in an anthropogenically disturbed forest in Madagascar. Cyclone Enawo made landfall on March 7, 2017 in northeast Madagascar with sustained wind speeds of 230 km/h. We collected behavioral data on nine individual NSLs during both wet and dry seasons, before and after Cyclone Enawo, and in areas of differing human activity, using scan sampling at 5-min intervals. We ran generalized linear mixed models to test the effects of seasonality and disturbances on behavior. We found that NSLs spent more time feeding in dry months compared with wet (Z = -4.21, p < 0.001). More specifically, they spent more time-consuming leaves and vine species in the dry season (Z = -2.26, p = 0.02; Z = -2.3; p = 0.02). We also found that NSLs were observed at lower heights in trees after the cyclone (Z = -2.45; p = 0.016) and spent more time in the interior portions of trees (Z = 3.44; p < 0.001), perhaps due to extensive limb damage of emergent trees documented after the cyclone. Our analyses show that seasonality affected most aspects of NSL behavior, followed by the effects of Cyclone Enawo, with anthropogenic disturbances having little effect. Our data suggest that the behavioral flexibility of NSLs in response to predictable seasonality may enable them to respond similarly to stochastic climatic disturbances. However, their generalist diet may allow them to persist in anthropogenically disturbed landscapes without the need to greatly alter their behavior.

Forest Restoration at Berenty Reserve, Southern Madagascar: A Pilot Study of Tree Growth Following the Framework Species Method

Forest conservation and restoration are urgently needed to preserve key resources for the endemic fauna of dry southern Madagascar. This is a priority in the shrinking, seasonally dry forest of Berenty, a private reserve in Southern Madagascar. However, to provide a basis for forest restoration, a study of tree growth and regeneration in this unique biome is essential. A three-year planting program of native and endemic species was initiated in 2016. Three trial plots were established in forest gaps, with varying microclimates and soil conditions: one on the riverside, one in the mid-forest and the third in a degraded dryland area. We planted 1297 seedlings of 24 native tree species with plantings spaced at 1 m and 1.5 m and measured their height and stem diameters and recorded seedling mortality. We also recorded plant recruitment on the plots from the nearby forest. The main findings were that growth was best on the mid-forest plot planted at 1 m. Seedling mortality was highest on the riverside plot for the 1 m seedlings and least in the mid-forest at both planting distances. Recruitment was highest in the mid-forest at both planting distances and high also at 1.5 m by the river. These results are intended to aid future forest restoration on the Reserve and may serve as a reference for restoration of other dry forests in Madagascar. Finally, since species identification is central to the project, we collected, prepared and catalogued tree specimens to form a reference collection in an herbarium under construction in a new Research Centre at the reserve.

Differential habitat use by sympatric species of mouse lemurs across a mangrove–dry forest habitat gradient

AbstractUnderstanding the mechanisms by which similar species coexist in sympatry is a major driver of ecological research. Niche partitioning and ecological plasticity can facilitate spatial and habitat use overlap between generalist and specialist species. Mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.) are a highly speciose group of small primates that are endemic to the forests of Madagascar. In northwestern Madagascar, the relatively widespread M. murinus occurs sympatrically with the microendemic M. ravelobensis. We investigated spatial distributions and densities of these two species across a mangrove–dry forest habitat gradient in Mariarano commune. We used capture-mark-recapture techniques and nocturnal line transect surveys along six transects during June and July 2017. Spatial capture-recapture and distance sampling models were used to estimate lemur densities across habitat types. The congeners displayed differential patterns of spatial distribution and densities. Microcebus murinus was found in similar densities across all habitat types, while M. ravelobensis was found at much higher densities in dry forests compared with mangroves. This suggests that the generalist M. murinus uses a wider array of habitats more evenly than the specialist M. ravelobensis. Our study provides empirical evidence of how cryptic lemur species differ in their habitat use and distribution across an environmental gradient and provides new insights into their ecology in an understudied habitat. Lemurs are one of the most threatened groups of mammals in the world, and understanding how these species are distributed across different forest types is crucial for planning and implementing conservation measures to protect lemur habitat.

Environmental drivers of Cheirogaleidae population density: Remarkable resilience of Madagascar's smallest lemurs to habitat degradation.

AimGlobal animal populations are in decline due to destruction and degradation of their natural habitat. Understanding the factors that determine the distribution and density of threatened animal populations is therefore now a crucial component of their study and conservation. The Cheirogaleidae are a diverse family of small‐bodied, nocturnal lemurs that are widespread throughout the forests of Madagascar. However, many cheirogaleid lemurs are now highly threatened with extinction and the environmental factors that determine their distribution and population density are still little known. Here, I investigated the environmental drivers of Cheirogaleidae population density at genus level.LocationVarious forest sites across Madagascar.MethodsI investigated how six environmental variables affect Cheirogaleidae population density at the genus level via random‐effect meta‐analyses. I then used a generalized linear mixed‐effects model to identify the primary predictors of Cheirogaleidae population density. Finally, I investigated how the population density of this family of lemurs varies between protected and unprotected areas of Madagascar via a GLM analysis.ResultsMy results indicate that the relationships between the tested environmental factors and population density are genus‐specific among the Cheirogaleidae. Rather remarkably, the density of Microcebus appears to have a profoundly positive relationship with anthropogenic disturbance and a negative relationship with forest cover, a finding that is also reflected by larger population densities within unprotected areas in comparison with localities within Madagascar's protected area network.Main ConclusionsThe results of this study are highly encouraging for the conservation of the Cheirogaleidae and highlight the remarkable resilience of these lemurs to habitat degradation and anthropogenic activity. However, this study also outlines the dearth of knowledge that we have for many species, and why these data are urgently needed to understand the biogeography and ecology of threatened animal populations and implement successful conservation.

Hot bats change torpor game rules

In just the same way that turning off the furnace in your house in the middle of a cold winter night causes the property to cool, when hibernating mammals stop generating heat during winter to conserve energy, their temperature also drops to match that of their environment. But not all animals turn down the inner thermostat for an entire season. A shorter version of hibernation is torpor, where animals stop keeping their body warm for a few hours or days when it is cold or when food is scarce. However, most of our understanding of how animals use torpor has been gleaned from research done in colder regions, where there is little spare heat and an animal's body temperature drops as soon as they turn down their inner furnace. But what happens when animals resort to this form of energy conservation in warmer climes? Stephanie Reher and Kathrin Dausmann, from the University of Hamburg, Germany, recently studied a species of bat (Macronycteris commersoni) in Madagascar and found that when these bats slow down their rate of energy usage, their body temperature actually increases.Reher and Dausmann found this new flavour of torpor by measuring both the bats’ skin temperature and metabolism when the animals were resting during the day. Unexpectedly, their skin temperature increased when the bats reduced their metabolism. In other words, the bats had been actively using energy to stay cooler than the surrounding air temperatures, and as soon they stopped putting effort in, their bodies heated up. In fact, the air temperature in the dry forests of Madagascar is often hotter than the bat's body temperature, sometimes as high as 41°C, and the bats’ body temperatures even reached 42.9°C on one occasion. Reher and Dausmann think that this ‘hot torpor’ saves the bats energy and allows them to better tolerate hotter temperatures.In addition to this unusual form of torpor, the bats did a second unique thing on cooler days, around 34°C; some bats entered many micro-spells of torpor throughout their daytime resting period, almost like cat-napping when you are supposed to be listening to a presentation. During these micro-spells of torpor, the bats used less energy, essentially pausing their metabolism for only a few minutes at a time (3–53 min). Because these micro-spells were so short, the body temperature did not have time to reach that of the local air; it only changed a little, shifting toward the air temperature. The researchers think this penny-pinching attitude saves the bats energy over time, but allows them to remain alert to any threats while they are roosting, compared with traditional lengthier periods of torpor when bats are lethargic or even unconscious – imagine being woken from a very deep sleep.In addition, this discovery of a novel mode of torpor reveals the importance of studying species in the tropics, where high temperatures can cause major physiological differences relative to species that reside in cooler climes. This finding, that some species do not follow the traditional rules of torpor, may also suggest that the rules were not right to begin with. The fact that body temperatures can increase when the metabolism is reduced may force us to reconsider our previous understanding of torpor and rewrite what, until now, was an accepted rule of thermal physiology.

Using Utilitarian Plants for Lemur Conservation

Nature and species conservation often conflict with intensive natural resource or land use. Many protected areas are too small for long-term conservation of viable vertebrate populations, especially in Madagascar, and forests are subject to exploitation for a variety of natural resources. Trying to exclude people from the use of these resources has not been successful during economic, natural, or political crises or when human population growth outruns any development effort. People need economic and other benefits, and conservation measures have to account for these needs. We compiled native and introduced tree, shrub, and herbaceous species used by both people and native vertebrates for three regions, covering the domains of the dry, transitional, and humid forest of Madagascar. We carried out semistructured interviews and group discussions in 12 different villages in each study region in November 2017. People listed 139 utilitarian plant taxa. Our literature search revealed that 72 of these plant species and 13 genera used by people, were also used by 208 different terrestrial vertebrates including 58 lemur species. Application of the Forest Landscape Restoration approach with a combination of exotic and native plant species used by both people and animals could increase the economic value of restored forest habitats for people, thus providing incentives for forest conservation. Plantations of mixed utilitarian trees and shrubs could be integrated into agricultural landscapes. Among land-living vertebrates, lemurs seem to benefit most from this approach. These measures might contribute to a successful array of biodiversity conservation in anthropogenic landscapes.

The evolutionary history of sedges (Cyperaceae) in Madagascar

AbstractAimMadagascar is renowned for its unparalleled biodiversity and endemism. With many ecosystems under threat, research is urgently needed on its unique plant diversity. This applies both to Madagascar's forests and treeless vegetation types. Sedges (Cyperaceae) are among the top 10 species‐richest angiosperm families in Madagascar (310 native species, 38% endemic), of which two‐thirds occur in open habitats. We aimed to infer the evolutionary history of sedges in Madagascar, by estimating the number, age and origins of endemic lineages, and how they diversified on the island. We tested contrasting hypotheses of (a) few colonizations but important in situ radiations against (b) a high number of anagenetic colonizations.LocationMadagascar and the surrounding Indian Ocean islands, integrated within a global dataset.TaxonSedge family Cyperaceae.MethodsWe estimated time‐calibrated molecular phylogenies encompassing a large proportion of Madagascar's known sedge flora (incl. 55% of native species), integrating sequence data for 1,382 accessions representing almost 25% of the c. 5,600 sedge species worldwide, combined with ancestral area reconstruction, diversification analyses and Bayesian stochastic mapping.ResultsCyperaceae lineages arrived in Madagascar from c. 40 Mya with many arriving more recently. About 20 endemic lineages of Cyperaceae occur on the island, of which only six encompass more than five species. All except one of the endemic lineages that diversified in Madagascar use the C3 photosynthetic pathway. The main biogeographical links of Madagascar's sedge flora are to Southern and Tropical Africa.Main conclusionsThe biogeographical history of Cyperaceae in Madagascar is a chronicle of relatively recent multiple in and out processes of long‐distance dispersal colonizations constrained by distance. Also, the Madagascar region is not only a ‘sink’ for immigrant taxa, in situ diversification and dispersal to other regions also occurred. Some of the most diverse endemic lineages show clear adaptation to local environments.

Complete chloroplast sequence of Fenerivia ghesquiereana (Annonaceae): a rare and endemic tree from Madagascar

Fenerivia ghesquiereana (Cavaco & Keraudren) R.M.K. Saunders (Annaonaceae) is a rare and endemic tree restricted to the warm tropical forests of Madagascar, a major global hotspot for biodiversity. Species in the genus are mostly restricted to a thin belt along the eastern edge of the island and remain under intense pressure due to deforestation for logging, mining and slash-and-burn agriculture (‘tavy’), despite national pledges to curb biodiversity losses and increase park protection to combat illegal logging and poaching. Here we report the complete chloroplast genome sequence of this species to support ongoing efforts to complete the (sub-)tribal classification of the family. The chloroplast sequence of F. ghesquiereana was 160,194 bp in length, including two inverted repeat regions of 26,093 bp, a large single-copy region of 89,041 bp and a small single-copy region of 18,967 bp. A total of 160 genes were annotated, of which 115 are coding, 37 are tRNA genes, and eight are rRNA genes. The overall GC content was 39%; this was higher in the IRs (43.4%) when compared to the LSC (30.7%) and the SSC (33.9%) regions. A Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis with a selection of other plastomes in Annonaceae placed F. ghesquiereana as sister to Meiogyne hainanensis (Merr.) in subfamily Malmeoideae.

Stress-related changes in leukocyte profiles and telomere shortening in the shortest-lived tetrapod, Furcifer labordi

BackgroundLife history theory predicts that during the lifespan of an organism, resources are allocated to either growth, somatic maintenance or reproduction. Resource allocation trade-offs determine the evolution and ecology of different life history strategies and define an organisms’ position along a fast–slow continuum in interspecific comparisons. Labord’s chameleon (Furcifer labordi) from the seasonal dry forests of Madagascar is the tetrapod species with the shortest reported lifespan (4–9 months). Previous investigations revealed that their lifespan is to some degree dependent on environmental factors, such as the amount of rainfall and the length of the vegetation period. However, the intrinsic mechanisms shaping such a fast life history remain unknown. Environmental stressors are known to increase the secretion of glucocorticoids in other vertebrates, which, in turn, can shorten telomeres via oxidative stress. To investigate to what extent age-related changes in these molecular and cellular mechanisms contribute to the relatively short lifetime of F. labordi, we assessed the effects of stressors indirectly via leukocyte profiles (H/L ratio) and quantified relative telomere length from blood samples in a wild population in Kirindy Forest. We compared our findings with the sympatric, but longer-lived sister species F. cf. nicosiai, which exhibit the same annual timing of reproductive events, and with wild-caught F. labordi that were singly housed under ambient conditions.ResultsWe found that H/L ratios were consistently higher in wild F. labordi compared to F. cf. nicosiai. Moreover, F. labordi already exhibited relatively short telomeres during the mating season when they were 3–4 months old, and telomeres further shortened during their post-reproductive lives. At the beginning of their active season, telomere length was relatively longer in F. cf. nicosiai, but undergoing rapid shortening towards the southern winter, when both species gradually die off. Captive F. labordi showed comparatively longer lifespans and lower H/L ratios than their wild counterparts.ConclusionWe suggest that environmental stress and the corresponding accelerated telomere attrition have profound effects on the lifespan of F. labordi in the wild, and identify physiological mechanisms potentially driving their relatively early senescence and mortality.

Open canopy increases the species richness of fungus weevils in Madagascar forests

Tropical forests have high biodiversity. Nevertheless limited information is available about the species richness of fungus weevils in the family Anthribidae in disturbed and undisturbed tropical forests. Anthribids are saproxylic, i.e., they depend on dead wood.Our aim was to investigate the relationships between the species richness of anthribids and environmental and other independent variables in the equatorial tropical forests of Madagascar.We used beating and sweep nets to collect adult anthribids in 62 forest sites over three consecutive years (2015–2017). We then used generalized linear models (GLM) to determine the relationships between anthribid species richness and the following independent variables: stage of the forest; canopy openness; largest deadwood size-category; number of size-categories present; wood decay stage; the presence of a flight corridor; elevation; number of times a site was sampled; and sampling year.Among the 202 anthribid species collected, > 50% were new (not described). Species richness was positively and closely related to openness and was independent of forest stage (old-growth vs. secondary); the number of new species detected, however, was higher in old-growth forests than in secondary forests. Species richness was also positively related to the quantity and quality of deadwood.Much of anthribids biodiversity is hidden and many new species may never be discovered if old-growth forests are logged. The openings in the canopy should be created to maintain suitable habitats for the occurrence of anthribids, but this does not usually require management. Canopies with openings occur naturally in old-growth forests and are commonly created in secondary forests by cutting. Leaving branches and twigs of various should help maintain the species richness of anthribids and probably of other organisms.

Perceptions des fragments forestiers par les habitants des forêts tropicales humides malgaches

Malgré des mesures de protection, la forêt dense humide de l’Est malgache tend à se réduire à des fragments forestiers. Le processus de fragmentation n’est pas pris en compte dans les suivis de la déforestation par télédétection qui comparent le couvert forestier entre plusieurs dates ; la question est de savoir s’il est perçu par les populations riveraines au point de les mobiliser dans des actions de conservation ou de restauration. Des enquêtes ethnobotaniques sont menées dans deux communes contrastées de l’Est malgache, la commune de Ranomafana-Est au nord (région Antsiranana) à fragments forestiers et la commune d’Androy au sud (région Haute Matsiatra) à massif forestier, pour recueillir auprès des villageois leurs perceptions de la forêt, son évolution, sa fragmentation, sa biodiversité végétale et animale, ses ressources et les mesures de protection envisagées localement. Les différences de réponses entre les deux sites traduisent les différences de contextes et de niveaux de fragmentation ; elles sont marquées sur la perception des forêts résiduelles et leur dynamique passée, avec une hiérarchie spécifique des usages (la construction de l’habitation venant en premier), une attention particulière à la biodiversité animale et des propositions de conservation surtout issues des interventions d’ONG. Un prolongement serait nécessaire pour co-construire avec les habitants une vision de la fragmentation.

Disappearing Waste and Wasting Time: From Productive Fallows to Carbon Offset Production in Madagascar's Forests

ABSTRACT In this article I argue that generating carbon credit value centres on a double movement of first naming something as waste and then removing it, a movement entangled with imagined pasts and futures. I explore this through the transformations that TAMS, a project to restore fallows from slash-and-burn agriculture in Madagascar’s rainforest, underwent through its engagement with carbon markets. TAMS initially aimed to benefit both forest and local farming communities. Its objective was then shifted to using the forest for carbon credits. I argue that the ‘calculative logic’ of carbon offset production drove this move by first identifying the fallows as waste and then removing them; other forms of understanding and using these fallows were systematically ‘unknown’: debased and forgotten. Reformulating the fallows as waste excluded local farmers from their livelihood. The promise of carbon value was never realised, but the effects of its anticipation were wasted present livelihoods.

Sexually dimorphic phrase organization in the song of the indris (Indri indri).

Animal acoustic communication often takes the form of complex sequences, composed of multiple distinct acoustic units, which can vary in their degree of stereotypy. Studies of sequence variation may contribute to our understanding of the structural flexibility of primates' songs, which can provide essential ecological and behavioral information about variability at the individual, population, and specific level and provide insights into the mechanisms and drivers responsible for the evolutionary change of communicative traits. Several methods have been used for investigating different levels of structural information and sequence similarity in acoustic displays. We studied intra and interindividual variation in the song structuring of a singing primate, the indri (Indri indri), which inhabits the montane rain forests of Madagascar. Indri groups emit duets and choruses in which they combine long notes, short single units, and phrases consisting of a variable number of units (from two to six) with slightly descending frequency. Males' and females' contributions to the song differ in the temporal and frequency structure of song units and repertoire size. We calculated the similarity of phrase organization across different individual contributions using the Levenshtein distance, a logic distance that expressed the minimum cost to convert a sequence into another and can measure differences between two sequences of data. We then analyzed the degree of similarity within and between individuals and found that: (a) the phrase structure of songs varied between reproductive males and females: female structuring of the song showed a higher number of phrases if compared to males; (b) male contributions to the song were overall more similar to those of other males than were female contributions to the song of other females; (c) male contributions were more stereotyped than female contributions, which showed greater individual flexibility. The picture emerging from phrase combinatorics in the indris is in agreement with previous findings of rhythmic features and song repertoire size of the indris, which also suggested that female songs are potentially less stereotyped than those of males.

Forest edges affect ectoparasite infestation patterns of small mammalian hosts in fragmented forests in Madagascar

Habitat loss and fragmentation drive the worldwide depletion of biodiversity. Although it is known that anthropogenic disturbances severely affect host and ecosystem integrity, effects on parasites are largely understudied. This study aims to investigate if and how habitat fragmentation affects the composition of ectoparasite communities on small mammalian hosts in two networks of dry deciduous forest fragments in northwestern Madagascar. Forest sites differing in size, proportion of edge habitat and host density were studied in the Ankarafantsika National Park and in the Mariarano region. A total of 924 individuals of two mouse lemur species, Microcebus murinus (n = 200) and Microcebus ravelobensis (n = 426), and two rodent species, endemic Eliurus myoxinus (n = 114) and introduced Rattus rattus (n = 184), were captured to assess ectoparasite infestations. Ectoparasite prevalence and ectoparasite species richness were statistically related to nine ecological variables applying generalized linear mixed models. Hosts harbored ticks (Haemaphysalis microcebi), mites (Schoutedenichia microcebi, Listrophoroides spp., Laelaptidae gen. spp.) and sucking lice (Lemurpediculus spp., Polyplax sp., Hoplopleuridae gen. sp.). Parasite prevalence differed significantly between host species for all detected parasite taxa. Proximity to the forest edge led to a significant reduction in ectoparasites. Parasite-specific edge effects were observed up to a distance of 750 m from the forest edge. The obtained results imply that habitat fragmentation impacts ectoparasite communities, in particular by negatively affecting temporary parasite species. The results are best explained by an interplay of parasite life cycles, responses to changes in abiotic factors induced by edges and host-specific responses to habitat fragmentation. The negative responses of most studied ectoparasite taxa to forest edges and habitat fragmentation demonstrate their ecological vulnerability that may eventually threaten the integrity of ecosystems and potentially impact ectoparasite biodiversity worldwide.

The Management of Forest and Deforestation, Mitigation, and Adaptation of Climate Change in Madagascar

Madagascar is on the first conservation priority for high rates of deforestation and endemism. Deforestation has been extensive, but the impacts of forest loss on biodiversity have not been well quantified. Deforestation is a phenomenon contributor to species, biodiversity’s extinction, and the disappearing of tropical forest accelerates the rate of destruction and accelerates climate change degradation. Madagascar’s forests and its biodiversity are considered as one of the most biologically rich and unique in the world, but due to this deforestation, the endemic species and biodiversity of Madagascar are endangered and indeed, this phenomenon has changed Madagascar the green Island into the red Island. The aim of this paper is to highlight what Madagascar needs, what the country has and what are the barriers to mitigate deforestation and how is the impact of climate change. The findings of this study show that Madagascar has a total land area of 59,199,127 ha; in 2010, the country has 4,628,241 ha of primary forest with 16,450,024 of tree cover. However, this statistic continues to decrease gradually in 2018 represented by 4,060,522 ha of primary forest, and has lost 567,719 ha of its forest; only 13,772,127 ha of tree cover has been registered. It is as well stated that apart from the lack of funding, timber logging and fuel wood, the ancestral practices are locally known as “Tavy” which is the most destructor of primary forest in Madagascar. This phenomenal calamity led to extinct thousands of Madagascar species and its biodiversity, and contributes to increasing the heat of this planet and one of the responsible for the acceleration of climate change. This paper illustrates how Madagascar adapts to the impacts of climate change and how the country contributes to its commitment to the Paris Agreement.

Which allometric models are the most appropriate for estimating aboveground biomass in secondary forests of Madagascar with Ravenala madagascariensis?

Abstract In Madagascar, allometric models have been developed only for the primary forests. There have been no specific models for the secondary forests. However, with a view to extending the geographic scope of the REDD+ 1 mechanism, it deems important to consider the secondary forests of which the potential of carbon sequestration remains unknown. In eastern part of Madagascar, the secondary forests are mostly colonized by Ravenala madagascariensis, an endemic monocotyledonous plant. The main goal of this study was to develop local allometric models for secondary forests with Ravenala madagascariensis. Models for Ravenala madagascariensis were developed separately from those of other woody species. The second goal was to test the validity of the existing allometric equations for the woody species into the study sites, namely three pantropical models developed by Brown, Chave et al. and the best fitted local model developed by Vieilledent et al. for the dense humid forest in Madagascar. Using the destructive method, 120 stems of Ravenala madagascariensis and 115 trees were harvested, weighed and measured. As results, the best fitted local model for the woody species was A G B = E X P ( − 1.515 + 1.912 ln ( D ) + 0.471 ln ( H ) + 0.732 ln ( ρ ) ), where AGB is the aboveground biomass in kg, H the total height in m, D the diameter at the breast height in cm and ρ the wood specific gravity. For Ravenala madagascariensis, the model which only considered total height was the most appropriate: A G B = E X P ( − 4.996 + 5.654 ln ( H ) − 0.772 ( ln ( H ) ) 2 ). Comparing with the existing equations, errors of estimates were higher for the pantropical models and a slight overestimation was observed while applying that of Vieilledent et al. It is thus recommended to choose the local site specific models for estimating the aboveground biomass for the secondary forests with Ravenala madagascariensis in the eastern part of Madagascar.