Northeastern Madagascar Research Articles

Endemic Chromoblastomycosis Caused Predominantly by Fonsecaea nubica, Madagascar1.

Chromoblastomycosis is an implantation fungal infection. Twenty years ago, Madagascar was recognized as the leading focus of this disease. We recruited patients in Madagascar who had chronic subcutaneous lesions suggestive of dermatomycosis during March 2013–June 2017. Chromoblastomycosis was diagnosed in 50 (33.8%) of 148 patients. The highest prevalence was in northeastern (1.47 cases/100,000 persons) and southern (0.8 cases/100,000 persons) Madagascar. Patients with chromoblastomycosis were older (47.9 years) than those without (37.5 years) (p = 0.0005). Chromoblastomycosis was 3 times more likely to consist of leg lesions (p = 0.003). Molecular analysis identified Fonsecaea nubica in 23 cases and Cladophialophora carrionii in 7 cases. Of 27 patients who underwent follow-up testing, none were completely cured. We highlight the persistence of a high level of chromoblastomycosis endemicity, which was even greater at some locations than 20 years ago. We used molecular tools to identify the Fonsecaea sp. strains isolated from patients as F. nubica.

Back to basics: Gaps in baseline data call for revisiting an environmental education program in the SAVA region, Madagascar

Environmental education programs are critically important for raising awareness about global and local environmental concerns, by providing the knowledge, tools, and means for young and old generations to cope with current challenges. Of the greatest importance is the implementation of environmental education programs in biodiversity hotspots where environmental crises are high and resources to fund mitigation programs are low. Madagascar is one such priority hotspot, featuring intensive wildlife-human conflicts due to shrinking natural environments. The Duke Lemur Center-SAVA Conservation Initiative has been conducting environmental education activities in the SAVA region, northeastern Madagascar, since 2011. These activities have been aimed at increasing awareness of local and global environmental issues and at stimulating the involvement of local school students. Our initiatives have predominantly supported teacher trainings to provide teachers with environmental education content, examples, and recommendations on how to integrate activities into their regular curricula, commonly referred to as a “cascade approach”. Due to logistical hurdles, including high teacher turnover rates, however, these interventions have not been monitored to assess their efficacy. Thus, to better inform current and future interventions, we designed and implemented classroom-based surveys to gather baseline data on the basic knowledge of SAVA students and their perceptions of the environment. We identify informational gaps in surveyed schools, including those located in large towns vs. villages, and those with trained vs. untrained teachers. Based on these results, we make recommendations for future environmental education efforts in the region, including activities that could address real-life environmental problems and decision-making solutions.

Identification of crucial stepping stone habitats for biodiversity conservation in northeastern Madagascar using remote sensing and comparative predictive modeling

Madagascar is a global biodiversity hotspot of conservation concern. The decline of natural forest habitats due to shifting cultivation has been one of the major land use changes during the last decades. We analyzed satellite images between 1990 and 2018 from northeastern Madagascar to evaluate the contribution of nine variables (e.g., topographic, demographic, forest protection) to explain past forest loss, predict future deforestation probabilities to define important areas that require further conservation attention. Forest cover declined by 21% since 1990 and the once continuous rain forest belt of the region is disrupted twice, in the center and at the southern limit of the study region. Status of forest protection and proximity to the forest edge were identified as most important predictors, but all variables contributed to explaining the observed pattern of deforestation. At least 20% of the 3136 villages in the area were established since 1990 at the expense of previously forested areas. This housing sprawl was mainly driven by accessibility, decreasing landscape connectivity. To conserve the unique biodiversity of the region, the expansion of protected forests and active reforestation measures are urgently needed. Sustainable land use planning and forest management integrating the needs of local land users and conservation priorities should be promoted. We see the highest potential for external stakeholders (e.g., national NGOs) to implement targeted interventions embedded in community-based approaches. Our land cover maps and predictive modeling highlight crucial areas that could act as stepping stone habitats for dispersing or retreating species and therefore important locations to intensify conservation measures.

The Dead Are Dead/Ancestors Never Die: Migrants, Rural Linkages, and Religious Change in Northeastern Madagascar

Abstract This manuscript explores the dynamic between religion and rural-urban linkages in northeastern Madagascar. I find that church leaders have coalesced around two competing narratives of ancestors. Catholic churches see some types of migrant linkages (e.g., burial in the rural family tomb and participation in rural ancestral rituals) as being in line with Christian beliefs, while Protestant churches see these same activities as morally questionable or potentially satanic. To some degree Protestant migrants exert agency in the face of these religious teachings, and do not view their religion as an impediment to maintaining rural connections. However, quantitative analysis of rural-urban linkage behavior over a twelve-month period shows that Protestants have weaker rural ties compared to Catholics, even for behaviors that are not the focus of religious prohibitions. I offer several explanations for this finding. Protestant migrants are less motivated to invest in all types of rural linkages due to family conflicts after conversion, uncertainty about burial in the rural family tomb, reduced opportunities to develop affective ties with kin, and economic motivations to reduce rural demands on their urban wages.

Capabilities Under Telecoupling: Human Well-Being Between Cash Crops and Protected Areas in North-Eastern Madagascar

Global change processes are increasing their pace and reach, leading to telecoupled situations, where distant factors come to outpace local determinants of land use change. Often, these dynamics drive agricultural intensification processes, with as yet unclear implications for the well-being of human populations living in the areas affected. This study explores how two key telecoupling dynamics affect local well-being in the biodiversity hotspot of Madagascar. It focuses on forest frontier landscapes, which are undergoing processes of agricultural intensification as a consequence of distant factors. Concretely, we look at how the recent establishment of two, largely externally funded, terrestrial protected areas, Masoala National Park and Makira Natural Park, and the ongoing price boom for two export cash crops, vanilla and clove, have influenced the well-being of local populations in the country’s north-east. We present data from eight focus group discussions conducted in four villages located on the periphery of the two protected areas. Drawing on the ‘capabilities approach’, we identify the key components of the local understanding of well-being, lay out the interconnections between these components, and explore how the two telecoupling processes explored affect well-being dynamics. Our findings reveal that well-being components present bundle characteristics, where increases or decreases in one component lead to parallel increases or decreases in a set of them. We further ascertain that telecoupling processes might lead to trade-offs between well-being components. These findings highlight the need for a holistic understanding of human well-being when planning protected areas, and when designing governance mechanisms to steer local landscapes under intense cash crop price fluctuations towards sustainable outcomes.

Target-enriched DNA sequencing from historical type material enables a partial revision of the Madagascar giant stream frogs (genus Mantidactylus)

ABSTRACT The subgenus Mantidactylus is a group of frogs endemic to Madagascar, including the largest anuran species on the island. Although these frogs are common and widely distributed, their taxonomy remains unclear. Two species are currently recognised, M. grandidieri and M. guttulatus, with another available name, Rana pigra, considered to be a synonym of M. grandidieri. However, molecular studies have suggested the presence of several cryptic species within the group. Additionally, due to the lack of prominent morphological features, allocating the available names to evolutionary lineages has proven challenging. In the present study, we take a first step towards solving these problems by using fragments of the 16S mitochondrial gene and RAG1 nuclear gene from all over the range of the subgenus to describe its genetic diversity. We also use a newly designed target enrichment laboratory protocol to sequence three mitochondrial fragments from five name-holding museum specimens (as old as 120 years) in order to determine to which lineages the existing names should be applied. The study of the 16S mitochondrial gene revealed 7 geographically separated lineages, distinct enough to be considered candidate species. Out of the five museum specimens analysed, four successfully yielded DNA sequences and could be attributed to one of the aforementioned lineages. Therefore, the name Mantidactylus grandidieri should be applied to the populations from North-Eastern Madagascar, while M. guttulatus refers to populations from inland localities along the Eastern coast of the island. On the other hand, the holotype of Rana pigra did not yield enough genetic material to allow definitive identification. While our data were not sufficient to assess the status of the four lineages distributed along the Eastern coast, the populations from North-Western Madagascar were highly distinct on both the mitochondrial and nuclear markers. We thus describe them as a new species, M. radaka sp. nov. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1EDDAF0D-FE37-490A-B09E-E136A0C5CB35

A serious game to parameterize Bayesian networks: Validation in a case study in northeastern Madagascar

The management of multi-use landscapes is challenging, but essential when aiming at preserving the potential for ecosystem service provision. Land-use decisions lay at the center of this challenge. While land-use decision models may help to transparently grasp land-use decisions, the parameterization of such models is difficult as human decision-making is often not rational. We show here how we used a serious game to parameterize a Bayesian network-based land-use decision model. To elicit validation, game outputs are transformed to conditional probabilities and compared to conditional probabilities parameterized via a questionnaire and workshop exercises. The analysis of four types of validity shows encouraging results for criterion, respondent-related and practice-related validation. However, content validation (sensitivity analysis) was disappointing initially. We discuss how the success in validation quality may be related to the design of the game and conclude that the transfer from a game to Bayesian networks could improve the parameterization quality.

Biodiversity, land use change, and human health in northeastern Madagascar: an interdisciplinary study

BackgroundGiven rapid land use changes and climate change underway in many low-income and middle-income countries, it is vitally important to understand how ecosystem changes influence biodiversity and human health, and to identify actions that can improve conservation, while also improving human health. We are investigating how human activities alter ecological communities and influence infectious disease risk near Marojejy National Park in northeastern Madagascar. We are coupling (i) cutting-edge social science methods to investigate the drivers of human land-use decision-making, and (ii) ecological analyses to investigate how these land use decisions impact zoonotic infectious disease transmission in small mammals, domesticated animals, and humans. MethodsThe study team conducted preliminary fieldwork in one village in 2017 and 2018 including household surveys, social network surveys and trapping of small mammals to screen for parasites and pathogens. We constructed a social network of 500 people to investigate disease risk patterns based on agricultural co-working relationships. In addition, the team captured 552 small mammals and found variation in abundance and diversity across a gradient of human land use. FindingsResults show that illness is frequent within community households, with a high prevalence of fevers over the previous 3 months (40%). Non-native species have higher relative and total abundance in agricultural fields, with highest relative abundance of introduced species in the unsustainable rice farming setting. Prevalence of Leptospira, a pathogenic bacterium transmitted through urine and contaminated water, was over four times higher in paddy rice fields than in forests or hillside slash-and-burn fields. InterpretationOur findings are consistent with the hypothesis that changes in land use and biodiversity can influence animal health, which may in turn affect disease risk for humans. We are now expanding ecological and household data collection to additional villages, as well as developing choice experiments to better understand farmer decision making about sustainable agricultural practices. FundingDuke University Bass Connections programme for interdisciplinary research.

A new Dichaetanthera (Melastomataceae: Melastomateae) from Masoala National Park in Madagascar

Ranarivelo, H. & F. Almeda (2019). A new Dichaetanthera (Melastomataceae: Melastomateae) from Masoala National Park in Madagascar. Candollea 74: 131–136. In English, English and French abstracts. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15553/c2019v742a2Dichaetanthera schatzii H. Ranariv. & Almeda, a new species from Masoala National Park in northeastern Madagascar, is described, illustrated, and compared with Dichaetanthera arborea Baker, its presumed closest relative. Dichaetanthera schatzii appears to be endemic to the lowland humid evergreen forest on the southwestern side of Masoala National Park in Madagascar.

Species complexes and the importance of Data Deficient classification in Red List assessments: The case of Hylobatrachus frogs

Taxonomy is the cornerstone of extinction risk assessments. Currently, the IUCN Red List treats species complexes either under a single overarching species name—resulting in an unhelpfully broad circumscription and underestimated threat assessment that does not apply to any one species lineage—or omits them altogether—resulting in the omission of species that should be assessed. We argue that taxonomic uncertainty alone, as in species complexes, should be grounds for assessment as Data Deficient (DD). Yet, use of the DD category is currently discouraged, resulting in assessments based on poor data quality and dismissal of the importance of taxonomic confidence in conservation. This policy may be leading to volatile and unwarranted assessments of hundreds of species across the world, and needs to be revised. To illustrate this point, we here present a partial taxonomic revision of torrent frogs from eastern Madagascar in the Mantidactylus subgenus Hylobatrachus. Two named species, Mantidactylus (Hylobatrachus) lugubris and M. (H.) cowanii, and several undescribed candidate species are recognised, but the application of the available names has been somewhat ambiguous. In a recent re-assessment of its conservation status, M. (H.) lugubris was assessed including all complex members except M. (H.) cowanii within its distribution, giving it a status of Least Concern and distribution over most of eastern Madagascar. After describing two of the unnamed lineages as Mantidactylus (Hylobatrachus) atsimo sp. nov. (from southeastern Madagascar) and Mantidactylus (Hylobatrachus) petakorona sp. nov. (from the Marojejy Massif in northeastern Madagascar), we show that Mantidactylus (Hylobatrachus) lugubris is restricted to the central east of Madagascar, highlighting the inaccuracy of its current Red List assessment. We propose to re-assess its status under a more restrictive definition that omits well-defined candidate species, thus representing the actual species to which its assessment refers, to the best of current knowledge. We recommend that for species complexes in general, (1) nominal lineages that can be confidently restricted should be assessed under the strict definition, (2) non-nominal species-level lineages and ambiguous names should be prioritised for taxonomic research, and (3) ambiguous names should be assessed as DD to highlight the deficiency in data on their taxonomic status, which is an impediment to their conservation. This would reduce ambiguity and underestimation of threats involved in assessing species complexes, and place the appropriate emphasis on the importance of taxonomy in anchoring conservation.

Description of the lucky Cophyla (Microhylidae, Cophylinae), a new arboreal frog from MarojejyNational Park in north-eastern Madagascar.

We describe a new species of arboreal microhylid frog from northern Madagascar. The new species is assigned to the genus Cophyla based on molecular phylogeny and morphological similarities to other species of this genus. Molecular phylogenetic analysis resolved Cophyla fortuna sp. nov. as closely related to C. noromalalae. However, the two species were reciprocally monophyletic both in a tree reconstructed from a combination of mitochondrial genes, and in a tree based on the nuclear RAG-1 gene. The new species, previously identified as candidate species Cophyla sp. Ca4, occurs in lowland bamboo forests around the Marojejy Massif in northeastern Madagascar. It differs from the allopatric C. noromalalae, so far only known from the Montagne d'Ambre Massif in northern Madagascar, by slightly smaller body size and shorter duration and higher spectral frequency of advertisement calls. Several additional genetically divergent mitochondrial lineages of Cophyla, related to the C. fortuna/noromalalae complex and to C. phyllodactyla, occur in intervening areas between Montagne d'Ambre and Marojejy, and their status requires further study.

Cohort Description of the Madagascar Health and Environmental Research-Antongil (MAHERY-Antongil) Study in Madagascar.

The Madagascar Health and Environmental Research-Antongil (MAHERY-Antongil) study cohort was set up in September 2015 to assess the nutritional value of seafood for the coastal Malagasy population living along Antongil Bay in northeastern Madagascar. Over 28 months of surveillance, we aimed to understand the relationships among different marine resource governance models, local people's fish catch, the consumption of seafood, and nutritional status. In the Antongil Bay, fisheries governance takes three general forms: traditional management, marine national parks, and co-management. Traditional management involves little to no involvement by the national government or non-governmental organizations, and focuses on culturally accepted Malagasy community practices. Co-management and marine national parks involve management support from either an non-govermental organization (NGO) or the national government. Five communities of varying governance strategies were enrolled into the study including 225 households and 1031 individuals whose diets, resource acquisition strategies, fisheries and agricultural practices, and other social, demographic and economic indicators were measured over the span of 3 years. Clinical visits with each individual were conducted at two points during the study to measure disease and nutritional status. By analyzing differences in fish catch arising from variation in governance (in addition to intra-annual seasonal changes and minor inter-annual changes), the project will allow us to calculate the public health value of sustainable fisheries management approaches for local populations. There is hope that coastal zones that are managed sustainably can increase the productivity of fisheries, increasing the catch of seafood products for poor, undernourished populations.

A new yellow-toed Platypelis species (Anura, Microhylidae, Cophylinae) from the Maroantsetra region, northeastern Madagascar

We describe a new species of arboreal narrow-mouthed frog, genusPlatypelis, from Ambodivoangy near Maroantsetra in northeastern Madagascar. The new species,Platypelisandosp. nov., is characterised by small body size (under 19 mm), a generally rather slender body, yellowish finger and toe tips, and a dark brown dorsal chevron. Its advertisement call is a single, moderately long, high-pitched whistle repeated at regular intervals. It is the sister species ofP.ravusfrom Marojejy National Park, but differs from that species by considerable pairwise genetic distances (7.9%) in a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, and also in bioacoustic and morphological features, especially the absence of yellow on the posterior abdomen. It is also surprisingly similar in external appearance toCophylaoccultansandC.maharipeo, to which it is not, however, closely related; these species are most easily discerned based on their calls.Platypelisandosp. nov.joins the ranks of several species recently described from Ambodivoangy with close affiliations to species in the nearby Marojejy National Park, that are still divergent at species level. The species qualifies as Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List criteria, in line with other species recently assessed from this area, but we urge that more research be conducted in the nearby forests to extend the range of this and other species known only from Ambodivoangy.

Seasonal trends of nutrient intake in rainforest communities of north-eastern Madagascar.

We collected dietary records over the course of nine months to comprehensively characterize the consumption patterns of Malagasy people living in remote rainforest areas of north-eastern Madagascar. The present study was a prospective longitudinal cohort study to estimate dietary diversity and nutrient intake for a suite of macronutrients, micronutrients and vitamins for 152 randomly selected households in two communities. Madagascar, with over 25 million people living in an area the size of France, faces a multitude of nutritional challenges. Micronutrient-poor staples, especially rice, roots and tubers, comprise nearly 80 % of the Malagasy diet by weight. The remaining dietary components (including wild foods and animal-source foods) are critical for nutrition. We focus our study in north-eastern Madagascar, characterized by access to rainforest, rice paddies and local agriculture. We enrolled men, women and children of both sexes and all ages in a randomized sample of households in two communities. Although the Household Dietary Diversity Score and Food Consumption Score reflect high dietary diversity, the Minimum Dietary Diversity-Women indicator suggests poor micronutrient adequacy. The food intake data confirm a mixed nutritional picture. We found that the median individual consumed less than 50 % of his/her age/sex-specific Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for vitamins A, B12, D and E, and Ca, and less than 100 % of his/her EAR for energy, riboflavin, folate and Na. Malnutrition in remote communities of north-eastern Madagascar is pervasive and multidimensional, indicating an urgent need for comprehensive public health and development interventions focused on providing nutritional security.

Eyes in the Sky: Assessing the Feasibility of Low-Cost, Ready-to-Use Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Monitor Primate Populations Directly

Primates face many climate and land use change threats, making long-term population monitoring critical to prioritizing conservation efforts. Ground-based line transects are typically conducted to estimate and monitor primate populations. However, transects may be costly and logistically challenging. We sought to test whether low-cost (<5,000 USD), ready-to-use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could effectively monitor primate populations in north-eastern Madagascar. Critically Endangered [A3cd] golden-crowned sifakas (Propithecus tattersalli) are medium-sized, white lemurs whose creamy colour contrasts against defoliated tree canopies, making them an ideal study species for aerial counts. Quad-copter UAV flights over sifaka groups did not elicit antipredator responses. Photographs demonstrated the ability of UAVs to capture viable imagery of sifakas from approximately 20 m above ground level. Unfortunately, crashes resulting from an inability to programme automated flights over hilly forests cut this pilot study short, highlighting several challenges that remain to implementing UAVs in remote field studies. This study demonstrates that while UAVs offer considerable promise in the future of primate research and conservation, high start-up costs and remote field conditions provide challenging obstacles to first time users hoping to use this exciting new technology. Furthermore, we strongly recommend that thermal cameras be used for direct primate counts with UAVs.

A new dwarf chameleon, genus Brookesia, from the Marojejy massif in northern Madagascar

We describe a new species of dwarf chameleon from theBrookesiaminimaspecies group.Brookesiatedisp. n.occurs above 1300 m above sea level on the Marojejy massif in northeastern Madagascar. It is genetically sister toB.peyrierasi, a species occurring in lowlands around the Baie de Antongil, but is genetically strongly divergent from that species in both nuclear (c-mos) and mitochondrial (16S, ND2) genes, and morphologically in its smaller size and distinctly different hemipenis. It is the second species of theB.minimaspecies group from Marojejy National Park, but is not known to occur in syntopy with the other species,B.karchei, due to elevational segregation.

Description of a new species of the genus Diastatotropis Lacordaire (Coleoptera: Anthribidae) with strikingly elongated elytral apices from north-eastern Madagascar.

A new species, Diastatotropis blazeji Trýzna sp. nov. (Anthribidae: Anthribinae: Cappadocini), from north-eastern Madagascar is described. Male and female genitalia are studied and illustrated and colour photographs are provided. It is distinguished from all species of the genus by the strikingly elongated apices of the elytra and the distinctly bright golden green colour of the upper side of the body.

Land Competition under Telecoupling: Distant Actors’ Environmental versus Economic Claims on Land in North-Eastern Madagascar

In north-eastern Madagascar, maintenance of biodiversity competes with expansion of land for agriculture and mining. The concept of “telecoupling” provides a framework for analysis of distant actors and institutions that influence local land use decisions. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the extent of telecoupling of land governance in north-eastern Madagascar and a lack of evidence regarding its role in driving land use change and land competition. Using a descriptive Social Network Analysis, we disentangled distant interactions between actors in terms of flows and institutions. Our findings show that the domains of economic and environmental interactions are dominated by actors from different sectors that have claims on the same land but generally do not interact. Distant influences occurring via remote flows of goods, money, and institutions serve to reinforce local land competition. Balancing economic and environmental land claims for more sustainable regional development in north-eastern Madagascar requires collaboration between actors across sectors, scales, and domains.

Gravesia serratifolia (Melastomataceae: Sonerileae), a new species from Marojejy National Park, Madagascar

Gravesia serratifolia, a new species from upper elevations of Marojejy National Park in northeastern Madagascar, is herein described, illustrated, mapped, and compared with similar species. It is readily characterized by its sparingly branched habit, leaf blades coarsely serrate with a moderate to sparse lepidote indumentum on both surfaces, inflorescence of few-flowered dichasia, calyx obsolete or evident as depressed truncate undulations with prominent calyx teeth that are laterally compressed when fresh, filaments with rusty-brown glandlike indumentum, and dorso-basal staminal appendages linear-oblong and widely spreading to coiled. A conservation assessment of Vulnerable is recommended for this species based on IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Finaritra! A splendid new leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus) species from Marojejy National Park in north-eastern Madagascar.

The Marojejy Massif in northern Madagascar is a constant source of herpetological surprises. Herein we describe a new species of leaf-mimicking leaf-tailed gecko, Uroplatus finaritra sp. nov., based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence. This new species inhabits the rainforests of Marojejy National Park at low elevations and is morphologically similar to Uroplatus phantasticus, but differs by having a larger body size, relatively shorter tail, and dark-red pigmentation of the oral mucosa. Molecular data reveals a distance of 14.0-14.7% in the 16S rRNA gene to U. phantasticus, and haplotype sharing in the c-mos nuclear gene only with species of much shorter tails (i.e., with U. kelirambo and two undescribed candidate species). Similar to other members of the leaf-mimicking Uroplatus species in northern Madagascar, Uroplatus finaritra sp. nov. likely has a small geographic distribution, and is currently known only from the lowland rainforests of Marojejy. We discuss the value of the buccal mucosa colouration and tail dimensions of Uroplatus as taxonomic characters, and the potential drivers of their evolution. In order to reduce the risk of international trade under incorrect species names we suggest that exported CITES species should be obligatorily accompanied by information about their precide geographic origin within Madagascar.