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Ranarilalatiana T, Razafindraleva HA, Granath G, Bukontaite Malm R, Rakotonirina JC, Razafindranaivo V, Ravaomanarivo LHR, Johansson F, Bergsten J. Remaining forests on the Central Highlands of Madagascar—Endemic and endangered aquatic beetle fauna uncovered. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9580. [PMCID: PMC9745264 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Madagascar is known for its high endemism and as many as 90% of this unique diversity are forest‐dwellers. Unfortunately, the forest cover of Madagascar is decreasing at an alarming rate. This decrease can also affect aquatic insects, but our knowledge on aquatic insect diversity and distribution on Madagascar are limited. Although the eastern rainforests are considered the most diverse, the Central Highlands of Madagascar also harbors unique microendemic fauna but has been less studied. Here, we analyze the aquatic Adephaga beetle fauna of three remaining protected forests of the Central Highlands. Diversity, abundance, and uniqueness are compared between and within natural forests and surrounding grasslands. At least 15 undescribed species were found, highlighting the Central Highlands as an important area for endemism. The natural forests and the surrounding grasslands differed significantly in species assemblages. Interestingly, the three remaining forests differed in their assemblages with the geographically more distant Manjakatompo Ankaratra having the most unique fauna but also the highest altitude span. By contrast, the species composition was similar between the peripheral zones of each of the three remaining forests. The similarity of the fauna in the peripheral open habitats illustrates how some local forest endemics are replaced with widespread generalists in degraded habitats. Our study shows that the remaining forests of the Central Highlands of Madagascar are important refuges of unique fauna at high risk of extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gustaf Granath
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Rasa Bukontaite Malm
- Department of Bioinformatics and GeneticsSwedish Museum of Natural HistoryStockholmSweden
| | | | - Victor Razafindranaivo
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of SciencesAntananarivo UniversityAntananarivoMadagascar
| | | | - Frank Johansson
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Johannes Bergsten
- Department of ZoologySwedish Museum of Natural HistoryStockholmSweden
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Griffiths M, Ralimanana H, Rakotonasolo F, Larridon I. A monograph of the African and Madagascan species of Cyperus sect. Incurvi (Cyperaceae). KEW BULLETIN 2022; 77:819-850. [PMID: 36320639 PMCID: PMC9607776 DOI: 10.1007/s12225-022-10058-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cyperus sect. Incurvi (Cyperaceae) contains 31 species worldwide, with important continental radiations in Australasia, Tropical Africa and Madagascar, and the Neotropics. Here, a monograph of the African and Madagascan species of Cyperus sect. Incurvi is presented, including descriptions, illustrations, synonymy, notes on habitat and ecology, geographic distribution ranges and conservation assessments. Our results identify eight species of Cyperus sect. Incurvi endemic to Madagascar, and a further three species native to Tropical Africa. Seven species of Cyperus sect. Incurvi have been typified herein. Six rare Madagascan endemics are assessed as threatened with extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Griffiths
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE UK
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd, London, E1 4NS UK
| | - Hélène Ralimanana
- Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Lot II J 131 B Ambodivoanjo, 101 Antananarivo, Madagascar
- University of Antananarivo, B.P. 906, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Franck Rakotonasolo
- Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, BP 4096, Rue Kasanga, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Isabel Larridon
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE UK
- Department of Biology, Systematic and Evolutionary Botany Lab, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Domic AI, Hixon SW, Velez MI, Ivory SJ, Douglass KG, Brenner M, Curtis JH, Culleton BJ, Kennett DJ. Influence of Late Holocene Climate Change and Human Land Use on Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems in Southwest Madagascar. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.688512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Madagascar’s biota underwent substantial change following human colonization of the island in the Late Holocene. The timing of human arrival and its role in the extinction of megafauna have received considerable attention. However, the impacts of human activities on regional ecosystems remain poorly studied. Here, we focus on reconstructing changes in the composition of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to evaluate the impact of human land use and climate variability. We conducted a paleoenvironmental study, using a sediment record that spans the last ∼1,145 years, collected from a lakebed in the Namonte Basin of southwest Madagascar. We examined physical (X-ray fluorescence and stratigraphy) and biotic indicators (pollen, diatoms and micro- and macro-charcoal particles) to infer terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem change. The fossil pollen data indicate that composition of grasslands and dry deciduous forest in the region remained relatively stable during an arid event associated with northward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) between ∼1,145 and 555 calibrated calendar years before present (cal yr BP). Charcoal particles indicate that widespread fires occurred in the region, resulting from a combination of climate drivers and human agency during the entire span covered by the paleorecord. Following settlement by pastoral communities and the disappearance of endemic megafauna ∼1,000 cal yr BP, grasslands expanded and the abundance of trees that rely on large animals for seed dispersal gradually declined. A reduction in the abundance of pollen taxa characteristic of dry forest coincided with an abrupt increase in charcoal particles between ∼230 and 35 cal yr BP, when agro-pastoral communities immigrated into the region. Deforestation and soil erosion, indicated by a relatively rapid sedimentation rate and high K/Zr and Fe/Zr, intensified between 180 and 70 cal yr BP and caused a consequent increase in lake turbidity, resulting in more rapid turnover of the aquatic diatom community. Land use and ongoing climate change have continued to transform local terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems during the last ∼70 years. The current composition of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems reflects the legacy of extinction of native biota, invasion of exotic species, and diminished use of traditional land management practices.
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Drought Coincided with, but Does Not Explain, Late Holocene Megafauna Extinctions in SW Madagascar. CLIMATE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/cli9090138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Climate drying could have transformed ecosystems in southern Madagascar during recent millennia by contributing to the extinction of endemic megafauna. However, the extent of regional aridification during the past 2000 years is poorly known, as are the responses of endemic animals and economically important livestock to drying. We inferred ~1600 years of climate change around Lake Ranobe, SW Madagascar, using oxygen isotope analyses of monospecific freshwater ostracods (Bradleystrandesia cf. fuscata) and elemental analyses of lake core sediment. We inferred past changes in habitat and diet of introduced and extinct endemic megaherbivores using bone collagen stable isotope and 14C datasets (n = 63). Extinct pygmy hippos and multiple giant lemur species disappeared from the vicinity of Ranobe during a dry interval ~1000–700 cal yr BP, but the simultaneous appearance of introduced cattle, high charcoal concentrations, and other evidence of human activity confound inference of drought-driven extirpations. Unlike the endemic megafauna, relatively low collagen stable nitrogen isotope values among cattle suggest they survived dry intervals by exploiting patches of wet habitat. Although megafaunal extirpations coincided with drought in SW Madagascar, coupled data from bone and lake sediments do not support the hypothesis that extinct megafauna populations collapsed solely because of drought. Given that the reliance of livestock on mesic patches will become more important in the face of projected climate drying, we argue that sustainable conservation of spiny forests in SW Madagascar should support local livelihoods by ensuring that zebu have access to mesic habitat. Additionally, the current interactions between pastoralism and riparian habitats should be studied to help conserve the island’s biodiversity.
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Åhlén I, Hambäck P, Thorslund J, Frampton A, Destouni G, Jarsjö J. Wetlandscape size thresholds for ecosystem service delivery: Evidence from the Norrström drainage basin, Sweden. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 704:135452. [PMID: 31810688 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wetlands are interconnected with the larger surrounding landscape through the hydrological cycling of water and waterborne substances. Therefore, the borders of individual wetlands may not be appropriate landscape system boundaries for understanding large-scale functions and ecosystem services of wetlandscapes (wetland network - landscape systems), and how these can be impacted by climate and land-use changes. Recognizing that such large-scale behaviours may not be easily predicted by simple extrapolation of individual wetland behaviours, we here investigate properties of 15 Swedish wetlandscapes in the extensive (22 650 km2) Norrström drainage basin (NDB) comprising as many as 1699 wetlands. Results based on wetland survey data in combination with GIS-based ecohydrological analyses showed that wetlands located in wetlandscapes above a certain size (in the NDB: ~250 km2) consistently formed networks with characteristics required to support key ecosystem services such as nutrient/pollutant retention and biodiversity support. This was in contrast to smaller wetlandscapes (<250 km2), which had smaller and less diverse wetlands with insufficient throughflow to significantly impact large-scale flows of water and nutrients/pollutants. The existence of such wetlandscape-size thresholds is consistent with scale-dependent flow accumulation patterns in catchments, suggesting likely transferability of this result also to other regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imenne Åhlén
- Department of Physical Geography, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Peter Hambäck
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Josefin Thorslund
- Department of Physical Geography, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrew Frampton
- Department of Physical Geography, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Georgia Destouni
- Department of Physical Geography, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jerker Jarsjö
- Department of Physical Geography, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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Lamsal P, Atreya K, Ghosh MK, Pant KP. Effects of population, land cover change, and climatic variability on wetland resource degradation in a Ramsar listed Ghodaghodi Lake Complex, Nepal. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2019; 191:415. [PMID: 31172363 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7514-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Wetlands support livelihoods of millions of people in developing countries. However, wetland land cover change, as a result of growing population and subsequent anthropogenic activities, has been evident at a global scale, and ongoing micro-climate alteration has further deteriorating its ecological condition. Nepal is equally vulnerable to wetland changes that can have direct effects on the sustenance of local wetland-dependent people. This study thus attempts to look at how wetland areas of Nepal are undergoing changes, taking a case of Ghodaghodi Lake Complex (GLC). Remote sensing technique, climate, and population data were used in the analysis aided by focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Results showed that total population of the study area has been increased drastically in recent decades. Landsat image analysis for 25 years (1989-2016) depicts changes in the GLC in its land cover, with maximum expansion observed in settlement followed by river and banks, whereas maximum reduction was observed in forests, followed by areas of agricultural land and lake. Similarly, diurnal temperature is increasing while total annual rainfall is slightly decreasing during the same period. Locals have perceived ecological degradation in the GLC due to both anthropogenic pressure and climatic variability. The study outlines linkage of drivers for GLC degradation and finally makes recommendations to achieve longer term sustainability of the lake complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pramod Lamsal
- Himalayan Geo-En Pvt. Ltd., Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu, Nepal.
| | - Kishor Atreya
- PHASE Nepal, Suryabinayak Municipality - 4, Dadhikot, Bhaktapur, Nepal
| | - Manoj Kumer Ghosh
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
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Educational Approaches to Encourage Pro-Environmental Behaviors in Madagascar. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11113148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot under threat, with about 80% of the population living below the poverty line and dependent on the use of diminishing local resources. Environmental education (EE) can act as an important tool for biodiversity conservation, however, its implementation is challenging in low-income countries. Here, we provide a review of 248 EE interventions throughout Madagascar. We highlight how EE can promote pro-environmental behaviors and show the major obstacles it faces, using Madagascar’s Lake Alaotra as a case study area. All EE activities are implemented by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international institutions. EE and community engagement have been shown by practitioners and scientific research alike to be valuable tools but are severely restricted in their impact when their outreach is limited by insecure and insufficient funding, and often funding periods that are too short. Another major hindrance to EE producing positive changes in people’s real-life decisions in low-income countries like Madagascar, arises when lessons are taught to a population that is at once understanding and severely constrained in its choices due to poverty, and corresponding malnutrition, that forces people to make unsustainable decisions on a daily basis. Our conclusions should help to improve the practice of EE in Madagascar and other low-income countries.
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Quintela FM, Lima GP, Silveira ML, Costa PG, Bianchini A, Loebmann D, Martins SE. High arsenic and low lead concentrations in fish and reptiles from Taim wetlands, a Ramsar site in southern Brazil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 660:1004-1014. [PMID: 30743898 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The pollution caused by heavy metals and metalloids represent an emerging threat to wetlands worldwide. Herein we examined the concentrations of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in fish and aquatic/semi-aquatic reptiles from Taim wetlands, a Ramsar site located at the southernmost Brazilian coastal plain. A total of 82 individuals from six fish and three reptile species from varied trophic levels were analysed through furnace graphite atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Mean As concentrations (μg·g-1 dry weight) were markedly high, ranging from 13.06 ± 3.18 to 19.4 ± 4.04 in fish and 3.51 ± 2.36 to 19.00 ± 10.45 in reptiles. Mean Pb concentrations were low, ranging from 0.00067 ± 0.00060 to 0.0040 ± 0.00045 in fishes and 0.00103 ± 0.0011 to 0.0271 ± 0.0353 in reptiles. The highest As mean level was detected in the herbivore-insectivore fish Astyanax aff. fasciatus, a species of low trophic level among the analysed taxa. The highest Pb mean level was found in the broad-snouted caiman Caiman latirostris, the highest trophic level species analysed. The present study warns for the contamination of As especially in edible fish, which constitute a threat to the communities that use this resource in systems connected to Taim wetlands. As concentrations in reptiles were also higher than those reported in previous studies concerning the groups herein addressed. It is possible that the high As burdens found in the analysed species could be attributed to the use of fertilizers and pesticides in extensive irrigated rice areas located in Taim wetlands surroundings, but natural sources cannot be dismissed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando M Quintela
- Laboratório de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Gilmar Pinto Lima
- Laboratório de Toxicologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Melise L Silveira
- Laboratório de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Gomes Costa
- Laboratório de Toxicologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Adalto Bianchini
- Laboratório de Toxicologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Daniel Loebmann
- Laboratório de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Samantha E Martins
- Laboratório de Toxicologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
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Cabeza M, Terraube J, Burgas D, Temba EM, Rakoarijaoana M. Gold is not green: artisanal gold mining threatens Ranomafana National Park's biodiversity. Anim Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Cabeza
- Global Change and Conservation Lab Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- HELSUS Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - J. Terraube
- Global Change and Conservation Lab Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- HELSUS Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - D. Burgas
- Global Change and Conservation Lab Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- HELSUS Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- CEES Department of Biological Sciences University of Oslo Oslo Norway
| | - E. M. Temba
- SAME: Save the Malagasy Environment Antananarivo Madagascar
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