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Macêdo RL, Haubrock PJ, Klippel G, Fernandez RD, Leroy B, Angulo E, Carneiro L, Musseau CL, Rocha O, Cuthbert RN. The economic costs of invasive aquatic plants: A global perspective on ecology and management gaps. Sci Total Environ 2024; 908:168217. [PMID: 37952653 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Safeguarding aquatic ecosystems from invasive species requires a comprehensive understanding and quantification of their impacts, as this information is crucial for developing effective management strategies. In particular, aquatic invasive plants cause profound alterations to aquatic ecosystem composition, structure and productivity. Monetary cost assessments have, however, lacked at large scales for this group. Here, we synthesize the global economic impacts of aquatic and semi-aquatic invasive plants to describe the distributions of these costs across taxa, habitat types, environments, impacted sectors, cost typologies, and geographic regions. We also examine the development of recorded costs over time using linear and non-linear models and infer the geographical gaps of recorded costs by superimposing cost and species distribution data. Between 1975 and 2020, the total cost of aquatic and semi-aquatic invasive plants to the global economy exceeded US$ 32 billion, of which the majority of recorded costs (57 %) was attributable to multiple or unspecified taxa. Submerged plants had $8.4 billion (25.5 %) followed by floating plants $4.7 billion (14.5 %), emergent $684 million (2.1 %) and semi-aquatic $306 million (0.9 %). Recorded costs were disproportionately high towards freshwater ecosystems, which have received the greatest cost research effort compared to marine and brackish systems. Public and social welfare and fisheries were the sectors most affected, while agriculture and health were most underreported. Cost attributed to management (4.8 %; $1.6 billion) represented only a fraction of damages (85.8 %; $28.2 billion). While recorded costs are rising over time, reporting issues e.g., robustness of data, lack of higher taxonomic resolution and geographical gaps likely have led to a dampening of trajectories. In particular, invasive taxa currently occupy regions where monetary cost reports are lacking despite well-known impacts. More robust and timely cost estimates will enhance interpretation of current and future impacts of aquatic invasive plants, assisting the long-term sustainability of our aquatic ecosystems and associated economic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael L Macêdo
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Natural Resources, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Federal University of São Carlos, UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil; Laboratoire d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, IDEEV, Université Paris-Saclay, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany.
| | - Phillip J Haubrock
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Gelnhausen, Germany; University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25 Vodňany, Czech Republic; CAMB, Center for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait
| | - Gabriel Klippel
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, IDEEV, Université Paris-Saclay, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Graduate Program in Neotropical Biodiversity, Department of Ecology and Natural Resources, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Romina D Fernandez
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán-CONICET, CC. 34, 4107 Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Boris Leroy
- Unité Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA UMR 8067), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Université de Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, CNRS, IRD, Paris, France
| | - Elena Angulo
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Laís Carneiro
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation, Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, UFPR, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Camille L Musseau
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Odete Rocha
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Natural Resources, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Federal University of São Carlos, UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Ross N Cuthbert
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Diagne C, Ballesteros-Mejia L, Cuthbert RN, Bodey TW, Fantle-Lepczyk J, Angulo E, Bang A, Dobigny G, Courchamp F. Economic costs of invasive rodents worldwide: the tip of the iceberg. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14935. [PMID: 36992943 PMCID: PMC10042159 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Rodents are among the most notorious invasive alien species worldwide. These invaders have substantially impacted native ecosystems, food production and storage, local infrastructures, human health and well-being. However, the lack of standardized and understandable estimation of their impacts is a serious barrier to raising societal awareness, and hampers effective management interventions at relevant scales. Methods Here, we assessed the economic costs of invasive alien rodents globally in order to help overcome these obstacles. For this purpose, we combined and analysed economic cost data from the InvaCost database-the most up-to-date and comprehensive synthesis of reported invasion costs-and specific complementary searches within and beyond the published literature. Results Our conservative analysis showed that reported costs of rodent invasions reached a conservative total of US$ 3.6 billion between 1930 and 2022 (annually US$ 87.5 million between 1980 and 2022), and were significantly increasing through time. The highest cost reported was for muskrat Ondatra zibethicus (US$ 377.5 million), then unspecified Rattus spp. (US$ 327.8 million), followed by Rattus norvegicus specifically (US$ 156.6 million) and Castor canadensis (US$ 150.4 million). Of the total costs, 87% were damage-related, principally impacting agriculture and predominantly reported in Asia (60%), Europe (19%) and North America (9%). Our study evidenced obvious cost underreporting with only 99 documents gathered globally, clear taxonomic gaps, reliability issues for cost assessment, and skewed breakdowns of costs among regions, sectors and contexts. As a consequence, these reported costs represent only a very small fraction of the expected true cost of rodent invasions (e.g., using a less conservative analytic approach would have led to a global amount more than 80-times higher than estimated here). Conclusions These findings strongly suggest that available information represents a substantial underestimation of the global costs incurred. We offer recommendations for improving estimates of costs to fill these knowledge gaps including: systematic distinction between native and invasive rodents' impacts; monetizing indirect impacts on human health; and greater integrative and concerted research effort between scientists and stakeholders. Finally, we discuss why and how this approach will stimulate and provide support for proactive and sustainable management strategies in the context of alien rodent invasions, for which biosecurity measures should be amplified globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Diagne
- CBGP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montferrier-sur-Lez, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Orsay, France
| | | | - Ross N. Cuthbert
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas W. Bodey
- School of Biological Sciences, King’s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | | | - Elena Angulo
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Orsay, France
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alok Bang
- Society for Ecology Evolution and Development, Wardha, India
| | - Gauthier Dobigny
- CBGP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montferrier-sur-Lez, France
- Unité Peste, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, BP 1274 Ambatofotsikely Avaradoha, 101 Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Franck Courchamp
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Orsay, France
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Renault D, Angulo E, Cuthbert RN, Haubrock PJ, Capinha C, Bang A, Kramer AM, Courchamp F. The magnitude, diversity, and distribution of the economic costs of invasive terrestrial invertebrates worldwide. Sci Total Environ 2022; 835:155391. [PMID: 35461930 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major driver of global biodiversity loss, hampering conservation efforts and disrupting ecosystem functions and services. While accumulating evidence documented ecological impacts of IAS across major geographic regions, habitat types and taxonomic groups, appraisals for economic costs remained relatively sparse. This has hindered effective cost-benefit analyses that inform expenditure on management interventions to prevent, control, and eradicate IAS. Terrestrial invertebrates are a particularly pervasive and damaging group of invaders, with many species compromising primary economic sectors such as forestry, agriculture and health. The present study provides synthesised quantifications of economic costs caused by invasive terrestrial invertebrates on the global scale and across a range of descriptors, using the InvaCost database. Invasive terrestrial invertebrates cost the global economy US$ 712.44 billion over the investigated period (up to 2020), considering only high-reliability source reports. Overall, costs were not equally distributed geographically, with North America (73%) reporting the greatest costs, with far lower costs reported in Europe (7%), Oceania (6%), Africa (5%), Asia (3%), and South America (< 1%). These costs were mostly due to invasive insects (88%) and mostly resulted from direct resource damages and losses (75%), particularly in agriculture and forestry; relatively little (8%) was invested in management. A minority of monetary costs was directly observed (17%). Economic costs displayed an increasing trend with time, with an average annual cost of US$ 11.40 billion since 1960, but as much as US$ 165.01 billion in 2020, but reporting lags reduced costs in recent years. The massive global economic costs of invasive terrestrial invertebrates require urgent consideration and investment by policymakers and managers, in order to prevent and remediate the economic and ecological impacts of these and other IAS groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Renault
- University of Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6553 EcoBio, Rennes, France; Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, Paris, France.
| | - Elena Angulo
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Ross N Cuthbert
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, 24105 Kiel, Germany; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Phillip J Haubrock
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25 Vodňany, Czech Republic; Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Gelnhausen, Germany
| | - César Capinha
- Centro de Estudos Geográficos e Laboratório Associado Terra, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território - IGOT, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua Branca Edmée Marques, 1600-276 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Alok Bang
- Society for Ecology Evolution and Development, Wardha 442001, India
| | - Andrew M Kramer
- University of South Florida, Department of Integrative Biology, Tampa, Fl 33620, USA
| | - Franck Courchamp
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, 91405 Orsay, France
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Kouba A, Oficialdegui FJ, Cuthbert RN, Kourantidou M, South J, Tricarico E, Gozlan RE, Courchamp F, Haubrock PJ. Identifying economic costs and knowledge gaps of invasive aquatic crustaceans. Sci Total Environ 2022; 813:152325. [PMID: 34971690 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite voluminous literature identifying the impacts of invasive species, summaries of monetary costs for some taxonomic groups remain limited. Invasive alien crustaceans often have profound impacts on recipient ecosystems, but there may be great unknowns related to their economic costs. Using the InvaCost database, we quantify and analyse reported costs associated with invasive crustaceans globally across taxonomic, spatial, and temporal descriptors. Specifically, we quantify the costs of prominent aquatic crustaceans - crayfish, crabs, amphipods, and lobsters. Between 2000 and 2020, crayfish caused US$ 120.5 million in reported costs; the vast majority (99%) being attributed to representatives of Astacidae and Cambaridae. Crayfish-related costs were unevenly distributed across countries, with a strong bias towards European economies (US$ 116.4 million; mainly due to the signal crayfish in Sweden), followed by costs reported from North America and Asia. The costs were also largely predicted or extrapolated, and thus not based on empirical observations. Despite these limitations, the costs of invasive crayfish have increased considerably over the past two decades, averaging US$ 5.7 million per year. Invasive crabs have caused costs of US$ 150.2 million since 1960 and the ratios were again uneven (57% in North America and 42% in Europe). Damage-related costs dominated for both crayfish (80%) and crabs (99%), with management costs lacking or even more under-reported. Reported costs for invasive amphipods (US$ 178.8 thousand) and lobsters (US$ 44.6 thousand) were considerably lower, suggesting a lack of effort in reporting costs for these groups or effects that are largely non-monetised. Despite the well-known damage caused by invasive crustaceans, we identify data limitations that prevent a full accounting of the economic costs of these invasive groups, while highlighting the increasing costs at several scales based on the available literature. Further cost reports are needed to better assess the true magnitude of monetary costs caused by invasive aquatic crustaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonín Kouba
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25 Vodňany, Czech Republic.
| | | | - Ross N Cuthbert
- GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, Kiel, Germany; Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Melina Kourantidou
- Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA; University of Southern Denmark, Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics, Esbjerg, Denmark
| | - Josie South
- Centre for Invasion Biology, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Makhanda, South Africa; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), DSI/NRF Research Chair in Inland Fisheries and Freshwater Ecology, Makhanda, South Africa
| | - Elena Tricarico
- University of Florence, Department of Biology, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | | | - Franck Courchamp
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Orsay, France
| | - Phillip J Haubrock
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25 Vodňany, Czech Republic; Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Gelnhausen, Germany.
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Cuthbert RN, Pattison Z, Taylor NG, Verbrugge L, Diagne C, Ahmed DA, Leroy B, Angulo E, Briski E, Capinha C, Catford JA, Dalu T, Essl F, Gozlan RE, Haubrock PJ, Kourantidou M, Kramer AM, Renault D, Wasserman RJ, Courchamp F. Global economic costs of aquatic invasive alien species. Sci Total Environ 2021; 775:145238. [PMID: 33715860 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Much research effort has been invested in understanding ecological impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) across ecosystems and taxonomic groups, but empirical studies about economic effects lack synthesis. Using a comprehensive global database, we determine patterns and trends in economic costs of aquatic IAS by examining: (i) the distribution of these costs across taxa, geographic regions and cost types; (ii) the temporal dynamics of global costs; and (iii) knowledge gaps, especially compared to terrestrial IAS. Based on the costs recorded from the existing literature, the global cost of aquatic IAS conservatively summed to US$345 billion, with the majority attributed to invertebrates (62%), followed by vertebrates (28%), then plants (6%). The largest costs were reported in North America (48%) and Asia (13%), and were principally a result of resource damages (74%); only 6% of recorded costs were from management. The magnitude and number of reported costs were highest in the United States of America and for semi-aquatic taxa. Many countries and known aquatic alien species had no reported costs, especially in Africa and Asia. Accordingly, a network analysis revealed limited connectivity among countries, indicating disparate cost reporting. Aquatic IAS costs have increased in recent decades by several orders of magnitude, reaching at least US$23 billion in 2020. Costs are likely considerably underrepresented compared to terrestrial IAS; only 5% of reported costs were from aquatic species, despite 26% of known invaders being aquatic. Additionally, only 1% of aquatic invasion costs were from marine species. Costs of aquatic IAS are thus substantial, but likely underreported. Costs have increased over time and are expected to continue rising with future invasions. We urge increased and improved cost reporting by managers, practitioners and researchers to reduce knowledge gaps. Few costs are proactive investments; increased management spending is urgently needed to prevent and limit current and future aquatic IAS damages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross N Cuthbert
- GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, 24105 Kiel, Germany; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda 6140, South Africa.
| | - Zarah Pattison
- Modelling, Evidence and Policy Research Group, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Nigel G Taylor
- Tour du Valat, Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands, 13200 Arles, France
| | - Laura Verbrugge
- University of Helsinki, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 27, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Aalto University, Department of Built Environment, Water & Development Research Group, Tietotie 1E, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Christophe Diagne
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Danish A Ahmed
- Center for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics (CAMB), Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Gulf University for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 7207, Hawally 32093, Kuwait
| | - Boris Leroy
- Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université Caen-Normandie, Université des Antilles, 43 rue Cuvier, CP 26, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Elena Angulo
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Elizabeta Briski
- GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - César Capinha
- Centro de Estudos Geográficos, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território - IGOT, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jane A Catford
- Department of Geography, King's College London, Strand WC2B 4BG, UK; School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Vic 3010, Australia
| | - Tatenda Dalu
- School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Franz Essl
- BioInvasions, Global Change, Macroecology-Group, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rodolphe E Gozlan
- ISEM UMR226, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Phillip J Haubrock
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt, Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Gelnhausen, Germany; University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25 Vodňany, Czech Republic
| | - Melina Kourantidou
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States; Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Athens 164 52, Greece; University of Southern Denmark, Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics, Esbjerg 6705, Denmark
| | - Andrew M Kramer
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, United States
| | - David Renault
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)], - UMR 6553, F 35000 Rennes, France; Institut Universitaire de France, 1 Rue Descartes, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Ryan J Wasserman
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Franck Courchamp
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, 91405 Orsay, France
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