Effects of transhumance route on the richness and composition of bird communities in Tsimanampesotse National Park

In southwestern Madagascar, livestock (cattle) is a major source of income for the human population and is of tremendous cultural importance. In this subarid region, the farming system faces an extreme climate and has to cope with little food and water resources for several months a year. Local farmers overcome these difficulties in the form of transhumance and roaming of cattle in the forest at Tsimanampesotse National Park. The former strategy uses routes directly through the park twice per year. To assess possible effects of the transhumance and associated human activities on birds, we compared the composition and abundance of birds at one control site and two sites along the trail of transhumance in the forest of Tsimanampesotse National Park from January to May 201 2. The results showed that the abundance of birds declined near the trail of transhumance. Ten species of birds were hunted during the transhumance to meet the daily needs of the herders. We interpret the lower density of birds along the trail of transhumance as a consequence of hunting, especially for large and terrestrial birds such as Coua spp. Cattle activities (trampling, grazing) do not seem to bird communities

Protected area surface extension in Madagascar: Do endemism and threatened species remain useful criteria for site selection?

The ‘hotspot approach’ considers that endemism and threatened species are key factors in protected area designation. Three wetland and forest sites have been proposed to be included into Madagascar’s system of protected areas (SAPM – Système des Aires Protégées de Madagascar). These sites are Manambolomaty (14,701 ha) and Mandrozo (15,145 ha) in the west and Bemanevika (37,041 ha) in the north. Biodiversity inventories of these three sites recorded 243 endemic species comprised of 44 reptiles, 54 amphibians, 104 birds, 23 small mammals, 17 lemurs and one fish. Of these 243 species, 30 are threatened taxa comprising two Critically Endangered (CR), 11 Endangered (EN) and 17 Vulnerable (VU) species. The long term ecological viability of these sites has been shown by population stability of the two Critically Endangered flagship species, the Madagascar fish eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides) in Manambolomaty and Mandrozo and the recently rediscovered Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) in Bemanevika. Other threatened species and high biological diversity also justifies their inclusion into Madagascar’s SAPM.RÉSUMÉL’endémisme et les espèces menacées constituent les éléments clef pour la création des aires protégées. Trois zones humides de Madagascar ainsi que leurs forêts avoisinantes sont proposées pour la protection sous le nouveau système des aires protégées malgaches connu sous le sigle SAPM (Système d’Aires Protégées de Madagascar) : Manambolomaty (14.701 ha) et Mandrozo (15.145 ha) à l’Ouest et Bemanevika (37.041 ha) dans le Nord. Les inventaires biologiques entrepris dans ces trois sites ont montré que 243 espèces y sont endémiques, avec 44 reptiles, 54 amphibiens, 104 oiseaux, 23 petits mammifères, 17 lémuriens et un poisson. Parmi ces 243 espèces, 30 sont menacées d’extinction avec deux qui sont en danger critique d’extinction (CR), 11 en danger (EN) et 17 vulnérables (VU). La survie écologique à long terme de ces sites a été avérée avec la découverte de la stabilité des populations des deux espèces indicatrices en danger critique d’extinction que sont le Pygargue de Madagascar (Haliaeetus vociferoides) à Manambolomaty et Mandrozo et une espèce récemment redécouverte, le Fuligule de Madagascar (Aythya innotata) à Bemanevika. La stabilité de plusieurs autres espèces menacées ainsi que la diversité biologique de ces sites justifient leur inclusion dans le SAPM. Les sept associations locales, deux à Manambolomaty, deux à Bemanevika et trois à Mandrozo, ont supporté le programme de suivi de ces sites ainsi que de ces espèces indicatrices en montrant ainsi leur engagement dans le processus de création des aires protégées. Le Peregrine Fund a travaillé dans ces sites en vue de mettre en synergie ses objectifs de conservation avec le développement socio-économique local

Effects of habitat edges on vegetation structure and the vulnerable golden-brown mouse lemur (Microcebus ravelobensis) in northwestern Madagascar

Abstract Background Edge effects can influence species composition and community structure as a result of changes in microenvironment and edaphic variables. We investigated effects of habitat edges on vegetation structure, abundance and body mass of one vulnerable Microcebus species in northwestern Madagascar. We trapped mouse lemurs along four 1000-m transects (total of 2424 trap nights) that ran perpendicular to the forest edge. We installed 16 pairs of 20 m2 vegetation plots along each transect and measured nine vegetation parameters. To determine the responses of the vegetation and animals to an increasing distance to the edge, we tested the fit of four alternative mathematical functions (linear, power, logistic and unimodal) to the data and derived the depth of edge influence (DEI) for all parameters. Results Logistic and unimodal functions best explained edge responses of vegetation parameters, and the logistic function performed best for abundance and body mass of M. ravelobensis. The DEI varied between 50 m (no. of seedlings, no. of liana, dbh of large trees [dbh ≥ 10 cm]) and 460 m (tree height of large trees) for the vegetation parameters, whereas it was 340 m for M. ravelobensis abundance and 390 m for body mass, corresponding best to the DEI of small tree [dbh < 10 cm] density (360 m). Small trees were significantly taller and the density of seedlings was higher in the interior than in the edge habitat. However, there was no significant difference in M. ravelobensis abundance and body mass between interior and edge habitats, suggesting that M. ravelobensis did not show a strong edge response in the study region. Finally, regression analyses revealed three negative (species abundance and three vegetation parameters) and two positive relationships (body mass and two vegetation parameters), suggesting an impact of vegetation structure on M. ravelobensis which may be partly independent of edge effects. Conclusions A comparison of our results with previous findings reveals that edge effects are variable in space in a small nocturnal primate from Madagascar. Such an ecological plasticity could be extremely relevant for mitigating species responses to habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbances

An Endogenous Bile Acid and Dietary Sucrose from Skin Secretions of Alkaloid-Sequestering Poison Frogs

The skins of Madagascar poison frogs (<i>Mantella</i>) and certain Neotropical poison frogs (<i>Epipedobates</i>, <i>Dendrobates</i>) secrete the new bile acid tauromantellic acid (<b>1</b>), which was found in both wild-caught and captive-born frogs. This is the first molecule of endogenous origin detected in skin secretions from these taxa. Sucrose was also detected in secretions from wild-caught <i>Mantella</i> but not in captive-born frogs, suggesting a dietary origin

Review of the status and conservation of tenrecs (Mammalia: Afrotheria: Tenrecidae)

The mammal family Tenrecidae (Afrotheria: Afrosoricida) is endemic to Madagascar. Here we present the conservation priorities for the 31 species of tenrec that were assessed or reassessed in 2015–2016 for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Six species (19.4%) were found to be threatened (4 Vulnerable, 2 Endangered) and one species was categorized as Data Deficient. The primary threat to tenrecs is habitat loss, mostly as a result of slash-and-burn agriculture, but some species are also threatened by hunting and incidental capture in fishing traps. In the longer term, climate change is expected to alter tenrec habitats and ranges. However, the lack of data for most tenrecs on population size, ecology and distribution, together with frequent changes in taxonomy (with many cryptic species being discovered based on genetic analyses) and the poorly understood impact of bushmeat hunting on spiny species (Tenrecinae), hinders conservation planning. Priority conservation actions are presented for Madagascar's tenrecs for the first time since 1990 and focus on conserving forest habitat (especially through improved management of protected areas) and filling essential knowledge gaps. Tenrec research, monitoring and conservation should be integrated into broader sustainable development objectives and programmes targeting higher profile species, such as lemurs, if we are to see an improvement in the conservation status of tenrecs in the near future.ISSN:0030-605

Morphological variability or inter‐observer bias? A methodological toolkit to improve data quality of multi‐researcher datasets for the analysis of morphological variation

International audienceObjectives: The investigation of morphological variation in animals is widely used in taxonomy, ecology, and evolution. Using large datasets for meta-analyses has dramatically increased, raising concerns about dataset compatibilities and biases introduced by contributions of multiple researchers.Materials and Methods: We compiled morphological data on 13 variables for 3073 individual mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae, Microcebus spp.) from 25 taxa and 153 different sampling locations, measured by 48 different researchers. We introduced and applied a filtering pipeline and quantified improvements in data quality (Shapiro-Francia statistic, skewness, and excess kurtosis). The filtered dataset was then used to test for genus-wide sexual size dimorphism and the applicability of Rensch's, Allen's, and Bergmann's rules.Results: Our pipeline reduced inter-observer bias (i.e., increased normality of data distributions). Inter-observer reliability of measurements was notably variable, highlighting the need to reduce data collection biases. Although subtle, we found a consistent pattern of sexual size dimorphism across Microcebus, with females being the larger (but not heavier) sex. Sexual size dimorphism was isometric, providing no support for Rensch's rule. Variations in tail length but not in ear size were consistent with the predictions of Allen's rule. Body mass and length followed a pattern contrary to predictions of Bergmann's rule.Discussion: We highlighted the usefulness of large multi-researcher datasets for testing ecological hypotheses after correcting for inter-observer biases. Using genus-wide tests, we outlined generalizable patterns of morphological variability across all mouse lemurs. This new methodological toolkit aims to facilitate future large-scale morphological comparisons for a wide range of taxa and applications