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https://soctropecol.eu/
ISBN 978-3-00-059300-0
© Th omas VIGN A UD/CNRS Ph ot oth éque © Er wan AMICE LEMAR/CNRS Ph ot oth équeCHALLENGES IN
TROPICAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION -
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
1
Challenges in tropical ecology and conservation - global perspectives
IMPRINT
Editors
Pierre-Michel Forget – Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle Catherine Reeb – Sorbonne Université
Jérémy Migliore – Université Libre de Bruxelles Heike Kuhlmann – KCS Kuhlmann Convention Service
Concept, Layout and Cover
roman.tschirf@gmail.com
This book is available at www.gtoe.de ISBN: 978-3-00-059300-0
The respective authors are solely responsible for the contents of their contributions in this book.
358 359
Society for Tropical Ecology | Gesellschaft für Tropenökologie e.V. Challenges in tropical ecology and conservation - global perspectives
WEDNESD
AY 10:15
SE-O03 – SIDE EVENT – MINIFORUM COPED – ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION VALUE OF AN ATLANTIC
CENTRAL AFRICAN FOREST: THE NGOVAYANG MASSIF
(CAMEROON)
Christelle Gonmadje1,2, Charles Doumenge2, Doyle McKey3
1Department of Plant Biology, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, CM, cgonmadje@yahoo.fr
2CIRAD, Campus International de Baillarguet, Montpellier, FR
3Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR CNRS 5175, Montpellier, FR
The Ngovayang Massif of southern Cameroon is a range of small hills near the Atlantic coast, in the Lower Guinea floristic region. This region is known to harbor forests with high levels of biodiversity and endemism, but this Massif is botanically poorly known. We assessed tree species diversity and level of endemism of the Ngovayang forest, comparing it with other sites in Central Africa. Fifteen 1-ha permanent plots within old-growth forests of the Ngovayang Massif were censused.
A total of 7967 individuals with dbh ≥ 10 cm were recorded, belonging to 583 species, 267 genera and 71 families. The mean number of stems was 532 ± 75 stems ha-1. The mean
Fisher’s alpha index was 42.4 ± 6.5. Taking into account other data available, the list of vascular plants known in the Massif reaches a total of 1497 species. We found 224 species of high conservation value, including Cameroon endemics and other rare and threatened species. Species richness and endemism are comparable to those of the richest known sites in Central African forests. Topographic heterogeneity, high precipitation and atmospheric humidity owing to the proximity of the ocean, and permanence of a forest cover during past geological times probably all contribute to explaining the Massif’s high tree diversity and endemism. This study highlights the botanical importance of the poorly studied Ngovayang forest within the Lower Guinea region, justifying efforts for improved assessment of this value and for the development of suitable national conservation strategies.
WEDNESD
AY 11:00
SE-O04 – SIDE EVENT – MINIFORUM COPED – ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES
PATTERNS OF EVOLUTIONARY DIVERSIFICATION AMONG
CENTRAL AFRICAN DUIKERS (SUBFAMILY CEPHALOPHINAE)
Stephan Ntie1, Anne R. Davis2, Katrin Hils3,4, Patrick Mickala1, Henri A. Thomassen4, Katy
Morgan2, Hadrien Vanthomme5, Mary K. Gonder6, Nicola M. Anthony2
1Département de Biologie, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Franceville, GA,
stephanntie@yahoo.fr
2Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, US
3Cheetah Conservation Fund, Otjiwarongo, NA
4Comparative Zoology, Institute for Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, DE
5Département Écologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS
UMR 7179, Brunoy, FR
6Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, US
Duikers are an important component of the mammal community throughout the whole Congo basin. However very little is known about their ecology and drivers of diversification. Meanwhile, duikers are a significant source of proteins for local people and are increasingly threatened by hunting pressure and habitat alteration. The present study set out to assess patterns of evolutionary diversification in central African duikers (genera Cephalophus and Philantomba). They constitute good markers for tropical diversification because
they are highly tied to forested habitat. The sampling strategy consisted of collecting geo-referenced duiker feces across 43 sites and seven countries across Central Africa. Analyses of historical and contemporary population genetic structure were carried out on the three most abundant species (C. dorsalis, C. callipygus, and P. monticola) in our sampling area using a ~ 650 bp mitochondrial fragment of the control region and 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci.
These data show that (1) the highlands of southwest Nigeria and southwest Cameroon comprise genetically distinct populations of C. callipygus and P. monticola species, (2) environmental variation explains most of the nuclear genetic differentiation in both C. callipygus and P. monticola, (3) signatures of demographic expansion for all three taxa are broadly coincident with a history of post-glacial expansion, and (4) the Sanaga, Ogooué and Sangha rivers may constitute partial riverine barriers and/or act as fluvial refugia.
