Group news

New paper: Individual-based frugivore-plant network

9/15/2021

We have a new paper in Oikos examining how space and variation between individual plants affect movement and visitation by frugivores foraging on individual fruiting plants.

Graphical abstract from Tonos et al. Oikos 2021

New paper: Seed dispersal limitation in forest edge habitats

9/15/2021

We have a new paper in the Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution investigating how differences between frugivore communities at the forest edge and interior habitats of a diverse tropical rainforest relate to patterns of animal-mediated seed dispersal and early seedling recruitment.

Main findings:

Lemur communities across the forest edge-interior gradient in this system showed the highest species richness and variability in body sizes at intermediate distances; the community of birds showed the opposite pattern for species richness.
Three large-bodied frugivores, known to be effective dispersers of large seeds, tended to avoid the forest edge.
The forest edges received a lower rate of animal-mediated seed dispersal compared to the interior habitats.
The seeds that were actively dispersed by animals in forest edge habitats were smaller in size than seeds dispersed in the forest interior. This pattern was found despite a similarity in seed size of seasonally fruiting adult trees and shrubs between the two habitats.
Despite these differences in dispersal patterns, we did not observe any differences in the rates of seedling recruitment or seed-size distribution of successful recruit species.

Forest edge in Ihofa Forest, Madagascar. Photo by O. Razafindratsima

New Paper: roles of forests & tree in poverty dynamics

8/23/2021

We have a new paper in the journal Forest Policy and Economics reviewing the links between forests / tree-based systems and poverty dynamics.

Highlights:

Evidence on four broad roles forests and tree-based systems play in household poverty dynamics reviewed
Forests and tree-based systems shape household poverty dynamics through the production of both goods and ecosystem services
The most commonly reported role is to maintain households at a steady level of wellbeing
Negative forest externalities can maintain or move households into poverty
Addressing gender disparities can contribute to long-term poverty reduction goals

Tree canopy in Ranomafana National Park. Photo by Vero Ramananjato.

Open Access costs for African Scholars

8/10/2021

We have a new paper in Nature Correspondence discussing the dilemma of African scholars regarding publishing open access.

Forests, trees & poverty alleviation

8/9/2021

We have a new paper in Forest Policy and Economics addressing the "need for greater integration of forests and trees in development policy"

New paper: Mouse lemur microhabitat use

8/4/2021

We have a new paper in the International Journal of Primatology investigating several aspects of the microhabitat structure that the rufous mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus) might prefer and examining how this structural preference varies across a heterogeneous landscape of forests with different disturbance levels.

A mouse lemur in the rainforest of Ranomafana National Park. Picture courtesy of Vero Ramananjato.

Congratulations to lab member Vero!

7/20/2021

Congratulations to PhD student Vero Ramananjato for being selected a Train Faculty Fellow by WWF's Education for Nature program and awarded the African Graduate Research Fund from the American Society of Mammalogists. She was also selected as as an AAUW fellow and an International Peace Scholar for the 2021-22 academic year, and received a Rufford Grant for Nature Conservation to support her PhD research studying the ecology of Microcebus rufus, one of the smallest primates on Earth, in the rainforests of Ranomafana Madagascar.