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Grass (Poaceae) distribution patterns, based on the number of species in each TDWG level 3 region. (a) Global diversity (green): The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP, 2018) contains 77,166 records for native distributions of Poaceae, representing 11,454 species in 368 out of the 369 regions. Bouvet Island between Africa and Antarctica is the only place in the world where no grasses are recorded, but they are likely to have been overlooked. (b) Global Poaceae endemism (pale blue). Endemic grasses are found on all nine continents, with top continents being temperate Asia (1,048 species), South America (991 species), and Africa (800 species). (c, d) Global distribution of all species in Madagascar (dark blue) and the British Isles (pink, see also Figure S2)
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Societal impact statement
Plants are essential for all life, providing the infrastructure and energy for our ecosystems. A recent report indicates that more than 500 plant species are already presumed extinct and many more could have been lost without anyone being aware, especially in species‐rich areas with high levels of human impact, and where b...
Citations
... This phenomenon has been described by some authors as "parachute research," which constitutes one facet of scientific colonialism, where the center of knowledge and scientific production is located outside the specific country (Raja et al. 2022), reducing it to merely a study area. In general, large amounts of data and samples are collected in the Global South but are stored in museums and servers located in the Global North, where they may remain difficult to access for researchers in the South who lack the means or resources to access them (Vorontsova et al. 2020). ...
More than one-third of the world’s high-biodiversity areas are inhabited by traditional communities, which possess deep knowledge and a unique relationship with the environment, resulting in sustainable management of natural resources. However, the importance of these communities is not always highlighted; therefore, this study conducts a mapping of scientific literature on the importance of these communities in biodiversity conservation, identifying trends, gaps, and areas of focus. A total of 519 articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases were analyzed. The highest scientific productivity was recorded in 2022 (n = 59; 11.36%), and the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine was the most prolific on the subject. Brazil (n = 128; 24.66%) and India (n = 94; 18.11%) were the countries with the highest scientific output, while India (n = 80; 15.41%) and Brazil (n = 58; 11.17%) were the most studied. However, the USA leads in scientific collaboration networks. The main contributions of traditional communities to biodiversity conservation included management and sustainable use of natural resources (71.29%) and cultural and traditional practices (46.43%). The results reflect the growing recognition of the importance of traditional communities in nature conservation. Conservation policies and strategies should recognize and incorporate the knowledge and practices of these communities to strengthen environmental preservation and promote social justice and equity. Only by acknowledging the value of these communities’ actions will it be possible to combat neocolonialism, where they are viewed or considered merely as subjects of study or as labor to be exploited for data generation, without due recognition of their importance.
... Conservative estimates indicate that only 13-18% of species are known and described, and the probability of discovering new species and taxonomic uncertainties of already described species are concentrated mainly in tropical regions 10,11 . However, taxonomists frequently report that the tropics are the region from which numerous NBT were collected and sent abroad, mainly to NHBC in Europe and North America, hampering the effort to catalog and describe the yet-to-be-discovered diversity 12,13 . In this study, we argue that a fairer distribution of NBT is necessary if we aim to effectively fill the gaps in biological knowledge by cataloging, organizing, and describing biodiversity in the coming years. ...
Ecological and evolutionary processes are recognized as the main factors generating and maintaining biodiversity. However, how biodiversity knowledge is collated, organized, and distributed worldwide influences our perceptions and inferences about biodiversity and the underlying processes. We demonstrated that name-bearing type specimens (NBT), the most fundamental reference for the identity of any species, of all freshwater and brackish fish species in the world are mostly housed in museums in Global North countries. The unequal distribution of NBT results from historical and socioeconomic factors and has implications for both the Global North and South countries. For the Global North, which concentrates most of NBT, we found a mismatch between NBT housed in their ichthyological collections and their native biotas. On the other hand, countries with most NBT of their native species housed elsewhere face a barrier in advancing biodiversity research due to the difficulty in accessing reference material, hampering global efforts in cataloging, reviewing, and describing new species. We advocate that if we are truly committed to advancing biodiversity research, we should pursue global initiatives to make the distribution of biological knowledge fairer among countries, which involves programs for specimen repatriation and facilitation of accessibility of NBT material to researchers from the countries in which they were collected.
... Despite Singapore's highly urbanised environment and historically well-documented flora, plant discovery has clearly not yet levelled off, been noted by similar studies in Europe (e.g., Abeli et al., 2021) and globally (Vorontsova et al., 2021). ...
Societal Impact Statement
Cities present a unique challenge for conservation. While overall native biodiversity is reduced, remnant habitats in the urban matrix can be important refugia for native and endemic species. This study reviews the rediscovery of 173 presumed nationally extinct plant taxa and discovery of 155 new native plant records, including 22 new to science and five endemics, in the botanically densely‐collected tropical city‐state of Singapore. The findings of this study indicate that plant rediscoveries and new discoveries are still possible in cities and urban areas with remaining fragments of original forest reserved for species protection, and investment in comprehensive botanical surveys and taxonomic research.
Summary
The conservation of native species‐dominated forest fragments and investment into botanical surveys and taxonomic research have enabled the rediscovery of presumed nationally extinct plant taxa and discovery of new native plant records in the tropical city‐state of Singapore.
We compared national plant checklists of 2009, 2022, and the national Red Data Book (third edition in press) to enumerate rediscovered and newly discovered native vascular plant taxa in the last 14 years. We examined if these were from taxonomic specialist redetermination of only pre‐existing specimens or newly collected from field surveys, and if they were from particular sites and vegetation types, disproportionately represented by certain life forms and families, and predominantly threatened.
We documented 173 rediscoveries and 155 new records after 2009, including 22 new to science and five endemics. Most rediscoveries were newly collected from field surveys, but most new records resulted from redetermination of pre‐existing specimens. Native species‐dominated forest fragments were the most important sites for the first collection of new records or first re‐collection of rediscoveries. Trees and climbers were well‐represented among the rediscoveries and new records. Epiphytes were significantly under‐represented compared to their proportion in the presumed nationally extinct flora. Most rediscoveries and new records are nationally Critically Endangered but regionally and globally not assessed.
Our findings indicate hope for the persistence of rare native plant species and opportunities for conservation in cities.
... Burney, 1987a;Burney, 1987b;Straka, 1996;Razafimanantsoa, 2022). Some of the grasslands, especially on the western flank, are highly biodiverse ancient grasslands, probably originating from the Neogene period (Bond et al., 2008;Vorontsova et al., 2016;Hackel et al., 2018;Vorontsova et al., 2020), while others are likely to be of anthropogenic origin. A recent pollen record from Tampoketsa-Ankazobe wetland, in the eastern slopes of the Highlands demonstrated the abundance of ericoid shrubland during the early Holocene, (Razafimanantsoa, 2022) (see Figure 3) confirming previous studies showing extensive presence of heathlands (Burney, 1987c;Straka, 1996) and supported by the high diversity of Ericaceae species in Madagascar (Grubb, 2003). ...
... In Madagascar, accumulated evolutionary, comparative and palaeoecological knowledge suggest the antiquity of open and mosaic ecosystems, establishing them as valid conservation targets (Burney et al., 2003;Bond et al., 2008;Virah-Sawmy et al., 2009b;Vorontsova et al., 2016;Hackel et al., 2018;Vorontsova et al., 2020). Mosaic landscapes of forested and open ecosystems provide higher biodiversity and a wider range of ecosystem services than forested landscapes alone (Raveloaritiana et al., 2023) and this is especially true where afforestation schemes use invasive alien species. ...
Planting trees is proposed as an important climate mitigation tool, but can be detrimental to biodiversity and livelihoods if not carefully planned and managed, with landscape history and livelihoods in mind. In Madagascar, deforestation is of concern, and a threat to forest-adapted biota. However, much of Madagascar’s landscape harbours ancient mosaic and open ecosystems that are home to unique suites of flora and fauna and provide a wide range of ecosystem services. Though guidelines for ecologically and socially responsible reforestation are emerging, the potential role of landscape history and palaeoecology has been generally underemphasised. Here, using Madagascar as a case study, we argue that forest restoration projects need a sound understanding of landscape history that includes a greater integration of palaeoecological data. This would help establish the former composition and extent of forests and also investigate the antiquity of open and mosaic ecosystems. When economic interests are strong, information from palaeoecology and environmental history can help reduce biases when identifying appropriate locations and suites of species for forestation. Furthermore, a reflective approach to landscape history can contribute to restoration projects that integrate cultural and livelihood considerations. A transdisciplinary approach that considers local needs and cultural context can facilitate the design and implementation of restoration projects that share benefits equitably. Underpinning this ambition is a more comprehensive consideration of ecosystem service benefits in a changing climate that includes accurate carbon storage calculations, as well as other ecosystem services including water provision, soil formation and erosion prevention, grazing resources, medicine and cultural components.
... Significant research has been conducted worldwide on grass species level diversity, but in Madagascar, studies have so far been focused on the highlands, with little work elsewhere (Lehmann et al., 2022). A total of 522 species of (Rabarivola et al., 2019;Vorontsova et al., 2020Vorontsova et al., , 2022. Of the grass species recorded in Madagascar, 40% are thought to be endemic (Vorontsova et al., 2016). ...
Societal Impact Statement
Madagascar's children are taught that their ancestors destroyed the vast ancient forest, giving rise to modern grasslands, a misleading myth that continues to undermine people's relationship with nature. Replacing this myth with a more nuanced and accurate narrative around grassy ecosystems is fundamental to building a more positive relationship between Madagascar's people and ecosystems, a process that is necessary to build modern conservation practice and environmental governance. The data we present are consistent with a pre‐human grass flora in the region, suggesting the local grassy ecosystems should not be written off as fully anthropogenic and undesirable but are instead in need of recognition and further research attention.
Summary
Grassy ecosystems cover over a quarter of dry land, with mosaics of old‐growth and recently formed anthropogenic systems appearing superficially similar to an uninformed observer. Grasses are part of a deep web of historic relationships between grassy ecosystems and local people.
We collect and compile the first list of grass species (Poaceae) in north‐west Madagascar in order to make an initial evidence assessment for a pre‐human grass flora. Field surveys and voucher specimen collections were carried out. Specimen identification was performed using morphological character comparison with reference specimens, literature and personal knowledge of grasses from other parts of Madagascar.
Seventy species are recorded and assigned to 44 genera. The species list is compared with regional grass checklists from central and south‐central Madagascar. Thirty‐five grasses are unique to Mahajanga, comprising 19% of the multi‐region species pool analysed; the regional species richness is comparable to that of the highlands.
The main subfamilies represented are the Panicoideae (64%) and Chloridoideae (29%). Seven species are endemic to Madagascar, reflecting their evolutionary origins on the island. Many of the species are found in multiple types of habitat and substrate, while others are restricted to limited areas and habitats, and local species richness varies significantly with habitat and soil. The main disturbance regimes driving species occurrence include fire and grazing, possibly partly reflecting similar disturbances prior to human arrival. The patterns observed in the grass flora of north‐western Madagascar are overall congruent with a pre‐human grass flora.
... For Malagasy grasses, concerted herbarium digitization efforts over just three years resulted in a 43% increase in georeferenced species records. This more than doubled the median number of records per species and improved the resolution of species richness patterns (28,61). In better-studied groups such as lemurs, continued advancements in our understanding of their distribution, ecology, and genetic diversity allow us to better understand their evolutionary history and inform conservation strategies (62). ...
Madagascar's biota is hyperdiverse and includes exceptional levels of endemicity. We review the current state of knowledge on Madagascar's past and current terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity by compiling and presenting comprehensive data on species diversity, endemism, and rates of species description and human uses, in addition to presenting an updated and simplified map of vegetation types. We report a substantial increase of records and species new to science in recent years; however, the diversity and evolution of many groups remain practically unknown (e.g., fungi and most invertebrates). Digitization efforts are increasing the resolution of species richness patterns and we highlight the crucial role of field- and collections-based research for advancing biodiversity knowledge and identifying gaps in our understanding, particularly as species richness corresponds closely to collection effort. Phylogenetic diversity patterns mirror that of species richness and endemism in most of the analyzed groups. We highlight humid forests as centers of diversity and endemism because of their role as refugia and centers of recent and rapid radiations. However, the distinct endemism of other areas, such as the grassland-woodland mosaic of the Central Highlands and the spiny forest of the southwest, is also biologically important despite lower species richness. The documented uses of Malagasy biodiversity are manifold, with much potential for the uncovering of new useful traits for food, medicine, and climate mitigation. The data presented here showcase Madagascar as a unique "living laboratory" for our understanding of evolution and the complex interactions between people and nature. The gathering and analysis of biodiversity data must continue and accelerate if we are to fully understand and safeguard this unique subset of Earth's biodiversity.
... Given the narrow geographic range of many Malagasy species [such as (14)], numerous undetected anthropogenic extinctions are likely to have taken place (15), such as CR Aloe species, which may have become extinct in the wild since they were last recorded. This may be especially pronounced in groups with high levels of micro-endemism, for example, freshwater fishes and amphibians (16). ...
... S1). These communities face challenges connected to widespread poverty, which itself is related to the degradation of natural capital in the landscape, limited access to formal education and health care, crime, corruption, weak governance, and regulatory issues including land tenure (15,93,94). For example, southern Madagascar is severely affected by food and water insecurity, which catalyzes political and social instability, exacerbates economic insecurity, and has led to large-scale migration within the country (95). ...
... As in many low-income countries, insufficient public funding means that the number of Malagasy professionals is still insufficient to serve the country's needs, there are relatively few PhD positions available to students, and those that are trained at higher levels often move away from academia and into the private sector. Access to up-to-date biodiversity data has also been a limiting factor (15). A further challenge is how to successfully engage multiple parts of society in conservation. ...
Madagascar's unique biota is heavily affected by human activity and is under intense threat. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on the conservation status of Madagascar's terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity by presenting data and analyses on documented and predicted species-level conservation statuses, the most prevalent and relevant threats, ex situ collections and programs, and the coverage and comprehensiveness of protected areas. The existing terrestrial protected area network in Madagascar covers 10.4% of its land area and includes at least part of the range of the majority of described native species of vertebrates with known distributions (97.1% of freshwater fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals combined) and plants (67.7%). The overall figures are higher for threatened species (97.7% of threatened vertebrates and 79.6% of threatened plants occurring within at least one protected area). International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments and Bayesian neural network analyses for plants identify overexploitation of biological resources and unsustainable agriculture as the most prominent threats to biodiversity. We highlight five opportunities for action at multiple levels to ensure that conservation and ecological restoration objectives, programs, and activities take account of complex underlying and interacting factors and produce tangible benefits for the biodiversity and people of Madagascar.
... Going forward, we recommend that local communities and indigenous knowledge associated with the global reservoir of plant diversity 46,47 form the backbone of plant genome collaborations. Currently there are over a dozen plant genomics projects with African institutions as partners 23 , a growing number of projects integrating indigenous knowledge 46,48 , large-scale consortia with multinational participants are being established (for example, the Africa BioGenome Project) and some journals have implemented policies to minimize parachute science and encourage international collaboration (for example, PLOS's policy on inclusion in global research). ...
The field of plant genome sequencing has grown rapidly in the past 20 years, leading to increases in the quantity and quality of publicly available genomic resources. The growing wealth of genomic data from an increasingly diverse set of taxa provides unprecedented potential to better understand the genome biology and evolution of land plants. Here we provide a contemporary view of land plant genomics, including analyses on assembly quality, taxonomic distribution of sequenced species and national participation. We show that assembly quality has increased dramatically in recent years, that substantial taxonomic gaps exist and that the field has been dominated by affluent nations in the Global North and China, despite a wide geographic distribution of study species. We identify numerous disconnects between the native range of focal species and the national affiliation of the researchers studying them, which we argue are rooted in colonialism—both past and present. Luckily, falling sequencing costs, widening availability of analytical tools and an increasingly connected scientific community provide key opportunities to improve existing assemblies, fill sampling gaps and empower a more global plant genomics community.
... Recently the discussion on systemic inequalities in science in general, and biodiversity research in particular (Erondu et al., 2021;Trisos et al., 2021;Vorontsova et al., 2021), has become a wider dialog. ...
Aim
Geo-referenced species occurrence records are a prime example of biodiversity data and a cornerstone of biodiversity research. Yet, their availability depends on non-biological factors, including the political framework in the region of collection. Here we present Bio-Dem (www.bio-dem.surge.sh), an open-source software to explore the relationship between the availability of species occurrence records and the political framework in countries worldwide and through time.
Location
Global.
Taxon
Any.
Methods
Bio-Dem accesses the number of occurrence records available from countries worldwide from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (www.gbif.org) and socio-political information from these countries from the Varieties of Democracy database (www.v-dem.net) as well as information on colonial history from the Issue Correlates of War Project.
Results
Bio-Dem is available as a free graphical user interface web application at www.bio-dem.surge.sh. Through three interactive graphs, Bio-Dem enables users to explore the relationship between species occurrence records and countries’ regime type, freedom of movement, freedom of association, gross domestic product, education length, political corruption, armed conflict and colonial history. We describe possible links of these specific political indicators with the collection and mobilization of biodiversity data. Illustrative examples and video tutorials explaining the use of Bio-Dem are available at www.bio-dem.surge.sh.
Main conclusions
Bio-Dem provides a user-friendly way to explore the link between socio-political variables and the availability of species occurrence records in user-selected taxa and geographic regions, and to generate hypotheses on their connection. We envision Bio-Dem as a useful tool for teachers communicating the caveats of available biodiversity data, for biodiversity scientists exploring potential spatial and temporal bias in their data, and for social scientists exploring the impact of political systems on scientific data collection and biodiversity conservation.
... Despite our efforts, knowledge is still lacking for key territories, such as Madagascar and Comores. These countries have been poorly surveyed (Vorontsova et al. 2021) and more botanical surveys are needed to improve our understanding of the naturalized and invasive flora. These gaps represent a risk factor for a biogeographical region with important touristic and commercial activities, both as potential drivers for the introduction of invasive alien species (Lenzner et al. 2020). ...
... These numbers have increased to 111 and 105, respectively (Table 2.1). The Mascarene archipelago has one of the highest rates of plant extinctions in the world (Humphreys et al. 2019 ;Vorontsova et al. 2021), it is therefore urgent to improve our knowledge and understanding of plant invasions in these threatened oceanic systems. ...
En raison de la destruction des reliques de forêt tropicale indigène aux Comores, il est très urgent de définir les priorités de conservation en particulier à La Grande Comore qui porte encore des larges zones de forêt tropicale en moyenne altitude. Comme dans la majorité des îles volcaniques, les forêts de l’archipel des Comores sont aussi exposées aux effets de changement globaux, en particulier les invasions biologiques. Or les données de base sur les espèces exotiques envahissantes et les niveaux d’invasion dans les différents habitats dans cet archipel sont très disparates. Dans cette étude, à l’échelle l’île de La Grande Comore nous proposons de répondre aux questions suivantes : (i) quelles sont les plantes les plus invasives en terme de recouvrement et de fréquence ? (ii) quel est le niveau d’invasion mesuré en terme de recouvrement par les espèces exotiques à l’échelle habitat et comment varie-t-il au sein des types d’habitats ? Les effets du gradient d’altitude et de l’occupation du sol à l’échelle transect et section influencent-ils le niveau d’invasion au sein des habitats ? Cette étude a été réalisée sur les plantes ligneuses exotiques. Les inventaires ont été conduits dans les forêts de basse et de moyenne altitude (entre 24 et 1100 m d’altitude), dans 44 transects de 150 - 300 m de longueur et de 8 - 10 m de largeur, dans lesquels tous les individus supérieurs à 1 m de hauteur ont été répertoriés. Les plantes exotiques dominantes au sein des forêts natives et perturbées sont Psidium cattleyanum, Clidemia hirta et Rubus rosifolius. La forêt de basse altitude (100 - 700 m) est quasiment remplacée par des peuplements d’espèces exotiques d’intérêt agronomique (Cocos nucifera, Mangifera indica, Syzygium aromaticum, etc). Les forêts de moyenne altitude (700 - 1100 m) à dominance des genres Nuxia, Ocotea, Tambourissa et Weinmannia sont généralement non envahies au sein de leurs canopées et très peu envahies en sous-bois. Ces résultats constituent un premier cas d’évaluation du degrés d’invasion des habitats à l’échelle de l’île. En améliorant les connaissances sur les menaces liées aux invasions par les plantes dans la région, ce travail apporte une contribution à l’amélioration des connaissances pour la gestion et la conservation des écosystèmes indigènes de l’archipel des Comores.
