Jérôme Duminil

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France · UMR DIADE -- équipe DYNADIV

Pollen and seed dispersal are key processes affecting the demographic and evolutionary dynamics of plant species, and are also important considerations for the sustainable management of timber trees. Through direct and indirect genetic analyses we studied the mating system and the extent of pollen and seed dispersal in an economically-important tim...

Mating system and gene flow are major influencing factors of species population dynamics and evolution. These factors are often not characterized in tropical tree species, yet they constitute basic information that must be considered to implement sustainable management practices. In particular, as logging implies a reduction of the density of conge...

Owing to the reduction of population density and/or the environmental changes it induces, selective logging could affect the demography, reproductive biology and evolutionary potential of forest trees. This is particularly relevant in tropical forests where natural population densities can be low and isolated trees may be subject to outcross pollen...

ABSTRACT Aim Phylogeographical signatures of past population fragmentation and demographic change have been reported in several African rain forest trees. These signatures have usually been interpreted in the light of the Pleistocene forest refuge hypothesis, although dating these events has remained impracticable because of inadequate genetic mark...

The evolutionary events that have shaped biodiversity patterns in the African rainforests are still poorly documented. Past forest fragmentation and ecological gradients have been advocated as important drivers of genetic differentiation but their respective roles remain unclear. Using nuclear microsatellites (nSSRs) and chloroplast non-coding sequ...

Parkia biglobosa is a much-loved and over-exploited African savannah spe- cies for its socio-economic importance. Knowing and taking into account its architectural unit, which is the basis for diagnosing phenology, productivity and tree health, could provide a new perspective on its sustainable manage- ment. The aim of this study is to establish...

Architecture and structure-function modelling of native agroforestry species of Côte d'Ivoire

Key message The determination by non-destructive measurement of biomass and leaf area is of great interest to avoid any plant degradation. These data are necessary for biomass allocation and estimation of carbon distribution in trees using functional and structural growth models such as GREENLAB. Abstract Organ biomass and leaf area are important...

Background Understanding the perceptions, preferences and management practices associated with intraspecific variability of emblematic African tree crops is critical for their sustainable management. In this paper, we examine how the agrobiodiversity of a fruit tree species native to Central Africa, the African plum tree (Dacryodes edulis), is perc...

Interpretation of primary growth markers (modules) is neglected in sustainable resource management processes, yet it opens up prospects for long time series on tree crown development, necessary for their characterization in the current context of climate change. This study aimed to assess the morphological variation of crown shoots in Parkia biglob...

Trees are a traditional component of urban spaces where they provide ecosystem services critical to urban wellbeing. In the Tropics, urban trees' seed origins have rarely been characterized. Yet, understanding the social dynamics linked to tree planting is critical given their influence on the distribution of associated genetic diversity. This stud...

A new genus of Gesneriaceae, Bopopia Munzinger & J.R.Morel gen. nov., is described from New Caledonia. The genus is based on B. parviflora Munzinger & J.R.Morel gen. et sp. nov., a new species collected during an expedition on Mt Katalupaik, in the North Province of New Caledonia’s main island. Originally considered as a species of Coronanthera, ou...

Size, structure, and sequence content lability of plant mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) across species has sharply limited its use in taxonomic studies. Historically, mtDNA variation has been first investigated with RFLPs, while the development of universal primers then allowed studying sequence polymorphisms within short genomic regions (<3 kb). The...

Pterocarpus erinaceus is over-exploited for its multiple uses. Its exploitation and trade are strictly prohibited in many countries, including Côte d'Ivoire, to prevent its extinction. It is nevertheless imperative to restore populations of this species, while accounting for its germinative capacities and its adaptation to changing climates. The ai...

Trees are a traditional component of urban spaces where they provide ecosystem services critical to urban wellbeing. In the Tropics, urban trees’ seed origins have rarely been characterized. Yet, understanding the social dynamics linked to tree planting is critical given their influence on the distribution of associated genetic diversity. This stud...

Premise: A good understanding of genetic variation and gene dispersal in tree populations is crucial for their sustainable management, particularly in a context of rapid environmental changes. West African Sudanian savannahs are being fragmented and degraded, partly due to expansion of crop cultivation and monocultures that reduce tree density and...

Myristica fragrans (Myristicaceae) is a tropical evergreen tree that yields the two famous spices: nutmeg and mace. Despite its socio-economic importance, the spatial distribution of its genetic diversity is barely documented. In this aim, 48 nuclear microsatellite markers were isolated of which 14 were polymorphic in M. fragrans. Number of alleles...

Premise: Few studies have addressed the evolutionary history of tree species from African savannahs. Afzelia contains economically important timber species, including two species widely distributed in African savannahs: A. africana in the Sudanian region and A. quanzensis in the Zambezian region. We aimed to infer whether these species underwent r...

Microsatellites were designed and characterized in the African fruit tree species Dacryodes edulis (Burseraceae). The fruits are commercialized throughout Central Africa and the species is present in forested environments as well as cultivated systems. The high variability of these markers makes them suitable to investigate the structure of genetic...

Ethnicity Differences in Use Values and Management Practices of Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola) in Cameroon. Bitter kola (Garcinia kola) is an indigenous multipurpose tree species in West and Central Africa, threatened by overexploitation and classified by the IUCN as vulnerable. Understanding local knowledge and management patterns in different socioe...

The rapid rate of deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire has led to loss of plant species diversity and also threatens some commercial tree species with extinction. Some reforestation and afforestation has been completed. However, for some species, the numbers of surviving transplants has declined. Hence, it is necessary to develop properly adapted and res...

Le développement de nouvelles technologies numériques permettent aux enseignants d’innover en matière de transfert des connaissances. La création artistique, mêlant art et science, processus créatif et apport de connaissances, constitue une approche efficace en éducation scientifique et sensibilisation à l’environnement. Dans le cadre du projet ARB...

Few studies have addressed the evolutionary history of tree species from African savannahs at large geographic scales, particularly in the southern hemisphere (Zambezian region). Afzelia (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) contains economically important timber species, including two species widely distributed in African savannahs: A. africana in the Suda...

The natural regeneration of tree species depends on seed and pollen dispersal. To assess if limited dispersal could be critical for the sustainability of selective logging practices, we performed parentage analyses in two Central African legume canopy species displaying contrasted floral and fruit traits: Distemonanthus benthamianus and Erythrophle...

Highly valued for its edible fruits, the safou tree, Dacryodes edulis, is a major component of farming systems in Central Africa. In Cameroon, the species has drawn much attention since the 1990s because of its market potential. Among other fruit tree species, safou trees are integrated within cocoa-coffee agroforests as a means of diversification....

Background and aims-The isolation of populations inside forest refugia during past climate changes has widely been hypothesized as a major driver of tropical plant diversity. Environmental conditions can also influence patterns of diversity by driving divergent selection leading to local adaptation and, potentially, ecological speciation. Genetic a...

Project goal : Strengthening the livelihood of African rural and urban people using indigenous fruit tree species (IFTS) requires acquiring new knowledge on (i) the interrelationship between human behaviours (management practices and consumer choices) and genetic, nutritional and sensory diversity of the species; (ii) the contribution of fruit tree...

Africa has rich and varied biological resources forming the continent’s natural wealth on which its social and economic systems are based (well established). Most, if not all, terrestrial ecosystems in Africa have already experienced major biodiversity losses in the past 30 years, which has negative impacts on nature’s contribution to people. The p...

In order to understand the interactions between the intensification of safou tree cultivation, farmers’ cultivation practices and the varietal diversity, we hypothesized: - that strategies of intensification influence the cultivation practices - that strategies of intensification resulted in a change in varietal diversity.

Interpreting morphological variability in terms of species delimitation can be challenging. However, correcting species delineation can have strong implications for the sustainable management of exploited species. Up to now, species delimitation between two putative timber species from African forests, Entandrophragma congoense and E. angolense, re...

Meeting the multi-million hectare commitments for forest and landscape restoration (FLR) will require billions of tree seed and seedlings. However, the adequacy of seed supply in terms of quantity, genetic diversity and quality has received scant attention in FLR planning. We surveyed 139 FLR projects worldwide and identified widespread problems in...

Description in Spanish of genetic and germination studies of mahogany (S. macrophylla) carried out in two community forest concessions, Cruce a la Colorada and Carmelitas, in the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Guatemala to evaluate the impact of timber harvesting on the genetic diversity and germination percentage of mahogany trees and seeds.

The classification of the legume family proposed here addresses the long-known non-monophyly of the traditionally recognised subfamily Caesalpinioideae, by recognising six robustly supported monophyletic subfamilies. This new classification uses as its framework the most comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of legumes to date, based on plastid matK...

Premise of the study Multiplexes of nuclear microsatellite primers were developed to investigate population genetic structure and diversity in two exploited African rainforest trees: Entandrophragma candollei and E. utile (Meliaceae). Methods and Results Microsatellite isolation was performed simultaneously on two nonenriched genomic libraries aft...

The medicinal and food tree species Parkia biglobosa (Faba­ceae: Mimosoideae) is widespread in the Sudanian savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, where it has a strong socio-cultural and economic importance. Populations of this species are highly threatened in large parts of its range due to over exploitation and environmental degradation. In the light...

Polyploidy has rarely been documented in rain forest trees but it has recently been found in African species of the genus Afzelia (Leguminosae), which is composed of four tetraploid rain forest species and two diploid dry forest species. The genus Afzelia thus provides an opportunity to examine how and when polyploidy and habitat shift occurred in...

The fine-scale genetic structure and how it varies between generations depends on the spatial scale of gene dispersal and other fundamental aspects of species’ biology, such as the mating system. Such knowledge is crucial for the design of genetic conservation strategies. This is particularly relevant for species that are increasingly fragmented su...

Premise of the study: Nuclear microsatellites (nSSRs) were designed for Guibourtia tessmannii (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae), a highly exploited African timber tree, to study population genetic structure and gene flow. Methods and Results: We developed 16 polymorphic nSSRs from a genomic library tested in three populations of G. tessmannii and two po...

Much of the Congo Basin is managed for timber from dozens of species. More than 60% also produce non-timber products, including foods. For five multiple use tree species in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon (Entandrophragma cylindricum, Baillonella toxisperma, Erythrophleum suaveloens, Dacryodes buettneri and Gambeya lacourtian...

Science to support policy decisions: This brief documents current knowledge about pygeum (Prunus africana). It aims to inform decision makers in governments in producing and consumer countries, international and civil society organisations and researchers, about sustainable (international) trade and governance of the species. http://edepot.wur.nl/3...

This brief is aimed at trainers and support organisations for farmers and tree owners, as well as commercial tree nursery operators, government extension agencies and NGOs, among others, who are interested in cultivating the pygeum tree.

Cycles of Quaternary climate change are assumed to be major drivers of African rainforest dynamics and evolution. However, most hypotheses on past vegetation dynamics relied on palaeobotanical records, an approach lacking spatial resolution, and on current patterns of species diversity and endemism, an approach confounding history and environmental...

The long generation time and large effective size of widespread forest tree species can result in slow evolutionary rate and incomplete lineage sorting, complicating species delimitation. We addressed this issue with the African timber tree genus Milicia that comprises two morphologically similar and often confounded species: M. excelsa, widespread...

The lability in size, structure, and sequence content of mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) across plant species has sharply limited its use in taxonomic studies. However, due to the new opportunities offered by the availability of complete mtDNA sequence in plant species and the subsequent development of universal primers, the number of mtDNA-based mole...

Comparative phylogeography is an effective approach to assess the evolutionary history of biological communities. We used comparative phylogeography in fourteen tree taxa from Lower Guinea (Atlantic Equatorial Africa) to test for congruence with two simple evolutionary scenarios based on physio-climatic features 1) the W-E environmental gradient an...

The biogeographic history of the African rain forests has been contentious. Phylogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of genetic lineages within species, can highlight the signatures of historical events affecting the demography and distribution of species (i.e. population fragmentation or size changes, range expansion/contraction) a...

Forests and trees enhance and protect landscapes, ecosystems and production systems. They provide goods and services which are essential to the survival and well-being of all humanity. Forest genetic resources – the heritable materials maintained within and among tree and other woody plant species that are of actual or potential economic, environme...

La productivité et le rendement économique de la filière bois des forêts tropicales sont menacés à long terme. Certaines essences forestières sont chaque jour exploitées alors que leur capacité de régénération demeure largement inconnue. En conséquence, il est hasardeux de déterminer la durabilité de l’exploitation forestière telle que pratiquée ac...

Photos – Page header, from left to right: Sampling of tali seeds in a logging concession from DRC (D. Kombi) ; Seedlings of moabi in a nursery of a logging concession from Gabon (D. Mendene) ; Cameroonian forest (F. Monthe) ; Following page : A trunk of tali in a Cameroonian forest (O. Hardy). The productivity and related economy of timber industry...

Background: DNA barcoding of rain forest trees could potentially help biologists identify species and discover new ones. However, DNA barcodes cannot always distinguish between closely related species, and the size and completeness of barcode databases are key parameters for their successful application. We test the ability of rbcL, matK and trnH-...

The biogeographic history of the African rain forests has been contentious. Phylogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of genetic lineages within species, can highlight the signatures of historical events affecting the demography and distribution of species (i.e. population fragmentation or size changes, range expansion/contraction) a...

Background The refuge hypothesis is often invoked for explaining the spatial structure of species diversity (SSDS) in central African rainforests. However, the present-day SSDS could also result from environmental filtering and stochastic processes. Thus, species distributional data are not sufficient for inferring the role of biogeographical facto...

Premise of the study: To study the genetic structure among three morphotypes of an African rainforest tree species, Santiria trimera, nuclear microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized. Methods and results: Seven polymorphic loci were isolated using a pyrosequencing-based protocol and successfully amplified on three different morphot...

Plant species delimitation within tropical ecosystems is often difficult because of the lack of diagnostic morphological characters that are clearly visible. The development of an integrated approach, which utilizes several different types of markers (both morphological and molecular), would be extremely useful in this context. Here we have address...

To characterize the level of genetic diversity and gene fl ow, as well as to identify unambiguously two African tropical tree species, Erythrophleum ivorense and E. suaveolens , we have developed a set of nuclear SSR (Simple Sequence Repeats) markers. Nine SSRs that display polymorphism in both species were identified. The nine newly developed SSR...