Development
of an evolutionarily-informed conservation prioritization scheme for central
Africa
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(Gabriel Fiorini, Christie Sukhdeo)
Beginning in 2013, the Anthony research group will be participating in a major international collaborative research and education initiative funded through the NSF Partnerships in International Research and Education (PIRE) program. The overarching goal of this PIRE project is to develop an integrated framework for conserving the adaptive evolutionary potential of central African biodiversity under climate change. Central African rainforests contain some of the most important centers of tropical diversity in the world. While efforts have been made to protect key parks and reserves, habitat degradation continues at an alarming rate severely limiting species’ abilities to move in response to climate change. |
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Using a suite of multi-disciplinary approaches PIRE project partners plan to: 1) map environmentally-associated genomic and phenotypic variation in nine focal taxa and use this information to identify areas of elevated evolutionary potential; 2) assess how these areas overlap with hotspots of species richness and existing protected areas; 3) evaluate the relative importance of evolutionary adaptation, phenotypic plasticity and landscape connectivity in mitigating the impacts of both climate change and development; 4) develop an integrated prioritization scheme that ranks candidate areas for protection based on both evolutionary and socio-economic criteria.
Planned educational activities will promote scientific collaboration and exchange between project partners through: 1) cutting-edge training to U.S. and African students in the biological, environmental and social sciences; 2) professional development workshops for early career scientists and advanced graduate students; 3) region-wide research symposia and scientific exchange; 4) bilingual distance-learning programs and 5) outreach to decision makers through policy workshops. These joint research and educational efforts build on substantive past efforts to promote international collaboration in evolutionary biology and conservation in central Africa (Anthony et al., 2012) and will reinforce collaborative exchange as well as inform meaningful conservation efforts in the region. The PIRE program is being headed by Tom Smith (University of California Los Angeles) in collaboration with two co-PIs Anthony (UNO) and Katy Gonder (SUNY-Albany) and the cooperation of a network of central African and European universities, non-governmental organizations and other partner agencies operating in the region.
Miller C.A., Tasse Taboue G.C., Fokam E.B., Morgan K.J., Zhen Y., Harrigan R.J., Underwood V.L., Ruegg K., Sesink Clee P.R., Ntie S., Mickala P., Mboumba J-F., Fuller T., Zimkus B., Smith T.B. and Anthony N.M. (in press). Environmental variation predicts patterns of genomic variation in an African tropical forest frog. Frontiers in Conservation Science.
Smith T.B., Fuller T.L., Zhen Y., Zaunbrecher V., Thomassen H.A., Njabo K., Anthony N.M., Gonder M.K., Buermann W., Larison B., Ruegg K. and Harrigan R.J. (2021) Genomic vulnerability and socio-economic threats under climate change in an African rainforest bird. Evolutionary Applications 14: 1239-1247.
Morgan K.J., Mboumba J-F., Ntie S., Mickala P., Miller C.A., Zhen Y., Harrigan R.J., Underwood V.L., Reugg K., Fokam E.B., Taboue Tasse G.C., Sesink Clee P.R., Fuller T., Smith T.B. and Anthony N.M. (2020) Precipitation and vegetation shape patterns of genomic and craniometric variation in the Central African rodent Praomys misonnei. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287: 20200449.
Mboumba J.-F., Hervé M.R., Tionga T., Taylor A., Lowery N., Mezeme Ndong F., Maloupazoa Siawaya A.C., Morgan K.J., Anthony N.M. (2019) Comparative efficiency of three bait types for live trapping small rodents in central Africa. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation 11: 85-89
Fuller T.L., Narins T.P., Nackoney J., Bonebrake T.C., Sesink Clee P., Morgan K., Tróchez A., Bocuma Meñe D., Bongwele E., Njabo K.Y., Anthony N.M., Gonder M.K., Kahn M., Allen W.R., Smith T.B. (2018) Assessing the impact of China’s timber industry on Congo Basin land use change. Area 2018:1-10.
Fuller T.L., Sesink Clee P.R., Njabo K.Y., Trochez A., Morgan K., Bocuma Meñe D., Anthony N.M., Gonder M.K., Allen W.R., Hanna R. and Smith T.B. (2018) Climate warming causes declines in crop yields and lowers school attendance rates in central Africa. Science of the Total Environment 610-611: 503-510.
Miller C.A., Tasse Taboue G.C, Ekane M.P., Robak, M., Sesink-Clee P.R., Richards-Zawacki C., Fokam E.B., Fuashi N.A. and Anthony N.M. (2018) Distribution modeling and lineage diversity of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in a central African amphibian hotspot. PLOS ONE 13: e0199288.
Ntie S., Davis A.R., Hils K., Mickala P., Thomassen H., Morgan K., Gonder M. K. and Anthony N.M. (2017) Evaluating the role of Pleistocene refugia, rivers and environmental variation in the diversification of central African duikers (genera Cephalophus and Philantomba). BMC Evolutionary Biology 17: 212.
Anthony N. M., Atteke, C., Bruford M.W., Dallmeier F., Freedman A.H., Hardy O., Ibrahim B., Jeffery K. J., Johnson M., Lahm S. A., Lepengue, N., Lowenstein, J. H., Maisels, F., Mboumba J-F., Mickala P., Morgan K., Ntie S., Smith T.B., Sullivan J.P., Verheyen E. and Gonder M.K. (2015) Evolution and conservation of central African biodiversity: priorities for research and education in the Congo basin and Gulf of Guinea. Biotropica 47: 6-17
Anthony N.M., Mickala P., Abernethy K.A., Atteke C., Bissiengou P., Bruford M.W., Dallmeier F., Decaens T., Dudu A., Freedman A., Gonder M.K., Hardy O., Hart J., Jeffery K., Johnson M., Koumba Pambo F., Ley A., Korte L., Lahm S.A., Lee M., Lowenstein J., Mboumba J.-F., Ndiade Bourobou D., Ngomanda A., Ntie S., Sebag D., Sullivan J., Vanthomme H., Vergnes V. and Zimkus B. (2012) Biodiversity and conservation genetics research in central Africa: new approaches and avenues for international collaboration. Conservation Genetics Resources 4: 523-525.
Planned educational activities will promote scientific collaboration and exchange between project partners through: 1) cutting-edge training to U.S. and African students in the biological, environmental and social sciences; 2) professional development workshops for early career scientists and advanced graduate students; 3) region-wide research symposia and scientific exchange; 4) bilingual distance-learning programs and 5) outreach to decision makers through policy workshops. These joint research and educational efforts build on substantive past efforts to promote international collaboration in evolutionary biology and conservation in central Africa (Anthony et al., 2012) and will reinforce collaborative exchange as well as inform meaningful conservation efforts in the region. The PIRE program is being headed by Tom Smith (University of California Los Angeles) in collaboration with two co-PIs Anthony (UNO) and Katy Gonder (SUNY-Albany) and the cooperation of a network of central African and European universities, non-governmental organizations and other partner agencies operating in the region.
Miller C.A., Tasse Taboue G.C., Fokam E.B., Morgan K.J., Zhen Y., Harrigan R.J., Underwood V.L., Ruegg K., Sesink Clee P.R., Ntie S., Mickala P., Mboumba J-F., Fuller T., Zimkus B., Smith T.B. and Anthony N.M. (in press). Environmental variation predicts patterns of genomic variation in an African tropical forest frog. Frontiers in Conservation Science.
Smith T.B., Fuller T.L., Zhen Y., Zaunbrecher V., Thomassen H.A., Njabo K., Anthony N.M., Gonder M.K., Buermann W., Larison B., Ruegg K. and Harrigan R.J. (2021) Genomic vulnerability and socio-economic threats under climate change in an African rainforest bird. Evolutionary Applications 14: 1239-1247.
Morgan K.J., Mboumba J-F., Ntie S., Mickala P., Miller C.A., Zhen Y., Harrigan R.J., Underwood V.L., Reugg K., Fokam E.B., Taboue Tasse G.C., Sesink Clee P.R., Fuller T., Smith T.B. and Anthony N.M. (2020) Precipitation and vegetation shape patterns of genomic and craniometric variation in the Central African rodent Praomys misonnei. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287: 20200449.
Mboumba J.-F., Hervé M.R., Tionga T., Taylor A., Lowery N., Mezeme Ndong F., Maloupazoa Siawaya A.C., Morgan K.J., Anthony N.M. (2019) Comparative efficiency of three bait types for live trapping small rodents in central Africa. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation 11: 85-89
Fuller T.L., Narins T.P., Nackoney J., Bonebrake T.C., Sesink Clee P., Morgan K., Tróchez A., Bocuma Meñe D., Bongwele E., Njabo K.Y., Anthony N.M., Gonder M.K., Kahn M., Allen W.R., Smith T.B. (2018) Assessing the impact of China’s timber industry on Congo Basin land use change. Area 2018:1-10.
Fuller T.L., Sesink Clee P.R., Njabo K.Y., Trochez A., Morgan K., Bocuma Meñe D., Anthony N.M., Gonder M.K., Allen W.R., Hanna R. and Smith T.B. (2018) Climate warming causes declines in crop yields and lowers school attendance rates in central Africa. Science of the Total Environment 610-611: 503-510.
Miller C.A., Tasse Taboue G.C, Ekane M.P., Robak, M., Sesink-Clee P.R., Richards-Zawacki C., Fokam E.B., Fuashi N.A. and Anthony N.M. (2018) Distribution modeling and lineage diversity of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in a central African amphibian hotspot. PLOS ONE 13: e0199288.
Ntie S., Davis A.R., Hils K., Mickala P., Thomassen H., Morgan K., Gonder M. K. and Anthony N.M. (2017) Evaluating the role of Pleistocene refugia, rivers and environmental variation in the diversification of central African duikers (genera Cephalophus and Philantomba). BMC Evolutionary Biology 17: 212.
Anthony N. M., Atteke, C., Bruford M.W., Dallmeier F., Freedman A.H., Hardy O., Ibrahim B., Jeffery K. J., Johnson M., Lahm S. A., Lepengue, N., Lowenstein, J. H., Maisels, F., Mboumba J-F., Mickala P., Morgan K., Ntie S., Smith T.B., Sullivan J.P., Verheyen E. and Gonder M.K. (2015) Evolution and conservation of central African biodiversity: priorities for research and education in the Congo basin and Gulf of Guinea. Biotropica 47: 6-17
Anthony N.M., Mickala P., Abernethy K.A., Atteke C., Bissiengou P., Bruford M.W., Dallmeier F., Decaens T., Dudu A., Freedman A., Gonder M.K., Hardy O., Hart J., Jeffery K., Johnson M., Koumba Pambo F., Ley A., Korte L., Lahm S.A., Lee M., Lowenstein J., Mboumba J.-F., Ndiade Bourobou D., Ngomanda A., Ntie S., Sebag D., Sullivan J., Vanthomme H., Vergnes V. and Zimkus B. (2012) Biodiversity and conservation genetics research in central Africa: new approaches and avenues for international collaboration. Conservation Genetics Resources 4: 523-525.
