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The introduced flora of Madagascar

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Abstract

We provide the first comprehensive inventory of the non-native plants on Madagascar since Perrier de la Bâthie’s effort 80 years ago, and evaluate the characteristics and importance of this biota. Using botanical databases (especially the Tropicos Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Madagascar), published plant lists, field observation, and relevant literature, we inventory 546 introduced species that have naturalized, as well as 611 other introduced species that only exist in cultivation. We also list 211 species with unclear status, eight native species that have had different genetic stock introduced, and three endemics that have naturalized outside their native range. Of the naturalized species, 101 display invasive behaviour. Highly represented families include Fabaceae (224 confirmed introduced species), Myrtaceae (143), Poaceae (71), Cactaceae (52), Asteraceae (50), and Solanaceae. (33). Humans have been bringing plants to Madagascar since they colonized the island, mainly for their utility. A number of plants with native varieties but which also have long histories of human use and transport are ripe for further historical biogeographical research (including Eragrostis, Panicum, Sorghum, Dioscorea, Ziziphus, and Adansonia). The introduced flora is similar in composition to other tropical regions; its numerical size appears to confirm that poorer countries experience relatively fewer plant introductions. Madagascar’s introduced species deserve more attention, not just through the rubric of invasion biology, but as plants that build new ecologies and that sustain human communities.

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Acknowledgments

This paper results from a workshop funded by the Embassy of France in Australia, the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia, and hosted by CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement), Montpellier, France. We thank the Missouri Botanical Garden for the work behind their online database “Tropicos”, in particular P. Phillipson and S. Andriambololonera for responses to queries, and P. Beaujard and the reviewers for comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Building 11, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia

    Christian A. Kull

  2. UPR BSEF (Unité Propre de Recherche Biens et Services des Écosystèmes Forestiers Tropicaux), CIRAD, 34398, Montpellier, France

    Jacques Tassin

  3. Université Paris-Est, Marne-la-Vallée, Cité Descartes, 5 boulevard Descartes, 77454 Champs sur Marne, Marne la Vallée, France

    Sophie Moreau

  4. UMR 220 GRED (Unité Mixte de Recherche Gouvernance, Risque, Environnement, Développement), IRD, Département Sociétés, 5 rue du Carbone, 45072, Orléans Cedex 2, France

    Hervé Rakoto Ramiarantsoa

  5. Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Centre d’Études Africaines, 96 Boulevard Raspail, 75006, Paris, France

    Chantal Blanc-Pamard

  6. UMR 220 GRED (Unité Mixte de Recherche Gouvernance, Risque, Environnement, Développement), IRD, Département Sociétés, 911 avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394, Montpellier Cedex 05, France

    Stéphanie M. Carrière

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  1. Christian A. Kull
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Correspondence to Christian A. Kull.

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Kull, C.A., Tassin, J., Moreau, S. et al. The introduced flora of Madagascar. Biol Invasions 14, 875–888 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-011-0124-6

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