Home Institution
Macalester College
Publication Date
Fall 2017
Abstract
Lantana camara is a shrub known globally as an invasive pest that grows primarily in degraded areas. The species is known to exist at Makirovana-Tsihomanaomby, a forest complex in northeastern Madagascar with 167 endemic species of flora and fauna, several of which are on the IUCN Red List. The complex, specifically Tsihomanaomby forest, is used as a resource for the three rural communes that live on its outskirts, meaning that it experiences much human activity. The objective of this study was to survey the population of L. camara at two sites: one just outside of the Tsihomanaomby forest and one 100 km into the forest. The survey was completed with 5 transects at each site, in addition to PCQ and understory analysis of certain L. camara individuals in order to asses associations with other plant species. L. camara was more abundant at the degraded site than at the site inside the forest, where it was found exclusively on vanilla plantations and along walking paths. Other analyses showed multiple species growing in association with L. camara. While further studies are required to investigate the effects of L. camara on other species at this complex, a viable plan for the species’ current management is to harvest it for economic gain.
Disciplines
African Studies | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Environmental Monitoring | Environmental Sciences | Environmental Studies | Forest Biology | Forest Sciences | Plant Sciences | Weed Science
Recommended Citation
Pessereau, Eliza, "Survey of Invasive Lantana camara at Makirovana-Tsihomanaomby Forest Complex" (2017). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2688.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2688
Included in
African Studies Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Forest Biology Commons, Weed Science Commons
Program Name
Madagascar: Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management