Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Estimation of cultivable areas for Irvingia gabonensis and I. wombolu (Irvingiaceae) in Dahomey-Gap (West Africa)

  • Published:
Agroforestry Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cultivation of priority plant species ensures their sustainable management. African bush mango trees (Irvingia gabonensis and I. wombolu) are the most exploited Irvingiaceae species. Experts disagree on the status of these very similar taxa, as taste remains the only character by which they can be distinguished in the field. We combined occurrences and environment data in ecological niche models to assess suitable areas for the two species. Irvingia gabonensis presented a wider occurrence area due to cultivation across contrasting ecological areas. Irvingia wombolu does not appear to be cultivated and only occurred in southwestern Togo. These differences in range is likely determined by phenological limitations of I. wombolu, reinforced by differences in local management systems, thus confirming the failure of market development to impact useful plant species’ conservation significantly. Highly suitable areas for I. wombolu were in the Volta Forest, where I. gabonensis saw low suitability, while out of this inverse situation was observed, as regard environmental suitability. These differences are significant, implying different ecological adaptation. However, anthropogenic influences, related to domestication history, are also important. Therefore, updated genetic investigations and field trials in contrasting ecological areas are required for understanding the origin of differences between these two forms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akusu OM, Kiin-Kabari DB (2003) Effect of storage period on selected functional, chemical stability and sensory properties of bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) seed flour. Afr J Food Sci Technol 4:136–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Asaah EK, Tchoundjeu Z, Atangana AR (2003) Cultivation and conservation status of Irvingia wombolu in humid lowland forest of cameroon. J Food Agr Environ 1:251–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Asare R (2005) Cocoa agroforests in West Africa: a look at activities on preferred trees in the farming systems. Papers no. 6-2005, For Landsc. University of Copenhagen, Denmark

  • Ayivor JE, Debrah SK, Nuviadenu C, Forson A (2011) Evaluation of elemental contents of wild mango (Irvingia gabonensis) fruit in Ghana. Adv J Food Sci Technol 3:381–384

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bamidele OP, Ojedokun OS, Fasogbon BM (2015) Physico-chemical properties of instant ogbono (Irvingia gabonensis) mix powder. Food Sci Nutr 3:313–318

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Banjade MR, Paudel NS (2008) Economic potential of non-timber forest products in Nepal: myth or reality? J Forest Livelih 7:36–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Boateng SK, Yeboah E, Amponsah JY (2007) Collection of edible wild fruits in the forest areas of Volta region of Ghana. J Plant Sci 2:243–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark LE, Sunderland TCH (2004) The key non-timber forest products of Central Africa: state of the knowledge. technical paper no. 122, office of sustainable development bureau for Africa publication series, Unites States agency for international development

  • Djikpo VAR (2016) Perception locale, démographie et répartition spatiale des manguiers sauvages africains (Irvingia spp: Irvingiaceae) dans la région forestière de la volta (Togo). MSc Thesis, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin Republic. p 56

  • Dormann CF, Elith J, Bacher S, Buchmann C, Carl C, Carré G, García Marquéz JR, Gruber B, Lafourcade B, Leitão PJ, Münkemüller T, McClean C, Osborne PE, Reineking B, Schröder B, Skidmore AK, Zurell D, Lautenbach S (2013) Collinearity: a review of methods to deal with it and a simulation study evaluating their performance. Ecography 36:27–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duminil J, Brown RP, Ewédjè EEBK, Mardulyn P, Doucet J-L, Hardy OJ (2013) Large-scale pattern of genetic differentiation within African rainforest trees: insights on the roles of ecological gradients and past climate changes on the evolution of Erythrophleum spp. (Fabaceae). Evol Biol 13:2–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Fielding AH, Bell JF (1997) A review of methods for the assessment of prediction errors in conservation presence/absence models. Environ Conserv 24:38–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller DQ (2011) Finding plant domestication in the Indian Subcontinent. Curr Anthropol 52:347–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ganguly S, Nemani RR, Baret FBIJ, Weiss M, Zhang G, Milesi C, Hashimoto H, Samanta A, Verger A, Singh K, Myneni RB (2014) Green leaf area and fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by vegetation. In: Hanes JM (ed) Biophysical applications of satellite remote sensing. Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • González-Soberanis C, Casas A (2004) Traditional management and domestication of tempesquistle, Sideroxylon palmeri (Sapotaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Central Mexico. J Arid Environ 59:245–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris DJ (1996) A revision of the irvingiaceae in Africa. B J Bot Nat Belg 65:143–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartemink AE (2010) Land use change in the tropics and its effect on soil fertility. 19th world congress of soil science, soil solutions for a changing world, 1–6 August 2010, Brisbane, Australia

  • Hodgdon BD, Martínez, G (2015) Transforming small-scale non-timber forest production into competitive enterprise: a case study of work with Brazil nut producer associations (Madre de Dios, Peru). The rainforest alliance, p 18

  • Idohou R, Peterson AT, Assogbadjo AE, Vihotogbe RL, Padonou E, Glèlè Kakaï R (2017) Remote sensing and ecological niche modeling to identify potential areas for wild palm cultivation in the Republic of Benin. West Africa. Genet Resour Crop Evol 64(6):1383–1393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jamnadass RH, Dawson IK, Franzel S, Leakey RRB, Mithhöfer D, Akinnifesi FK, Tchondjeu Z (2011) Improving livelihoods and nutrition in sub-saharan Africa through the promotion of indigenous and exotic fruit production in smallholders’ agroforestry systems: a review. Int Forest Rev 13:338–354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jose S (2012) Agroforestry for conserving and enhancing biodiversity. Agroforest Syst 85:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klimas CA, Cropper WP, Kainer KA, De Oliveira-Wadt LH (2012) Viability of combined timber and non-timber harvests for one species: a Carapa guianensis case study. Ecol Mod 246:147–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumari N, Thakur SK (2014) Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-A brief review. Am J An Vet Sci 9(1):6–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lambin FE, Geist JH, Lepers E (2003) Dynamics of land-use and land-cover change in tropical regions. Annu Rev Environ Resour 28:205–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leakey RRB (2010) Should we be growing more trees on farms to enhance the sustainability of agriculture and increase resilience to climate change? International Society of Tropical Foresters News, special report, Maryland, United States Agency For International Development p 12. http://www.istf-bethesda.org/specialreports/leakey/Agroforestry-Leakey.pdf

  • Leakey RRB (2012) Living with the trees of life. Towards the transformation of tropical Agriculture. CABI Publications, UK, Wallingford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Leakey RRB, Tchoundjeu Z, Schreckenberg K, Schackleton SE, Schackleton CM (2005a) Agroforestry tree products (AFTPs): targeting poverty reduction and enhanced livelihoods. Int J Agr Sustain 3:1474–5903

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leakey RRB, Greenwell P, Hall MN, Atangana AR, Usoro C, Anegbeh PO, Fondoun JM, Tchoundjeu Z (2005b) Domestication of Irvingia gabonensis: 4. Tree-to-tree variation in food-thickening properties and in fat and protein contents of dika nut. Food Chem 90:365–378

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Linder HP, Lovett J, Mutke JM, Barthlott W, Jürgens N, Rebelo T, Küper W (2005) A numerical re-evaluation of the sub-Saharan phytochoria of mainland Africa. Biol Skrif 55:229–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Lira R, Casas A, Rosas-López R, Paredes-Flores M, Pérez-Negrón E, Rangel-Landa S, Solís L, Torres I, Dávila P (2009) Traditional knowledge and useful plant richness in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. Econ Bot 63:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe AJA, Gillies CM, Wilson J, Dawson IK (2000) Conservation genetics of bush mango from central/west Africa: implications from random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. Mol Ecol 9:831–841

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCormack JE, Zellmer AJ, Knowles LL (2010) Does niche divergence accompany allopatric divergence in Aphelocoma jays as predicted under ecological speciation? Insights from tests with niche models. Evolution 64:1231–1244

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McLain RJ, Jones ET (2005) Non-timber forest products management on National Forests in the United States. general technical report PNW-GTR-655, USDA http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr655.pdf

  • Miller AJ, Knouft JH (2006) GIS-based characterization of the geographic distributions of wild and cultivated populations of the mesoamerican fruit tree Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae). Am J Bot 93:1757–1767

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller-Rushing AJ, Høye TT, Inouye DW, Post E (2010) The effects of phenological mismatches on demography. Philos T Roy Soc 365:3177–3186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moo-Llanes D, Ibarra-Cerdeña CN, Rebollar-Téllez EA, Ibáñez-Bernal S, González C, Ramsey JM (2013) Current and future niche of north and Central American sand flies (Diptera:Psychodidae) in climate change scenarios. Plos Neglect Trop D 7:e2421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagel P, Sinsin B, Peveling R (2004) Conservation of biodiversity in a relic forest in Benin—an overview. Reg Basil 45:125–137

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (2006) Lost crops of Africa; development, security, and cooperation policy and global affairs II, vegetables. National Academies Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Neumann RP, Hirsch E (2000) Commercialisation of non-timber forest products: review and analysis of research. CIFOR Publications, Indonesia

  • Onomu AR, Akeem AO (2014) Contribution of non-timber forest products to rural household income in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Mediterr J Soc Sci 5:749–757

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandit BH, Kumar C (2010) Factors influencing the integration of non-timber forest products into field crop cultivation: a case study from Eastern Nepal. J Sustain Forest 29:671–695

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park S, Ku YK, Seo MJ, Kim DY, Yeon JE, Lee KM, Jeong SC, Yoon WK, Harnc CH, Kim HM (2006) Principal component analysis and discriminant analysis (PCA–DA) for discriminating profiles of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) in soil bacterial communities. Soil Biol Biochem 38:2344–2349

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson RG (2007) Species’ distribution modelling for conservation educators and practitioners: synthesis. American museum of natural history, http://biodiversityinformatics.amnh.org/files/SpeciesDistModellingSYN_1-16-08.pdf

  • Peterson AT (2014) Mapping disease transmission risk: enriching models using biogeography and ecology. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson AT, Papeş M, Eaton M (2007) Transferability and model evaluation in ecological niche modelling: a comparison of GARP and Maxent. Ecography 30:550–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson AT, Papeş M, Soberón J (2008) Rethinking receiver operating characteristic analysis applications in ecological niche modelling. Ecol Model 213:63–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips SJ, Anderson RP, Schapire RE (2006) Maximum entropy modelling of species geographic distributions. Ecol Model 190:231–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polce C, Termansen M, Aguirre-Gutiérrez J, Boatman ND, Budge GE, Crowe A, Garratt MP, Pietravalle S, Potts SG, Ramirez GA, Somerwill KE, Biesmeijer JC (2013) Species distribution models for crop pollination: a modelling framework applied to great Britain. PLoS ONE 8:e76308

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Preedy VR, Waston RR, Patel VB (2011) Nuts and seed in health and diseases prevention. Academic Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Rai NU, Uhl CF (2004) Forest product use, conservation and livelihoods: the case of Uppage fruit harvest in the Western Ghats, India. Conserv Soc 2:289–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Samy AM, Van De Sande WWJ, Faha AH, Peterson AT (2014) Mapping the potential risk of Mycetoma infection in Sudan and south Sudan using ecological niche modelling. Plos Neglect Trop D 8:e3250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez A, Osborne PE, Haq N (2010) Identifying the global potential for baobab tree cultivation using ecological niche modelling. Agroforest Syst 80:191–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheldeman X, Willemen L, Coppens D’eeckenbrugge G, Romeijn-Peeters E, Restrepo MT, Romero Motoche J, Jimenez D, Lobo M, Medina CI, Reyes C, Rodriguez D, Ocampo JA, Van Damme P, Goetgebeur P (2007) Distribution, diversity and environmental adaptation of highland papayas (Vasconcellea spp.) in tropical and subtropical America. Biodivers Conserv 16:1867–1884

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schluter D, Conte GL (2009) Genetics and ecological speciation. Proceed Nat Acad Sci 106:9955–9962

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schreckenberg K, Marshall E, Newton A, Te Velde DW, Rushton J, Edouard F (2006) Commercialization of non-timber forest products: what determines success? ODI Forestry Brief 10:16

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheil D, Wunder S (2002) The value of tropical forest to local communities: complications, caveats, and cautions. Conserv Ecol. 6:9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sossa T (2005) Caractérisation morphologique et productivité fruitière de Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte) dans les zones agroécologiques au sud-est Benin. MSc Thesis, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin Republic, p 96

  • Ticktin T (2004) The ecological implications of harvesting non-timber forest products. J Appl Ecol 41:11–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tocchio LJ, Gurgel-Goncalves R, Escobar LE, Peterson AT (2015) Niche similarities among white-eared opossums (Mammalia, Didelphidae): is ecological niche modelling relevant to setting species limits? Roy Swed Acad Sci 44:1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Trauernicht C, Ticktin T, Herrera GL (2006) Cultivation of non-timber forest products alters understory light availability in a humid tropical forest in Mexico. Biotropica 38:428–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Andel TR, Croft S, Van Loon EE, Quiroza D, Townsa AM, Raes N (2015) Prioritizing West African medicinal plants for conservation and sustainable extraction studies based on market surveys and species distribution models. Biol Conserv 181:173–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vihotogbé R, Houessou LG, Ponette Q, Codjia JTC, Le Boulengé E (2008) Ethnobotany and endogenous conservation of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte) Baill. in traditional agroforestry systems in Benin. Indilinga 6:196–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Vihotogbé R, Van Den Berg RG, Sosef MSM (2013) Morphological characterization of African bush mango trees (Irvingia species) in the Dahomey Gap (West Africa). Genet Resour Crop Ev 60:1597–1614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vihotogbé R, Glèlè Kakaï R, Van Andel T, Van Den Berg RG, Sinsin B, Sosef MSM (2014a) Impacts of the diversity of traditional uses and potential economic value on food tree species conservation status: case study of African bush mango trees (Irvingiaceae) in the Dahomey Gap (West Africa). Plant Ecol Evol 147:109–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vihotogbé R, Van Den Berg RG, Sinsin B, Bongers F, Sosef MSM (2014b) Does phenology distinguish bitter and sweet African bush mango trees (Irvingia spp., Irvingiaceae)? Trees 28:1777–1791

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren DL, Glor RE, Turelli M (2008) Environmental niche equivalency versus conservatism: quantitative approaches to niche evolution. Evolution 62:2868–2883

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren DL, Glor RE, Turelli M (2010) ENMTools: a toolbox for comparative studies of environmental niche models. Ecography 33:607–611

  • Weigend M, Luebert F, Treydte C, Poretschkin C, Boehnert T, Mutke J, Chacón J (2016) Pattern and process in Andean biodiversity. European conference of tropical ecology: tropical diversity, ecology and land use Goettingen, Germany, 23–26 Feb, 2016

  • Wiersum KF (2004) Forest gardens as an intermediate land-use system in the nature–culture continuum: characteristics and future potential. Agroforest Syst 61:123–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Wooten JA, Gibbs HL (2011) Niche divergence and lineage diversification among closely related Sistrurus rattle snakes. J Evol Biol 25:317–328

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation founded this research (Humboldt Fellowship N°: 1154800 to Romaric Vihotogbé). Rosos Djikpo, Aubin Amagnide, Judicael Vihotogbé and local farmers assisted in occurrence data collection. We also thank Dr. Salako Kolawolé Valère for his support in statistical analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Marie-Curie-Straße 1, 47533, Kleve, Germany

    Romaric Vihotogbé & Jens Gebauer

  2. Laboratoire de Biomathématiques et d’Estimations Forestières, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 04 BP: 1525, Cotonou, Republic of Benin

    Romaric Vihotogbé & Rodrigue Idohou

  3. Ecole de Foresterie et d’Ingénierie du Bois, Université d’Agriculture de Kétou, 01 BP 6779, Cotonou, Republic of Benin

    Romaric Vihotogbé

  4. Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Rodrigue Idohou & A. Townsend Peterson

  5. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Republic of Benin

    Brice Sinsin

Authors
  1. Romaric Vihotogbé
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rodrigue Idohou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jens Gebauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Brice Sinsin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A. Townsend Peterson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodrigue Idohou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vihotogbé, R., Idohou, R., Gebauer, J. et al. Estimation of cultivable areas for Irvingia gabonensis and I. wombolu (Irvingiaceae) in Dahomey-Gap (West Africa). Agroforest Syst 93, 937–946 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-018-0193-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-018-0193-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation