Folk Classification, Perception, and Preferences of Baobab Products in West Africa: Consequences for Species Conservation and Improvement. The present study is a component of a baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) domestication research program being undertaken in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Senegal. Surveys conducted on a total of 129 women and 281 men of different ages included questions on perceptions and human/cultural meaning of morphological variation, use forms, preferences (desirable/ undesirable traits), and links between traits. Local people in the four countries use 21 criteria to differentiate baobab individuals in situ. According to them, the easier the bark harvesting, the tastier the pulp and leaves; the slimier the pulp, the less tasty it is; the more closely longitudinally marked the fruit capsules, the tastier the pulp. This study shows that farmers are able to use preferred combinations of traits as a guide in collecting germplasm from trees. This can allow the selection of trees that would be candidates for propagation, and planning for a domestication program based on the indigenous knowledge.

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function has increasingly been debated as the cornerstone of the processes behind ecosystem services delivery. Experimental and natural field‐based studies have come up with nonconsistent patterns of biodiversity–ecosystem function, supporting either niche complementarity or selection effects hypothesis. Here, we used aboveground carbon (AGC) storage as proxy for ecosystem function in a South African mistbelt forest, and analyzed its relationship with species diversity, through functional diversity and functional dominance. We hypothesized that (1) diversity influences AGC through functional diversity and functional dominance effects; and (2) effects of diversity on AGC would be greater for functional dominance than for functional diversity. Community weight mean (CWM) of functional traits (wood density, specific leaf area, and maximum plant height) were calculated to assess functional dominance (selection effects). As for functional diversity (complementarity effects), multitrait functional diversity indices were computed. The first hypothesis was tested using structural equation modeling. For the second hypothesis, effects of environmental variables such as slope and altitude were tested first, and separate linear mixed‐effects models were fitted afterward for functional diversity, functional dominance, and both. Results showed that AGC varied significantly along the slope gradient, with lower values at steeper sites. Species diversity (richness) had positive relationship with AGC, even when slope effects were considered. As predicted, diversity effects on AGC were mediated through functional diversity and functional dominance, suggesting that both the niche complementarity and the selection effects are not exclusively affecting carbon storage. However, the effects were greater for functional diversity than for functional dominance. Furthermore, functional dominance effects were strongly transmitted by CWM of maximum plant height, reflecting the importance of forest vertical stratification for diversity–carbon relationship. We therefore argue for stronger complementary effects that would be induced also by complementary light‐use efficiency of tree and species growing in the understory layer.

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Women's Traditional Knowledge, Use Value, and the Contribution of Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) to Rural Households' Cash Income in Benin. This study examined differences in knowledge, use values, and contribution of tamarind (Tamarindus indica) to women's cash income during the dry season, focusing on seven tribal groups in Benin. Data were gathered using semistructured individual interviews and monitoring, and were analyzed using quantitative ethnobotanical methods. Principal component analysis was applied to describe the use value and use forms of tamarind according to different tribes. Tamarind was found to play an important role in local communities' livelihoods. Overall, 26 different uses were mentioned for tamarind products. Most commonly, the fruit (pulp) was used to make beverages, as a laxative and purgative, and it seems to be the only plant part sold commercially. Bark was frequently used as a medicine to treat wounds, and leaves were used to make porridge and as an antibiotic. Medicinal, cultural, and material use categories were correlated best with the Fulani, whereas commerce was most correlated with Gourma tribes (PCA analysis). There were significant differences for tamarind utilization among the tribal groups, with overall ethnobotanical use values (EUV T ) ranging from 10 to 14, and contribution to cash income ranging from 8.8% to 56.4%. In view of its domestication potential, it is crucial that traditional tribal knowledge of tamarind be preserved and integrated into management policies. Further development and research needs for utilization and conservation are improvement of commercialization, organization of market channels, and extent of genetic diversity within and among populations.Savoir endogène des femmes, valeur d'usage et contribution du tamarinier au revenu des ménages ruraux au Bénin. Cette étude a mis en évidence les différences entre groupes tribales sur les connaissances, les valeurs d'usage, et la contribution du tamarinier au revenu monétaire des femmes pendant la saison sèche au Bénin. Les données ont été collectées grâce à des entretiens individuels semi-structurés et analysées au moyen de méthodes ethnobotanique quantitatives. L'analyse en composante principale a été appliquée pour décrire la valeur d'usage et les formes d'utilisation du tamarinier en fonction des différentes tribus. Le tamarinier joue un rôle important dans les activités génératrices de revenues pour les communautés locales. Au total 26 différentes utilisations ont été mentionnées pour les produits issus du tamarinier. Généralement, la pulpe du fruit est utilisée pour faire des boissons, comme un laxatif et un purgatif et semble être la seule partie commercialisée de la plante. L'écorce est fréquemment utilisée en médecine traditionnelle pour traiter les blessures profondes alors que les feuilles sont utilisées pour la préparation de bouillis et comme un antibiotique. L'espèce a plus une valeur médicinale, culturelle et artisanale pour les Fulani 1

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is causing devastating demographic, social, and economic damage globally. Understanding current patterns of the pandemic spread and forecasting its long-term trajectory is essential in guiding policies aimed at curtailing the pandemic. This is particularly important in regions with weak economies and fragile health care systems such as West Africa. We formulate and use a deterministic compartmental model to (i) assess the current patterns of COVID-19 spread in West Africa, (ii) evaluate the impact of currently implemented control measures, and (iii) predict the future course of the pandemic with and without currently implemented and additional control measures in West Africa. An analytical expression for the threshold level of control measures (involving a reduction in the effective contact rate) required to curtail the pandemic is computed. Considering currently applied health control measures, numerical simulations of the model using baseline parameter values estimated from West African COVID-19 data project a 67% reduction in the daily number of cases when the epidemic attains its peak. More reduction in the number of cases will be achieved if additional public health control measures that result in a reduction in the effective contact rate are implemented. We found out that disease elimination is difficult when more asymptomatic individuals contribute in transmission or are not identified and isolated in a timely manner. However, maintaining a baseline level of asymptomatic isolation and a low transmission rate will lead to a significant reduction in the number of daily cases when the pandemic peaks. For example, at the baseline level of asymptomatic isolation, at least a 46% reduction in the transmission rate is required for disease elimination. Additionally, disease elimination is possible if asymptomatic individuals are identified and isolated within 5 days (after the incubation period). Combining two or more measures is better for disease control, e.g., if asymptomatic cases are contact traced or identified and isolated in less than 8 days, only about 29% reduction in the disease transmission rate is required for disease elimination. Furthermore, we showed that the currently implemented measures triggered a 33% reduction in the time-dependent effective reproduction number between February 28 and June 26, 2020. We conclude that curtailing the COVID-19 pandemic burden significantly in West Africa requires more control measures than those that have already been implemented, as well as more mass testing and contact tracing in order to identify and isolate asymptomatic individuals early.