University of Antananarivo

About: University of Antananarivo is a education organization based out in Antananarivo, Madagascar. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Lemur. The organization has 1561 authors who have published 1703 publications receiving 30922 citations. The organization is also known as: Tananarive University & Antananarivo University.

Dynamic Simulation of the Green Roofs Impact on Building Energy Performance, Case Study of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Abstract: Green roofs improve building energy performance and constitute an alternative to sustainable buildings A green roof model is dynamically coupled with a building thermal model to assess its energy performance that takes into account the indoor air temperature dynamic changes Under the climate conditions in Antananarivo, we compared green and conventional roofs The present study shows that green roofs protect the roof structure under extreme temperature and large temperature fluctuations For the case of Antananarivo, the amplitude of the temperature fluctuations at the top face of the support is reduced by 28 °C when using green roof The impact of the green roof on indoor air temperature and energy demand is investigated The vegetation decreases the maximum indoor air temperature and improves the building thermal comfort during summer days It has no effect on the minimum indoor air temperature, but additional soil thickness can increase it In addition, a global sensitivity analysis, which is carried out on the proposed model without considering any specific weather data, allows us to identify the most influential parameters on the energy demand It has been found that green roofs have almost insignificant thermal impact in insulated buildings; however, their potential prevails over the building envelope and weather characteristics in the case of non-insulated building

Identification of cryptic species of Miniopterus bats (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from Madagascar and the Comoros using bioacoustics overlaid on molecular genetic and morphological characters

Abstract: The number of Miniopterus bat species on Madagascar and the nearby Comoros islands (Malagasy region) has risen from four to 11. These recently described cryptic taxa have been differentiated primarily based on molecular markers and associated a posteriori morphological characters that corroborate the different clades. Members of this Old World genus are notably conservative in morphology across their range. Several sites on Madagascar hold up to four small-bodied taxa of this genus that are morphologically similar to one another, although they can be distinguished based on the tragus, an ear structure associated with echolocation. Miniopterus often emit species-specific calls. In the present study, we analyze the bioacoustics of the 11 species of Miniopterus currently recognized from the Malagasy region, with an initial identification of the 87 recorded and collected individuals based on molecular markers and certain morphological characters. In most cases, bioacoustic parameters differentiate species and have taxonomic utility. Miniopterus griveaudi populations, which occur on three islands (Madagascar, Anjouan, and Grande Comore), showed no significant differences in peak echolocation frequencies. After running a discriminant function analysis based on five bioacoustic parameters, some mismatched assignments of Malagasy species were found, which include allopatric sister-taxa and sympatric, phylogenetically not closely-related species of similar body size. Because the peak echolocation frequencies of two species (Miniopterus sororculus and Miniopterus aelleni) were independent of body size, they were acoustically distinguishable from cryptic sympatric congeners. The small variation around the allometric relationship between body size and peak echolocation frequency of Malagasy Miniopterus species suggests that intraspecific communication rather than competition or prey detection may be the driver for the acoustic divergence of these two species. Our well-defined echolocation data allow detailed ecological work to commence aiming to test predictions about the relative roles of competition, prey availability, and social communication on the evolution of echolocation in Malagasy Miniopterus species. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 104, 284–302.

The amphibians of the relict Betampona low-elevation rainforest, eastern Madagascar: an application of the integrative taxonomy approach to biodiversity assessments

Abstract: The Strict Nature Reserve of Betampona protects one of the last remaining relicts (about 2,228 ha) of low elevation rainforests in eastern Madagascar. Yet little has been previously published about the amphibian fauna of this rainforest. During 2004 and 2007, Betampona was surveyed over a total period of 102 days. Frogs were searched by opportunistic searching, pitfall trapping and acoustic surveys. The survey work confirmed the occurrence of 76 taxa, of which 36 are currently candidate species and about 30% were first considered as undescribed species. The identification of species included a multidimensional and integrative approach that links morphology, bioacoustics, ecology and genetics. Of these taxa, 24 species are potentially endemic to this low elevation eastern region. Considering the relatively small area of the Betampona forest, and its narrow elevational range, 76 amphibian species represents an unusually high richness compared to other sites in Madagascar. Although the eastern region is now largely deforested, our results reveal the importance of this relict forest, which is protecting a diverse amphibian fauna that includes many potentially endemic species.