Lova Marline is a tropical ecologist, especially of taxonomy and ecology of tropical bryophytes in Madagascar. She compiled the first check-list of bryophytes in Madagasgar.

Lova Marline
Other namesLovanomenjanahary Marline
Alma materUniversity of Cape Town
Known forbryophytes of Madagascar
Scientific career
ThesisDiversity and biogeography of Madagascan bryophytes with an analysis of taxic and functional diversity along an elevational gradient in Marojejy National Park (2018)
Doctoral advisorsTerry A.J. Hedderson, Claudine Ah-Peng
Author abbrev. (botany)Marline

Early life and education edit

Lova Marline (also known as Lovanomenjanahary Marline) was born in Madagascar. She studied at University of Antananarivo for her B.Sc. and master's degrees, specialising in botany and ecology. In 2018 she completed her doctorate at University of Cape Town on the bryophytes of Madagascar.[1] [2]

Career edit

In 2014 she was a Green Talent awardee of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.[3][1] Following short post-doctoral fellowships in South Africa and Germany, Marline joined the Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre[4] at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. She compiled the first check-list of the bryophytes of Madagascar that is now being used to test for changes in their diversity or distribution and for planning conservation.[5][2]

She is involved in an international collaboration to monitor and manage air pollution in Madagascar.[6] As part of this she is attached to Association Vahatra in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar[7] while based at the Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre on Madagascar.[4]

Publications edit

Her scientific publications include:

Alexandre Antonelli et al. (74 authors) 2022. Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity: Evolution, distribution, and use. Science 378, eabf0869

Marline L., Ah-Peng C. & Hedderson T. 2020. Bryophyte diversity and range distributions along an elevational gradient in Marojejy, Madagascar. Biotropica 00: 1–12.

Ah-Peng C., Flores O., Wilding N., Bardat J., Marline L., Hedderson T. & Strasberg D. 2014. Functional diversity of subalpine bryophyte communities in an oceanic island (La Réunion). Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 46(4):841-851.

Lovanomenjanahary Marline, Roger Lala Andriamiarisoa, Jacques Bardat, Min Chuah-Petiot, Terry A.J. Hedderson, Catherine Reeb, Dominique Strasberg, Nicholas Wilding, Claudine Ah-Peng. 2012. Checklist of the Bryophytes of Madagascar Cryptogamie, Bryologie 33(3), 199-255

Honours and awards edit

In 2023 Marline was awarded the Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer research grant for early-career scientists working on to African challenges.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Working Group Climate change Biodiversity Ecosystems Forest: Dr Lova Marline". German Academic Exchange Service - Green Talent Awards. DAAD. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Women in the wild: Six Kew projects you didn't know about". Royal Botanic Garden Kew. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  3. ^ "UCT's 'green visionaries'". University of Capetown. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre". Royal Botanic Garden Kew. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  5. ^ Marline, Lovanomenjanahary; Lala Andriamiarisoa, Roger; Bardat, Jacques; Chuah-Petiot, Min; Hedderson, Terry A J; Reeb, Catherine; Strasberg, Dominique; Wilding, Nicholas; Ah-Peng, Claudine (2012). "Checklist of the Bryophytes of Madagascar". Cryptogamie, Bryologie. 33 (3): 199–255. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Air quality experts raise awareness, recruit citizen scientists". US Embassy in Madagascar. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Madagascar-based scientist awarded prestigious Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer research grant for groundbreaking bryophyte study". Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer Research Grant Awards. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  8. ^ International Plant Names Index.  Marline.