Considerations on the ecology of Rubiaceae in Martinique (Lesser Antilles)

Abstract

The Rubiaceae family is an essential component of the flora of the Lesser Antilles archipelago located in the Caribbean. There are 129 species of Rubiaceae divided into 54 genera, including 20 endemic species. Martinique, a mountainous island occupying a central position in the archipelago, is home to 89 species of the family divided into 41 genera, including 2 endemic species. More than twenty species are grown or used as decorations, but the diversity of Rubiaceae found naturally in natural vegetation is significant, in terms of the number of species, genera or physiognomic types. As part of a doctoral thesis carried out in Martinique between 2015 and 2020, our knowledge about the ecology of this family has been enriched. In total, 120 floristic inventories were carried out in various natural plant formations. These data have undergone multivariate statistical processing, in particular using EXCEL and XLSTAT software. In total, 27 Rubiaceae species divided into 18 genera were observed (trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and epiphytes). Although the diversity and abundance of Rubiaceae vary according to the bioclimatic and therefore altitudinal gradient of the island, they are nevertheless rarely part of the dominant species assemblages. Due to the new climatic constraints of the 21st century, the current chorology of these species will evolve.