Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : 1. A recent article published by Toledo (2011b) investigates the effects of spatial variations in climate and soil, and of logging disturbance, on tree and forest growth in Bolivia. It concludes that climate is the strongest driver of tree and forest growth and that climate change may therefore have large consequences for forest productivity and carbon sequestration. However, serious methodological and conceptual discrepancies have been found that challenge these conclusions.[br/] 2. Because of an errant coding of time after logging in the regression analysis, and because floristic changes induced by logging could not be incorporated into the analysis, the effect of logging on the average diameter growth is likely to have been strongly underestimated.[br/] 3. Basal area growth was improperly calculated as basal area change, and it displayed surprisingly high values, even among unlogged plots. We hypothesize that either these plots may be actually located in secondary forests recovering from past logging, or measurement biases may have hampered the data set.[br/] 4. Regardless of climategrowth relationships established across these plots, any inference concerning the potential effects of climate change on forest growth would require a specific quantitative assessment.[br/] 5. Synthesis. It is critical to re-assess the relative weight of climate and logging disturbance as driving factors of tree and forest growth, and to find an explanation for the very high basal area increment reported among the unlogged plots. We provide specific recommendations for further analyses of this and similar data sets.
ISSN: 0022-0477

hal-01032432
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032432
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01895.x

Résumé : La banane plantain (Musa paradisiaca) est l’aliment de base de millions de personnes dans le monde et sa culture génère des revenus permanents pour un grand nombre d’agriculteurs, dans des plantations de taille petite ou moyenne. Comme dans d’autres régions tropicales, la culture du plantain en Guadeloupe et en Haïti est soumise à de fortes contraintes parasitaires aussi bien telluriques (i.e. du sol : nématodes phytoparasites et charançon du bananier) qu’aériennes (Cercosporiose noire notamment). Les moyens de lutte conventionnels reposent sur l’usage de produits de synthèse dont les effets néfastes sur l’environnement (sols, eaux, animaux) comme sur la santé humaine ne sont plus supportables. Il est donc urgent de réfléchir à des solutions agro-écologiques permettant de rétablir les équilibres biologiques, de maintenir une bonne qualité des sols et une production optimale dans les systèmes de culture plantains. C’est le but de ce travail de thèse qui couple la réalisation d’un diagnostic agro-écologique dans des parcelles paysannes, et le test d’alternatives agro-écologiques en milieu semi-contrôlé. Pour ce faire, une typologie des systèmes de culture plantains a été réalisée à l’issue d’une enquête agro-environnementale dans les deux zones d’étude. Elle a permis de sélectionner 23 parcelles en Guadeloupe et 12 en Haïti dans lesquelles un diagnostic agro-écologique a été conduit. Sur la base de ce diagnostic et de la recherche d’alternatives agro-écologiques à l’usage des produits chimiques, une expérimentation au champ a été mise en place en Guadeloupe en station de recherche, permettant le test de trois pratiques culturales innovantes pour le plantain (seules et combinées), à savoir : i) l’introduction d’une plante de service Paspalum notatum pour la gestion des adventices et la réduction de l’utilisation d’herbicides ; ii) l’apport de vermicompost pour le contrôle des nématodes phytoparasites inféodés au bananier plantain et la fertilisation de celui-ci ; iii) l’utilisation de plants sains PIF (Plants Issus de Fragments de tiges) indemnes de nématodes et de larves de charançon du bananier. La typologie des systèmes de culture plantains révèle que : i) en Guadeloupe les précédents : jachère, ananas et banane plantain sont prédominants avec un niveau d’intensification faible (apports d’intrants chimiques faibles et peu fréquents) ou élevé (apports d’intrants chimiques élevés et plus fréquents) ; ii) en Haïti, les précédents : jachère, banane plantain et manioc prédominent avec un niveau d’intensification faible ou nul (apport d’intrants inexistant). Les résultats du diagnostic agro-écologique montrent que, i) lorsque le niveau d’intensification est faible, les bananeraies plantains pérennes et le précédent-ananas permettent de maintenir une bonne qualité du sol et une bonne régulation des parasites telluriques ; ii) lorsque le niveau d’intensification est fort, les populations d’ingénieurs du sol diminuent drastiquement, alors que le cortège parasitaire tellurique augmente sans que cela n’affecte l’obtention de bons niveaux de rendement instantannés (parcelles précédées d’ananas ou d’une jachère principalement) ; iii) en absence totale de fertilisation, il résulte une diminution de l’activité biologique du sol mais aussi du rendement du plantain, exacerbé par le choix des précédents-culturaux (manioc ou banane plantain) en lien avec les contraintes pédoclimatiques et la maladie des raies noires (Cercosporiose noire) causée par Mycosphaerella fijiensis, notamment au sein des parcelles Haïtiennes ; iv) la succession plantain/plantain est la plus pénalisante vis-à-vis de la culture du plantain, car quelque soit le niveau d’intensification, le rendement reste relativement faible, en lien avec une dégradation de l’état sanitaire, comparativement aux autres précédents.
Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) is the staple food of millions of people worldwide and its cropping generates ongoing revenues for many farmers who are planting small or medium size areas. As in other tropical regions, plantain cultivation in Guadeloupe and Haiti is under heavy parasitic constraints terrestrial (plant-parasitic nematodes and banana weevil) as well as aerial (black Sigatoka in particular). Conventional means of control based on the use of synthetic products which adverse effects on the environment (soil, water, animals ...) as on human health are not bearable any more. It is thus urgent to think about agroecological solutions allowing to restore the biological balances, to maintain good soil quality and optimal plantain cropping systems.This is the ultimate goal of this thesis which couples the realization of an agroecological diagnosis in peasants’ plots, and the test of agroecological alternatives in semi-controlled conditions. To do this, a typology of plantain cropping systems was carried out from an agrienvironmental survey in the two study areas. It allowed to select 23 plots in Guadeloupe and 12 in Haiti in which an agroecological diagnosis was implemented. Based on this diagnosis and the research of agroecological alternatives to the use of chemicals, a field experiment was set up in Guadeloupe, in an experimental station allowing the test of three innovative practices for plantain cultivation (alone and combined), namely : i) the introduction of a cover-crop Paspalum notatum for weed control while reducing the use of herbicides ; ii) the input of worms’ compost to control plant-parasitic nematodes specific to plantain and to fertilize it ; iii) the use of healthy “PIF” plants (plants issued from stem fragments) free from telluric pests (nematodes and weevil’s larvaes).The typology of plantains cropping systems shows: i) in Guadeloupe the previous crops are: fallow pineapple and plantain predominate with a low level of intensification (low and infrequent chemical inputs) or high (high and frequent chemical inputs); ii) in Haiti, the previous crops are: fallow, plantain and cassava predominate with a low level or no intensification at all (no inputs). The results of the agroecological analysis show that : i) when the level of intensification is low, perennial plantain and pineapple as previous crops help maintaining a good soil quality and a good regulation of the telluric pests ; ii) when the level of intensification is strong, the soil engineers drastically reduce, while the density of telluric parasites increases without affecting good levels of instantaneous yields (plots where the previous crop is pineapple or mostly fallow) ; iii) when the fertilization is totally missing, it decreases the biological activity of the soil furthermore the plantain yields, exacerbated by the choice of the previous crop (cassava or plantain), in connection with soils and climate constraints and the black Sigatoka caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis, especially in the Haitian plots ; iv) the crop succession plantain/plantain is the most critical regarding the plantain’s cropping, because whatever the level of intensification, the yields remain relatively low in connection with a degradation of the health state, compared to other previous crops.The driving of an experiment in a research station shows that on the scale of one year, the three tested innovative practices allow maintaining a good soils quality. Healthy plants "PIF" have a better health state (absence of plant parasitic nematodes in the roots) which helps a significant increase of the yields. Cover-crop P. notatum helps the weeds and the soil pests control and favors the improvement of soil biological activity and plantain yields. Worms’ compost contributes to the maintenance of a better soils quality while allowing the regulation of the populations of plant-parasitic nematodes of the plantains.

http://www.theses.fr/2014AGUY0758/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé :  
Aims: Astrocaryum sciophilum (Miq.) Pulle (Arecaceae) is an understorey palm, endemic to north-eastern South America with a patchy distribution. We tested the hypothesis that the spatial distribution of this palm species is not in equilibrium but is slowly colonizing the forest understorey. Location: Inventories and seed dispersal studies were conducted in the undisturbed tropical forest close to the Nouragues research station, French Guiana. Additional data were collected in the entire territory of French Guiana. Methods: We studied the demography of A. sciophilum on a 20-ha plot located at the edge of its distribution. The age of the palms was estimated by postulating an exponentially decreasing abundance by age class. Direct seed dispersal experiments were also conducted, to estimate dispersal parameters. The seeds of A. sciophilum were dispersed only by rodents. This information was used to parameterize a forest growth simulator, to study the spatial spread of this species. Results: Within the sampling plot, the density of A. sciophilum dropped sharply from about 500 individuals per hectare to zero. The maturation age was estimated to be 170 ± 70 years, and over 55 years with 95% confidence. Seed-dispersal experiments yielded an average seed dispersal distance of 11 m and a maximum estimated dispersal distance of 125 m across a generational span of 55 years to maturity. Therefore, the maximal estimated colonization speed is 2.3 m/y. Conclusions: Empirical results and numerical simulations suggest that the boundary of the A. sciophilum population is a colonization front, and that the range of this species is slowly expanding. The implications of this result in respect of palaeoenvironmental changes in this region are discussed.
ISSN: 1466-822X

hal-01032154
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032154
DOI : 10.1046/j.1466-822X.2003.00020.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Variation of dead wood decay rates among tropical trees remains one source of uncertainty in global models of the carbon cycle. Taking advantage of a broad forest plot network surveyed for tree mortality over a 23-year period, we measured the remaining fraction of boles from 367 dead trees from 26 neotropical species widely varying in wood density (0.23–1.24 g cm-3) and tree circumference at death time (31.5–272.0 cm). We modeled decay rates within a Bayesian framework assuming a first order differential equation to model the decomposition process and tested for the effects of forest management (selective logging vs. unexploited), of mode of death (standing vs. downed) and of topographical levels (bottomlands vs. hillsides vs. hilltops) on wood decay rates. The general decay model predicts the observed remaining fraction of dead wood (R2 = 60%) with only two biological predictors: tree circumference at death time and wood specific density. Neither selective logging nor local topography had a differential effect on wood decay rates. Including the mode of death into the model revealed thatstanding dead trees decomposed faster than downed dead trees, but the gain of model accuracy remains rather marginal. Overall, these results suggest that the release of carbon from tropical dead trees to the atmosphere can be simply estimated using tree circumference at death time and wood density.
ISSN: 0029-8549

hal-01094187
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01094187
DOI : 10.1007/s00442-010-1602-8

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé :  
1. Relationships between tropical rain forest biomass and environmental factors have been determined at regional scales, e.g. the Amazon Basin, but the reasons for the high variability in forest biomass at local scales are poorly understood. Interactions between topography, soil properties, tree growth and mortality rates, and treefalls are a likely reason for this variability. 2. We used repeated measurements of permanent plots in lowland rain forest in French Guiana to evaluate these relationships. The plots sampled topographic gradients from hilltops to slopes to bottomlands, with accompanying variation in soil waterlogging along these gradients. Biomass was calculated for >175 tree species in the plots, along with biomass productivity and recruitment rates. Mortality was determined as standing dead and treefalls. 3. Treefall rates were twice as high in bottomlands as on hilltops, and tree recruitment rates, radial growth rates and the abundance of light-demanding tree species were also higher. 4. In the bottomlands, the mean wood density was 10% lower than on hilltops, the basal area 29% lower and the height:diameter ratio of trees was lower, collectively resulting in a total woody biomass that was 43% lower in bottomlands than on hilltops. 5. Biomass productivity was 9% lower in bottomlands than on hilltops, even though soil Olsen P concentrations were higher in bottomlands. 6. Synthesis. Along a topographic gradient from hilltops to bottomlands there were higher rates of treefall, which decreased the stand basal area and favoured lower allocation to height growth and recruitment of light-demanding species with low wood density. The resultant large variation in tree biomass along the gradient shows the importance of determining site characteristics and including these characteristics when scaling up biomass estimates from stand to local or regional scales.
ISSN: 0022-0477

hal-01032100
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032100

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : For ecology scientists, spatial statistics are a set of tools allowing characterization of the structure of a point set, for instance a map of trees in a forest plot. This structure is defined implicitly as a departure from complete spatial randomness (CSR), the result of a Poisson point process. Inhomogeneity of the process and non-independence of points are its causes. As they cannot be disentangled by analyzing the data, so-called "spatial concentration" or "aggregation" (evenness due to repulsion also exists but is actually rare) usually concerns non-independence while intensity is assumed as known. The literature of point processes and measures of spatial structures is reviewed to clarify concepts and choices. The purpose of this thesis was to produce methodological enhancements. Its main results are: * A test for the most used statistic, Ripley's K function, against the null hypothesis of CSR. It can replace Monte-Carlo simulations used until now in the literature. * An extension of K to inhomogeneous processes, within a typology of available statistics (absolute, relative and topographic measures). When data is available as number of objects per zones (say a number of tree in each forest plot) rather than their exact position, information theory is used to define a general framework allowing to characterize spatial structure (of species) and diversity (of plots) as two aspects of a single measure of inequality. This framework is applied to Shannon's index of biodiversity to derive a self-sufficient definition of beta diversity, its calculation independently from the difference between gamma and alpha diversity, and a statistical test of significance against the null hypothesis that plots are samples of the same community. The way is paved for other applications to measures of diversity and spatial structures. As a conclusion, it appears clear that pattern characterization tools are a first step to deal with ecological questionings. Their development is still a matter of research. Yet, they are far from sufficient to address ecological processes as point processes ignore the temporal aspect of object locations.
Les statistiques spatiales sont pour les écologues un ensemble d'outils permettant de caractériser la structure d'un semis de points, par exemple une carte représentant des emplacements des arbres dans une parcelle de forêt. Cette structure est définie implicitement comme un écart à semis complètement aléatoire, résultat d'un processus de Poisson. L'hétérogénéité du processus ponctuel dont le semis de points est une réalisation et la non-indépendance des points en sont les causes indiscernables, ce qui amène généralement à supposer l'intensité du processus connu et nommer " concentration spatiale " ou " agrégation " (la régularité spatiale est possible, mais rare en pratique) la non-indépendance. Une revue de la littérature des processus ponctuels et des mesures de structures spatiales est fournie pour clarifier les concepts et les choix. L'objectif de ce travail de thèse était de produire des améliorations méthodologiques. Ses résultats principaux sont : * L'établissement d'un test pour la principale statistique utilisée, la fonction K de Ripley, permettant de s'affranchir de la méthode de Monte-Carlo utilisée dans la littérature pour rejeter l'hypothèse nulle d'un processus complètement aléatoire. * L'extension de K aux processus hétérogènes, dans le cadre d'une typologie claire des statistiques (absolues, relatives, topographiques). Lorsque la position exacte des objets n'est pas connue, mais que des effectifs par zone sont disponibles (par exemple des nombres d'arbres par parcelle), la théorie de l'information est utilisée pour définir un cadre général permettant de caractériser la structure spatiale (des espèces dans les parcelles) et la diversité (des parcelles, en termes d'espèces) comme deux aspects d'une même mesure d'inégalité. Ce cadre est appliqué à l'indice de biodiversité de Shannon pour définir clairement la mesure de diversité bêta, son calcul direct indépendamment de la différence entre diversités gamma et alpha, et fournir un test statistique de non nullité. La voie est ouverte pour l'application à d'autres mesures de diversité et de structure spatiale. En conclusion, il semble clair que ces outils de caractérisation sont un premier pas pour traiter les questions écologiques, leur développement étant toujours du domaine de la recherche. Ils sont cependant très insuffisants pour répondre à des questions liées aux processus écologiques, assez éloignés des processus ponctuels qui ignorent l'aspect temporel de l'installation des objets.
https://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00540327

NNT : 2010AGPT0075
pastel-00540327
https://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00540327
https://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00540327/document
https://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00540327/file/13_Marcon2010.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier Masson
Résumé : In French Guiana, the population growth will result in an increase in demand for agricultural products and thus, will lead to an increase in the amount of tropical forests converted into cropland or pasture. Impacts of different agricultural systems on greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes have not been studied in French Guiana. In this context, the fire-free chop-and-mulch method was used to convert a tropical forest site to agriculture. This study focused on soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and we compared four land uses: (1) the undisturbed tropical forest, (2) recently converted grassland and recently converted croplands (fertilized soybean/maize rotation) with either (3) disk tillage or (4) no tillage.N2O measurements were obtained through the chamber technique and conducted over a 1-year period (measurements began 19 months after the forest was cleared). N2O fluxes were related to soil parameters measured at each sampling date: nitrate and ammonium contents, gravimetric water content (GWC) and temperature.Through the entire period, the mean (±standard error) and median N2O fluxes were 3.8 ± 0.5 and 2.7 g N ha−1 day−1, respectively for undisturbed tropical forest and 2.4 ± 0.9 and 0.8 g N ha−1 day−1, respectively for grassland (mowed Brachiaria ruziziensis). For croplands, no significant difference was found for N2O emissions between both agricultural practices. The mean (±standard error) and median N2O fluxes were 8.5 ± 1.2 and 4.0 g N ha−1 day−1, respectively for disk tillage plots and 8.5 ± 1.3 and 3.6 g N ha−1 day−1, respectively for no tillage plots. Nitrogen inputs (due to the application of fertilizer or due to the mineralization of crop residues) led to higher N2O fluxes, resulting in significantly higher mean N2O emissions from croplands compared to the forest, when only considering land use effect on N2O fluxes in a statistical model. The soil nitrate content, GWC and temperature had a significant positive effect on N2O fluxes. Taking into account these soil parameters in another statistical model, N2O emissions from croplands were not higher than the natural N2O emissions from tropical forest soils. Our results suggest that, if more forest will have to be converted in the course of the expected population growth in French Guiana, it could have low impact on the soil N2O fluxes (similar to natural fluxes from forest) with the improving of farming techniques (for example modification of the splitting of N-fertilizer) in the cropping plots.
ISSN: 0167-8809

hal-01204228
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204228
DOI : 10.1016/j.agee.2015.04.004
PRODINRA : 307607

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
1. Estimating forest above-ground biomass (AGB), or carbon (AGC), in tropical forests has become a majorconcern for scientists and stakeholders. However, AGB assessment procedures are not fully standardized andeven more importantly the uncertainty associated with AGB estimates is seldom assessed.2. Here, we present an R package designed to compute both AGB/AGC estimate and its associated uncertaintyfrom forest plot datasets, using a Bayesian inference procedure. The package builds upon previous work onpantropical and regional biomass allometric equations and published datasets by default but it can alsointegrate unpublished or complementary datasets in many steps.3. BIOMASS performs a number of standard tasks on input forest tree inventories: i) tree speciesidentification, if available, is automatically corrected; ii) wood density is estimated from tree species identity;iii) if height data are available, a local height-diameter allometry may be built; else height is inferred frompantropical or regional models; iv) finally, AGB/AGC are estimated by propagating the errors associated withall the calculation steps up to the final estimate. R code is given in the paper and in the appendix forillustration purpose.4. The BIOMASS package should contribute to improved standards for AGB calculation for tropical foreststands, and will encourage users to report the uncertainties associated with stand-level AGB/AGC estimatesin future studies.
ISSN: 2041-210X

hal-01558180
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01558180
DOI : 10.1111/2041-210X.12753

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Association for the Advancement of Science
Résumé :  
Amazon forests are a key but poorly understood component of the global carbon cycle. If, as anticipated, they dry this century, they might accelerate climate change through carbon losses and changed surface energy balances. We used records from multiple long-term monitoring plots across Amazonia to assess forest responses to the intense 2005 drought, a possible analog of future events. Affected forest lost biomass, reversing a large long-term carbon sink, with the greatest impacts observed where the dry season was unusually intense. Relative to pre-2005 conditions, forest subjected to a 100-millimeter increase in water deficit lost 5.3 megagrams of aboveground biomass of carbon per hectare. The drought had a total biomass carbon impact of 1.2 to 1.6 petagrams (1.2 × 1015 to 1.6 × 1015 grams). Amazon forests therefore appear vulnerable to increasing moisture stress, with the potential for large carbon losses to exert feedback on climate change.
ISSN: 0036-8075

hal-01032111
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032111
DOI : 10.1126/science.1164033

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer/Terra Scientific Publishing Company
Résumé : International audience
This study of the Cajati deposit provides evidence that the ore was neither purely hydrothermal, nor volcanic in origin, as previous workers have proposed. The ores were formed from magnetite-rich magmas, hydrothermally altered and intruded at an indicated crustal depth in excess of 500 m. The mineralogical and textural association between magnetite and magnesioferrite in the carbonatite, and between the titanomagnetite and magnesioferrite-Ti mineralization in the pyroxenite of hedenbergite, seems to be analog mineralizations strongly related to the ionic substitution of Fe2+ by Mg. Relatively high Q ratios (>= 5) for Jacupirangite-pyroxenite may indicate a thermo remanent magnetization (TRM) by the ore during post-metamorphic cooling, however it call also be developed from chemical remanent magnetization (CRM). Vector plots for the pyroxenite samples show reasonably linear and stable magnetic components. The intensity decay Curves show that only two components of magnetizations are likely present. Continuous susceptibility measurements with increasing temperature show that the main magnetic phase seems to be magnetite. Maghemite is probably produced during the cooling process. Susceptibility recorded from low temperature (liquid nitrogen (- 196 degrees C)) to room temperature produces typical Curves. indicating Verwey transition of magnetite. Hysteresis parameters point Out that nearly all values fill in a novel region of the Day plot, parallel to but below magnetite SD + MD mixing curves.
ISSN: 1343-8832

hal-00420922
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420922

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : 1. Resource control over abundance, structure and functional diversity of soil microbial communities is a key determinant of soil processes and related ecosystem functioning. Copiotrophic organisms tend to be found in environments which are rich in nutrients, particularly carbon, in contrast to oligotrophs, which survive in much lower carbon concentrations. We hypothesized that microbial biomass, activity and community structure in nutrient-poor soils of an Amazonian rain forest are limited by multiple elements in interaction. We tested this hypothesis with a fertilization experiment by adding C (as cellulose), N (as urea) and P (as phosphate) in all possible combinations to a total of 40 plots of an undisturbed tropical forest in French Guiana. After 2years of fertilization, we measured a 47% higher biomass, a 21% increase in substrate-induced respiration rate and a 5-fold higher rate of decomposition of cellulose paper discs of soil microbial communities that grew in P-fertilized plots compared to plots without P fertilization. These responses were amplified with a simultaneous C fertilization suggesting P and C colimitation of soil micro-organisms at our study site. Moreover, P fertilization modified microbial community structure (PLFAs) to a more copiotrophic bacterial community indicated by a significant decrease in the Gram-positive:Gram-negative ratio. The Fungi:Bacteria ratio increased in N fertilized plots, suggesting that fungi are relatively more limited by N than bacteria. Changes in microbial community structure did not affect rates of general processes such as glucose mineralization and cellulose paper decomposition. In contrast, community level physiological profiles under P fertilization combined with either C or N fertilization or both differed strongly from all other treatments, indicating functionally different microbial communities. While P appears to be the most critical from the three major elements we manipulated, the strongest effects were observed in combination with either supplementary C or N addition in support of multiple element control on soil microbial functioning and community structure. We conclude that the soil microbial community in the studied tropical rain forest and the processes it drives is finely tuned by the relative availability in C, N and P. Any shifts in the relative abundance of these key elements may affect spatial and temporal heterogeneity in microbial community structure, their associated functions and the dynamics of C and nutrients in tropical ecosystems.
ISSN: 0269-8463

hal-01204229
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204229
DOI : 10.1111/1365-2435.12329
PRODINRA : 311389

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : The consequences of biodiversity loss for ecosystem services largely depend on the functional identities of extirpated species. However, poor descriptions of spatial patterns of community functional composition across landscapes hamper accurate predictions, particularly in highly diverse tropical regions. Therefore, understanding how community functional composition varies across environmental gradients remains an important challenge. We sampled 15 functional traits in 800 Neotropical tree species across 13 forest plots representative of the broad climatic and soil gradients encompassed by three widespread lowland forest habitats (terra firme forests on clay-rich soils, seasonally flooded forests and white-sand forests) at opposite ends of Amazonia (Peru and French Guiana). We combined univariate and multivariate approaches to test the magnitude and predictability of environmental filtering on community leaf and wood functional composition. Directional shifts in community functional composition correlated with environmental changes across the 13 plots, with denser leaves, stems and roots in forests occurring in environments with limited water and soil-nutrient availability. Critically, these relationships allowed us to accurately predict the functional composition of 61 additional forest plots from environmental data alone.Synthesis. Environmental filtering consistently shapes the functional composition of highly diverse tropical forests at large scales across the terra firme, seasonally flooded and white-sand forests of lowland Amazonia. Environmental factors drive and allow the prediction of variation in community functional composition among habitat types in Amazonian forests.
ISSN: 0022-0477

hal-01204211
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204211
DOI : 10.1111/1365-2745.12160
PRODINRA : 259900

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
We explored the relationship between soil processes, estimated through soil respiration (Rsoil), and the spatial variation in forest structure, assessed through the distribution of tree size, in order to understand the determinism of spatial variations in Rsoil in a tropical forest. The influence of tree size was examined using an index (Ic) calculated for each tree as a function of (1) the trunk cross section area and (2) the distance from the measurement point. We investigated the relationships between Ic and litterfall,root mass and Rsoil, respectively. Strong significant relationships were found between Ic and both litterfall and root mass. Rsoil showed a large range of variations over the 1-ha experimental plot, from 1.5 to 12.6 gC m−2 d−1. The best relationship between Ic and Rsoil only explained 17% of the spatial variation in Rsoil. These results support the assumption that local spatial patterns in litter production and root mass depend on tree distribution in tropical forests. Our study also emphasizes the modest contribution of tree size distribution-which is mainly influenced by the presence of the biggest trees (among the large range size of the inventoried trees greater than 10 cm diameter at 1.30 m above ground level or at 0.5 m above the buttresses)-in explaining spatial variations in Rsoil.
ISSN: 0032-079X

hal-00797064
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00797064

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : Precise mapping of above-ground biomass (AGB) is a major challenge for the success of REDD+ processes in tropical rainforest. The usual mapping methods are based on two hypotheses: a large and long-ranged spatial autocorrelation and a strong environment influence at the regional scale. However, there are no studies of the spatial structure of AGB at the landscapes scale to support these assumptions. We studied spatial variation in AGB at various scales using two large forest inventories conducted in French Guiana. The dataset comprised 2507 plots (0.4 to 0.5 ha) of undisturbed rainforest distributed over the whole region. After checking the uncertainties of estimates obtained from these data, we used half of the dataset to develop explicit predictive models including spatial and environmental effects and tested the accuracy of the resulting maps according to their resolution using the rest of the data. Forest inventories provided accurate AGB estimates at the plot scale, for a mean of 325 Mg.ha^-1. They revealed high local variability combined with a weak autocorrelation up to distances of no more than10 km. Environmental variables accounted for a minor part of spatial variation. Accuracy of the best model including spatial effects was 90 Mg.ha^-1 at plot scale but coarse graining up to 2-km resolution allowed mapping AGB with accuracy lower than 50 Mg.ha^-1. Whatever the resolution, no agreement was found with available pan-tropical reference maps at all resolutions. We concluded that the combined weak autocorrelation and weak environmental effect limit AGB maps accuracy in rainforest, and that a trade-off has to be found between spatial resolution and effective accuracy until adequate “wall-to-wall” remote sensing signals provide reliable AGB predictions. Waiting for this, using large forest inventories with low sampling rate (<0.5%) may be an efficient way to increase the global coverage of AGB maps with acceptable accuracy at kilometric resolution
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01269305
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01269305
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0138456
PRODINRA : 326359

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : While around 20% of the Amazonian forest has been cleared for pastures and agriculture, one fourth of the remaining forest is dedicated to wood production [1] . Most of these production forests have been or will be selectively harvested for commercial timber, but recent studies show that even soon after logging, harvested stands retain much of their tree-biomass carbon and biodiversity [2,3] . Comparing species richness of various animal taxa among logged and unlogged forests across the tropics, Burivalova et al. [4] found that despite some variability among taxa, biodiversity loss was generally explained by logging intensity (the number of trees extracted). Here, we use a network of 79 permanent sample plots (376 ha total) located at 10 sites across the Amazon Basin [5] to assess the main drivers of time-to-recovery of post-logging tree carbon ( Table S1 ). Recovery time is of direct relevance to policies governing management practices (i.e., allowable volumes cut and cutting cycle lengths), and indirectly to forest-based climate change mitigation interventions.
ISSN: 0960-9822

hal-01536542
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01536542
DOI : 10.1016/j.cub.2015.07.034
PRODINRA : 343217
PUBMED : 26394096

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nordic Ecological Society
Résumé : Niche differentiation and ecological filtering are primary ecological processes that shape community assembly, but their relative importance remains poorly understood. Analyses of the distributions of functional traits can provide insight into the community structure generated by these processes. We predicted the trait distributions expected under the ecological processes of niche differentiation and environmental filtering, then tested these predictions with a dataset of 4672 trees located in nine 1-ha plots of tropical rain forest in French Guiana. Five traits related to leaf function (foliar N concentration, chlorophyll content, toughness, tissue density and specific leaf area), and three traits related to stem function (trunk sapwood density, branch sapwood density, and trunk bark thickness), as well as laminar surface area, were measured on every individual tree. There was far more evidence for environmental filtering than for niche differentiation in these forests. Furthermore, we contrasted results from species-mean and individual-level trait values. Analyses that took within-species trait variation into account were far more sensitive indicators of niche differentiation and ecological filtering. Species-mean analyses, by contrast, may underestimate the effects of ecological processes on community assembly. Environmental filtering appeared somewhat more intense on leaf traits than on stem traits, whereas niche differentiation affected neither strongly. By accounting for within-species trait variation, we were able to more properly consider the ecological interactions among individual trees and between individual trees and their environment. In so doing, our results suggest that the ecological processes of niche differentiation and environmental filtering may be more pervasive than previously believed.
ISSN: 0030-1299

hal-01032397
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032397
DOI : 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.19110.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Résumé : The objective of this study was to analyse the factors explaining spatial variation in soil respiration over topographic transects in a tropical rain forest of French Guiana. The soil of 30 plots along six transects was characterized. The appearance of the 'dry to the touch' character at a depth of less than 1.2 m was used to discriminate soils exhibiting vertical drainage from soils exhibiting superficial lateral drainage and along with colour and texture, to define five classes from well-drained to strongly hydromorphic soils. Spatial variation in soil respiration was closely related to topographic position and soil type. Increasing soil water content and bulk density and decreasing root biomass and soil carbon content explained most of the decrease in soil respiration from the plateaux (vertically drained hypoferralic acrisol) to the bottomlands (haplic gleysol). These results will help to stratify further field experiments and to identify the underlying determinants of spatial variation in soil respiration to develop mechanistic models of soil respiration.
ISSN: 0266-4674

hal-01032046
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032046
DOI : 10.1017/S0266467406003415

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
White-sand forests are thought to host many ectomycorrhizal fungi, as demonstrated by the numerous fruiting body collections made by Rolf Singer in the lower Rio Negro in the late 1970s. Despite recognition of the importance of ectomycorrhizal fungi in white-sand forests, there has not yet been a systematic examination of diversity and taxonomic composition across white-sand forests, or more widely across lowland Amazonian forests. In an effort to broaden our view of ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity and distribution on white-sand forests, we collected ectomycorrhizal fruiting bodies in 10 plots of white-sand forests in Brazil and French Guiana between 2012 and 2014. We collected 221 specimens and 62 morphospecies, from the 10 plots, confirming that all studied white-sand forests host ectomycorrhizal fungi. Additionally, we searched for taxa associated with white sands among specimens deposited in Brazilian herbaria. We report 1006 unique ectomycorrhizal specimen records in 18 Brazilian herbaria, of which 137 specimens and 64 species are reported from white-sand forests, mainly in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Russulaceae and Amanitaceae were frequent in all habitats, and Cortinarius were more frequent on white sands. Our results highlight the high diversity and heterogeneity of ectomycorrhizal communities on white-sand forests, and the wide distribution of ectomycorrhizal fungi throughout Brazil, irrespective of soil type.
Florestas em solos arenosos são consideradas como hospedeiras de muitos fungos ectomicorrízicos (EM), como demonstrado pelas numerosas coletas feitas por Rolf Singer na região do Rio Negro, Amazonas, no final dos anos 70. Apesar do reconhecimento da importância dos fungos ectomicorrízicos em florestas em solos arenosos, não houve nenhum estudo sistemático da diversidade e da composição taxonômica nas florestas em solos arenosos ou mesmo mais amplamente nas terras baixas da Floresta Amazônica. Para ter uma visão global da diversidade e da distribuição de fungos EM em florestas em solos arenosos, foram coletados basidiomas desses fungos em 10 parcelas de florestas em solos arenosos no Brasil e na Guiana Francesa entre 2012 e 2014. Além disso, uma busca foi feita por espécimes depositados em herbários brasileiros que tinham a informação de serem coletas feitas em solo arenoso. Nas 10 parcelas amostradas foram coletados 221 espécimes e 62 morfoespécies, o que confirma que todas as florestas em solos arenosos hospedam fungos EM. Recuperamos 1006 espécimes registrados em 18 herbários brasileiros, dos quais 137 espécimes e 52 espécies são registros de florestas em solos arenosos principalmente no estado do Amazonas, Brasil. Russulaceae e Amanitaceae foram frequentes em todos os habitats e Cortinarius foi o táxon mais frequente em solo arenoso. Os resultados apresentados enfatizam a alta diversidade e heterogeneidade das comunidades de EM em florestas em solos arenosos, assim como a ampla distribuição de fungos em todo o Brasil, não exclusivamente em florestas em solos arenosos.
ISSN: 0006-3606

hal-01278423
https://hal-sde.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01278423
DOI : 10.1111/btp.12297

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We present a new set of brittle microtectonic measurements carried out in the Pliocene and Quaternary rocks outcropping in several key sectors of the western Betic and Rif orogen, the so-called Gibraltar orogenic arc. This data set, along with available earthquake focal mechanisms and borehole breakouts, allowed us to compile the Pliocene and Quaternary stress map of this area. This map provides new constraints for tectonic models and the present-day tectonic activity of the proposed active eastward subduction of oceanic lithosphere beneath the Gibraltar Arc and roll-back. The horizontal maximum compressive stress (S-Hmax) is NW-SE in the Betic Orogen and N-S/NNW-SSE in the southern Rif Cordillera. There is a significant consistency between S-Hmax and the displacement field deduced from GPS measurements with respect to the African plate: both appear to reflect the NW-SE convergence between the African and the European plates that is perturbed in the Rif. We propose that part of the eastern Rif behaves as a quasi-rigid block welded to the stable African plate. This block is bounded by important faults that localized most of the deformation disturbing the stress and surface displacement field. Pliocene to Quaternary N-S to NW-SE Africa-Europe plate convergence seem to be associated to the reorganization of the remnant Early Miocene subduction system in a continental-continental collision framework. Three-dimensional reconstruction of available seismic tomography plotted against the intermediate seismicity shows that only part of the old subduction system, whose orientation ranges from N20 degrees E to N100 degrees E, remains active: the portion ranging from N30 degrees E to N40 degrees E, orthogonal to the regional convergence. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ISSN: 0264-3707

hal-00671033
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00671033
DOI : 10.1016/j.jog.2010.12.003

Éditeur(s) : Texas A & M University, Ocean Drilling Program, College Station, TX, United States (USA)
Résumé : This chapter presents major oxide and trace element determinations of igneous whole-rock compositions from sites drilled during Leg 60 and electron microprobe mineral and glass analyses of samples from Sites 454 and 458. Interarc basin basalts from the Mariana Trough (Sites 454 and 456) are similar in all respects to depleted mid-ocean ridge basalts. Basaltic andesites and andesites from Site 458 (Mariana fore-arc region) are more depleted than mid-ocean ridge basalts and show different geochemical behavior for Zr-, Hf, and Ti when compared on an extended Coryell- Masuda plot. [NOT CONTROLLED OCR]
Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (Texas A & M University, Ocean Drilling Program, College Station, TX, United States (USA)), 1981 , Vol. 60 , P. 657-677

Droits : Texas A & M University, Ocean Drilling Program, College Station, TX, United States (USA)
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/1981/publication-5308.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/5308/