Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag (Germany)
Résumé :  
We present a plant trait database covering autecology for rain forest trees of French Guiana. The database comprises more than thirty traits including autecology (e.g., habitat associations and reproductive phenology), wood structure (e.g., density and tension characteristics) and physiology at the whole plant (e.g., carbon and nitrogen isotopes) and leaf level (e.g., specific leaf area, photosynthetic capacity). The current database describes traits for about nine hundred species from three hundred genera in one hundred families. For more than sixty species, data on twelve morphological and ecophysiological traits are provided for individual plants under different environmental conditions and at different ontogenetic stages. The database is thus unique in permitting intraspecific analyses, such as the effects of ontogenetic stages or environmental conditions on trait values and their relationships.
Annals of Forest Science

hal-01032196
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032196
DOI : 10.1051/forest:2007058

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The functioning of ecosystems is based on the functional diversity, which is the complementto the species diversity. In the tropical rain forest, the saplings grow in the dense and stratifiedunderstorey. This thesis deals with the diversity of realisation of the support function by thesaplings in this context. The hypotheses are that the race through higher and so brighter levelsconstrains the mechanical security of the saplings with necessary biomass saving and need ofreorientation (gravitropism) and acclimation (mecanoperception and response) processes andthat diversity is thus structured by the species light-demand and affinity for the risk. Using awide sample of 16 species, at the Paracou station, relevant functional traits - risk of not-selfsupportingand gravitropic performance - are defined through adapted modellings whichcombine trunk shape, biomass distribution and wood properties. The traits values varybetween species and also with ontogeny and saplings environment. These variations are dueto elementary traits (shape, biomass, wood) with strong geometrical effects. The less selfsupportingspecies (low mechanical security) have the highest gravitropic performances andare also the most light-demanders. A species, Tachigali melinonii, distinguishes itself bystrong slendernesses and a frequent not-self-supporting habit letting suppose a strongadaptability to its mechanical environment. An experiment (growth response to staking),however, did not provide the expected results whereas the species with lower risks, Dicoryniaguianensis, reacted more.
Le fonctionnement des écosystèmes repose sur la diversité fonctionnelle, complément de ladiversité spécifique. En forêt tropicale humide, les jeunes arbres croissent en sous-bois denseet stratifié. Cette thèse porte sur la diversité de réalisation de la fonction biomécanique desoutien. Les hypothèses sont que la "course" vers les strates plus éclairées contraint lasécurité mécanique des jeunes arbres, avec de nécessaires économies de matière et recours àdes processus de réparation (gravitropisme) et d'acclimatation (mécanoperception et réponse),et que la diversité est donc structurée par le besoin en lumière et l'affinité pour le risque desespèces. Avec un échantillon de 16 espèces sur le dispositif de Paracou, des traits fonctionnelspertinents - risque de non-autoportance et performance gravitropique - sont définis au traversde modélisations adaptées qui combinent forme des troncs, répartition des masses etpropriétés du bois. Ces traits varient entre espèces mais aussi avec le développement etl'environnement des arbres. Ces variations sont dues aux variations des traits élémentaires(forme, masses, bois) avec de forts effets géométriques. Les espèces les moins autoportantes(faible sécurité) ont les plus fortes performances gravitropiques. Ce sont aussi les plusdemandeuses de lumière. Une espèce Tachigali melinonii se distingue par de fortsélancements et une fréquente non-autoportance laissant supposer une adaptabilité forte àl'environnement mécanique. Une expérimentation (réponse de croissance au tuteurage) n'acependant pas abouti aux résultats supposés puisque c'est au contraire l'espèce à faible risque,Dicorynia guianensis, qui s'est montrée plus réactive.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00272100

tel-00272100
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00272100
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00272100/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00272100/file/TheseJaouen.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : Tropical forests determine global biogeochemical cycles to a large extent, but control factors for key ecosystem processes such as decomposition remain poorly understood. With a full-factorial C (cellulose), N (urea), and P (phosphate) fertilization experiment, we tested the relative importance of C and nutrient limitation on litter decomposition in a mature lowland moist forest of French Guiana. Despite the previously demonstrated litter C quality control over decomposition and the very low soil P content (0.1 mg g(-1) of soil) at our study site, fertilization with C or P alone did not increase the decomposition of a wide range of litter types (N:P ratios between 20 and 80). Nitrogen fertilization alone also had no effect on decomposition. However, the combined fertilization with N and P resulted in up to 33.5% more initial litter mass lost, with an increasing effect with wider litter N:P ratios. Soil fauna strongly stimulated litter mass loss and enhanced nutrient fertilization effects. Moreover, nutrient effects on decomposition increased with additional C fertilization in the presence of fauna. Our results suggest that increased N availability is required for a positive P effect on decomposition in the studied P-poor tropical forest. Further stimulation of decomposition by C amendment through priming indicates energy limitation of decomposers that is co-determined by nutrient availability. The demonstrated intricate control of the key resources C, N, and P on decomposition calls for an intensified research effort on multiple resource limitation on key processes in tropical forests and how they change under multiple human impacts.
ISSN: 1432-9840

hal-01032414
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032414
DOI : 10.1007/s10021-012-9564-9

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé :  
The anatomy of tension wood and opposite wood was compared in 21 tropical rain forest trees from 21 species belonging to 18 families from French Guyana. Wood secimens were taken from the upper and lower sides of naturally titled trees. Measurement of the growth stress level ensured that the two samples were taken from wood tissues in a different mechanical state: highly tensile-stressed wood on the upper side, called tension wood and normally tensile-stressed wood on the lower side, called opposite wood. Quantitative parameters relating to fibres and vessels were measured on transverse sections of both tension and opposite wood to check if certain criteria can easily discriminate the two kinds of wood. We observed a decrease in the frequency of vessels in the tension wood in all the trees studied. Other criteria concerning shape and surface area of the vessels, fibre diameter or cell wall thickness did not reveal any general trend.At the ultrastructural level, we observed that the microfibril angle in the tension wood sample was lower than in opposite wood in all the trees except one (Licania membranacea).
IAWA Journal

hal-01032149
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032149

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy B - Oxford Open Option B
Résumé : Variability of leaf traits related to photosynthesis was assessed in seedlings from 14 tree species growing in the tropical rain forest of French Guiana. Leaf photosynthetic capacity (maximum rate of carboxylation and maximum rate of electron transport) was estimated by fitting a biochemical model of photosynthesis to response curves of net CO2 assimilation rate versus intercellular CO2 mole fraction. Leaf morphology described by leaf mass per unit leaf area (LMA), density and thickness, as well as area- and mass-based nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) concentrations, were recorded on the same leaves. Large interspecific variability was detected in photosynthetic capacity as well as in leaf structure and leaf N and C concentrations. No correlation was found between leaf thickness and density. The correlations between area- and massbased leaf N concentration and photosynthetic capacity were poor. Conversely, the species differed greatly in relativeNallocation to carboxylation and bioenergetics. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that, of the recorded traits, only the computed fraction of total leafNinvested in photosynthesis was tightly correlated to photosynthetic capacity.We also used PCAto test to what extent species with similar shade tolerances displayed converging leaf traits related to photosynthesis. No clear-cut ranking could be detected among the shade-tolerant groups, as confirmed by a one-way ANOVA.We conclude that the large interspecific diversity in photosynthetic capacity was mostly explained by differences in the relative allocation of N to photosynthesis and not by leafNconcentration, and that leaf traits related to photosynthetic capacity did not discriminate shade-tolerance ranking of these tropical tree species.
ISSN: 0829-318X

hal-01031522
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01031522

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
1. Despite considerable interest in the application of plant functional traits to questions of community assembly and ecosystem structure and function, there is no consensus on the appropriateness of sampling designs to obtain plot-level estimates in diverse plant communities. 2. We measured 10 plant functional traits describing leaf and stem morphology and ecophysiology for all trees in nine 1-ha plots in terra firme lowland tropical rain forests of French Guiana (N = 4709). 3.We calculated, by simulation, the mean and variance in trait values for each plot and each trait expected under seven sampling methods and a range of sampling intensities. Simulated sampling methods included a variety of spatial designs, as well as the application of existing data base values to all individuals of a given species. 4. For each trait in each plot, we defined a performance index for each sampling design as the proportion of resampling events that resulted in observed means within 5% of the true plot mean, and observed variance within 20%of the true plot variance. 5. The relative performance of sampling designs was consistent for estimations of means and variances. Data base use had consistently poor performance for most traits across all plots, whereas sampling one individual per species per plot resulted in relatively high performance. We found few differences among different spatial sampling strategies; however, for a given strategy, increased intensity of sampling resulted in markedly improved accuracy in estimates of trait mean and variance. 6. We also calculated the financial cost of each sampling design based on data from our 'every individual per plot' strategy and estimated the sampling and botanical effort required. The relative performance of designs was strongly positively correlated with relative financial cost, suggesting that sampling investment returns are relatively constant. 7. Our results suggest that trait sampling for many objectives in species-rich plant communities may require the considerable effort of sampling at least one individual of each species in each plot, and that investment in complete sampling, though great, may be worthwhile for at least some traits.
ISSN: 0269-8463

hal-00594009
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00594009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Gravitropism is necessary for plants to control the orientation of their axes while they grow in height. In woody plants, stem re-orientations are costly because they are achieved through diameter growth. The functional diversity of gravitropism was studied to check if the mechanisms involved and their efficiency may contribute to the differentiation of height growth strategies between forest tree species at the seedling stage. Seedlings of eight tropical species were grown tilted in a greenhouse, and their up-righting movement and diameter growth were measured during three months. Morphological, anatomical and biomechanical traits were measured at the end of the survey. Curvature analysis was used to analyse the up-righting response along the stems. Variations in stem curvature depend on diameter growth, size effects, the increase in self-weight, and the efficiency of the gravitropic reaction. A biomechanical model was used to separate these contributions. Results showed that (1) gravitropic movements were based on a common mechanism associated to similar dynamic patterns, (2) clear differences in efficiency (defined as the change in curvature achieved during an elementary diameter increment for a given stem diameter) existed between species, (3) the equilibrium angle of the stem and the anatomical characters associated to the efficiency of the reaction also differed between species, (4) the differences in gravitropic reaction were related to the light requirements: heliophilic species, compared to more shade-tolerant species, had a larger efficiency and an equilibrium angle closer to vertical. This suggests that traits determining the gravitropic reaction are related to the strategy of light interception and may contribute to the differentiation of ecological strategies promoting the maintenance of biodiversity in tropical rain forests.
ISSN: 0022-0957

hal-00797023
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00797023
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00797023/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00797023/file/Functional_diversity_gravitropic_Almeras_al.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé :   Diffusion du document : INRA Antilles-Guyane, UMR ECOFOG, F97387 Kourou, Guyane (France) Diplôme : DEA
il s'agit d'un type de produit dont les métadonnées ne correspondent pas aux métadonnées attendues dans les autres types de produit : DISSERTATION
This work on tropic al humid forest of Paracou includes 16 permanent sample plots covering a total surface of 119 hectares. Ten hectares of them are taken up by floodplains which characteristic is a continuous no-deep underground water level with phases of strong surface water logging. Three items have been studied : (i) Checking that during dry season the maps of the underground water level including its limits are reliable, (ii) Characterising the most suitable ecological niches for certain species, (iii) Additional updating the floodplains characterisation by precisely analysing the chemical soil content as well as the physiological reaction of the Symphonia Globulifera . Checking the underground water level in dry season enabled to put down to a quite good measurement reliability by GIS. The classification ecological of species proposed in this work is based on the relative density in floodplain and drain soil very similar to that which concerns a surface located ten or more kilometres further. This lets us assess that this classification is of a good reliability as long as the climate conditions are quite similar to ours in Paracou. Furthermore the presence of pneumatophores in the Symphonia Globulifera is a good biological criterion as long as it shows a long time ground moisture saturation. By analysing the life litter and the soil we mentioned that the leaf content and the soil content indicate a better nutritional value (phosphorus, calcium and potassium) in the floodplains. For phosphorus the relation between the life litter and the soil results put forward that the Olsen method gives a better explanation of the real phosphorus availability for the trees.
Le dispositif de recherche sur la forêt tropicale humide de Paracou est composé de 16 parcelles permanentes couvrant au total 119 ha, dont 10 ha sont occupés par des bas-fonds, caractérisés par l'existence permanente d'une nappe peu profonde et par des périodes de fort engorgement en surface. Notre étude avait trois objectifs : (i) vérifier la fiabilité des cartes de la profondeur de nappe en saison sèche, qui délimitent ces bas-fonds, (ii) caractériser les préférences écologiques de quelques espèces et (iii) compléter la caractérisation des bas-fonds par l'analyse de la richesse chimique du sol et l'étude de la réaction physiologique du Symphonia globulifera. La vérification sur la profondeur de nappe en saison sèche a montré que les imprécisions des cartes étaient d'ampleur limitée, sans incidence forte par rapport à l'ensemble des données. Le classement écologique des espèces proposé dans cette étude, basé sur leurs densités relatives dans les bas-fonds et hors des bas-fonds, est très similaire à celui présenté par une autre étude, dans un dispositif situé à plusieurs dizaines de kilomètres. Cela suggère que ce classement a une bonne validité, tant que les conditions climatiques ne diffèrent pas trop de celles rencontrées à Paracou. Par ailleurs, la présence des pneumatophores du Symphonia globulifera est un bon critère biologique signalant un engorgement hydrique prolongé du sol. Au niveau des analyses de la litière et du sol, les teneurs foliaires et les teneurs dans le sol semblent indiquer que la nutrition en phosphore, calcium et potassium est meilleure en bas-fonds. Au niveau de la méthode de mesure du phosphore assimilable, les relations entre les résultats de la litière et celles du sol suggèrent que la méthode d'Olsen rend mieux compte de la disponibilité effective du phosphore pour les arbres de la forêt tropicale humide que la méthode de Duchaufour.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01189229

hal-01189229
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01189229
PRODINRA : 17050

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : Negative density dependence (NDD) and environmental filtering (EF) shape community assembly, but their relative importance is poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that seedlings mortality risk is positively related to the phylogenetic relatedness of neighbours. However, natural enemies, whose depredations often cause NDD, respond to functional traits of hosts rather than phylogenetic relatedness per se. To understand the roles of NDD and EF in community assembly, we assessed the effects on seedling mortality of functional similarity, phylogenetic relatedness and stem density of neighbouring seedlings and adults in a species-rich tropical forest. Mortality risks increased for common species when their functional traits departed substantially from the neighbourhood mean, and for all species when surrounded by close relatives. This indicates that NDD affects community assembly more broadly than does EF, and leads to the tentative conclusion that natural enemies respond to phylogenetically correlated traits. Our results affirm the prominence of NDD in structuring species-rich communities.
ISSN: 1461-023X

hal-01032429
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032429
DOI : 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01705.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Ecole nationale du génie rural
Résumé :  
A l'échelle de l'arbre, la fertilité chimique des sols semble expliquer la localisation majoritairement superficielle du système racinaire, alors que le type de drainage explique la forte variabilité de sa répartition verticale. Les racines profondes, malgré leur faible proportion, jouent un rôle important pour extraire l'eau en saison sèche. A l'échelle du peuplement, les variations latérales du sol influent sur des processus tels que la compétition inter-individuelle et la sylvigénèse. Pour les sols de terre ferme, plus les conditions édaphiques sont contraignantes, plus les gros arbres sont rares dans le peuplement forestier. Celui-ci est dense lorsque le sol est très aminci, moins dense en situation hydromorphe. Le sol influence nettement la composition floristique des peuplements. Mais d'autres facteurs tels la dynamique sylvigénétique ou la dynamique propre à chaque population ont un poids très important. Des résultats divergents conduisent à formuler de nouvelles hypothèses, parmi celles-ci l'influence majeure de l'épaisseur du profil d'altération.
ISSN: 0035-2829

hal-01031882
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01031882

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé :   Diffusion du document : INRA Antilles-Guyane, UMR ECOFOG, F97387 Kourou, Guyane (France) Diplôme : Master Recherche
il s'agit d'un type de produit dont les métadonnées ne correspondent pas aux métadonnées attendues dans les autres types de produit : DISSERTATION
Worldwide, there is concern regarding the declining quality of ecosystems, their rehabilitation, and their protection. In particular, the recognition that soil is a finite resource has spurred efforts to manage and restore it. In French Guiana, gold mining is a serious social and ecological problem, including the threats it poses to soil quality. The principal goal of this study was to establish a qualitative baseline of impacts of gold mining on soil microbial activity at five previously mined sites. We measured the potential rates of respiration and denitrification in disturbed soils, and compared theses rates with those of soils from adjacent forests, which served as un-disturbed references. Microbial activity, used as a bio-indicator, demonstrated the importance of soil rehabilitation, and the type of soil rehabilitation. We also found that visual observations of plant regeneration were insufficient to infer the rate of microbial activity. These bio-indicators can indicate soil quality, and help to formulate hypotheses about its developmnent. Bio-indicators can be used to obtain reliable indications about the quality of soil and contribute to decision-making in the management and restoration of this valuable resource.
Notre étude s'inscrit dans un contexte mondial de préoccupations environnementales, centrées notamment sur l'évaluation de la qualité des écosystèmes, la mise en place de leur réhabilitation et de leur sauvegarde. En particulier, la prise de conscience que le sol ne constitue pas une ressource inépuisable s'est accompagnée de la nécessité de gérer, voire de restaurer cette ressource. L'étude s'intègre également dans un contexte guyanais où l'exploitation aurifère constitue un problème écologique et sociétal majeur. Notre travail a pour but principal de dresser un bilan qualitatif des impacts de l'exploitation aurifère sur le fonctionnement microbien des sols de cinq sites miniers. Pour cela, nous avons effectué les mesures des activités potentielles de deux fonctions microbiennes, la respiration et la dénitrification, sur les sols des sites perturbés. Nous avons comparé ces valeurs d'activités microbiennes avec celles obtenues pour les sols de forêts naturelles (adjacentes à ces sites) que nous avons considérées comme la référence à atteindre (témoin). Les fonctions microbiennes, utilisées comme bio-indicateurs, ont mis en évidence l'importance de la réhabilitation et du type de réhabilitation sur la reprise du fonctionnement du sol. Nous avons constaté que l'observation de visu de la végétation ne suffit pas à évaluer de façon certaine la reprise de ce fonctionnement. Ces bio-indicateurs sont aptes à traduire l'état d'un sol perturbé et émettre des hypothèses quant à son évolution. Ainsi, les bio-indicateurs peuvent être utilisés afin d'obtenir des indications solides sur la qualité des sols et aider à la prise de décision en matière de gestion et de restauration de cette ressource.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01189544

hal-01189544
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01189544
PRODINRA : 46710

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Ecole nationale du génie rural
Résumé :  
Le Groupement d'Intérêt scientifique (GIS) Silvolab-Guyane coordonne, depuis 1992, les actions de recherche ou de développement sur la forêt tropicale en Guyane, à partir d'orientations scientifiques cadrées et sur financements publics. Les programmes sont exécutés par les chercheurs des organismes membres du GIS, éventuellement en partenariat avec des laboratoires métropolitains ou des instituts étrangers. L'objectif est d'enrichir les connaissances sur la description, la dynamique et l'évolution des écosystèmes pour mieux protéger, gérer ou valoriser la forêt en tant que ressource naturelle. Outre la réalisation conjointe de projets ciblés sur une problématique particulière, la mise en commun d'équipements transversaux tels les laboratoires, l'herbier de Cayenne, le centre de documentation de Kourou, mais aussi et surtout les stations de terrain et les dispositifs expérimentaux, sont des atouts majeurs du GIS.
ISSN: 0035-2829

hal-01032106
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032106

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Questions: Several studies have described aggregated spatial patterns in tropical tree species. This study investigates aggregate dynamics of Vouacapoua americana (Aublet), a climax species whose spatial pattern is not simply related to light and soil conditions or to its short seed dispersal range. Location: Two rain forest sites: Nouragues and Paracou, in the Guiana Shield. Methods: We described the spatial pattern of tree locations and spatial autocorrelation of tree diameters, using statistics derived from Ripley's K. We particularly used methods to define analysis subplots according to local density or local mean diameter. We investigated relationships between spatial distributions of adults and saplings. Results: At both sites, populations of Vouacapoua demonstrated several nested levels of aggregation. Tree diameters were spatially autocorrelated, revealing the existence of clusters with similar diameters. In the largest aggregates, tree diameters declined from the centre to the edge. Regeneration was aggregated and occurred mainly at cluster edges and around rare isolated trees, and sapling densities and basal area of adults were negatively correlated. We show that long-distance dispersal events are rare. Conclusions: Environmental factors and seed dispersal only explain part of the observed spatial patterns. We provide two main hypotheses about Vouacapoua population dynamics. First, the lack of regeneration in aggregate centres results in the ageing of existing aggregates. We suggest that this lack of recruitment close to mature trees is due to a Janzen-Connell effect. However, aggregates can continue to grow along colonization fronts. Second, long-distance dispersal events allow the formation of new clusters and play a crucial role in the colonization process. We investigate aggregate dynamics of Vouacapoua americana (Aublet) whose spatial pattern is not simply related to environmental conditions or to its seed dispersal. Regeneration does not occur in centers of aggregate of adults. We suggest that rare long-distance dispersal events and density-dependence predation of seeds and seedlings play a crucial role in formation of new clusters and structuration of larger aggregates.
ISSN: 1100-9233

hal-01502642
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01502642
DOI : 10.1111/jvs.12080

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé :  
absent
Ecology and Management of a Neotropical Rainforest: lessons drawn from Paracou, a long-term experimental research site in French Guiana

ISBN : 2-84299-455-8
hal-01189479
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01189479
PRODINRA : 41476

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier Masson
Résumé : International audience
The maintenance in the long run of a positive carbon balance under very low irradiance is a prerequisite for survival of tree seedlings below the canopy or in small gaps in a tropical rainforest. To provide a quantitative basis for this assumption, experiments were carried out to determine whether construction cost (CC) and payback time for leaves and support structures, as well as leaf life span (i) differ among species and (ii) display an irradiance-elicited plasticity. Experiments were also conducted to determine whether leaf life span correlates to CC and payback time and is close to the optimal longevity derived from an optimization model. Saplings from 13 tropical tree species were grown under three levels of irradiance. Specific-CC was computed, as well as CC scaled to leaf area at the metamer level. Photosynthesis was recorded over the leaf life span. Payback time was derived from CC and a simple photosynthesis model. Specific-CC displayed only little interspecific variability and irradiance-elicited plasticity, in contrast to CC scaled to leaf area. Leaf life span ranged from 4 months to >26 months among species, and was longest in seedlings grown under lowest irradiance. It was always much longer than payback time, even under the lowest irradiance. Leaves were shed when their photosynthesis had reached very low values, in contrast to what was predicted by an optimality model. The species ranking for the different traits was stable across irradiance treatments. The two pioneer species always displayed the smallest CC, leaf life span, and payback time. All species displayed a similar large irradiance-elicited plasticity.
ISSN: 1631-0691

hal-01095975
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01095975
DOI : 10.1016/j.crvi.2011.01.007

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
ISSN: 0021-8901

hal-01093618
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01093618
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01826.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : Analyses of tree diversity and community composition in tropical rain forests are usually based either on general herbarium data or on a restricted number of botanical plots. Despite their high taxonomic accuracy, both types of data are difficult to extrapolate to landscape scales. Meanwhile, forestry surveys provide quantitative occurrence data on large areas, and are thus increasingly used for landscape-scale analyses of tree diversity. However, the reliability of these approaches has been challenged because of the ambiguity of the common (vernacular) names used by foresters and the complexity of tree taxonomy in those hyper-diverse communities.We developed and tested a novel approach to evaluate taxonomic reliability of forestry surveys and to propagate the resulting uncertainty in the estimates of several diversity indicators (alpha and beta entropy, Fisher-alpha and Sørensen similarity). Our approach is based on Monte-Carlo processes that simulate communities by taking into account the expected accuracy and reliability of common names. We tested this method in French Guiana, on 9 one-hectare plots (4279 trees – DBH ⩾ 10 cm) for which both common names and standardized taxonomic determinations were available. We then applied our method of community simulation on large forestry inventories (560 ha) at the landscape scale and compared the diversity indices obtained for 10 sites with those computed from precise botanical determination situated at the same localities.We found that taxonomic reliability of forestry inventories varied from 22% (species level) to 83% (family level) in this Amazonian region. Indices computed directly with raw forestry data resulted in incorrect values, except for Gini–Simpson beta-diversity. On the contrary, our correction method provides more accurate diversity estimates, highly correlated with botanical measurements, for almost all diversity indices at both regional and local scales. We obtained a robust ranking of sites consistent with those shown by botanical inventories.These results show that (i) forestry inventories represent a significant part of taxonomic information, (ii) the relative diversity of regional sites can be successfully ranked using forestry inventory data using our method and (iii) forestry inventories can valuably contribute to the detection of large-scale diversity patterns when biases are well-controlled and corrected.The tools we developed as R-functions are available in supplementary material and can be adapted with local parameters to be used for forest management and conservation issues in other regional contexts
ISSN: 0378-1127

hal-01204219
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204219
DOI : 10.1016/j.foreco.2014.05.045
PRODINRA : 286554

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
While the populations of large herbivores are being depleted in many tropical rainforests, the importance of their trophic role in the ecological functioning and biodiversity of these ecosystems is still not well evaluated. This is due to the outstanding plant diversity that they feed upon and the inherent difficulties involved in observing their elusive behaviour. Classically, the diet of elusive tropical herbivores is studied through the observation of browsing signs and macroscopic analysis of faeces or stomach contents. In this study, we illustrate that the original coupling of classic methods with genetic and ethnobotanical approaches yields information both about the diet diversity, the foraging modalities and the potential impact on vegetation of the largest terrestrial mammal of Amazonia, the lowland tapir. The study was conducted in the Guianan shield, where the ecology of tapirs has been less investigated. We identified 92 new species, 51 new genera and 13 new families of plants eaten by tapirs. We discuss the relative contribution of our different approaches, notably the contribution of genetic barcoding, used for the first time to investigate the diet of a large tropical mammal, and how local traditional ecological knowledge is accredited and valuable for research on the ecology of elusive animals.
ISSN: 1932-6203

halsde-00676374
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00676374
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0025850
PUBMED : 21991372

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-Blackwell
Résumé :  
1. Despite considerable interest in the application of plant functional traits to questions of community assembly and ecosystem structure and function, there is no consensus on the appropriateness of sampling designs to obtain plot-level estimates in diverse plant communities. 2. We measured 10 plant functional traits describing leaf and stem morphology and ecophysiology for all trees in nine 1-ha plots in terra firme lowland tropical rain forests of French Guiana (N = 4709). 3.We calculated, by simulation, the mean and variance in trait values for each plot and each trait expected under seven sampling methods and a range of sampling intensities. Simulated sampling methods included a variety of spatial designs, as well as the application of existing data base values to all individuals of a given species. 4. For each trait in each plot, we defined a performance index for each sampling design as the proportion of resampling events that resulted in observed means within 5% of the true plot mean, and observed variance within 20%of the true plot variance. 5. The relative performance of sampling designs was consistent for estimations of means and variances. Data base use had consistently poor performance for most traits across all plots, whereas sampling one individual per species per plot resulted in relatively high performance. We found few differences among different spatial sampling strategies; however, for a given strategy, increased intensity of sampling resulted in markedly improved accuracy in estimates of trait mean and variance. 6. We also calculated the financial cost of each sampling design based on data from our 'every individual per plot' strategy and estimated the sampling and botanical effort required. The relative performance of designs was strongly positively correlated with relative financial cost, suggesting that sampling investment returns are relatively constant. 7. Our results suggest that trait sampling for many objectives in species-rich plant communities may require the considerable effort of sampling at least one individual of each species in each plot, and that investment in complete sampling, though great, may be worthwhile for at least some traits.
Functional Ecology

hal-01032175
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032175
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01600.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Botanical Society of America
Résumé :  
Tree buckling risk (actual height/critical buckling height) is an important biomechanical trait of plant growth strategies, and one that contributes to species coexistence. To estimate the diversity of this trait among wide samples, a method that minimizes damage to the plants is necessary. On the basis of the rarely used, complete version of Greenhill's model (1881, Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 4(2): 65-73), we precisely measured all the necessary parameters on a sample of 236 saplings of 16 species. Then, using sensitivity (variance) analysis, regressions between successive models for risk factors and species ranks and the use of these models on samples of self- and nonself-supporting saplings, we tested different degrees of simplification up to the most simple and widely used formula that assumes that the tree is a cylindrical homogeneous pole. The size factor had the greatest effect on buckling risk, followed by the form factor and the modulus of elasticity of the wood. Therefore, estimates of buckling risk must consider not only the wood properties but especially the form factor. Finally, we proposed a simple but accurate method of assessing tree buckling risk that is applicable to a wide range of samples and that requires mostly nondestructive measurements.
ISSN: 0002-9122

hal-01032059
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032059