Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
Coral reefs are among the most species-rich and threatened ecosystems on Earth, yet the extent to which human stressors determine species occurrences, compared with biogeography or environmental conditions, remains largely unknown. With ever-increasing human-mediated disturbances on these ecosystems, an important question is not only how many species can inhabit local communities, but also which biological traits determine species that can persist (or not) above particular disturbance thresholds. Here we show that human pressure and seasonal climate variability are disproportionately and negatively associated with the occurrence of large-bodied and geographically small-ranging fishes within local coral reef communities. These species are 67% less likely to occur where human impact and temperature seasonality exceed critical thresholds, such as in the marine biodiversity hotspot: the Coral Triangle. Our results identify the most sensitive species and critical thresholds of human and climatic stressors, providing opportunity for targeted conservation intervention to prevent local extinctions.
ISSN: 2041-1723

hal-01282870
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01282870
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01282870/document
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01282870/file/ncomms10491.pdf
DOI : 10.1038/ncomms10491

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier Science
Résumé : International audience
Some anthropogenic noise is now considered pollution, with evidence building that noise from human activities such as transportation, construction and exploration can impact behaviour and physiology in a broad range of taxa. However, relatively little research has considered the effects of repeated or chronic noise; extended exposures may result in habituation or sensitisation, and thus changes in response. We conducted a field-based experiment at Moorea Island to investigate how repeated exposure to playback of motorboat noise affected a coral reef fish (Dascyllus trimaculatus). We found that juvenile D. trimaculatus increased hiding behaviour during motorboat noise after two days of repeated exposure, but no longer did so after one and two weeks of exposure. We also found that naïve individuals responded to playback of motorboat noise with elevated ventilation rates, but that this response was diminished after one and two weeks of repeated exposure. We found no strong evidence that baseline blood cortisol levels, growth or body condition were affected by three weeks of repeated motorboat-noise playback. Our study reveals the importance of considering how tolerance levels may change over time, rather than simply extrapolating from results of short-term studies, if we are to make decisions about regulation and mitigation.
ISSN: 0013-9327

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01357915
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357915
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357915/document
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357915/file/1-s2.0-S0269749116304468-main.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.05.058

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Ecological signs of Earth's biosphere forewarn an alarming trajectory towards a global mass-extinction. Assessing species performance and susceptibilities to decline is essential to comprehend and reverse this trend. Yet it is challenging, given difficulties associated with quantifying individual and population processes that are variable across time, space, and life-stages. We describe a new approach to estimating and comparing species performances that combines empirical data, a novel theoretical consideration of population dynamics, and modern statistics. Our approach allows for a more realistic continuous representation of individual performances along development stages while taking into account non-linearity, and natural variability as captured by spatio-temporally replicated observations. We illustrate its application in a coral meta-assemblage composed of populations of the three major reef-building taxa Acropora, Pocillopora, Porites. Using a unique set of highly replicated observations of individual coral dynamics under various environmental conditions, we show how taxa differ in their investment in recruitment and size-specific aptitude for growth and survival, notably through different use of clonal shrinkage, fragmentation, fission, and fusion processes. Our results reveal contrasting life-history trade-offs among taxa which, along with differing patterns of density-dependent recruitment, modulate species responses to decline. These differences in coral life history traits reflect opposing life-strategies, imply regulation at differing life-stages, and explain divergence in species trajectories. Our findings indicate a high potential for resilience in Pocillopora and Porites populations, thanks respectively to a sustained recruitment that promotes demographic elasticity through replacement of individuals, and a steady resistance to mortality which confers persistence through lingering of individuals. Resilience in Acropora appears more arbitrary, given high susceptibility to perturbations and dependency of recruitment on presence of established local populations. We identify management actions that can complement Acropora's life history and benefit recovery of its populations following mortality events. Our regression-modelling approach to quantifying and comparing species performances in different population processes is applicable to all taxa, as illustrated even those with complex clonal life histories, and can be implemented at wide spatio-temporal and taxonomic coverage. It can promote more accurate representation of species dynamics in both descriptive and predictive modelling approaches. The semi-parametric contrast curve method we develop facilitates comparing response variables along continuous explicative metrics while accounting for multiple sources of complexity in empirical data. It should widely benefit investigations in ecology and quantitative science.
ISSN: 1476-945X

hal-01212337
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01212337
DOI : 10.1016/j.ecocom.2015.07.003

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
1. The Before-After Control-Impact Paired Series (BACIPS) design distinguishes natural spatial and temporalvariability from variation induced by an environmental impact (or intervention) of interest. BACIPS is a powerfultool to derive inferences about interventions when classic experimental approaches (e.g. which rely on spatialreplicates and random assignment of treatments) are not feasible or desirable. Previously applied BACIPSdesigns generally assume that effects are sudden, constant and long-lived: that is, that systems exhibit ‘stepchanges’in response to interventions. However, complex ecological interactions or gradual interventions maycreate delayed and/or progressive responses, potentially impeding the reliability of classic (step-change) analyses.2. We propose a novel approach, the Progressive-Change BACIPS, which generalizes and expands the scope ofBACIPS analyses.We evaluate the relative performance of this approach using both simulated and real data thatexhibit step-change, linear, asymptotic and sigmoid responses following an intervention.We quantify the statisticalpower and accuracy of the Progressive-Change BACIPS under varying initial population densities, intensityof spatial sampling, effect sizes and number of sampling dates After the intervention.3. We show that Progressive-Change BACIPS identified the correct model among the set of candidate modelsunder most conditions and led to accurate estimates of the parameters that were used to generate the simulateddata. When data were sparse, and the dynamics complex, simpler (more parsimonious) models were favouredover the more complex models that actually generated the simulated data. Application of the Progressive-Change BACIPS to existing data sets from the literature led to strong support for specific models (over alternatives)and led to more specific inferences than possible under the classic BACIPS approach.4. The Progressive-Change BACIPS proposed here is more flexible than the original BACIPS formulationbecause the data are used to inform the form of the final model, rather than having the form of the modelimposed on the data. This leads to better estimates of the effects of environmental impacts and the time-scalesover which they operate. As a result, the Progressive-Change BACIPS should be applicable to a wide range ofstudies and should help improve investigation of time-dependent effects. R code to perform Progressive-ChangeBACIPS analysis is provided.
ISSN: 2041-210X

hal-01416668
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01416668
DOI : 10.1111/2041-210X.12655

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Marine organisms are under threat globally from a suite of anthropogenic sources, but the current emphasis on global climate change has deflected the focus from local impacts. While the effect of increased sedimentation on the settlement of coral species is well studied, little is known about the impact on larval fish. Here, the effect of a laterite “red soil” sediment pollutant on settlement behaviour and post-settlement performance of reef fish was tested. In aquarium tests that isolated sensory cues, we found significant olfaction-based avoidance behaviour and disruption of visual cue use in settlement-stage larval fish at 50 mg L−1, a concentration regularly exceeded in situ during rain events. In situ light trap catches showed lower abundance and species richness in the presence of red soil, but were not significantly different due to high variance in the data. Prolonged exposure to red soil produced altered olfactory cue responses, whereby fish in red soil made a likely maladaptive choice for dead coral compared to controls where fish chose live coral. Other significant effects of prolonged exposure included decreased feeding rates and body condition. These effects on fish larvae reared over 5 days occurred in the presence of a minor drop in pH and may be due to the chemical influence of the sediment. Our results show that sediment pollution of coral reefs may have more complex effects on the ability of larval fish to successfully locate suitable habitat than previously thought, as well as impacting on their post-settlement performance and, ultimately, recruitment success.
ISSN: 0029-8549

hal-01270670
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01270670
DOI : 10.1007/s00442-015-3367-6

Éditeur(s) : Gauthier-Villars
Résumé : During the year 1980, monthly observations were made on the distribution and dynamics of fish populations in two mangrove lagoons (Belle-Plaine and Manche-a-Eau). A total of 39 species was found in the two mangrove lagoons but the maximum number observed did not exceed 19 species for each sampling. The species were separated into four main groups: (1) the sedentary species which spend their whole life in the mangrove lagoons; (2) the species only represented by juvenile individuals (the greatest group); (3) the species occurring occasionally in the mangrove lagoon; (4) the species only observed during the reproduction period. Three demographic models were tested: the models of Preston, Motomura and MacArthur. Preston better fitted the population of Belle-Plaine (better value of the distance of Matusita). Motomura better suited the population of Manche-a-Eau, which can be explained by the dominance of a sedentary species, which adapts better to difficult ecological conditions.
Oceanologica Acta, Special issue (0399-1784) (Gauthier-Villars), 1982

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00246/35726/34234.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00246/35726/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Periodically harvested closures (PHCs) are small fisheries closures with objectives such as sustaining fisheriesand conserving biodiversity and have become one of the most common forms of nearshore marine managementin the Western Pacific. Although PHCs can provide both short-termconservation and fisheries benefits, their potentialas a long-term management strategy remains unclear. Through empirical assessment of a single harvestevent in each of five PHCs, we determined whether targeted fishes that differ in their vulnerability to fishing recoveredto pre-harvest conditions (the state prior to last harvest) and demonstrated post-harvest recovery benefitsafter 1 year of re-closure. For low and moderately vulnerable species, two PHCs provided significant preharvestbenefits and one provided significant post-harvest recovery benefits, suggesting a contribution to longer-term sustainability. PHCs with a combination of high compliance and longer closing times are more likelyto provide fisheries benefits and recover from harvest events, however, no benefits were observed across anyPHCs for highly vulnerable species. We recommend PHCs have longer closure periods before being harvestedand species that are highly vulnerable to fishing (e.g. large species of; grouper,wrasse and parrotfish) are avoidedduring harvests to avoid overexploitation and increase the sustainability of small-scale fisheries.
ISSN: 0006-3207

hal-01381316
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01381316
DOI : 10.1016/j.biocon.2016.08.038

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Royal Society, The
Résumé : International audience
A 30-year study of temporal changes in gastropod community structure on the reefs of a Pacific Ocean atoll (Fangataufa, Tuamotu Archipelago) subjected to atmospheric nuclear tests during the 1960s offered the opportunity for an otherwise impossible field experiment that could help ecologists understand mollusc primary succession. Reef molluscs were partly or entirely wiped out by the heat of the nuclear tests and the reefs were recolonized by ocean larvae. On all reefs, community composition before the tests was very different from what it evolved to afterwards. A new method of analysis was developed to study the temporal variation in community composition before versus after the tests (temporal beta diversity). Analyses showed that community compositions diverged through time among the reefs. Only some species can survive the harsh conditions of supralittoral zones, so the same species recolonized them; environmental filtering controlled the development of the new communities. In the reef flat and edge zones, differences in community composition seem to be the result of neutral stochastic colonization by larvae coming from the open ocean. All reefs developed a community composition quite different from that before the nuclear tests.
ISSN: 0962-8452

hal-01174175
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01174175
DOI : 10.1098/rspb.2015.0750

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Ecological Society of America
Résumé : Reliable assessment of fish origin is of critical importance for exploited species, since nursery areas must be identified and protected to maintain recruitment to the adult stock. During the last two decades, otolith chemical signatures (or "fingerprints") have been increasingly used as tools to discriminate between coastal habitats. However, correct assessment of fish origin from otolith fingerprints depends on various environmental and methodological parameters, including the choice of the statistical method used to assign fish to unknown origin. Among the available methods of classification, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is the most frequently used, although it assumes data are multivariate normal with homogeneous within-group dispersions, conditions that are not always met by otolith chemical data, even after transformation. Other less constrained classification methods are available, but there is a current lack of comparative analysis in applications to otolith microchemistry. Here, we assessed stock identification accuracy for four classification methods (LDA, Quadratic Discriminant Analysis [QDA], Random Forests [RF], and Artificial Neural Networks [ANN]), through the use of three distinct data sets. In each case, all possible combinations of chemical elements were examined to identify the elements to be used for optimal accuracy in fish assignment to their actual origin. Our study shows that accuracy differs according to the model and the number of elements considered. Best combinations did not include all the elements measured, and it was not possible to define an ad hoc multielement combination for accurate site discrimination. Among all the models tested, RF and ANN performed best, especially for complex data sets (e. g., with numerous fish species and/or chemical elements involved). However, for these data, RF was less time-consuming and more interpretable than ANN, and far more efficient and less demanding in terms of assumptions than LDA or QDA. Therefore, when LDA and QDA assumptions cannot be reached, the use of machine learning methods, such as RF, should be preferred for stock assessment and nursery identification based on otolith microchemistry, especially when data set include multispecific otolith signatures and/or many chemical elements.
ISSN: 1051-0761

hal-00644549
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644549
DOI : 10.1890/09-1887.1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Over the last two decades, climate change has become a major environmental and public health concern due to the increase of the mean temperature on the Earth and its consequences on extreme meteorological events such as floods and droughts. These events induce very low or very high river flows that may impair surface water quality, and therefore result in potential health impacts when used for drinking water production. The present study aims at assessing the impact of hydrologic regime on surface water quality with a particular emphasis on total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrate. Water quality data from three French rivers acquired over a 27 years period, from January 1983 to December 2009, show the influence of extreme flows. Variation in TOC and nitrate concentrations showed opposite patterns for the whole range of flow rate (from less than 10% up to more than 100% of the mean flow). Regarding fluxes, TOC increased continuously with flow rate while nitrate was stable for very high discharges. The C/N ratio expressed from TOC and nitrate concentrations showed high values for extreme flows and particularly for very low flow rates, generally in summer, where nitrate is assimilated by biomass. Considering TOC and nitrate fluxes, it is confirmed that the worst situations were encountered for very high flow rates, namely for TOC exportation during surface runoff which was related to heavy rains or floods. These findings are of great importance with regard to the adaptation for drinking water treatment in facing extreme hydrological conditions, of which the frequency is increasing with climate change.
ISSN: 0022-1694

hal-00878009
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00878009
DOI : 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.11.006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The replenishment and persistence of marine species is contingent on dispersing larvae locating suitable habitatand surviving to a reproductive stage. Pelagic larvae rely on environmental cues to make behavioural decisionswith chemical information being important for habitat selection at settlement. We explored the sensory worldof crustaceans and fishes focusing on the impact anthropogenic alterations (ocean acidification, red soil, pesti-cide) have on conspecific chemical signals used by larvae for habitat selection. Crustacean (Stenopus hispidus)and fish (Chromis viridis) larvae recognized their conspecifics via chemical signals under control conditions. Inthe presence of acidified water, red soil or pesticide, the ability of larvae to chemically recognize conspecificcues was altered. Our study highlights that recruitment potential on coral reefs may decrease due to anthropo-genic stressors. If so, populations of fishes and crustaceans will continue their rapid decline; larval recruitmentwill not replace and sustain the adult populations on degraded reefs
ISSN: 0025-326X

hal-01491052
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01491052
DOI : 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.08.083

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Les populations envahissantes sont généralement confrontées à un monde hétérogène où les conditions abiotiques, la distribution et la disponibilité en ressource et les densités d’espèces natives varient à la fois dans le temps et dans l’espace. Une telle hétérogénéité environmentale peut jouer un rôle décisif dans le succès d’établissement et sur la vitesse d’expansion d’une invasion. Des capacités de dispersion dans le temps et dans l’espace sont attendues pour permettre aux populations envahissantes de faire face à ces contraintes. Les Hyménoptères spécialistes des graines du genre Megastigmus (Torymidae) sont des modèles invasifs intéressants parce-qu’ils exploitent des populations d’arbres qui sont réparties en patchs discontinus dans le paysage et qui montrent des variations inter-annuelles synchronisées et de forte amplitude dans la production de graines (masting). Nous nous sommes intéressés à l’invasion récente des forêts de cèdre de l’Atlas du sud-est de la France par M. schimitscheki, qui montre de fortes propensions à : (i) la dispersion passive par le vent (dispersion spatiale), et (ii) la diapause prolongée, une forme de dormance larvaire pouvant durer de 3 à 5 années consécutives (dispersion temporelle). Dans un premier temps, nous montrons que, malgré une distribution très fragmentée de son hôte obligatoire à l’échelle du paysage, M. schimitscheki a pu envahir la quasi-totalité des cédraies de la région PACA par des évènements de dispersion à longue distance depuis sa zone d’introduction, à la faveur d’un vent régional dominant (le Mistral). Dans un second temps, nous montrons que, à l’échelle d’une population, la diapause prolongée peut constituer un refuge temporel démographique et génétique pour des cohortes soumises aux variations extrêmes de disponibilité en ressources, qui résultent du masting de leur hôte obligatoire.
Colloque de lancement du GdR ‘Invasions Biologiques’
Rennes, France

hal-01601706
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01601706
PRODINRA : 404855

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
The Caribbean bivalves Codakia orbicularis (Linnée, 1758) and C. orbiculata (Montagu, 1808) live in seagrass beds of Thalassia testudinum and harbor intracellular sulfuroxidizing gamma-proteobacteria. These bacterial symbionts fix CO2 via the Calvin Benson cycle and provide organic compounds to the bivalve. During experimentally induced starvation, no reduced sulfur compounds and no organic particle food are available; the symbionts could be considered as the sole nutrient source of the host bivalve. A previous study has shown that the intracellular bacterial population decreased considerably during starvation and that bacterial endosymbionts were not released by the bivalves. In this study, the activity of two lysosomal marker enzymes (acid phosphatase and arylsulfatase) was detected using cytochemical experiments coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray transmission electron microscopy during sulfide and organic particle starvation. The degradation of bacterial endosymbionts began after 2 weeks of starvation in C. orbiculata and after 3 weeks in C. orbicularis. Degradation processes seem to be continuous over several months and could be responsible for the disappearance of the bacterial endosymbionts within the gills during starvation. These data suggest that the host use symbionts as a nutrient source to survive a hunger crisis. The carbon transfer from the symbionts to the host could be flexible and could consist in transfer of organic matter, “milking,” under normal feeding conditions and digestion of the symbionts under starved conditions.
ISSN: 1059-910X

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
hal-01206367
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01206367
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01206367/document
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01206367/file/revised%20version%20to%20be%20submitted%20to%20the%20editor3oct.pdf
DOI : 10.1002/jemt.22458

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Ecological Society of America
Résumé : International audience
The main theories explaining the biological diversity of rain forests often confer a limited understanding of the contribution of interspecific interactions to the observed patterns. We show how two-species mutualisms can affect much larger segments of the invertebrate community in tropical rain forests. Aechmea mertensii (Bromeliaceae) is both a phytotelm (plant-held water) and an ant-garden epiphyte. We studied the influence of its associated ant species (Pachycondyla goeldii and Camponotus femoratus) on the physical characteristics of the plants, and, subsequently, on the diversity of the invertebrate communities that inhabit their tanks. As dispersal agents for the bromeliads, P. goeldii and C. femoratus influence the shape and size of the bromeliad by determining the location of the seedling, from exposed to partially shaded areas. By coexisting on a local scale, the two ant species generate a gradient of habitat conditions in terms of available resources (space and food) for aquatic invertebrates, the diversity of the invertebrate communities increasing with greater volumes of water and fine detritus. Two-species mutualisms are widespread in nature, but their influence on the diversity of entire communities remains largely unexplored. Because macroinvertebrates constitute an important part of animal production in all ecosystem types, further investigations should address the functional implications of such indirect effects.
Ecology

hal-00911501
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00911501
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00911501/document
DOI : 10.1890/09-1534.1
OATAO : 10118

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Our understanding of the contribution of interspecific interactions to functional diversity in nature lags behind our knowledge of spatial and temporal patterns. Although two-species mutualisms are found in all types of ecosystems, the study of their ecological influences on other community members has mostly been limited to third species, while their influence on entire communities remains largely unexplored. 2. We hypothesized that mutualistic interactions between two respective ant species and an epiphyte mediate the biological traits composition of entire invertebrate communities that use the same host plant, thereby affecting food webs and functional diversity at the community level. 3. Aechmea mertensii (Bromeliaceae) is both a phytotelm ('plant-held water') and an ant-garden epiphyte. We sampled 111 bromeliads (111 aquatic invertebrate communities) associated with either the ant Pachycondyla goeldii or Camponotus femoratus. The relationships between ants, bromeliads and invertebrate abundance data were examined using a redundancy analysis. Biological traits information for invertebrates was structured using a fuzzy-coding technique, and a co-inertia analysis between traits and abundance data was used to interpret functional differences in bromeliad ecosystems. 4. The vegetative traits of A. mertensii depended on seed dispersion by C. femoratus and P. goeldii along a gradient of local conditions. The ant partner selected sets of invertebrates with traits that were best adapted to the bromeliads' morphology, and so the composition of the biological traits of invertebrate phytotelm communities depends on the identity of the ant partner. Biological traits suggest a bottom-up control of community structure in C. femoratus-associated phytotelmata and a greater structuring role for predatory invertebrates in P. goeldii-associated plants. 5. This study presents new information showing that two-species mutualisms affect the functional diversity of a much wider range of organisms. Most biological systems form complex networks where nodes (e. g. species) are more or less closely linked to each other, either directly or indirectly, through intermediate nodes. Our observations provide community-level information about biological interactions and functional diversity, and perspectives for further observations intended to examine whether large-scale changes in interacting species/community structure over broad geographical and anthropogenic gradients affect ecosystem functions.
ISSN: 0269-8463

hal-00817509
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00817509

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Establishing a direct link between climate change and fluctuations in animal populations through long-term monitoring is difficult given the paucity of baseline data. We hypothesized that social wasps are sensitive to climatic variations, and thus studied the impact of ENSO events on social wasp populations in French Guiana. We noted that during the 2000 La Niña year there was a 77.1% decrease in their nest abundance along ca. 5 km of forest edges, and that 70.5% of the species were no longer present. Two simultaneous 13-year surveys (1997-2009) confirmed the decrease in social wasps during La Niña years (2000 and 2006), while an increase occurred during the 2009 El Niño year. A 30-year weather survey showed that these phenomena corresponded to particularly high levels of rainfall, and that temperature, humidity and global solar radiation were correlated with rainfall. Using the Self-Organizing Map algorithm, we show that heavy rainfall during an entire rainy season has a negative impact on social wasps. Strong contrasts in rainfall between the dry season and the short rainy season exacerbate this effect. Social wasp populations never recovered to their pre-2000 levels. This is probably because these conditions occurred over four years; heavy rainfall during the major rainy seasons during four other years also had a detrimental effect. On the contrary, low levels of rainfall during the major rainy season in 2009 spurred an increase in social wasp populations. We conclude that recent climatic changes have likely resulted in fewer social wasp colonies because they have lowered the wasps' resistance to parasitoids and pathogens. These results imply that Neotropical social wasps can be regarded as bio-indicators because they highlight the impact of climatic changes not yet perceptible in plants and other animals.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-00825825
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00825825
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00825825/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00825825/file/Dejean2011_Climate.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0027004

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The biogeochemistry of sulfur and carbon during early-diagenetic processes within organic-rich marine mangrove sediments was studied in the “Manche à Eau” lagoon, Guadeloupe, West Indies. These sediments are characterized by a total organic carbon content (TOC) mostly above 11 wt%, δ13CTOC below − 25‰ VPDB and C/Nmolar ratios exceeding 15. Rates of mangrove-derived organic carbon accumulation vary between ~ 200 and 400 gOC·m− 2·yr− 1, with highest rates at the shore of the lagoon. On the lagoon border, where colorless filamentous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria colonize the sediments, active sulfate reduction within the upper 20 cm, with a net removal rate of ~ 0.5 μmol·cm− 3·d− 1, is assumed to be essentially driven by organic carbon oxidation. This is expressed by relatively low apparent sulfur isotope fractionation (34εnet = − 33‰) and a gentle δ18O/δ34Ssulfate apparent slope of 0.36 ± 0.03 (2s). Further inside the lagoon, in the absence of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, higher apparent sulfur isotope fractionation and a steeper δ18O/δ34Ssulfate slope (0.67 ± 0.20) suggest an overall lower sulfate removal rate that may be coupled to minor sulfur disproportionation. Spatial and vertical variation in sulfur cycling, reflected by oxygen and sulfur isotopic characteristics, seem to be mainly controlled by unsteady to relatively steady organic matter deposition and its reactivity. In all sediments, δ34S values of pyrite are positively correlated with the TOC/TS ratio and negatively correlated with δ13CTOC; suggesting a primary control of the quantity and quality of organic matter on the pyrite isotope records, despite potential iron-limiting conditions for the most active sites. Our results provide insights into the role of organic carbon input on sulfur cycling; stimulating sulfate reduction and in turn the presence of sulfur-oxidizing microbial mats, resulting in an intense cycling of both carbon and sulfur in these marine mangrove sediments.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-01507696
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01507696
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01507696/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01507696/file/Cr%C3%A9mi%C3%A8re%20et%20al.%20-%20Sulfur%20diagenesis%20under%20rapid%20accumulation%20of%20orga.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2017.02.017

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Millimeter Waves (MMW) will be used in the next-generation of high-speed wireless technologies, especially in future Ultra-Broadband small cells in 5G cellular networks. Therefore, their biocompatibilities must be evaluated prior to their massive deployment. Using a microarray- based approach, we analyzed modifications to the whole genome of a human keratinocyte model that was exposed at 60.4 GHz-MMW at an incident power density (IPD) of 20 mW/cm2 for 3 hours in athermic conditions. No keratinocyte transcriptome modifications were observed. We tested the effects of MMWs on cell metabolism by co-treating MMW-exposed cells with a glycolysis inhibitor, 2-deoxyglucose (2dG, 20 mM for 3 hours), and whole genome expression was evaluated along with the ATP content.We found that the 2dG treatment decreased the cellular ATP content and induced a high modification in the transcriptome (632 coding genes). The affected genes were associated with transcriptional repression, cellular communication and endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis. The MMW/ 2dG co-treatment did not alter the keratinocyte ATP content, but it did slightly alter the transcriptome, which reflected the capacity of MMWto interfere with the bioenergetic stress response. The RT-PCR-based validation confirmed 6 MMW-sensitive genes (SOCS3, SPRY2, TRIB1, FAM46A, CSRNP1 and PPP1R15A) during the 2dG treatment. These 6 genes encoded transcription factors or inhibitors of cytokine pathways, which raised questions regarding the potential impact of long-term or chronic MMW exposure on metabolically stressed cells. © 2016 Soubere Mahamoud et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01367149
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01367149
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0160810
PUBMED : 27529420

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : Plant germination and development depend upon a seed's successful dispersal into a suitable habitat and its ability to grow and survive within the surrounding biotic and abiotic environment. The seeds of Aechmea mertensii, a tank-bromeliad species, are dispersed by either Camponotus femoratus or Neoponera goeldii, two ant species that initiate ant gardens (AGs). These two mutualistic ant species influence the vegetative and reproductive traits of the bromeliad through their divergent ecological preferences (i.e. light and substrate). We hypothesised that the seeds dispersed by these two ant species have underlying genetic differences affecting germination, growth and survival of A.mertensii seedlings in different ways. To test this, we used an experimental approach consisting of sowing seeds of A.mertensii: (i) taken from the two AG-ant associations (i.e. seed origin), (ii) in two contrasting light conditions, and (iii) on three different substrates. Light and substrate had significant effects on germination, survival and on eight key leaf traits reflecting plant performance. Seed origin had a significant effect only on germination and on two leaf traits (total dry mass and relative growth rate). Overall, this bromeliad performs better (i.e. high growth and survival rates) when growing both in the shade and in the carton nest developed by C.femoratus ants. These results suggest that the plasticity of the tank bromeliad A.mertensii is mainly due to environment but also to genetic differences related to seed origin, as some traits are heritable. Thus, these two ant species may play contrasting roles in shaping plant evolution and speciation.
ISSN: 1435-8603

hal-01606565
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01606565
DOI : 10.1111/plb.12452
PRODINRA : 407514

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Forty years after the image of the Mediterranean transformed into a giant salty lake was first conceived, the fascinating history of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) still arouses great interest across a large and diverse scientific community. Early outcrop studies which identified severe palaeoenvironmental changes affecting the circum-Mediterranean at the end of the Miocene, were followed by investigations of the marine geology during the 1950s to 1970s. These were fundamental to understanding the true scale and importance of the Messinian event. Now, after a long period of debate over several entrenched but largely untested hypotheses, a unifying stratigraphic framework of MSC events has been constructed. This scenario is derived mainly from onshore data and observations, but incorporates different perspectives for the offshore and provides hypotheses that can be tested by drilling the deep Mediterranean basins.The MSC was an ecological crisis, induced by a powerful combination of geodynamic and climatic drivers, which had a great impact on the subsequent geological history of the Mediterranean area, and on the salinity of the global oceans. These changed the Mediterranean's connections with both the Atlantic Ocean and the freshwater Paratethyan basins, causing high-amplitude fluctuations in the hydrology of the Mediterranean. The MSC developed in three main stages, each of them characterized by different palaeoenvironmental conditions. During the first stage, evaporites precipitated in shallow sub-basins; the MSC peaked in the second stage, when evaporite precipitation shifted to the deepest depocentres; and the third stage was characterized by large-scale environmental fluctuations in a Mediterranean transformed into a brackish water lake.The very high-resolution timescale available for some Late Miocene intervals in the Mediterranean makes it possible to consider environmental variability on extremely short time scales including, in some places, annual changes. Despite this, fundamental questions remain, some of which could be answered through new cores from the deepest Mediterranean basins. Improvements in seismic imaging and drilling techniques over the last few decades make it possible to plan to core the entire basinal Messinian succession for the first time. The resulting data would allow us to decipher the causes of this extreme environmental change and its global-scale consequences.
ISSN: 0025-3227

hal-01115664
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01115664
DOI : 10.1016/j.margeo.2014.02.002