Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé :  
In studying the ant genus Azteca, a Neotropical group of arboreal species, we aimed to determine the extent to which the ants use predation and/or aggressiveness to protect their host plants from defoliating insects. We compared a territorially dominant, carton-nester, Azteca chartifex, and three plant-ant species. Azteca alfari and Azteca ovaticeps are associated with the myrmecophyte Cecropia (Cecropiaceae) and their colonies shelter in its hollow branches; whereas Azteca bequaerti is associated with Tococa guianensis (Melastomataceae) and its colonies shelter in leaf pouches situated at the base of the laminas. Whereas A. bequaerti workers react to the vibrations transmitted by the lamina when an alien insect lands on a leaf making it unnecessary for them to patrol their plant, the workers of the three other species rather discover prey by contact. The workers of all four species use a predatory behaviour involving spread-eagling alien insects after recruiting nestmates at short range, and, in some cases, at long range. Because A. alfari and A. ovaticeps discard part of the insects they kill, we deduced that the workers' predatory behaviour and territorial aggressiveness combine in the biotic defence of their host tree.
ISSN: 0028-1042

hal-01032079
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032079
DOI : 10.1007/s00114-008-0448-y

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag/EDP Sciences
Résumé : International audience
Background : This study examines the radial trend in wood stiffness of tropical rainforest trees. The objective was to determine if the type of growing environment (exposed plantation or dense primary forest) would have an effect on this radial trend. Methods : The axial elastic modulus of wood samples, representing a pith to bark cross-section, of six trees from several French Guianese species (two of Eperua falcata, one of Eperua grandiflora, two of Carapa procera and one of Symphonia gloubulifera) was measured using a dynamic "forced vibration" method. Results : Primary forest trees were observed to have a decrease in wood stiffness from pith to bark, whereas plantation trees, from the same genus or species, displayed a corresponding increase in wood stiffness. Juvenile wood stiffness appears to vary depending on the environment in which the tree had grown. Conclusion : We suggest that the growth strategy of primary forest trees is to produce wood resistant to selfbuckling so that the height of the canopy may be obtained with the maximum of efficiency. In contrast, the growth strategy of the trees growing in an exposed plantation is to produce low-stiffness wood, important to provide flexibility in wind. Further experiments to study the behaviour of more species, with more individuals per species, growing across a range of physical environments, are required.
ISSN: 1286-4560

hal-00644335
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644335
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644335/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644335/file/McLean_al.pdf
DOI : 10.1007/s13595-011-0085-z

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer/Terra Scientific Publishing Company
Résumé : International audience
Titanian clinohumite is an accessory phase found in peridotites, and it can be a key repository of volatile and other trace elements in sub-arc mantle. To characterize spectroscopic variations due to volatile elements in the phase, we have investigated the infrared spectroscopic characteristics of a suite of naturally occurring Ti clinohumite minerals with varying F and Ti concentrations. Samples were ultramafic rocks from Cerro del Almirez, Spain and Cima di Gagnone, Switzerland. The infrared spectra corresponding to OH vibrations showed systematic variation in regard to the abundance of F in Ti clinohumite. In particular, the intensity ratios of infrared absorption spectra at 3,565 and 3,390 cm-1 correlated linearly with the abundance of F independently of the crystal orientation. Raman spectra did not corroborate the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results. This intensity ratio provides an alternative analytical criterion for the characterization of Ti clinohumite.
ISSN: 1343-8832

hal-01133685
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01133685
DOI : 10.1186/1880-5981-66-60

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
Analysis of continuous seismic data recorded by a dense passive seismological network (Hi-CLIMB) installed across the Himalayas reveals strong spatial and temporal variations in the ambient seismic energy produced at high frequencies (>1 Hz). From June to September 2003, the high-frequency seismic noise is observed to increase up to 20 dB (relative to (m/s)(2)/Hz) for all the stations located along a steep 30-km-long narrow and deeply incised channel of the Trisuli River, a major trans-Himalayan river. The early summer increase in high-frequency energy is modulated by a 24-h periodicity where the minimum of seismic noise level is reached around noon and the maximum is reached late in the evening. A detailed study of seismic noise amplitude reveals a clear correlation with both regional meteorological and hydrological data along the Trisuli River. Seasonal increase in ambient noise coincides with the strong monsoon rainfall and a period of rapid melting of snow and ice in the high elevations. The observed 24-h cyclicity is consistent with the daily fluctuation of the precipitation and river discharge in the region. River-induced seismic noise is partly generated by stream turbulence, but this mechanism fails to explain the observed clockwise hysteresis of seismic noise amplitude versus water level. This pattern is better explained if a significant part of the observed seismic noise is caused by ground vibrations generated by bed load transport. This points out the potential of using background seismic noise to quantify in continuous river bed load and monitor its spatial variations, which remain difficult with classical approaches.
ISSN: 2169-9313

hal-00412170
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00412170
DOI : 10.1029/2007JB005034