Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The modernization of agriculture is under scrutiny. It is currently debated within the growing concept and practice of agroecology that applies ecological fundaments to the design and the management of sustainable agroecosystems. In matter of ecologization of agriculture, agroecological transition may be considered as a privileged pathway. It relies on two main forms: the weak (that intends to reduce the use of chemicals by alternative practices such as their substitution by biological inputs) versus strong modernization of agriculture (based on the valorization of biodiversity providing ecosystemic services). In this article, through an analysis of the technological innovations used for the enhancement of mycorrhiza (symbiotic interactions between plants and soil microorganisms) as an illustration of the implementation of the agroecological transition in France, we wonder in what extent a strong modernization of agriculture is likely to occur.This paper shows how the conceptual framework of socio-technical regime is useful to analyze the dynamics of the agroecological transition. Our demonstration relies on an empirical material (survey of the main actors of the mycorrhiza supply chain) that permits to understand how is structured the dominant system and how it impedes the development of the alternative niche. We then give some prerequisites in terms of public action to define in what extent the niche can be supported and can compete the current system.
54. ERSA Congress "Regional development & globalization: Best practices"
Saint-Petersburg, Russia

hal-01606449
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01606449
PRODINRA : 387723

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley/Blackwell
Résumé : International audience
Microsatellites are widely used in population genetics to uncover recent evolutionary events. They are typically genotyped using capillary sequencer, which capacity is usually limited to 9, at most 12 loci for each run, and which analysis is a tedious task that is performed by hand. With the rise of next-generation sequencing (NGS), a much larger number of loci and individuals are available from sequencing: for example, on a single run of a GS Junior, 28 loci from 96 individuals are sequenced with a 30X cover. We have developed an algorithm to automatically and efficiently genotype microsatellites from a collection of reads sorted by individual (e.g. specific PCR amplifications of a locus or a collection of reads that encompass a locus of interest). As the sequencing and the PCR amplification introduce artefactual insertions or deletions, the set of reads from a single microsatellite allele shows several length variants. The algorithm infers, without alignment, the true unknown allele(s) of each individual from the observed distributions of microsatellites length of all individuals. MicNeSs, a python implementation of the algorithm, can be used to genotype any microsatellite locus from any organism and has been tested on 454 pyrosequencing data of several loci from fruit flies (a model species) and red deers (a nonmodel species). Without any parallelization, it automatically genotypes 22 loci from 441 individuals in 11 hours on a standard computer. The comparison of MicNeSs inferences to the standard method shows an excellent agreement, with some differences illustrating the pros and cons of both methods.
ISSN: 1755-098X

hal-01544754
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544754
DOI : 10.1111/1755-0998.12467

Résumé : Le maintien de ressources génétiques suffisamment larges est nécessaire pour assurer la viabilité et le potentiel évolutif des populations naturelles. Cette thèse a le principal objectif de caractériser la diversité et la variabilité génétique chez le genre Virola (Myristicaceae) pour décrire les processus évolutifs qui en sont à l'origine. Premièrement,une étude de la régénération d'un échantillonnage exhaustif de V. michelii a été menée dans une parcelle du dispositif expérimental de Paracou ayant subi une exploitation forestière de faible intensité et comparée à une parcelle témoin. La diversité génétique mesurée à partir de marqueurs AFLP (Amplified Fragment-Length Polymorphism, N=229) en zones perturbées s'est révélée être plis grande qu'en zone non-perturbées. Puis, l'adaptation locale a été étudiée à travers ces mêmes individus et certains loci (AFLP) montrent une sélection divergente pour des environnements contrastés, indiquant un signe d'adaptation. Enfin, l'étude des niveaux de divergence génétique chez trois espèces de Virola du bouclier guyanais (V. michelii, V. surinamensis et V. kwatae) montrent que deux d'entre elles (V. surinamensis et V. kwatae) montrent de fortes similarités génétiques malgré leur distribution sur des environnements contrastés. des Flux de gènes intersécifiques ont été mis en évidence chez ces deux espèces-soeurs et l'hypothèse d'une spéciation écologique est avancée. Ce travail a permis d'aborder différents processus évolutifs à l'origine de la diversité génétique actuelle chez ces espèces forestières tropicales et peut fournir une contribution pour appréhender le devenir des populations.
Genetic diversity is an essential component of biodiversity. The maintenance of sufficient genetic resources is needed to ensure the adaptive potential and the viability of natural populations. In the current context of global changes, the study of adaptation in living organisms is a key task, particularly for tropical forest trees that are dominant components (in terms of biomass and as ecological drivers) of some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. The main objective of this thesis is to characterize genetic diversity and genetic variability to understand the evolutionary processes that act on them. This ecological-genetic study was carried out at the interspecific and intraspecific level in the Virola genus.If overall high levels of genetic diversity are a guarantee of prosperity for the future of the species, it seems essential to perform studies on the impact of environmental disturbance on genetic diversity. In the first section, the genetic consequences of regeneration dynamics were studied in an exhaustive sample of V. michelii in a low-intensity logging plot and in a control plot at the Paracou experimental site. A greater genetic diversity, measured from AFLP markers (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism, N = 229), was found in perturbed areas. Because studying genetic diversity within species may be useful for understanding species adaptation to environmental changes, in the second section. I studied local adaptation in a population of V. michelii on the Paracou experimental site. A genome scan approach with AFLPs (N = 229) was conducted on 77 adult individuals and 401 juveniles to identify genetic differences between populations associated to contrasting conditions for an array of environmental variables. Some loci (N = 2) were found to be subject to divergent selection, indicating adaptation to contrasting habitats.In the third section, the study of levels of genetic divergence in three Virola species of the Guiana Shield (V. michelii, V. surinamensis and V. kwatae) was investigated for nuclear and chloroplast molecular markers. V. surinamensis and V. kwatae showed strong genetic similarities despite their contrasting habitats preferences. Coalescent analyses have revealed, on one hand, a recent divergence between these two species suggesting an ecological speciation, and one the other hand that interspecific gene flow occurs between these sister-species.This work focuses on understanding evolutionary processes shaping genetic diversity and provides a useful contribution for biodiversity conservation programs.

http://www.theses.fr/2011AGUY0480/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Background: Comparative analysis, which aims at investigating ecological and evolutionary patterns among species, may help at targeting reservoirs of zoonotic diseases particularly in countries presenting high biodiversity. Here, we developed a simple method to target rodent reservoirs using published studies screening microparasite infections. Methods: We compiled surveys of microparasites investigated in rodents trapped in Thailand. The data comprise a total of 17,358 rodents from 18 species that have been investigated for a total of 10 microparasites (viruses, bacteria and protozoans). We used residual variation of microparasite richness controlled for both rodent sample size and pathogens' screening effort to identify major rodent reservoirs and potential risky habitats. Results: Microparasite species richness was positively related to rodent sample size and pathogens' screening effort. The investigation of the residual variations of microparasite species richness showed that several rodent species harboured more pathogens than expected by the regression model. Similarly, higher pathogen richness than expected was observed in rodents living in non-flooded lands, forests and paddy fields. Conclusion: Our results suggest to target some rodent species that are not commonly investigated for pathogen screening or surveillance such as R. andamanensis or B. savilei, and that non-flooded lands and forests should be more taken into caution, whereas much surveys focused on paddy rice fields and households.
Infection Ecology and Epidemiology

ird-00714369
http://hal.ird.fr/ird-00714369
http://hal.ird.fr/ird-00714369v2/document
DOI : 10.3402/iee.v2iO.18637
IRD : fdi:010055557

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley/Blackwell
Résumé : Whole genome sequencing is helping generate robust phylogenetic hypotheses for a range of taxonomic groups that were previously recalcitrant to classical molecular phylogenetic approaches. As a case study, we performed a shallow shotgun sequencing of eight species in the tropical tree family Chrysobalanaceae to retrieve large fragments of high-copy number DNA regions and test the potential of these regions for phylogeny reconstruction. We were able to assemble the nuclear ribosomal cluster (nrDNA), the complete plastid genome (ptDNA) and a large fraction of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) with approximately 1000x, 450x and 120x sequencing depth respectively. The phylogenetic tree obtained with ptDNA resolved five of the seven internal nodes. In contrast, the tree obtained with mtDNA and nrDNA data were largely unresolved. This study demonstrates that genome skimming is a cost-effective approach and shows potential in plant molecular systematics within Chrysobalanaceae and other under-studied groups.
ISSN: 1755-098X

hal-01204217
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204217
DOI : 10.1111/1755-0998.12246
PRODINRA : 283530

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Association for the Advancement of Science
Résumé : The biodiversity-productivity relationship (BPR) is foundational to our understanding of the global extinction crisis and its impacts on ecosystem functioning. Understanding BPR is critical for the accurate valuation and effective conservation of biodiversity. Using ground-sourced data from 777,126 permanent plots, spanning 44 countries and most terrestrial biomes, we reveal a globally consistent positive concave-down BPR, showing that continued biodiversity loss would result in an accelerating decline in forest productivity worldwide. The value of biodiversity in maintaining commercial forest productivity alone-US$166 billion to 490 billion per year according to our estimation-is more than twice what it would cost to implement effective global conservation. This highlights the need for a worldwide reassessment of biodiversity values, forest management strategies, and conservation priorities.
ISSN: 0036-8075

hal-01607784
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01607784
DOI : 10.1126/science.aaf8957
PRODINRA : 389856

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Inter-Research
Résumé : International audience
Many large groupers form spawning aggregations, returning to the same spawning sites in consecutive spawning seasons. Connectivity between spawning aggregations is thus assured by larval dispersal. This study looks into the genetic structure and gene flow among spawning aggregations of a large grouper, the gulf coney Hyporthodus acanthistius, in the northern Gulf of California. First, using the mitochondrial control region and 11 microsatellites, we calculated FST metrics and conducted a Bayesian clustering analysis to determine structure among 5 spawning aggregations. Shallow genetic structure was found, separating the southernmost spawning aggregate from the remainder. Second, we used the results from the structure analysis and local water circulation patterns to delineate 3 distinct models of gene flow. The best-supported model, in which the southernmost spawning aggregate formed one group and all other spawning aggregates were nested into a second group, was the one that was consistent with water circulation during the species’ spawning season. Larval retention within a seasonal anticyclonic gyre that formed during the gulf coney’s spawning season may be responsible for the patterns found. This study highlights the importance of local oceanographic conditions in dictating the structure among spawning aggregations even at small geographic scales and contributes to informed management plans for this overexploited grouper.
Marine Ecology Progress Series

hal-01301199
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01301199
DOI : 10.3354/meps10637

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé :  
Quantitative genetic diversity is a fundamental component of the interaction between natural populations and their environment. In breeding programmes, quantitative genetic studies on tropical trees have so far focused on fast-growing, light-demanding species, but no information exists on shade-tolerant, slow-growing species. For this study, 27 3-year-old open-pollinated families of the Neotropical shade-tolerant rainforest tree Sextonia rubra were measured in semicontrolled conditions for 20 morphological, growth, and photosynthesis traits; the effect of genetic relatedness, habitat of provenance, and mother tree status on seedling traits was analysed. Nine traits displayed significant genetic effects, while mother tree status and habitat effects were not significant (P>0.05) for an y trait. Estimated heritability varied between 0.14 and 0.28, with growth-related traits having the highest values. Additive genetic variation correlated positively with nonheritable variation, suggesting that ecological-evolutionary factors increasing or decreasing additive genetic variance may also affect nonheritable variation in the same direction. Our results suggest that quantitative genetic variability should be taken into account in ecological studies on, and in the management of, natural tropical rainforests; further research is needed to investigate genetic × environment interactions, in particular from the point of view of the genetic response of shade-tolerant plant species to variations in light availability.
ISSN: 1614-2942

hal-01032145
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032145
DOI : 10.1007/s11295-009-0251-8

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01520195
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01520195
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0176862

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : The evolutionary potential of long-lived species, such as forest trees, is fundamental for their local persistence under climate change (CC). Genome–environment association (GEA) analyses reveal if species in heterogeneous environments at the regional scale are under differential selection resulting in populations with potential preadaptation to CC within this area. In 79 natural [i]Fagus sylvatica[/i] populations, neutral genetic patterns were characterized using 12 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, and genomic variation (144 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) out of 52 candidate genes) was related to 87 environmental predictors in the latent factor mixed model, logistic regressions and isolation by distance/environmental (IBD/IBE) tests. SSR diversity revealed relatedness at up to 150m intertree distance but an absence of large-scale spatial genetic structure and IBE. In the GEA analyses, 16 SNPs in 10 genes responded to one or several environmental predictors and IBE, corrected for IBD, was confirmed. The GEA often reflected the proposed gene functions, including indications for adaptation to water availability and temperature. Genomic divergence and the lack of large-scale neutral genetic patterns suggest that gene flow allows the spread of advantageous alleles in adaptive genes. Thereby, adaptation processes are likely to take place in species occurring in heterogeneous environments, which might reduce their regional extinction risk under CC
ISSN: 0028-646X

hal-01309135
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01309135
PRODINRA : 343710
DOI : 10.1111/nph.13809

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Coastal Education and Research Foundation
Résumé : Special Issue 65 - International Coastal Symposium Volume 1
International audience
ISSN: 0749-0208

hal-01429044
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01429044
DOI : 10.2112/SI65-117.1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : The extent of gene dispersal is a fundamental factor of the population and evolutionary dynamics of tropical tree species, but directly monitoring seed and pollen movement is a difficult task. However, indirect estimates of historical gene dispersal can be obtained from the fine-scale spatial genetic structure of populations at drift-dispersal equilibrium. Using an approach that is based on the slope of the regression of pairwise kinship coefficients on spatial distance and estimates of the effective population density, we compare indirect gene dispersal estimates of sympatric populations of 10 tropical tree species. We re-analysed 26 data sets consisting of mapped allozyme, SSR (simple sequence repeat), RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) or AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) genotypes from two rainforest sites in French Guiana. Gene dispersal estimates were obtained for at least one marker in each species, although the estimation procedure failed under insufficient marker polymorphism, limited sample size, or inappropriate sampling area. Estimates generally suffered low precision and were affected by assumptions regarding the effective population density. Averaging estimates over data sets, the extent of gene dispersal ranged from 150 m to 1200 m according to species. Smaller gene dispersal estimates were obtained in species with heavy diaspores, which are presumably not well dispersed, and in populations with high local adult density. We suggest that limited seed dispersal could indirectly limit effective pollen dispersal by creating higher local tree densities, thereby increasing the positive correlation between pollen and seed dispersal distances. We discuss the potential and limitations of our indirect estimation procedure and suggest guidelines for future studies
ISSN: 0962-1083

hal-01031603
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01031603
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02785.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BioMed Central
Résumé : International audience
ISSN: 1471-2148

hal-01683186
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01683186
DOI : 10.1186/1471-2148-13-108

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
International Coral Reef Symposium 2012

hal-01429056
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01429056

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Measuring functional or phylogenetic diversity is the object of an active literature. The main issues to address are relating measures to a clear conceptual framework, allowing unavoidable estimation-bias correction and decomposing diversity along spatial scales. We provide a general mathematical framework to decompose measures of species-neutral, phylogenetic or functional diversity into α and β components. We first unify the definitions of phylogenetic and functional entropy and diversity as a generalization of HCDT entropy and Hill numbers when an ultrametric tree is considered. We then derive the decomposition of diversity. We propose a bias correction of the estimates allowing meaningful computation from real, often undersampled communities. Entropy can be transformed into true diversity, that is an effective number of species or communities. Estimators of α- and β-entropy, phylogenetic and functional entropy are provided. Proper definition and estimation of diversity is the first step towards better understanding its underlying ecological and evolutionary mechanisms.
ISSN: 2041-210X

hal-01502645
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01502645
DOI : 10.1111/2041-210X.12323

Éditeur(s) : Canadian Science Publishing, Nrc Research Press
Résumé : Examining the genetic structure of species allows an estimate of the level of evolutionary connectivity between localities; this information is important for marine biodiversity protection, in particular, for the delineation of marine protected areas. In this context, a total of 601 Lutjanus kasmira (Forsskal, 1775) were sampled in 16 localities of the western Indian Ocean and analyzed with both mitochondrial cytochrome b sequencing and eight microsatellite loci genotyping. Both genetic markers indicate that differentiation was not significant even between samples separated by more than 4000 km. This absence of genetic differentiation among samples was favored by ecological plasticity of the species and is now ensured by resultant high levels of dispersal. Nevertheless, some significant genetic structure was detected for the areas of Mauritius and Moroni, as well as within populations in all localities, which will have to be explained by additional studies on local processes.
Canadian Journal Of Fisheries And Aquatic Sciences (0706-652X) (Canadian Science Publishing, Nrc Research Press), 2012-05 , Vol. 69 , N. 5 , P. 842-853

Droits : 2012 Published by NRC Research Press
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00079/19044/16647.pdf
DOI:10.1139/F2012-012
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00079/19044/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
The Black Rat (Rattus rattus) spread out of Asia to become one of the world's worst agricultural and urban pests, and a reservoir or vector of numerous zoonotic diseases, including the devastating plague. Despite the global scale and inestimable cost of their impacts on both human livelihoods and natural ecosystems, little is known of the global genetic diversity of Black Rats, the timing and directions of their historical dispersals, and the risks associated with contemporary movements. We surveyed mitochondrial DNA of Black Rats collected across their global range as a first step towards obtaining an historical genetic perspective on this socioeconomically important group of rodents. We found a strong phylogeographic pattern with well-differentiated lineages of Black Rats native to South Asia, the Himalayan region, southern Indochina, and northern Indochina to East Asia, and a diversification that probably commenced in the early Middle Pleistocene. We also identified two other currently recognised species of Rattus as potential derivatives of a paraphyletic R.rattus. Three of the four phylogenetic lineage units within R. rattus show clear genetic signatures of major population expansion in prehistoric times, and the distribution of particular haplogroups mirrors archaeologically and historically documented patterns of human dispersal and trade. Commensalism clearly arose multiple times in R. Rattus and in widely separated geographic regions, and this may account for apparent regionalism in their associated pathogens. Our findings represent an important step towards deeper understanding the complex and influential relationship that has developed between Black Rats and humans, and invite a thorough re-examination of host-pathogen associations among Black Rats.
PLoS ONE

ird-00714383
http://hal.ird.fr/ird-00714383
http://hal.ird.fr/ird-00714383/document
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0026357
IRD : fdi:010055548

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley Open Access
Résumé : International audience
Assessing population connectivity is necessary to construct effective marine protected areas. This connectivity depends, among other parameters, inherently on species dispersal capacities. Isolation by distance (IBD) is one of the main modes of differentiation in marine species, above all in species presenting low dispersal abilities. This study reports the genetic structuring in the tropical hydrozoan Macrorhynchia phoenicea (sensu Postaire et al., 2016a), a brooding species, from 30 sampling sites in the Western Indian Ocean and the Tropical Southwestern Pacific, using 15 microsatellite loci. At the local scale, genet dispersal relied on asexual propagation at short distance, which was not found at larger scales. Considering one representative per clone, significant positive F-IS values (from -0.327*** to 0.411***) were found within almost all sites. Gene flow was extremely low at all spatial scales, among sites within islands (<10km distance) and among islands (100 to >11,000km distance), with significant pairwise F-ST values (from 0.035*** to 0.645***). A general pattern of IBD was found at the Indo-Pacific scale, but also within ecoregions in the Western Indian Ocean province. Clustering and network analyses identified each island as a potential independent population, while analysis of molecular variance indicated that population genetic differentiation was significant at small (within island) and intermediate (among islands within province) spatial scales. As shown by this species, a brooding life cycle might be corollary of the high population differentiation found in some coastal marine species, thwarting regular dispersal at distances more than a few kilometers and probably leading to high cryptic diversity, each island housing independent evolutionary lineages.
ISSN: 2045-7758

hal-01681593
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01681593
DOI : 10.1002/ece3.3236

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : [b]Aim[/b][br/] [br/] The phylogeographical history of Neotropical species can be difficult to reconstruct because of superimposed Neogene and Quaternary histories, and because of taxonomic uncertainty. We analysed range-wide genetic diversity in a widespread pioneer tree species, Jacaranda copaia (Aubl.) D. Don, to characterize phylogeographical structure, date the evolutionary relationships among lineages, and evaluate the role of dispersal and vicariance in establishing the present geographical range.[br/] [br/] [br/] [b]Location[/b][br/] [br/] Guiana Shield; central, southern and western Amazon Basin; Chocó region; Central America.[br/] [br/] [br/] [b]Methods[/b][br/] [br/] We analysed nine nuclear simple sequence repeat loci (nuSSR), eight chloroplast SSRs (cpSSR), and two cpDNA intergenic sequences in 341 adult trees. Genetic differentiation at nuSSRs was inferred using Bayesian clustering. Dating of chloroplast lineage divergence was obtained using a range of published mutation rates and Bayesian coalescence analyses. Population divergence dating was performed using an isolation-with-migration model for eight loci (one cp sequence and seven nuSSRs).[br/] [br/] [br/] [b]Results[/b][br/] [br/] Nuclear SSR variation identified three geographically overlapping clusters (nu-1, nu-2, nu-3). Twelve cpDNA haplotypes were clustered into two haplogroups (cp-1, cp-2) with the central Amazon harbouring the highest diversity. Molecular dating analysis suggests that cpDNA haplotype diversification started around the end of the Pliocene (2.61 Ma on average), whereas population divergence was more recent and occurred during the mid-Quaternary (point estimates between 357 and 436 ka).[br/] [br/] [br/] [b]Main conclusions[/b][br/] [br/] The genetic variation of J. copaia in the Neotropics was shaped mainly by Pleistocene events. Chloroplast diversity did not display the expected cis/trans Andean disjunction, indicating recent dispersal. Nuclear variation revealed that separate regions share a recent history, with a centre of diversity in the central Amazon Basin. The geographical pattern of diversity is congruent with the distribution of the two subspecies, J. copaia copaia and J. copaia spectabilis, and evidence of nuSSR admixture between the two taxa supports their classification as subspecies.
ISSN: 0305-0270

hal-01032410
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032410
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02797.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Standard microbial evolutionary ontology is organized according to a nested hierarchy of entities at various levels of biological organization. It typically detects and defines these entities in relation to the most stable aspects of evolutionary processes, by identifying lineages evolving by a process of vertical inheritance from an ancestral entity. However, recent advances in microbiology indicate that such an ontology has important limitations. The various dynamics detected within microbiological systems reveal that a focus on the most stable entities (or features of entities) over time inevitably underestimates the extent and nature of microbial diversity. These dynamics are not the outcome of the process of vertical descent alone. Other processes, often involving causal interactions between entities from distinct levels of biological organisation, or operating at different time scales, are responsible not only for the destabilisation of pre-existing entities, but also for the emergence and stabilisation of novel entities in the microbial world. In this article we consider microbial entities as more or less stabilised functional wholes, and sketch a network-based ontology that can represent a diverse set of processes including, for example, as well as phylogenetic relations, interactions that stabilise or destabilise the interacting entities, spatial relations, ecological connections, and genetic exchanges. We use this pluralistic framework for evaluating (i) the existing ontological assumptions in evolution (e.g. whether currently recognized entities are adequate for understanding the causes of change and stabilisation in the microbial world), and (ii) for identifying hidden ontological kinds, essentially invisible from within a more limited perspective. We propose to recognize additional classes of entities that provide new insights into the structure of the microbial world, namely ``processually equivalent'' entities, ``processually versatile'' entities, and ``stabilized'' entities.
ISSN: 0169-3867

hal-01544796
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544796
DOI : 10.1007/s10539-012-9350-2