Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Ecological Society of America
Résumé : We investigated the relationship between habitat association and physiological performance in four congeneric species pairs exhibiting contrasting distributions between seasonally flooded and terra firme habitats in lowland tropical rain forests of French Guiana, including Virola and Iryanthera (Myristicaceae), Symphonia (Clusiaceae), and Eperua (Caesalpiniaceae). We analyzed 10-year data sets of mapped and measured saplings (stems 150 cm in height and <10 cm diameter at breast height [dbh]) and trees (stems 10 cm dbh) across 37.5 ha of permanent plots covering a 300-ha zone, within which seasonally flooded areas (where the water table never descends below 1 m) have been mapped. Additionally, we tested the response of growth, survival, and leaf functional traits of these species to drought and flood stress in a controlled experiment. We tested for habitat preference using a modification of the torus translation method. Strong contrasting associations of the species pairs of Iryanthera, Virola, and Symphonia were observed at the sapling stage, and these associations strengthened for the tree stage. Neither species of Eperua was significantly associated with flooded habitats at the sapling stage, but E. falcata was significantly and positively associated with flooded forests at the tree stage, and trees of E. grandiflora were found almost exclusively in nonflooded habitats. Differential performance provided limited explanatory support for the observed habitat associations, with only congeners of Iryanthera exhibiting divergent sapling survival and tree growth. Seedlings of species associated with flooded forest tended to have higher photosynthetic capacity than their congeners at field capacity. In addition, they tended to have the largest reductions in leaf gas exchange and growth rate in response to experimental drought stress and the least reductions in response to experimental inundation. The corroboration of habitat association with differences in functional traits and, to a lesser extent, measures of performance provides an explanation for the regional coexistence of these species pairs. We suggest that specialization to seasonally flooded habitats may explain patterns of adaptive radiation in many tropical tree genera and thereby provide a substantial contribution to regional tree diversity.
ISSN: 0012-9658

hal-01031746
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01031746

Éditeur(s) : NRC
Résumé : We studied relationships between tropical tunas (albacore (Thunnus alalunga), bigeye (Thunnus obesus), and yellowfin (Thunnus albacares)) and their biotic and abiotic environments through simultaneous acoustic observations of tunas and their prey, experimental longline catch, and oceanographic data in French Polynesia. Vertical habitat limits were estimated based on temperature and dissolved oxygen at capture data. We then studied tuna-micronekton relationships to better understand how tuna occupy the pelagic space, At a regional scale, tunas were more abundant in areas rich in prey with favourable hydrological conditions. Inside such areas, at the scale of a longline set, however, the longline catches were maximal only when prey were not distributed in dense patches (except for yellowfin tuna). We interpreted this result by considering that areas with high prey abundance attract tunas, but at a small scale, if prey are patchy distributed, tunas are more inclined to feed on them rather than on longline baits. The effect of patches on yellowfin tuna catch per unit effort (CPUE) does not appear likely because this species also feeds on the mixed layer, where patch density was very low. Not only hydrological characteristics, but also prey density and prey patch characteristics, should be taken into account for interpreting longline CPUE data.
Thunnus obesus, et thon à nageoires jaunes, Thunnus albacares) à leurs environnements biotique et abiotique. Pour ce faire, nous avons réalisé simultanément, en Polynésie Française, des observations acoustiques des thons et de leurs proies, des pêches à l'aide d'une palangre instrumentée et des mesures hydrologiques. Des limites d'habitat vertical des thons calculées sur la base de données de température et d'oxygène dissous sont proposées. Nous étudions ensuite les relations thons-micronecton afin de mieux comprendre la stratégie d'occupation de l'espace des thons. A une échelle régionale, les thons sont plus abondants dans des zones riches en proies avec des conditions hydrologiques favorables. Cependant, à l'intérieur de telles zones, les captures sont maximales lorsque les proies ne sont pas distribuées sous forme de patchs (sauf pour le thon à nageoires jaunes). Nous interprétons ces résultats en considérant que les zones de fortes abondances en proies attirent les thons mais, qu'à une échelle fine, si les proies sont distribuées sous la forme de patchs denses, les thons s'en nourrissent préférentiellement, au détriment des appâts de la palangre. Ces patchs ne semblent pas influencer les prises par unité d'effort (PUE) des thons à nageoires jaunes, probablement parce que cette espèce se nourrit également dans la couche homogène où la densité en patchs est très faible. Les caractéristiques hydrologiques, mais également la densité en proies et leur type de distribution, devraient donc être pris en compte pour l'interprétation des données de PUE.
Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences (0706-652X) (NRC), 2002-06 , Vol. 59 , N. 6 , P. 1002-1013

Droits : 2002 NRC Canada
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2002/publication-733.pdf
DOI:10.1139/F02-073
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/733/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé :  
Classifying species by shared life-history traits is important if common ecological response groups are to be identified among different species. We investigated how habitat area, local and regional factors shape plant communities in small isolated closed depressions, and how the species richness is related to the interplay between environmental factors and specific life-history trait combinations. In Central-Western Europe, 169 closed depressions were completely Surveyed for plant presence in two highly contrasted landscapes (forested and open landscapes). All species were clustered into 9 Emergent Groups based oil 10 life-history traits related to plant dispersal, establishment and persistence. Habitat areas were related to species presence using logistic regressions. Most Emergent Groups were more area-dependent in open than in forested landscapes, owing to heterogeneous light levels in forest weakening the species-area relationship. In open landscapes, Floating Hydrophytes were severely underrepresented in very small depressions, owing to the absence of waterfowl poulation. Local environmental and regional factors were related to species richness using Generalized Linear Models. In open landscapes, local environmental factors such as water conductivity or soil productivity are respectively the main predictors. In forested landscapes, the abundance of most Emergent Groups Was better predicted by regional factors, i.e., habitat connectivity and distance to the forest edge. Forested landscapes strongly impeded the closed depressions' colonization by the less mobile Emergent Groups Such as Large-seeded Perennials.
ISSN: 1146-609X

hal-01032144
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032144
DOI : 10.1016/j.actao.2009.02.002

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag/EDP Sciences
Résumé : International audience
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.
ISSN: 1286-4560

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
hal-00884130
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00884130
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00884130/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00884130/file/hal-00884130.pdf

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

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

Éditeur(s) : Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
Résumé : In a context of decline of European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) and search for biological markers of habitat use and quality, a multidisciplinary approach was engaged on the Adour estuary and its associated wetlands. Two axes were developed. The first axe aimed at highlighting the successive presence of the species in different ecosystems based on the otolith elemental composition. The second aimed at the evaluation of the chemical pressure underwent by eels based on the contaminant bioconcentration in soft tissues and the early molecular response to the chemical stress. With a view to the analyses of otolith elemental composition taking into account the 3D structure, the low elemental concentration in the matrix and keeping the finest spatial resolution, four micro sampling strategies and multi elemental analyses using femtosecond laser ablation ICP-MS were tested (crater, 1D scan, 2D scan, flash ablation). The strategy showing the best compromise according to the objectives (continuous recording, multi elemental approach) was applied on otolith of yellow eels from the Adour. The simultaneous use of Sr and Ba profiles, after validation, represents a new tool, easy, fast and reliable for the reconstruction of freshwater and brackish ecosystems use by eel avoiding misinterpretation due to vaterite inclusions. Three major behaviors were highlighted on the Adour: a residency in brackish water, a residency in freshwater and nomad behavior. The last one is illustrated by a shift to brackish water after three to four years spent in freshwater. Simultaneously, the study of inorganic and organic contamination of eel soft tissues showed that sampled wetlands are moderately contaminated. These results were confirmed by the first estimation, in wild conditions, of the early response to the chemical stress using the hepatic expression of CYP1A1 gene measured by real time RT-PCR. Conversely, in the downstream part of the Adour estuary, Hg loads in eels, especially methyl mercury, and PCBs analyses indicate values that need further investigations considering the European norms of consumption. The comparison of the different markers used (heavy metal and organochlorinated compounds contamination of soft tissues, condition index) support a lower quality of the estuary despite higher eel growth rate on this site. This study supports the use of numerous markers in integrated studies in order to understand and specify the relationships between eels and their continental growth zones.
Dans un contexte de déclin de l'anguille européenne (Anguilla anguilla L.) et de recherche de marqueurs biologiques retraçant la fréquentation des divers habitats et renseignant sur la qualité de ceux-ci, une approche pluridisciplinaire a été mise en place sur l'estuaire de l'Adour et ses zones humides. Deux axes ont été privilégiés. Le premier cherchait à visualiser la présence successive de l'espèce dans différents écosystèmes en se basant sur la composition élémentaire des otolithes. Le deuxième avait pour but d'évaluer la pression chimique inorganique et organique subie par l'anguille dans les zones d'études en s'appuyant sur la bioconcentration des contaminants dans les tissus mous et la réponse moléculaire précoce au stress chimique. En vue des analyses de la composition élémentaire des otolithes et pour répondre au mieux à la structure en trois dimensions, à la faible concentration des éléments dans la matrice tout en conservant une résolution spatiale la plus fine possible, quatre stratégies de micro-échantillonnage et d'analyses multiélémentaires par ablation laser femtoseconde ICP-MS ont été testées (cratère, scan 1D, scan 2D, ablation flash). La méthodologie présentant le meilleur compromis par rapport aux objectifs fixés (enregistrement continu, approche multiélémentaire) a ensuite été appliquée sur les otolithes d'anguilles jaunes du Bas-Adour. L'utilisation simultanée des profils continus de Sr et de Ba, après validation, constitue un outil facile d'utilisation, rapide et fiable pour reconstruire les historiques de fréquentation des différents écosystèmes estuariens et dulçaquicoles par l'anguille tout en s'affranchissant des problèmes potentiels liés aux inclusions de vatérite, un polymorphe du carbonate de calcium. Trois grands types de comportement ont pu être mis en évidence sur l'Adour : résidence en eau saumâtre, résidence en eau douce et nomadisme. Ce dernier est plus particulièrement illustré par un mouvement marqué vers l'eau saumâtre pour des individus ayant passé de trois à quatre ans dans l'eau douce. Parallèlement, l'étude de la contamination organique et inorganique des tissus mous de l'anguille a permis de déduire à la faible contamination des zones humides échantillonnées. La première estimation en condition naturelle de la réponse précoce au stress chimique par évaluation de l'expression hépatique du gène CYP1A1 par RT-PCR en temps réel confirme ces résultats. En revanche, dans la partie estuarienne aval de l'Adour, les niveaux en Hg, présent en majorité sous sa forme méthylée dans les anguilles, et l'analyse des PCBs indiquent des valeurs qui suscitent un examen plus approfondi au regard des normes européennes en vigueur. La confrontation des différents descripteurs (contamination des tissus mous par les métaux lourds et organochlorés, indice de condition) utilisés conforte la qualité moindre de la zone estuarienne malgré des performances de croissance de l'anguille favorisées sur ces sites. Ainsi, cette étude supporte l'intérêt de la mise en oeuvre de descripteurs multiples utilisés (niveaux de métaux lourds et organochlorés dans les tissus mous, réponse moléculaire au stress chimique, microchimie de l'otolithe, indice de condition, taux de croissance) dans des approches intégrées pour comprendre et préciser les relations existantes entre l'anguille et ses zones de croissance continentales.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/these-7381.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/7381/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Magnolia Press
Résumé : International audience
Hydroporus galloprovincialis sp. n. is described from Jouques, north-east of Aix-en-Provence in south-eastern France (Provence). The new species belongs to the Hydroporus memnonius-group, within which it is the only ascertained normandi-complex species of the French fauna. The habitat (small springs) and morphological features of the species suggest a semi-subterranean life style. It can be separated from the other species of the complex notably by its more elongated and parallel-sided habitus, by its wider pronotum and flatter dorsal surface, and furthermore differs from H. normandi Regimbart, 1903 by a different shape of the gonocoxa. Illustrations are provided for other described normandi-complex species and subspecies for comparison. Analyses of partial cox1 sequences indicate that the three sampled H. normandi-complex species (H. galloprovincialis sp. n., H. normandi and H. lluci Fery, 1999) diverged recently; their relationships are unresolved. H. galloprovincialis sp. n. is for the moment the only species of the genus Hydroporus Clairville, 1806 endemic to continental France.
ISSN: 1175-5326

hal-01544484
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544484
DOI : 10.11646/zootaxa.3652.4.4

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
The Black Curassow (Crax alector) is a large game bird with Vulnerable conservation status found in north-centralSouth America. We examined its distributional pattern across French Guiana using a large number of environmentaldescriptors at 3 scales of analysis: landscape, forest type, and microhabitat. We used a hierarchical model withtemporary emigration and imperfect detection for data collected by standard distance sampling methods at 35study sites. At the landscape scale, Black Curassow density decreased with hunting pressure and increased withsteeper slopes in both hunted and unhunted areas. Topography appeared to be a good proxy for Black Curassowecological requirements and probably reflected habitat quality. At the forest scale, population density wasnegatively correlated with the abundance of palms and Mimosoideae and positively correlated with the abundanceof Lauraceae. Botanical families did not directly influence Black Curassow distribution, but rather determined spatialpatterns by being markers of a particular forest type. At the microhabitat scale, Black Curassows used hilltops morefrequently than other parts of the local topographical gradient. Our multiscale analysis shows that this species’distribution can be explained by biotic or abiotic conditions, regardless of the scale. For conservation, werecommend maintaining connectivity between Black Curassow populations separated by hunted areas. Ourpredicted densities could be used to adapt hunting quotas across French Guiana’s forests. We show that combiningfield and remote sensing data helps to understand the ecological processes responsible for Black Curassow habitatrelationships.
The Condor Ornithological Applications

hal-01455653
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01455653
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01455653/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01455653/file/condor-15-28.1.pdf
DOI : 10.1650/CONDOR-15-28.1

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) : Université des Antilles Études caribéennes
Résumé : La mer des Caraïbes abrite une diversité de biotopes littoraux qui favorisent l’installation de trois écosystèmes - les récifs coralliens, les mangroves et les herbiers – riches et complexes. On y trouve également d’autres formations uniques tels les stromatolithes ou les trous bleus. Des conditions climatiques et océanographiques homogènes permettent à l’ensemble du bassin Caraïbe de constituer une unité sur les plans floristique et faunistique. Cette unité n’exclut pas une diversité biologique exceptionnelle avec notamment des espèces endémiques à la zone ; ce qui confère aux côtes des pays caribéens un intérêt écologique, paysager et scientifique certain. La reconnaissance sur le plan international et régional de l’importance de la Mer des Caraïbes mais aussi de sa fragilité a permis au milieu marin caribéen d’acquérir son statut de patrimoine naturel.En plus des services écosystémiques qu’elle rend (ressources halieutiques, protection des littoraux…), la Mer des Caraïbes constitue un atout indéniable dans le cadre du développement touristique de la zone aussi bien par le balnéaire que, plus récemment, par l’écotourisme. Ce dernier s’appuie généralement sur des aires marines protégées et doit permettre un développement durable des îles.A partir d’une étude de cas, le parc marin de Saba, l’objectif de cette étude est d’analyser les rapports entre patrimoine naturel marin et l’écotourisme, ainsi que les impacts économiques, sociaux et environnementaux de la mise en valeur de ces ressources.
The Caribbean Sea is home to a diversity of coastal habitats that support the installation of three rich and complex ecosystems - coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses -. There are also other unique formations such as stromatolites or blue holes. Oceanographic and climatic conditions allow homogeneous throughout the Caribbean basin to form a unit in terms of flora and fauna. This unit does not exclude an exceptional biological diversity, including species endemic to the area, which give the coasts of the Caribbean countries an ecological, landscape and some science. Recognition on the international and regional importance of the Caribbean Sea but also its fragile marine environment has allowed the Caribbean to gain its status as a natural heritage.In addition to the ecosystem services it render (fisheries, coastal protection ...), the Caribbean Sea is a definite asset in the development of tourism in the area by the seaside as well as, more recently, ecotourism. The latter is generally based on marine protected areas and should facilitate the sustainable development of islands.From a case study, the Saba Marine Park, the objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between natural heritage and marine ecotourism, as well as economic, social and environmental development of these resources.
Saba

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
urn:doi:10.4000/etudescaribeennes.5487
http://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/5487

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : The diversity and functional identity of organisms are known to be relevant to the maintenance of ecosystem processes but can be variable in different environments. Particularly, it is uncertain whether ecosystem processes are driven by complementary effects or by dominant groups of species. We investigated how community structure (i.e., the diversity and relative abundance of biological entities) explains the community-level contribution of Neotropical ant communities to different ecosystem processes in different environments. Ants were attracted with food resources representing six ant-mediated ecosystem processes in four environments: ground and vegetation strata in cropland and forest habitats. The exploitation frequencies of the baits were used to calculate the taxonomic and trophic structures of ant communities and their contribution to ecosystem processes considered individually or in combination (i.e., multifunctionality). We then investigated whether community structure variables could predict ecosystem processes and whether such relationships were affected by the environment. We found that forests presented a greater biodiversity and trophic complementarity and lower dominance than croplands, but this did not affect ecosystem processes. In contrast, trophic complementarity was greater on the ground than on vegetation and was followed by greater resource exploitation levels. Although ant participation in ecosystem processes can be predicted by means of trophic-based indices, we found that variations in community structure and performance in ecosystem processes were best explained by environment. We conclude that determining the extent to which the dominance and complementarity of communities affect ecosystem processes in different environments requires a better understanding of resource availability to different species.
ISSN: 0029-8549

hal-01606497
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01606497
DOI : 10.1007/s00442-016-3741-z
PRODINRA : 407457

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
Hydrothermal circulation at ultramafic-hosted sites supports a large variety of high-and low-temperature hydrothermal vents and associated ecosystems. The discovery of abundant fossil vesicomyid and thyasirid shell accumulations at the ridge crest, approximately 2.5 km east of the active Rainbow vent field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR, 36 degrees 13'N), increased our knowledge regarding the diversity of vent communities at slow spreading ridges. Bivalve molluscs of the family Vesicomyidae were represented by the genus Phreagena. Here we present the first record of this genus in the Atlantic Ocean. This second vesicomyid species known from the MAR, Phreagena sp., was found to be associated with a Thyasira species that is affiliated with T. southwardae (at the Logatchev vent field on the MAR) and with T. vulcolutre (in the Gulf of Cadiz). These two clams have close relationships with seep taxa along the continental margin, and were likely associated with sedimented vent fields. delta O-18 and delta C-13 analyses of the shells suggested that the burrowing bivalve Thyasira could incorporate isotopically light carbon, derived from the oxidation of methane in the sediment, while the signature of Phreagena sp. shells denoted a different carbonate source. C-14 dating of the shells denoted that the hydrothermal activity in the Rainbow area began at least similar to 25.5 kyr BP, which is similar to the model of the hydrothermal vent field distribution that was proposed for the Logatchev hydrothermal site. The results provide new insight regarding the diversity of chemosynthetic fauna on the MAR over geologic time. Ultramafic-hosted, on-axis sedimented vent fields extend the range of habitats for chemosynthetic communities, underlying the need to further explore the geology of these types of environments on slow-spreading ridges and to determine their role in the ecology of deep-sea vent communities.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00523467
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00523467
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00523467/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00523467/file/G3-Lartaud-_-al.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2010GC003079

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