Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-Blackwell
Résumé : International audience
1. 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. fenaoratus-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.
Functional Ecology

hal-01096909
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01096909
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2435-2011.01863.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : In habitat mosaics, plant populations face environmental heterogeneity over short geographical distances. Such steep environmental gradients can induce ecological divergence. Lowland rainforests of the Guiana Shield are characterized by sharp, short-distance environmental variations related to topography and soil characteristics (from waterlogged bottomlands on hydromorphic soils to well-drained terra firme on ferralitic soils). Continuous plant populations distributed along such gradients are an interesting system to study intrapopulation divergence at highly local scales. This study tested (1) whether conspecific populations growing in different habitats diverge at functional traits, and (2) whether they diverge in the same way as congeneric species having different habitat preferences. Phenotypic differentiation was studied within continuous populations occupying different habitats for two congeneric, sympatric, and ecologically divergent tree species (Eperua falcata and E. grandiflora, Fabaceae). Over 3000 seeds collected from three habitats were germinated and grown in a common garden experiment, and 23 morphological, biomass, resource allocation and physiological traits were measured. In both species, seedling populations native of different habitats displayed phenotypic divergence for several traits (including seedling growth, biomass allocation, leaf chemistry, photosynthesis and carbon isotope composition). This may occur through heritable genetic variation or other maternally inherited effects. For a sub-set of traits, the intraspecific divergence associated with environmental variation coincided with interspecific divergence. The results indicate that mother trees from different habitats transmit divergent trait values to their progeny, and suggest that local environmental variation selects for different trait optima even at a very local spatial scale. Traits for which differentiation within species follows the same pattern as differentiation between species indicate that the same ecological processes underlie intra- and interspecific variation.
ISSN: 0305-7364

hal-01032430
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032430
DOI : 10.1093/aob/mct176

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé :  
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are produced by a broad range of organisms, from bacteria to mammals, and they represent a vast chemical diversity. In plants, one of the preeminent roles of VOCs is their repellent or cytotoxic activity, which helps the plant deter its predators. Most studies on VOCs emitted by vegetative parts have been conducted in model plant species, and little is known about patterns of VOC emissions in diverse plant communities. We conducted a survey of the VOCs released immediately after mechanical damage of the bark and the leaves of 195 individual trees belonging to 55 tropical tree species in a lowland rainforest of French Guiana. We discovered a remarkably high chemical diversity, with 264 distinct VOCs and a mean of 37 compounds per species. Two monoterpenes (α-pinene and limonene) and two sesquiterpenes (β-caryophyllene and α-copaene), which are known to have cytotoxic and deterrent effects, were the most frequent compounds in the sampled species. As has been established for floral scents, the blend of VOCs is largely species-specific and could be used to discriminate among 43 of the 55 sampled species. The species with the most diverse blends were found in the Sapindales, Laurales, and Magnoliales, indicating that VOC diversity is not uniformly distributed among tropical species. Interspecific variation in chemical diversity was caused mostly by variation in sesquiterpenes. This study emphasizes three aspects of VOC emission by tropical tree species: the species-specificity of the mixtures, the importance of sesquiterpenes, and the wide-ranging complexity of the mixtures.
ISSN: 0098-0331

hal-01032119
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032119
DOI : 10.1007/s10886-009-9718-1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment
Résumé : International audience
Due to the high level of endemic species that they support and the high threats they are facing, such as unsustainable limestone quarrying, hunting and urbanization, limestone karsts are recognized as biodiversity hotspots needing urgent protection. The first aim of our study was to investigate the mammal rodent diversity of Thai limestone karsts. Our second aim was to examine the diversity at a finer scale than the species level (intraspecific biodiversity) using phylogeographic approaches. Therefore, we studied the phylogeographic structure of a threatened rodent, endemic to limestone karsts of Thailand, the Murinae Leopoldamys neilli. We sampled 76 limestone karsts in whole Thailand and live-trapped 444 rodents including 115 Leopoldamys neilli. Our study revealed an important rodent diversity in Thai limestone karsts. Besides endemic rodent species, karsts also host typical forest species to which they provide forest refugia in deforested regions. At the intraspecific level, our study revealed an unexpected high level of genetic differentiation within the rodent species L. neilli. As each limestone area of Thailand is characterized by a particular genetic lineage of L. neilli, the destruction of these karsts would lead to the disappearance of unique intraspecific strains not found elsewhere. Our results highlight the importance of protecting limestone habitats to preserve not only their interspecific but also intraspecific rodent diversity that is highly threatened as more than 20% of limestone karsts in Thailand have already been quarried. Management plans of limestone, a non-renewable resource, should urgently take into account this high biological importance of karsts.
The 1st EnvironmentAsia International Conference on "Environmental Supporting in Food and Energy Security: Crisis and Opportunity"
Bangkok, Thailand

ird-00714455
http://hal.ird.fr/ird-00714455
http://hal.ird.fr/ird-00714455/document
IRD : fdi:010056152

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : We investigated the influence of bioturbation by macrofauna on the vertical distribution of living (stained) benthic foraminifera in marine intertidal sediments. We investigated the links between macrofaunal bioturbation and foraminiferal distribution, by sampling from stations situated on a gradient of perturbation by oyster-farming, which has a major effect on benthic faunal assemblages. Sediment cores were collected on the French Atlantic coast, from three intertidal stations: an oyster farm, an area without oysters but affected by oyster biodeposits, and a control station. Axial tomodensitometry (CT-scan) was used for three-dimensional visualization and two-dimensional analysis of the cores. Biogenic structure volumes were quantified and compared between cores. We collected the macrofauna, living foraminifera, shells and gravel from the cores after scanning, to validate image analysis. We did not investigate differences in the biogenic structure volume between cores. However, biogenic structure volume is not necessarily proportional to the extent of bioturbation in a core, given that many biodiffusive activities cannot be detected on CT-scans. Biodiffusors and larger gallery-diffusors were abundant in macrofaunal assemblage at the control station. By contrast, macrofaunal assemblages consisted principally of downward-conveyors at the two stations affected by oyster farming. At the control station, the vertical distribution of biogenic structures mainly built by the biodiffusor Scorbicularia plana and the large gallery-diffusor Hediste diversicolor was significantly correlated with the vertical profiles of living foraminifera in the sediment, whereas vertical distributions of foraminifera and downward-conveyors were not correlated at the station affected by oyster farming. This relationship was probably responsible for the collection of foraminifera in deep sediment layers (> 6 cm below the sediment surface) at the control station. As previously suggested for other species, oxygen diffusion may occur via the burrows built by S. plana and H. diversicolor, potentially increasing oxygen penetration and providing a favorable microhabitat for foraminifera in terms of oxygen levels. By contrast, the absence of living foraminifera below 6 cm at the stations affected by oyster farming was probably associated with a lack of biodiffusor and large gallery-diffusor bioturbation. Our findings suggest that the effect of macrofaunal bioturbation on the vertical distribution of foraminiferal assemblages in sediments depends on the effects of the macrofauna on bioirrigation and sediment oxidation, as deduced by Eh values, rather than on the biogenic structure volume produced by macrofauna. The loss of bioturbator functional diversity due to oyster farming may thus indirectly affect infaunal communities by suppressing favorable microhabitats produced by bioturbation.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (0022-0981) (Elsevier), 2009-03 , Vol. 371 , N. 1 , P. 20-33

Droits : 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6146.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.jembe.2008.12.012
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6146/

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
Résumé : The main objective of this thesis was to study the influence of Guianan terra firme rainforests types on medium- and large-sized vertebrates community organization. First, we choose a model species which permitted to develop an appropriate abundance estimation method which take into account the imperfect detection and temporary immigration of mobile species, and to test environmental conditions effects at different spatial scales of analysis. Second, given that bias due to animal detection can be important in the abundance estimation, we determinated the relative role of environmental conditions and species biological traits on detection probability. From this methodological framework, we studied then processes of community organization, by identifying the main determinants involved in community organization, using composition and alpha and beta diversities, and, in a complementary manner, three metrics (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic). We sought from these general framework to determinate the relative role of environmental conditions and historical contingency, responsible for the current community organization, and to test the forest refugia hypothesis. Finally, we downscaled the analysis to determinate, and tried to disentangle the effects of environmental conditions and interspecific interactions on species co-occurrence. We used then functional traits to test the relationship between species co-occurrence and similarities.This thesis highlights the important role of historical contingency and facilitation in the structure of regional diversity and the local assembly processes of medium- and large-sized vertebrates, respectively, in French Guiana.
Cette thèse a pour but d’étudier l'influence de l'hétérogénéité des forêts de terre ferme en Guyane sur l'organisation des communautés de moyens et grands vertébrés. Nous avons, d'abord, choisi une espèce modèle afin de déterminer une méthode adéquate d'estimation d'abondance prenant en compte la détection imparfaite et l'immigration temporaire des espèces, et de tester l'effet des conditions environnementales à différentes échelles d'analyse. Puis, partant du constat que les biais dus à la détection dans l'estimation d'abondance pouvaient être importants, nous avons déterminé l'importance relative des conditions environnementales et des traits biologiques des espèces sur la probabilité de détection. A partir de ce cadre d'étude, nous avons étudié la composition et les diversités alpha et beta en utilisant de façon complémentaire les métriques taxonomique, fonctionnelle, et phylogénétique pour déterminer le rôle relatif de l'environnement et de la contingence historique dans l'organisation des communautés, et de tester l’hypothèse des refuges forestiers. Enfin, en descendant dans l'échelle d'analyse, nous avons tenté de démêler l'effet de l'environnement et des interactions interspécifiques sur la cooccurrence des espèces, et utilisé les traits fonctionnels des espèces pour tester le lien entre cooccurrence et similitude fonctionnelle. Cette thèse met en avant les rôles prépondérants de la contingence historique et de la facilitation dans, respectivement, la structuration de la diversité régionale et les processus d’assemblages locaux des communautés de moyens et grands vertébrés en Guyane.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01537779

NNT : 2017YANE0004
tel-01537779
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01537779
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01537779/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01537779/file/these_thomas_denis.pdf

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 Wiley
Résumé : [b]Aim[/b][br/] Many tropical tree species have poorly delimited taxonomic boundaries and contain undescribed or cryptic species. We examined the genetic structure of a species complex in the tree genus Carapa in the Neotropics in order to evaluate age, geographic patterns of diversity and evolutionary relationships, and to quantify levels of introgression among currently recognized species.[br/] [br/] [b]Location[/b][br/] Lowland moist forests in the Guiana Shield, the Central and Western Amazon Basin, Chocó and Central America.[br/] [br/] [b]Methods[/b][br/] Genetic structure was analysed using seven nuclear simple sequence repeats (nuSSR), five chloroplast SSRs (cpSSR), and two chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) intergenic sequences (trnH-psbA and trnC-ycf6). Bayesian clustering analysis of the SSR data was used to infer population genetic structure and to assign 324 samples to their most likely genetic cluster. Bayesian coalescence analyses were performed on the two cpDNA markers to estimate evolutionary relationships and divergence times.[br/] [br/] [b]Results[/b][br/] Two genetic clusters (nu_guianensis and nu_surinamensis) were detected, which correspond to the Neotropical species C. guianensis (sensu latu) and C. surinamensis. Fourteen cpDNA haplotypes clustered into six haplogroups distributed between the two nuclear genetic clusters. Divergence between the haplogroups was initiated in the Miocene, with some haplotype structure evolving as recently as the Pleistocene. The absence of complete lineage sorting between the nuclear and chloroplast genomes and the presence of hybrid individuals suggest that interspecific reproductive barriers are incomplete. NuSSR diversity was highest in C. guianensis and, within C. guianensis, cpDNA diversity was highest in the Central and Western Amazon Basin. Regional genetic differentiation was strong but did not conform to an isolation-by-distance process or exhibit a phylogeographical signal.[br/] [br/] [b]Main conclusions[/b][br/] The biogeographical history of Neotropical Carapa appears to have been influenced by events that took place during the Neogene. Our results point to an Amazonian centre of origin and diversification of Neotropical Carapa, with subsequent migration to the Pacific coast of South America and Central America. Gene flow apparently occurs among species, and introgression events are supported by inconsistencies between chloroplast and nuclear lineage sorting. The absence of phylogeographical structure may be a result of the ineffectiveness of geographical barriers among populations and of reproductive isolation mechanisms among incipient and cryptic species in this species complex.
ISSN: 0305-0270

hal-01032395
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032395
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02678.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé :   Diffusion du document : INRA Antilles-Guyane, UMR ECOFOG, 97387 Kourou, Guyane (France) Diplôme : Master Recherche
il s'agit d'un type de produit dont les métadonnées ne correspondent pas aux métadonnées attendues dans les autres types de produit : DISSERTATION
The gravitropic reaction is a fundamental phenomenon in the life of the young trees in under-storey of a tropical rain forest. It enables them to preserve a growth in height even after a fall of remains or a wind fallen wood had leaning them. This reaction passes mainly by the differentiation of reaction wood and the offsetting of the radial growth. The gravitropic reaction is also under the control of various parameters such as the diameter of the stems, the hardness of wood, or masses they carried. The tropical rain forest contains a great specific diversity and ecological strategies. In this work we seek to know if this diversity is reflected in the strategies of recovery of the species in particular on a level of efficiency of reaction. We compared eight species of tropical rain forest with various ecological behaviours. We studied their changes in form in the course of time, as to their growth. We showed that there are indeed interspecific differences in the gravitropic reaction. Some behaviours are specific to some species. We also showed that for the majority of the species, the deformation energy is strongly correlated with the relative growth of the species.
Le redressement gravitropique est un phénomène fondamental dans la vie des jeunes arbres en sous-bois de forêt tropicale. Il leur permet de conserver une croissance en hauteur même après avoir subi la chute de débris ou même un chablis ayant conduit à leur inclinaison. Ce redressement passe principalement par la différentiation de bois de réaction et l’excentrement de la croissance radiale. Le redressement gravitropique est également sous le contrôle de différents paramètres tels que le diamètre des tiges, la dureté du bois, ou les masse portées. La forêt tropicale humide contient une grande diversité spécifique et de stratégies écologiques. Dans ce travail nous cherchons à savoir si cette diversité se reflète dans les stratégies de redressement des espèces notamment au niveau de l’efficience de la réaction. Nous avons comparé huit espèces de forêt tropicale humide avec différents comportements écologiques. Nous avons étudié leurs changements de forme au cours du temps, ainsi que leur croissance. Nous avons réussi à montrer qu’il existe effectivement des différences interspécifiques de redressement. Des comportements particuliers à certaines espèces ont pu être dégagés. Nous avons également montré que pour la majorité des espèces, l’énergie de déformation est fortement corrélée à la croissance relative de l’espèce.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01189172

hal-01189172
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01189172
PRODINRA : 11396

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Recent studies have shown that accounting for intraspecific trait variation (ITV) may better address major questions in community ecology. However, a general picture of the relative extent of ITV compared to interspecific trait variation in plant communities is still missing. Here, weconducted a meta-analysis of the relative extent of ITV within and among plant communities worldwide, using a data set encompassing 629 communities (plots) and 36 functional traits. Overall, ITV accounted for 25% of the total trait variation within communities and 32% of the totaltrait variation among communities on average. The relative extent of ITV tended to be greater for whole-plant (e.g. plant height) vs. organ-level traits and for leaf chemical (e.g. leaf N and P concentration) vs. leaf morphological (e.g. leaf area and thickness) traits. The relative amount of ITV decreased with increasing species richness and spatial extent, but did not vary with plant growth form or climate. These results highlight global patterns in the relative importance of ITV in plant communities, providing practical guidelines for when researchers should include ITV in trait-based community and ecosystem studies.
Ecology Letters

hal-01237101
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01237101
DOI : 10.1111/ele.12508
PUBMED : 26415616

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

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

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé :  
absent
Ecology management of a neotropical rainforest: lessons drawn from Paracou, a long-term experimental research site in French Guiana

ISBN : 2-84299-455-8
hal-01190858
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01190858
PRODINRA : 70132

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé :  
Termites represent one of the most abundant belowground animal taxa in tropical rainforests, where their species richness is much higher than in any other ecosystem. This high diversity in soil ecosystems is however difficult to explain by classical Hutchinsonian niche theory, as there is little evidence for spatial or temporal separation between species. Using delta(13)C and delta(15)N isotopic ratios, we tested if resource partitioning along the humification gradient occurs; in neotropical soldierless termites of the Anoplotermes-group. Two distinct sites were investigated to check if interspecific differences are transposable between sites. Significant differences in delta(15)N were found between species of the Anoplotermes-group. Although some species displayed higher intersite delta(15)N variation than others, species-average delta(15)N values for both sites were highly correlated, showing that sympatric soldierless soil-feeding termites feed on distinct components of the soil. Our data also suggest that some species are more likely to shift along this gradient than others, in response to overall habitat conditions or to the presence of competitors. Feeding niche differentiation can therefore account for the high species richness and diversity of soldierless soil-feeding termites in neotropical rainforests.
ISSN: 0038-0717

hal-01032157
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032157
DOI : 10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.07.005

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé :  
The maintenance in the long run of a positive carbon balance under very low irradiance is a prerequisite for survival of tree seedlings below the canopy or in small gaps in a tropical rainforest. To provide a quantitative basis for this assumption, experiments were carried out to determine whether construction cost (CC) and payback time for leaves and support structures, as well as leaf life span (i) differ among species and (ii) display an irradiance-elicited plasticity. Experiments were also conducted to determine whether leaf life span correlates to CC and payback time and is close to the optimal longevity derived from an optimization model. Saplings from 13 tropical tree species were grown under three levels of irradiance. Specific-CC was computed, as well as CC scaled to leaf area at the metamer level. Photosynthesis was recorded over the leaf life span. Payback time was derived from CC and a simple photosynthesis model. Specific-CC displayed only little interspecific variability and irradiance-elicited plasticity, in contrast to CC scaled to leaf area. Leaf life span ranged from 4 months to >26 months among species, and was longest in seedlings grown under lowest irradiance. It was always much longer than payback time, even under the lowest irradiance. Leaves were shed when their photosynthesis had reached very low values, in contrast to what was predicted by an optimality model. The species ranking for the different traits was stable across irradiance treatments. The two pioneer species always displayed the smallest CC, leaf life span, and payback time. All species displayed a similar large irradiance-elicited plasticity.
ISSN: 0022-0957

hal-01032198
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032198
DOI : 10.1093/jxb/err092

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

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

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Paris : Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
Résumé : International audience
The chromosomal diversity within six species of Mormyridae belonging to six different genera (Gnathonemus petersii, Marcusenius moorii, Ivindomyrus obdenboschi, Brienomyrus sp., Stomatorhinus walkeri and Petrocephalus microphthalmus) is investigated for the first time. These species have a conserved diploid chromosome number of 2n = 50 (except G. petersii 2n = 48) but different chromosome formulae, essentially involving pericentric inversions. C-banding has been used for the localization of heterochromatin. For a deeper interspecific comparison, several molecular markers were localized in the chromosomes by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH): a 18S rDNA probe; a microsatellite probe (GAA)(10), and a telomeric probe (TTAGGG)(7). The distribution of the 18S rDNA patterns, in particular, shows an amazing specific diversity, confirming a rapid radiation accompanied by major chromosome rearrangements.
ISSN: 0399-0974

hal-01544756
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544756

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : Proper estimates of decomposition are essential for tropical forests, given their key role in the global carbon (C) cycle. However, the current paradigm for litter decomposition is insufficient to account for recent observations and may limit model predictions for highly diverse tropical ecosystems. In light of recent findings from a nutrient-poor Amazonian rainforest, we revisit the commonly held views that: litter traits are a mere legacy of live leaf traits; nitrogen (N) and lignin are the key litter traits controlling decomposition; and favourable climatic conditions result in rapid decomposition in tropical forests. Substantial interspecific variation in litter phosphorus (P) was found to be unrelated to variation in green leaves. Litter nutrients explained no variation in decomposition, which instead was controlled primarily by nonlignin litter C compounds at low concentrations with important soil fauna effects. Despite near-optimal climatic conditions, tropical litter decomposition proceeded more slowly than in a climatically less favourable temperate forest. We suggest that slow decomposition in the studied rainforest results from a syndrome of poor litter C quality beyond a simple lignin control, enforcing energy starvation of decomposers. We hypothesize that the litter trait syndrome in nutrient-poor tropical rainforests may have evolved to increase plant access to limiting nutrients via mycorrhizal associations.
ISSN: 0028-646X

hal-01032400
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032400
DOI : 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03483.x

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 Elsevier
Résumé : absent
Ecology and Management of a Neotropical Rainforest. Lessons drawn from Paracou, a long-term experimental research site in French Guiana

ISBN : 2-84299-455-8
hal-01189220
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01189220
PRODINRA : 16361