Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Royal Society, The
Résumé : There is broad consensus that the diversity of functional traits within species assemblages drives several ecological processes. It is also widely recognized that rare species are the first to become extinct following human-induced disturbances. Surprisingly, however, the functional importance of rare species is still poorly understood, particularly in tropical species-rich assemblages where the majority of species are rare, and the rate of species extinction can be high. Here, we investigated the consequences of local and regional extinctions on the functional structure of species assemblages. We used three extensive datasets (stream fish from the Brazilian Amazon, rainforest trees from French Guiana, and birds from the Australian Wet Tropics) and built an integrative measure of species rarity versus commonness, combining local abundance, geographical range, and habitat breadth. Using different scenarios of species loss, we found a disproportionate impact of rare species extinction for the three groups, with significant reductions in levels of functional richness, specialization, and originality of assemblages, which may severely undermine the integrity of ecological processes. The whole breadth of functional abilities within species assemblages, which is disproportionately supported by rare species, is certainly critical in maintaining ecosystems particularly under the ongoing rapid environmental transitions.
ISSN: 0962-8452

hal-01532639
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01532639
DOI : 10.1098/rspb.2016.0084
PRODINRA : 384617

Éditeur(s) : Physiomar 08 Physilogical aspects of reproduction, nutrition and growth "Marine molluscs in a changing environment"
Résumé : Bonamiosis is a parasitic disease (causative agent: Bonamia ostreae) affecting the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis, responsible for a drastic decline in the aquaculture production of this oyster species. Therefore a selective breeding program for resistance to bonamiosis has been undertaken since 1985 bu Ifremer, leading to the production of several selected oyster families. In the present study, a 6-month cohabitation challenge experiment was performed in order to transmit the disease from wild oysters (injected with the parasite) to two tested families of oysters originating from the selective breeding program. Mortalities were checked daily, and ventricular heart smears were performed on dying or moribund oysters to detect the level of infection to B. ostreae. The first infections occurred after 4 months of challenge in the tested oysters (Family 1 and Family 2). The cumulative mortalities after 5 monts were 58% for the wil oysters, 9% for Family 1 (20-month old at the beginning of the experiment) and 20% for Family 2 (8-month, old). The parasite could be detected in 66.8% of the dying wild oysters, 67.5% of the dying oysters of Family 1, 89% of the dying oysters of Family 2 and only 11% of the surviving oysters of Family 2. The mortality was significantly higher in Family 2 thant in Family 1 (x2= 20.87, p<0.001, d.f.) as well as the level of infection by the parasite found in heart smear (x2=24.34, p<0.001, 4 d.f.). This result demonstrates that prespawning oysters as yong as 1 year-old can become infected with the parasite and die from bonamiosis. This result is inconsistent with the commonly accepted critical age of 2 years-old for the disease development. The most probable cause of the dscrepancy in the development of bonamiosis between the 2 tested families is a difference in genetic background.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/acte-4535.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/4535/

Éditeur(s) : Montpellier 1
Résumé : Understanding bioaccumulation mechanisms of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is a major issue for environmental risk assessment. In this work, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a model contaminant family, has been studied in the European hake (Merluccius merluccius), a high trophic level species from the Gulf of Lions. High concentrations of PCBs were measured in hake from this area compared to those encountered in the population of the Bay of Biscay. PCB biomagnification was highlighted along its food web from marine phytoplankton, suggesting a strong influence of diet on contamination levels. The role of other biological processes was also apprehended in order to understand the high variability of observed levels. Thus, growth, sex, and also the degree of sexual maturity appear as major factors explaining the measured concentrations in fish. A PCB bioaccumulation model in the hake, based on the Dynamic Energy Budget theory (DEB), was developed. This approach is based on a bioenergetic model, reproducing the main physiological functions of an organism (feeding, growth and reproduction), coupled with a kinetic model of contaminants. The growth and evolution of contamination levels of several PCB congeners during the life of male and female hakes is satisfactorily simulated, both in the Gulf of Lions and in the Bay of Biscay, validating the processes taken into account. This combined modelling approach appears well adapted to study the fate of contaminants in fish, and paves the way for a realistic understanding of their effects on major biological functions of fish.
La compréhension des mécanismes de bioaccumulation des contaminants organiques persistants (POP) est un enjeu majeur pour l'évaluation des risques environnementaux. Lors de ce travail, le devenir d'une famille de contaminants modèles, les polychlorobiphényles (PCB), a été étudié chez une espèce de rang trophique élevé du golfe du Lion, le merlu Européen (Merluccius merluccius). Des concentrations élevées en PCB ont été mesurées dans les merlus de ce secteur en comparaison à celles rencontrées dans la population du golfe de Gascogne. La mise en évidence d'une bioamplification des PCB le long de son réseau trophique, depuis le phytoplancton marin, suggère une influence importante de l'alimentation sur les niveaux de contamination. Le rôle d'autres processus biologiques a également été appréhendé afin de comprendre la forte variabilité des niveaux observés. Ainsi, la croissance, le sexe, mais également le degré de maturité sexuel apparaissent comme des facteurs explicatifs majeurs des concentrations en PCB mesurées dans les poissons. Un modèle de bioaccumulation des PCB chez le merlu, basé sur la théorie de Budget d'Energie Dynamique (DEB), a été développé. Il s'agit d'une approche basée sur le couplage d'un modèle bioénergétique, reproduisant les principales fonctions physiologiques de l'organisme (nutrition, croissance et reproduction), avec un modèle de cinétique des contaminants. La croissance et l'évolution des niveaux de contamination de plusieurs congénères de PCB au cours de la vie des merlus mâles et femelles est simulée de manière satisfaisante, tant dans le golfe de Gascogne que dans le golfe du Lion, validant ainsi les processus pris en compte. Cette approche combinée de modélisation apparaît tout à fait adaptée à l'étude du devenir des contaminants chez les poissons, et ouvre la voie à une compréhension réaliste de leurs effets sur les grandes fonctions biologiques de ces organismes.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/these-6490.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6490/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
The effects of biodiversity on the transmission of infectious diseases now stand as a cornerstone of many public health policies. The upper Amazonia and Guyana shield are hot-spots of biodiversity that offer genuine opportunities to explore the relationship between the risk of transmission of Chagas disease and the diversity of its triatomine vectors. Over 730 triato-mines were light-trapped in four geomorphological landscapes shaping French-Guiana, and we determined their taxonomic status and infection by Trypanosoma cruzi. We used a model selection approach to unravel the spatial and temporal variations in species abundance , diversity and infection. The vector community in French-Guiana is typically made of one key species (Panstrongylus geniculatus) that is more abundant than three secondary species combined (Rhodnius pictipes, Panstrongylus lignarius and Eratyrus mucronatus), and four other species that complete the assemblage. Although the overall abundance of adult triatomines does not vary across French-Guiana, their diversity increases along a coastal-inland gradient. These variations unravelled a non-monotonic relationship between vector biodiversity and the risk of transmission of Chagas disease, so that intermediate biodiversity levels are associated with the lowest risks. We also observed biannual variations in triatomine abundance, representing the first report of a biannual pattern in the risk of Cha-gas disease transmission. Those variations were highly and negatively correlated with the average monthly rainfall. We discuss the implications of these patterns for the transmission of T. cruzi by assemblages of triatomine species, and for the dual challenge of controlling Amazonian vector communities that are made of both highly diverse and mostly intrusive species.
ISSN: 1935-2727

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01298091
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01298091
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01298091/document
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01298091/file/journal.pntd.0004427.PDF
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004427

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
High sea surface temperature accompanied by high levels of solar irradiance is responsible for the disruption of the symbiosis between cnidarians and their symbiotic dinoflagellates from the genus Symbiodinium. This phenomenon, known as coral bleaching, is one of the major threats affecting coral reefs around the world. Because an important molecular trigger to bleaching appears related to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), it is critical to understand the function of the antioxidant network of Symbiodinium species. In this study we investigated the response of two Symbiodinium species, from contrasting environments, to a chemically induced oxidative stress. ROS produced during this oxidative burst reduced photosynthesis by 30 to 50% and significantly decreased the activity of superoxide dismutase. Lipid peroxidation levels and carotenoid concentrations, especially diatoxanthin, confirm that these molecules act as antioxidants and contribute to the stabilization of membrane lipids. The comparative analysis between the two Symbiodinium species allowed us to highlight that Symbiodinium sp. clade A temperate was more tolerant to oxidative stress than the tropical S. kawagutii clade F. These differences are very likely a consequence of adaptation to their natural environment, with the temperate species experiencing conditions of temperature and irradiance much more variable and extreme.
ISSN: 0140-7791

hal-01546161
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01546161
DOI : 10.1111/pce.12825

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : Architectural analyses of temperate tree species using a chronological approach suggest that the expression of epicormic branches is closely related to low growth rates in the axes that make up the branching system. Therefore, sole consideration of epicormic criteria may be sufficient to identify trees with low secondary growth levels or with both low primary and secondary growth levels. In a tropical tree such as Dicorynia guianensis (basralocus), where chronological studies are difficult, this relationship could be very useful as an easily accessible indicator of growth potentials. A simple method of architectural tree description was used to characterize the global structure of more than 1650 basralocus trees and to evaluate their growth level. Measurements of simple growth characters [height, basal diameter, internode length of submittal part (top of the main axis of the tree)] and the observation of four structural binary descriptors on the main stem (presence of sequential branches and young epicormic branches, state of the submittal part, global orientation), indicated that epicormic branch formation is clearly related to a decrease in length of the successive growth units of the main stem. Analysis of height vs. diameter ratios among different tree subgroups, with and without epicormic branching, suggested that trees with epicormic branches generally have a low level of secondary growth compared with primary growth.
ISSN: 0305-7364

hal-01032037
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032037
DOI : 10.1093/aob/mcg119

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : Functional aspects of biodiversity were investigated in a lowland tropical rainforest in French Guyana (5°2'N, annual precipitation 2200 mm). We assessed leaf '15N as a presumptive indicator of symbiotic N2 fixation, and leaf and wood cellulose '13C as an indicator of leaf intrinsic water-use efficiency (CO2 assimilation rate/leaf conductance for water vapour) in dominant trees of 21 species selected for their representativeness in the forest cover, their ecological strategy (pioneers or late successional stage species, shade tolerance) or their potential ability for N2 fixation. Similar measurements were made in trees of native species growing in a nearby plantation after severe perturbation (clear cutting, mechanical soil disturbance). Bulk soil '15N was spatially quite uniform in the forest (range 3-5‰), whereas average leaf '15N ranged from m0.3‰ to 3.5‰ in the different species. Three species only, Diplotropis purpurea, Recordoxylon speciosum (Fabaceae), and Sclerolobium melinonii (Caesalpiniaceae), had root bacterial nodules, which was also associated with leaf N concentrations higher than 20 mg gm1. Although nodulated trees displayed significantly lower leaf '15N values than non-nodulated trees, leaf '15N did not prove a straightforward indicator of symbiotic fixation, since there was a clear overlap of '15N values for nodulated and non-nodulated species at the lower end of the '15N range. Perturbation did not markedly affect the difference '15Nsoil m '15Nleaf, and thus the isotopic data provide no evidence of an alteration in the different N acquisition patterns. Extremely large interspecific differences in sunlit leaf '13C were observed in the forest (average values from m31.4 to m26.7‰), corresponding to intrinsic water-use efficiencies (ratio CO2 assimilation rate/leaf conductance for water vapour) varying over a threefold range. Wood cellulose '13C was positively related to total leaf '13C, the former values being 2-3‰ higher than the latter ones. Leaf '13C was not related to leaf '15N at either intraspecific or interspecific levels. '13C of sunlit leaves was highest in shade hemitolerant emergent species and was lower in heliophilic, but also in shade-tolerant species. For a given species, leaf '13C did not differ between the pristine forest and the disturbed plantation conditions. Our results are not in accord with the concept of existence of functional types of species characterized by common suites of traits underlying niche differentiation; rather, they support the hypothesis that each trait leads to a separate grouping of species.
ISSN: 0029-8549

hal-01032378
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032378
DOI : 10.1007/s004420050593

Éditeur(s) : Université de La Rochelle
Résumé : Shrimp aquaculture in New Caledonia is a developing industry, exclusively based on the species Litopenaeus stylirostris. However, it is subject to mortalities during grow out as observed all over the world. Since 1993, shrimp reared during the cold period are affected by a disease named "syndrome 93". As a consequence, the whole industry has become seasonal and produces essentially during the warm season. The climatic conditions during the periods of transition between the two main seasons could be responsible for an environmental stress and the origin reason for mortality outbreaks. Stocking density is the main risk factor. It increases the probability of the appearance and development of the epizooty in the pond. The "Summer Syndrome", a septicemic vibriosis caused by Vibrio nigripulchritudo, was identified for the first time in December 1997 in an intensive shrimp farm (DF). It has become enzootic ever since and is expressed after 50d of rearing. Since 2003, two others farms located near DF have developed the disease. As a consequence, the summer syndrome is considered to be a potential threat for all the industry. Between 1991 and 2005, the increase of feed input and nitrogen levels in feed has led to a significant increase in the growth rate over the years in the farms affected by the disease. In consequence, an early eutrophication of the water is observed, which is concomitant with the beginning of the mortality outbreaks. An early eutrophication and the virulence level of the pathogen are considered as the main risk factors of the disease. Factors may act synergistically to explain the summer syndrome. As part of a multidisciplinary approach (pathology – physiology – environment), two high-frequency surveys were carried out to analyse the pond ecosystem. Since the feed quantity increases with the biomass of shrimp, the eutrophication level of the pond ecosystem will also tend to increase with the duration of rearing. During the first part of the rearing, the abundance of each picoplankton type is exceptionally high and picophytoplankton dominated the autotrophic compartment. The nanophytoplankton dominated the second part of the rearing and was more unstable. The shift from pico to nanophytoplankton could be considered as an environmental stress and was observed in relation to the beginning of the mortalities, whatever the disease. Shift intensity could play a role by inducing directly or indirectly a stress for shrimp and/or a growth and/or virulence factors of the pathogen. Results from sediment studies show that mortality was best characterized by TAN concentration in pore water and even more when the TAN concentration was high. TAN and pH are potential stress factors for shrimp reared in ponds affected by these diseases.
L'aquaculture mondiale de crevettes est un secteur à très forte croissance. Toutefois, les problèmes liés aux maladies dans les élevages ne cessent d'augmenter depuis 1980. Au cours du développement de la filière de Nouvelle-Calédonie, deux épisodes saisonniers de mortalités associées à la présence de Vibrio pathogènes sont apparus et ont fortement perturbé les techniques et les schémas de production. Les premières mortalités hivernales, décrites sous le nom de « syndrome 93 » ont été observées en mai 1993. Elles ont affecté depuis tous les élevages de saison froide de toutes les fermes de production. Les conditions climatiques pendant les périodes de transitions entre les deux principales saisons caractérisant le climat de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, seraient responsables d'un stress environnemental à l'origine du déclenchement du syndrome 93. La densité initiale d'ensemencement, apparaît comme le principal facteur de risque, augmentant la probabilité d'apparition de la maladie et l'ampleur de ses effets. Le « syndrome d'été » a été identifié pour la première fois en 1997 dans une ferme pratiquant une production intensive. Il s'est déclaré depuis 2003 dans deux autres fermes géographiquement proches. Les mortalités apparaissent 58 jours en moyenne après l'ensemencement des post-larves dans les bassins. La recherche d'une croissance maximale des animaux a induit, avec les années, une intensification progressive du système caractérisée par une augmentation de la quantité d'aliment distribuée. L'examen des données historiques fait apparaître une eutrophisation du milieu de plus en plus précoce concomitante au déclenchement des mortalités. En l'état actuel de nos connaissances, cette évolution précoce de l'écosystème en présence de façon récurrente de la souche hautement pathogène du Vibrio incriminé et à une période où la fréquence des mues des crevettes est élevée, constitue le principal facteur de risque de la maladie. Avec l'apport croissant en aliment, la colonne d'eau évolue vers une autotrophie croissante alors que le sédiment devient de plus en plus hétérotrophe au fur et à mesure que l'élevage progresse. Au cours du processus d'eutrophisation, le compartiment autotrophe montre une succession de deux assemblages. Le picophytoplancton domine sur la première partie de l'élevage et laisse place à du nanophytoplancton en seconde partie. Cette phase de transition, concomitante à l'apparition des mortalités quel que soit le syndrome, caractérise un stress environnemental dont l'intensité pourrait favoriser ou non le déclenchement des mortalités. Les suivis de différents indicateurs dans les sédiments - pH, potentiel d'oxydoréduction et concentration en ammoniaque dans l'eau interstitielle – indiquent dans les bassins déclarant les épizooties des conditions qui ont été définies expérimentalement comme potentiellement plus stressantes pour les animaux.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2007/these-2643.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/2643/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Genetic diversity is crucial for species' maintenance and persistence, yet is often overlooked in conservation studies. Species diversity is more often reported due to practical constraints, but it is unknown if these measures of diversity are correlated. In marine invertebrates, adults are often sessile or sedentary and populations exchange genes via dispersal of gametes and larvae. Species with a larval period are expected to have more connected populations than those without larval dispersal. We assessed the relationship between measures of species and genetic diversity, and between dispersal ability and connectivity. We compiled data on genetic patterns and life history traits in nine species across five phyla. Sampling sites spanned 600km in the northwest Mediterranean Sea and focused on a 50-km area near Marseilles, France. Comparative population genetic approaches yielded three main results. (i) Species without larvae showed higher levels of genetic structure than species with free-living larvae, but the role of larval type (lecithotrophic or planktotrophic) was negligible. (ii) A narrow area around Marseilles, subject to offshore advection, limited genetic connectivity in most species. (iii) We identified sites with significant positive contributions to overall genetic diversity across all species, corresponding with areas near low human population densities. In contrast, high levels of human activity corresponded with a negative contribution to overall genetic diversity. Genetic diversity within species was positively and significantly linearly related to local species diversity. Our study suggests that local contribution to overall genetic diversity should be taken into account for future conservation strategies.
ISSN: 0962-1083

hal-01681650
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01681650
DOI : 10.1111/mec.14389

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Continental erosion and weathering destroy parts of the stratigraphic record. Analyses of the sedimentary filling of paleokarsts help completing the geological record of regions that have been submitted to post-depositional, long-term, continental evolution. Jurassic carbonate platform of Languedoc (South of France) has undergone several karstification phases from Cretaceous to Neogene. Later incision of canyons through the carbonate massifs allows to observe paleokarsts over 400m depth, within the massifs. Paleokarsts are partly filled with sediments. Some have yielded marine bioclasts (echinoderms, radiolars), foraminifera and nannofossils; others are composed of polygenic detrital sediments, including sources from the upstream Paleozoic basement (Cevennes). The age of the filling of successive paleokarsts can be constrained by structural relationships and by biostratigraphy. These findings suggests 1) the marine elements of the karstic filling relate to a Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene interval, while 2) the Paleozoic basement-sourced-sediments were trapped in the karst during Miocene to Present. Karstic sediment containing Early Paleocene foraminifera and nannofossils are found in paleokarsts cavities distributed across the entire thickness of the carbonate massif (≥350m). This requires base-level lowering and associated karstification, followed by base-level rise and karst filling of at least 350 m amplitude, respectively. The time interval corresponding to the occurrence of foraminifera and nannofossils in karsts covers 10 Myrs ; surprisingly, no equivalent marine sediments are preserved on the surface. In addition, analyses of the different forams species suggests several (up to 3) distinct karstification and marine filling cycles. Finally, sedimentological facies analysis of the karst filling reveals the following succession of processes: low energy settling of mudstone, high energy reworking, transport and deposition of silts and sandstones within the karst system. Integration of geological, paleontological and sedimentological data, leads to a polyphase scenario in response to repeated base-level variations, more than 350m amplitude. Such an amplitude excludes eustacy, and the improbable repeated sequence of uplift and subsidence rules out tectonics, as driving forces for base-level change, respectively. We propose that the high-amplitude base-level changes results from a succession of desiccation-flooding events of an endorheic, silled, basin during Early Paleogene. The later detrital assemblage sourced in the Cevennes occurs on perched paleosurfaces and in karst cavities across the whole 350m-deep canyon walls. When found on paleosurfaces, they correspond to the south-flowing Early Miocene fluvial drainage, and can be correlated downstream with the marine, well dated, Early Miocene, sediments. When found within the karst cavities, they correspond to successive base-level surfaces connected to the progressive incision of the canyon. This canyon incision is coeval with a Late Miocene uplift of the hinterland.
24th International Karstological School "Classical karst" : Paleokarst
Postojna, Slovenia

hal-01306683
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306683
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306683/document
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306683/file/Abstract_IKS.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Royal Society, The
Résumé : International audience
Many studies have focused on the impacts of climate change on biological assemblages, yet little is known about how climate interacts with other major anthropogenic influences on biodiversity, such as habitat disturbance. Using a unique global database of 1128 local ant assemblages , we examined whether climate mediates the effects of habitat disturbance on assemblage structure at a global scale. Species richness and evenness were associated positively with temperature, and negatively with disturbance. However, the interaction among temperature, precipitation and disturbance shaped species richness and evenness. The effect was manifested through a failure of species richness to increase substantially with temperature in transformed habitats at low precipitation. At low precipitation levels, evenness increased with temperature in undisturbed sites, peaked at medium temperatures in disturbed sites and remained low in transformed sites. In warmer climates with lower rainfall, the effects of increasing disturbance on species richness and evenness were akin to decreases in temperature of up to 98C. Anthropogenic disturbance and ongoing climate change may interact in complicated ways to shape the structure of assemblages, with hot, arid environments likely to be at greatest risk.
ISSN: 0962-8452

hal-01323255
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01323255
DOI : 10.1098/rspb.2015.0418

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are increasingly used for biodiversity conservation and the management of sustainable fisheries. The use of taxonomic surrogates in routine monitoring of the reserve effects on fish assemblages may represent a promising method due to its substantial technical and economic benefits. However, higher taxonomic ranks should be used as surrogates with caution, especially for fish, where the approach is still virtually undocumented. This study aims to shed light on relationships between taxonomic relatedness and ecological similarity, which is crucial to assess the relevance of species surrogacy to reflect species-level information and detect changes in fish related to protection regimes. By analyzing data from a Mediterranean MPA, we show that rather being related to taxonomic relationships, the ability of higher taxa to reflect species-level patterns was explained in terms of aggregation level and distribution of species within taxa. Null models using random aggregations of species were created to identify the best surrogates able to depict changes in responses of assemblages to protection observed at the species-level. Comparison of null model predictions with the more classical higher-taxon approach revealed that the latter was not reliable because, unlike null model outcomes, surrogates determined empirically were not relevant for other subsequent independent monitoring. The effectiveness of species surrogates to depict changes in responses of assemblages to protection observed at the species-level depended (1) on the numerical resolution of the aggregation and (2) the magnitude of differences between protected and unprotected locations. Such findings suggest that surrogacy approaches may be applied for routine monitoring of Mediterranean reef fish communities, although mere empirical determinations of sufficient taxonomy seems to be not reliable, legitimizing the use of alternative methods based on null models. Guidelines for the careful use of species surrogacy in the ecological evaluation of MPAs on fish assemblages are provided.
ISSN: 0006-3207

hal-01174428
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01174428
DOI : 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.06.002

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Ecological Society of America
Résumé : Herbivory is viewed as a major driver of plant evolution and the mostimportant energy pathway from plants to higher trophic levels. Therefore, understandingpatterns of herbivory on plants remains a key focus in evolution and ecology. Theevolutionary impacts of leaf herbivory include altering plant fitness, local adaptation, theevolution of defenses, and the diversification of plants as well as natural enemies. Leafherbivory also impacts ecological processes such as plant productivity, communitycomposition, and ecosystem nutrient cycling. Understanding the impact of herbivory onthese ecological and evolutionary processes requires species-specific, as opposed tocommunity-level, measures of herbivory. In addition, species-specific data enables the use ofmodern comparative methods to account for phylogenetic non-independence. Althoughhundreds of studies have measured natural rates of leaf consumption, we are unaware of anyaccessible compilation of these data. We created such a data set to provide the raw dataneeded to test general hypotheses relating to plant–herbivore interactions and to test theinfluence of biotic and abiotic factors on herbivory rates across large spatial scales. A largerepository will make this endeavor more efficient and robust. In total, we compiled 2641population-level measures for either annual or daily rates of leaf herbivory across 1145 speciesof vascular plants collected from 189 studies. All damage measures represent naturaloccurrences of herbivory that span numerous angiosperm, gymnosperm, and fern species. Toenable researchers to explore the causes of variation in herbivory and how these mightinteract, we added information about the study sites including: geolocation, climateclassification, habitat descriptions (e.g., seashore, grassland, forest, agricultural fields), andplant trait information concerning growth form and duration (e.g., annual vs. perennial). Wealso included extensive details of the methodology used to measure leaf damage, includingseasons and months of sampling, age of leaves, and the method used to estimate percentagearea missing. We anticipate that these data will make it possible to test important hypothesesin the plant–herbivore literature, including the plant apparency hypothesis, the latitudinalherbivorydefense hypothesis, the resource availability hypothesis, and the macroevolutionaryescalation of defense hypothesis.
ISSN: 0012-9658

hal-01601627
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01601627
DOI : 10.1890/13-1741.1
PRODINRA : 397136
PUBMED : 24870043

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-Blackwell Wiley
Résumé : The Late Early-to-Early Middle Eocene Zegdoumyidae are the oldest representatives of the order Rodentia to be known in Africa thus far. Despite the fragmentary nature of their fossil record, these early African rodents have been central in discussions surrounding the early evolutionary history of the Anomaluroidea clade (the living forms of which are the ‘scaly-tailed squirrels’, i.e. Anomaluridae). Here, we describe new dental remains attributable to Zegdoumys sbeitlai, a zegdoumyid from Tunisia (Djebel Chambi, CBI-1) dated at ca 50–45 Ma. The original material referred to this taxon was limited to four teeth documenting few dental loci. The new gathered material comprises practically all dental loci (except P4), thereby allowing a better description and characterization of this taxon. This Tunisian species is clearly distinct from its roughly coeval Algerian counterpart (Z. lavocati) or from the younger species recorded from Namibia (Z. namibiensis). We investigated the phylogenetic positions of Z. sbeitlai and the Zegdoumyidae in a high-level rodent phylogeny with a cladistic assessment of the dental evidence. Our results show that zegdoumyids represent the earliest offshoots (pectinately arranged) of a large clade that also encompasses the more advanced Eocene anomaluroids (here named Nementchamyidae), the Miocene Nonanomaluridae, and the stem and crown Anomaluridae. In this phylogenetic context, the species of Zegdoumys are the basalmost members of this large Anomaluroidea clade. Zegdoumyid taxa are therefore the oldest stem anomaluroid candidates, a statement which strengthens support for the hypothesis of the great antiquity of the Anomaluroidea clade in Africa. From a historical biogeography perspective, this assumption suggests that anomaluroids invaded Asia from Afro-Arabia sometime during the Middle Eocene, a dispersal event which was likely concomitant but opposite to the dispersals envisaged for the hystricognathous rodents and anthropoid primates from Asia to Afro-Arabia.
ISSN: 0300-3256

hal-01172007
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01172007
DOI : 10.1111/zsc.12095

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Inter-Research
Résumé : Precise knowledge of lifetime migrations is vital in exploited fish species, since all essential habitats must be protected to maintain sustainable stock levels. The present study used multi-element otolith fingerprints of the gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata (L.) to discriminate its main juvenile and adult habitats in the Languedoc-Roussillon region (Gulf of Lions, northwest Mediterranean) and infer the lifetime migrations of 12 individuals from the area (11 from the present day and 1 from the Roman era). This allowed for the first time the identification of key habitats for the successful completion of the species' life cycle in the Gulf of Lions, and the connectivity between them. Our results revealed that lagoon use by S. aurata is probably ancient (>2500 yr) and confirmed its current commonness. Yet, although most observed migration patterns were in accordance with the migratory behavior previously described for the species, strong inter-individual variations and new patterns in habitat use were detected. At the juvenile stage, a preference for shallow lagoons with low salinities was evidenced. Nevertheless, the first year of life can also be successfully completed in marine conditions. At the adult stage, lagoon use was shown to occur until at least age 4 yr, with periods of lagoon residency of up to 11 mo in a year, often including winter months. Because overwintering in the lagoons was previously thought to be impossible for S. aurata due to low temperatures, this finding has important implications for future stock management, especially since the species breeds in winter.
Marine Ecology Progress Series

hal-00682003
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00682003
DOI : 10.3354/meps09444

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé :  
A closed depression is defined as a geomorphologic element where a sediment depository is encircled by hillslopes. Despite the fact that closed depressions are often the only stagnant water points in many European landscapes, few ecological researches on their plant assemblages have been done. The main goal of this study was to give first results of the environmental factors responsible for the vegetation composition, richness and rarity in the closed depressions of the Lorraine biogeographical district (Belgium, France and grand-duche de Luxembourg). We surveyed for plant presence 85 forest and 77 grassland closed depressions. For each site, wetland area, local environmental factors and regional connectivities registered. For each species, the Ellenberg values were compiled. To investigate the main source of variation in species composition and in species richness (including richness in rare species), Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling analyses and Generalized Linear Models were respectively used. Species pools in forest (forest and preforest species) and in grassland (bog plants, pioneers, helophytes) were quite different. In both landscapes, a gradient from plants typical of basic high-productive soils to plants typical of acid low-productive soils reflects a shared successional gradient. The accumulation of organic matter allowed the establishment of Sphagnum spp., which slowly acidified the soil and thus acted as ecosystem engineers for the arrival of bog plants. Moreover, the species composition was additionally driven by the plant light tolerance in forests and by the plant water requirements in grasslands. Mechanisms of species accumulation (increase in species richness) were different in forests and in grasslands: respectively related to the plant light tolerance and to the wetland area. At the regional level, the averaged soil productivity was negatively related to the richness in rare species. Indeed, perennial highly-competitive plants such as Glyceria spp., Iris pseudacorus or Urtica dioica impeded the establishment of smaller and rarer species. At the habitat level, isolated closed depressions (due to either low connectivity or low grazing pressure) have more habitat rare species, giving evidences of dispersal limitation in plant assemblages of closed depressions.
ISSN: 0960-3115

hal-01032125
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032125
DOI : 10.1007/s10531-007-9227-x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé :  
Wood samples were taken from the upper and lower sides of 21 naturally tilted trees from 18 families of angiosperms in the tropical rain forest in French Guyana. The measurement of growth stresses ensured that the two samples were taken from wood tissues in a different mechanical state: highly tensile stressed wood on the upper side, called tension wood, and lower tensile stressed wood on the lower side, called opposite wood. Eight species had tension wood fibres with a distinct gelatinous layer (G-layer). The distribution of gelatinous fibres varied from species to species. One of the species, Casearia javitensis (Flacourtiaceae), showed a peculiar multilayered secondary wall in its reaction wood. Comparison between the stress level and the occurrence of G-layer indicates that the G-layer is not a key factor in the production of high tensile stressed wood.
IAWA Journal

hal-01032051
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032051

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We sought transversotrematid trematodes from French Polynesian fishes by examining 304 individual scaled fishes of 53 species from seven families known to harbour the family elsewhere. A single species was found at two locations in the Tuamotus Archipelago on two species of Chaetodontidae (Chaetodon auriga and Chaetodon ephippium) and one species of Lutjanidae (Lutjanus gibbus). The species closely resembles Transversotrema borboleta Hunter & Cribb, 2012 from chaetodontids and lutjanids of the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) but differs from it consistently in 8 base positions of ITS2 rDNA. This level of variation exceeds that between some clearly morphologically distinct pairs of species of Transversotrema and the form from French Polynesia is thus interpreted as a distinct, though cryptic, species and named Transversotrema polynesiae n. sp. The new species forms part of a complex of species, here characterised as the T. borboleta complex, associated with chaetodontids and lutjanids in the tropical Indo-West Pacific. Most of the putative species within this complex are yet to be described. Comparison of identical numbers of matched samples of fishes from French Polynesia, Heron Island (southern GBR) and Lizard Island (northern GBR) revealed 1, 4 and 10 species of Transversotrema respectively suggesting that the French Polynesian fauna is depauperate for this family. In addition to those species apparently missing from suitable hosts in French Polynesia, several species from further west infect fishes (especially Nemipteridae) that are themselves absent from French Polynesia. This dramatic east–west decline in richness contrasts strongly with what is known for monogeneans, which appear to maintain their richness over the same scale, and is more precipitate than is known for other groups of trematodes. The decline might be explained in part by the absence of the as yet unknown first intermediate hosts in French Polynesia. However, we predict that it is explained by other life cycle traits. We hypothesise that the characters of large short-lived cercariae, short-lived miracidia, the absence in the life-cycle of second intermediate hosts that are capable of transporting the species, and definitive and first intermediate hosts that have limited vagility combine to give marine Transversotrematidae limited dispersal capacity and a propensity for localised speciation.
ISSN: 1383-5769

hal-01333467
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01333467
DOI : 10.1016/j.parint.2013.11.009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Federation of American Society of Experimental Biology
Résumé : International audience
Testes of most male mammals present the particularity of being externalized from the body and are consequently slightly cooler than core body temperature (4-8 degrees C below). Although, hypothermia of the testis is known to increase germ cells apoptosis, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms, including cold sensors, transduction pathways, and apoptosis triggers. In this study, using a functional knockout mouse model of the cold and menthol receptors, dubbed transient receptor potential melastatine 8 (TRPM8) channels, we found that TRPM8 initiated the cold-shock response by differentially modulating cold- and heat-shock proteins. Besides, apoptosis of germ cells increased in proportion to the cooling level in control mice but was independent of temperature in knockout mice. We also observed that the rate of germ cell death correlated positively with the reactive oxygen species level and negatively with the expression of the detoxifying enzymes. This result suggests that the TRPM8 sensor is a key determinant of germ cell fate under hypothermic stimulation.Borowiec, A.-S., Sion, B., Chalmel, F., Rolland, A. D., Lemonnier, L., De Clerck, T., Bokhobza, A., Derouiche, S., Dewailly, E., Slomianny, C., Mauduit, C., Benahmed, M., Roudbaraki, M., Jegou, B., Prevarskaya, N., Bidaux, G. Cold/menthol TRPM8 receptors initiate the cold-shock response and protect germ cells from cold-shock-induced oxidation.
ISSN: 0892-6638

hal-01390973
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01390973
DOI : 10.1096/fj.201600257R
PUBMED : 27317670

Éditeur(s) : Public Library Science
Résumé : Estimating diversity and abundance of fish species is fundamental for understanding community structure and dynamics of coral reefs. When designing a sampling protocol, one crucial step is the choice of the most suitable sampling technique which is a compromise between the questions addressed, the available means and the precision required. The objective of this study is to compare the ability to sample reef fish communities at the same locations using two techniques based on the same stationary point count method: one using Underwater Visual Census (UVC) and the other rotating video (STAVIRO). UVC and STAVIRO observations were carried out on the exact same 26 points on the reef slope of an intermediate reef and the associated inner barrier reefs. STAVIRO systems were always deployed 30 min to 1 hour after UVC and set exactly at the same place. Our study shows that; (i) fish community observations by UVC and STAVIRO differed significantly; (ii) species richness and density of large species were not significantly different between techniques; (iii) species richness and density of small species were higher for UVC; (iv) density of fished species was higher for STAVIRO and (v) only UVC detected significant differences in fish assemblage structure across reef type at the spatial scale studied. We recommend that the two techniques should be used in a complementary way to survey a large area within a short period of time. UVC may census reef fish within complex habitats or in very shallow areas such as reef flat whereas STAVIRO would enable carrying out a large number of stations focused on large and diver-averse species, particularly in the areas not covered by UVC due to time and depth constraints. This methodology would considerably increase the spatial coverage and replication level of fish monitoring surveys.
Plos One (1932-6203) (Public Library Science), 2014-01 , Vol. 9 , N. 1 , P. -

Droits : 2014 Mallet et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00170/28132/26352.pdf
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0084344
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00170/28132/