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Melieres, M. A., Pourchet, M., Charles-Dominique, P., & Gaucher, P. (2003). Mercury in canopy leaves of French Guiana in remote areas. Sci. Total Environ., 311(1-3), 261–267.
Abstract: A study of total Hg concentration in the foliage of the canopy was carried out in two remote areas in French Guiana. The sampled canopy is representative of the French Guiana canopy. The concentration in the foliage, 64+/-14 ng g(-1) (dry wt.), is used to estimate the annual input of total Hg to the soil through the litterfall, found to be 45+/-10 mug m(-2) y(-1). As translocation is negligible, mercury in the canopy originates mainly from atmospheric uptake by the leaves and this litterfall deposit represents a direct atmospheric input from the background atmospheric load into the soil. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: mercury; canopy; rainforest; Hg atmosphere soil transfer
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de Grandcourt, A., Epron, D., Montpied, P., Louisanna, E., Bereau, M., Garbaye, J., et al. (2004). Contrasting responses to mycorrhizal inoculation and phosphorus availability in seedlings of two tropical rainforest tree species. New Phytol., 161(3), 865–875.
Abstract: This work aimed at understanding the role of mycorrhizal status in phosphorus efficiency of tree seedlings in the tropical rainforest of French Guyana. Mycorrhizal colonization, growth, phosphorus content, net photosynthesis and root respiration were determined on three occasions during a 9-month growth period for seedlings of two co-occurring species (Dicorynia guianensis and Eperua falcata) grown at three soil phosphorus concentrations, with or without inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizas. Seedlings of both species were unable to absorb phosphorus in the absence of mycorrhizal association. Mycorrhizal seedlings exhibited coils that are specific of Paris-type mycorrhizae. Both species benefited from the mycorrhizal symbiosis in terms of phosphorus acquisition but the growth of E. falcata seedlings was unresponsive to this mycorrhizal improvement of phosphorus status, probably because of the combination of high seed mass and P reserves, with low growth rate. The two species belong to two different functional groups regarding phosphorus acquisition, D. guianensis being an obligate mycotrophic species.
Keywords: phosphorus; growth; efficiency; Paris-type arbuscular mycorrhizas; tropical rainforest; seedlings; Dicorynia guianensis; Eperua falcata
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Rockwell, C. A., Kainer, K. A., Staudhammer, C. L., & Baraloto, C. (2007). Future crop tree damage in a certified community forest in southwestern Amazonia. For. Ecol. Manage., 242(2-3), 108–118.
Abstract: Field studies in Acre, Brazil assessed logging impacts of a certified community timber management project. The main objectives of the study were: (1) to determine if damage incidence to future crop trees (FCTs; >= 20 cm diameter at breast height (dbh)) differs between (a) forest with and without bamboo (Guadua spp.), and (b) trees with and without lianas; (2) to what extent harvesting can be conducted more intensely (m(3)ha(-1)), without incurring greater FCT damage; and (3) to what extent marking diminishes FCT damage. Full inventories of FCTs of 50 commercial species complexes were conducted before and after logging in 50 m-radius zones of impact around each designated harvest tree in three 10 ha (200 m x 500 m) logging blocks. We also mapped all forested areas potentially influenced by logging, including skid trails, log landings and felling gaps, throughout the 30 ha logged. More than 28% of the forest area was disturbed by logging, with 12.1% in skid trails and 16.8% in gap clearings, indicating that the forest gap mosaic can be significantly altered even when reduced-impact logging guidelines are followed. Overall, 15% of FCTs inventoried were damaged. Damage rates were not significantly reduced by marking treatment, location in bamboo-dominated forest, or liana load on FCT damage. Harvest intensity did not influence the probability of FCT damage. For future studies, it would be prudent to address impacts of timber extraction on other livelihood activities, such as non-timber forest product collection, particularly in such regions as the Brazilian Amazon, where many communities are attempting to integrate a suite of income-generating activities. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: bamboo; community forest management; forest certification; Guadua; liana; marking; reduced-impact logging; RIL; timber management; tropical forest
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Rockwell, C., Kainer, K. A., Marcondes, N., & Baraloto, C. (2007). Ecological limitations of reduced-impact logging at the smallholder scale. For. Ecol. Manage., 238(1-3), 365–374.
Abstract: Reduced-impact logging (RIL) has many demonstrated benefits to the industrial logging operations for which they were developed. It is less clear whether these gains remain consistent in smallholder forest systems that increasingly play an important role in global conservation and that target a broader suite of outputs in their management schemes. We evaluate potential ecological consequences of five RIL components (pre-harvest inventories, harvest intensity, cutting cycles, skid trail planning, and liana cutting) when applied to small-scale operations in the Brazilian Amazon and provide suggestions for modifications to RIL guidelines for smallholder systems. Rapid assessment inventories of the entire landholding should be a part of crop tree selection to minimize inbreeding and recruitment failure. Additionally, while community-based taxonomists accurately identify species to common names, botanical samples must be verified with herbarium specimens to avoid market and ecological problems when multiple species share a single common name. We advocate that smallholder managers move beyond an emphasis on RIL guidelines, while still incorporating its basic tenets into practical application. Based on our analysis, this would include evaluating benefits of particular RIL components and assessing potential advantages that smallholders have over industrial operations. We suggest incorporating anthropogenically-generated forest patches of varying sizes and successional stages into a more formalized management system, incorporating and expanding on traditional ecological knowledge acquired over generations, and integrating enrichment plantings and tending of regeneration. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: community forest management; forest inventories; liana cutting; sustained yield; timber management; tropical forest conservation
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Nasr, H., Domenach, A. M., Ghorbel, M. H., & Benson, D. R. (2007). Divergence in symbiotic interactions between same genotypic PCR-RFLP Frankia strains and different Casuarinaceae species under natural conditions. Physiol. Plant., 130(3), 400–408.
Abstract: The symbiotic interactions between Frankia strains and their associated plants from the Casuarinaceae under controlled conditions are well documented but little is known about these interactions under natural conditions. We explored the symbiotic interactions between eight genotypically characterized Frankia strains and five Casuarinaceae species in long-term field trials. Characterization of strains was performed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for the nifD-nifK intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) and 16S-23S ITS. Assessments of the symbiotic interactions were based on nodulation patterns using nodule dry weight and viability, and on actual N-2 fixation using the delta N-15 method. The PCR-RFLP patterns showed that the analyzed strains belonged to the same genotypic group (CeD group), regardless of the host species and environment of origin. The nodule viability index is introduced as a new tool to measure the viability of perennial nodules and to predict their effectiveness. The host Casuarinaceae species was a key factor influencing both the actual N-2-fixing activity of the associated Frankia strain and the viability of nodules within a location. This is the first study providing information on the symbiotic interactions between genotypically characterized Frankia strains and actinorhizal plants under natural conditions. The results revealed a way to improve a long-term management of the Casuarinaceae symbiosis.
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Coutand, C., Fournier, M., & Moulia, B. (2007). The gravitropic response of poplar trunks: Key roles of prestressed wood regulation and the relative kinetics of cambial growth versus wood maturation. Plant Physiol., 144(2), 1166–1180.
Abstract: In tree trunks, the motor of gravitropism involves radial growth and differentiation of reaction wood (Archer, 1986). The first aim of this study was to quantify the kinematics of gravitropic response in young poplar (Populus nigra x Populus deltoides, 'I4551') by measuring the kinematics of curvature fields along trunks. Three phases were identified, including latency, upward curving, and an anticipative autotropic decurving, which has been overlooked in research on trees. The biological and mechanical bases of these processes were investigated by assessing the biomechanical model of Fournier et al. (1994). Its application at two different time spans of integration made it possible to test hypotheses on maturation, separating the effects of radial growth and cross section size from those of wood prestressing. A significant correlation between trunk curvature and Fournier's model integrated over the growing season was found, but only explained 32% of the total variance. Moreover, over a week's time period, the model failed due to a clear out phasing of the kinetics of radial growth and curvature that the model does not take into account. This demonstrates a key role of the relative kinetics of radial growth and the maturation process during gravitropism. Moreover, the degree of maturation strains appears to differ in the tension woods produced during the upward curving and decurving phases. Cell wall maturation seems to be regulated to achieve control over the degree of prestressing of tension wood, providing effective control of trunk shape.
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Luyssaert, S., Inglima, I., Jung, M., Richardson, A. D., Reichsteins, M., Papale, D., et al. (2007). CO2 balance of boreal, temperate, and tropical forests derived from a global database. Glob. Change Biol., 13(12), 2509–2537.
Abstract: Terrestrial ecosystems sequester 2.1 Pg of atmospheric carbon annually. A large amount of the terrestrial sink is realized by forests. However, considerable uncertainties remain regarding the fate of this carbon over both short and long timescales. Relevant data to address these uncertainties are being collected at many sites around the world, but syntheses of these data are still sparse. To facilitate future synthesis activities, we have assembled a comprehensive global database for forest ecosystems, which includes carbon budget variables (fluxes and stocks), ecosystem traits (e.g. leaf area index, age), as well as ancillary site information such as management regime, climate, and soil characteristics. This publicly available database can be used to quantify global, regional or biome-specific carbon budgets; to re-examine established relationships; to test emerging hypotheses about ecosystem functioning [e.g. a constant net ecosystem production (NEP) to gross primary production (GPP) ratio]; and as benchmarks for model evaluations. In this paper, we present the first analysis of this database. We discuss the climatic influences on GPP, net primary production (NPP) and NEP and present the CO2 balances for boreal, temperate, and tropical forest biomes based on micrometeorological, ecophysiological, and biometric flux and inventory estimates. Globally, GPP of forests benefited from higher temperatures and precipitation whereas NPP saturated above either a threshold of 1500 mm precipitation or a mean annual temperature of 10 degrees C. The global pattern in NEP was insensitive to climate and is hypothesized to be mainly determined by nonclimatic conditions such as successional stage, management, site history, and site disturbance. In all biomes, closing the CO2 balance required the introduction of substantial biome-specific closure terms. Nonclosure was taken as an indication that respiratory processes, advection, and non-CO2 carbon fluxes are not presently being adequately accounted for.
Keywords: carbon cycle; CO2; forest ecosystems; global database; gross primary productivity; net ecosystem productivity; net primary productivity
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Bandou, E., Lebailly, F., Muller, F., Dulormne, M., Toribio, A., Chabrol, J., et al. (2006). The ectomycorrhizal fungus Scleroderma bermudense alleviates salt stress in seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera L.) seedlings. Mycorrhiza, 16(8), 559–565.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the capacity of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungus, Scleroderma bermudense, to alleviate saline stress in seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera L.) seedlings. Plants were grown over a range (0, 200, 350 and 500 mM) of NaCl levels for 12 weeks, after 4 weeks of non-saline pre-treatment under greenhouse conditions. Growth and mineral nutrition of the seagrape seedlings were stimulated by S. bermudense regardless of salt stress. Although ECM colonization was reduced with increasing NaCl levels, ECM dependency of seagrape seedlings increased. Tissues of ECM plants had significantly increased concentrations of P and K but lower Na and Cl concentrations than those of non-ECM plants. Higher K concentrations in the leaves of ECM plants suggested a higher osmoregulating capacity of these plants. Moreover, the water status of ECM plants was improved despite their higher evaporative leaf surface. The results suggest that the reduction in Na and Cl uptake together with a concomitant increase in P and K absorption and a higher water status in ECM plants may be important salt-alleviating mechanisms for seagrape seedlings growing in saline soils.
Keywords: Coccoloba uvifera; ectomycorrhizal dependency; mineral uptake; salt stress; water status
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Talaga, S., Dejean, A., Carinci, R., Gaborit, P., Dusfour, I., & Girod, R. (2015). Updated Checklist of the Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of French Guiana. Journal of Medical Entomology, 52(5), 770–782.
Abstract: The incredible mosquito species diversity in the Neotropics can provoke major confusion during vector control programs when precise identification is needed. This is especially true in French Guiana where studies on mosquito diversity practically ceased 35 yr ago. In order to fill this gap, we propose here an updated and comprehensive checklist of the mosquitoes of French Guiana, reflecting the latest changes in classification and geographical distribution and the recognition of current or erroneous synonymies. This work was undertaken in order to help ongoing and future research on mosquitoes in a broad range of disciplines such as ecology, biogeography, and medical entomology. Thirty-two valid species cited in older lists have been removed, and 24 species have been added including 12 species (comprising two new genera and three new subgenera) reported from French Guiana for the first time. New records are from collections conducted on various phytotelmata in French Guiana and include the following species: Onirion sp. cf Harbach and Peyton (2000), Sabethes (Peytonulus) hadrognathus Harbach, Sabethes (Peytonulus) paradoxus Harbach, Sabethes (Peytonulus) soperi Lane and Cerqueira, Sabethes (Sabethinus) idiogenes Harbach, Sabethes (Sabethes) quasicyaneus Peryassú , Runchomyia (Ctenogoeldia) magna (Theobald), Wyeomyia (Caenomyiella) sp. cf Harbach and Peyton (1990), Wyeomyia (Dendromyia) ypsipola Dyar, Wyeomyia (Hystatomyia) lamellata (Bonne-Wepster and Bonne), Wyeomyia (Miamyia) oblita (Lutz), and Toxorhynchites (Lynchiella) guadeloupensis (Dyar and Knab). At this time, the mosquitoes of French Guiana are represented by 235 species distributed across 22 genera, nine tribes, and two subfamilies.
Keywords: culicid; Neotropics; South America; species checklist; vector
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Barthe, S., Gugerli, F., Barkley, N. A., Maggia, L., Cardi, C., & Scotti, I. (2012). Always look on both sides: Phylogenetic information conveyed by simple sequence repeat allele sequences. PLoS ONE, 7(7), e40699.
Abstract: Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are widely used tools for inferences about genetic diversity, phylogeography and spatial genetic structure. Their applications assume that variation among alleles is essentially caused by an expansion or contraction of the number of repeats and that, accessorily, mutations in the target sequences follow the stepwise mutation model (SMM). Generally speaking, PCR amplicon sizes are used as direct indicators of the number of SSR repeats composing an allele with the data analysis either ignoring the extent of allele size differences or assuming that there is a direct correlation between differences in amplicon size and evolutionary distance. However, without precisely knowing the kind and distribution of polymorphism within an allele (SSR and the associated flanking region (FR) sequences), it is hard to say what kind of evolutionary message is conveyed by such a synthetic descriptor of polymorphism as DNA amplicon size. In this study, we sequenced several SSR alleles in multiple populations of three divergent tree genera and disentangled the types of polymorphisms contained in each portion of the DNA amplicon containing an SSR. The patterns of diversity provided by amplicon size variation, SSR variation itself, insertions/deletions (indels), and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) observed in the FRs were compared. Amplicon size variation largely reflected SSR repeat number. The amount of variation was as large in FRs as in the SSR itself. The former contributed significantly to the phylogenetic information and sometimes was the main source of differentiation among individuals and populations contained by FR and SSR regions of SSR markers. The presence of mutations occurring at different rates within a marker's sequence offers the opportunity to analyse evolutionary events occurring on various timescales, but at the same time calls for caution in the interpretation of SSR marker data when the distribution of within-locus polymorphism is not known.
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