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Lehnebach, R., Morel, H., Bossu, J., Le Moguédec, G., Amusant, N., Beauchene, J., et al. (2017). Heartwood/sapwood profile and the tradeoff between trunk and crown increment in a natural forest: the case study of a tropical tree (Dicorynia guianensis Amsh., Fabaceae). Trees – Structure and Function, 31(1), 199–214.
Abstract: Key message: Sapwood area and the radial growth rate of the trunk follow the same pattern at breast height, with an initial increase and subsequent constant value, resulting from the increasing growth allocation toward the crown rather than tree decline. Heartwood area and heartwood volume in the trunk increase more rapidly after this shift occurs. Abstract: Sapwood (SW) and heartwood (HW) are two functionally distinct classifications of wood in perennial stems for which quantities can vary greatly in tropical trees. Numerous positive correlations have been found between the radial growth rate (RGR) and SW quantity; however, variations in the SW/HW quantities have not been studied in light of the ontogenetic variation of RGR. Wood core sampling, intensive measurements of tree structure (number of branches, stem volumes), and radial growth monitoring were performed on an abundant and highly exploited tree species in French Guiana (Dicorynia guianensis) to investigate the relationship between RGR, SW/HW quantity, tree structure, and their variations on the course of a tree’s ontogeny. SW area and RGR followed the same pattern of variation throughout tree development, both increasing first and reaching a steady state after 50 cm DBH (diameter at breast height). After this value, we observed a strong increase in both the HW area and HW volume increment, concomitant with a more rapid increase in crown volume. The stabilization of RGR for trees with DBH > 50 cm was related not to a tree’s decline but rather to an increasing wood allocation to the crown, confirming that RGR at breast height is a poor indicator of whole-tree growth for bigger individuals. We also confirmed that HW formation is an ontogenetic process managing SW quantity that is continuously and increasingly produced within the crown as the tree grows. This study highlights the effect of growth-mediated ontogenetic changes on the localization of water and carbohydrate storage within a tree, resulting from SW and HW dynamics throughout tree ontogeny. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Keywords: Dicorynia guianensis; Growth allocation; Heartwood; Ontogeny; Sapwood; Tropical tree
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Schimann, H., Bach, C., Lengelle, J., Louisanna, E., Barantal, S., Murat, C., et al. (2017). Diversity and Structure of Fungal Communities in Neotropical Rainforest Soils: The Effect of Host Recurrence. Microbial Ecology, 73(2), 310–320.
Abstract: The patterns of the distribution of fungal species and their potential interactions with trees remain understudied in Neotropical rainforests, which harbor more than 16,000 tree species, mostly dominated by endomycorrhizal trees. Our hypothesis was that tree species shape the non-mycorrhizal fungal assemblages in soil and litter and that the diversity of fungal communities in these two compartments is partly dependent on the coverage of trees in the Neotropical rainforest. In French Guiana, a long-term plantation and a natural forest were selected to test this hypothesis. Fungal ITS1 regions were sequenced from soil and litter samples from within the vicinity of tree species. A broad range of fungal taxa was found, with 42 orders and 14 classes. Significant spatial heterogeneity in the fungal communities was found without strong variation in the species richness and evenness among the tree plots. However, tree species shaped the fungal assemblages in the soil and litter, explaining up to 18 % of the variation among the communities in the natural forest. These results demonstrate that vegetation cover has an important effect on the structure of fungal assemblages inhabiting the soil and litter in Amazonian forests, illustrating the relative impact of deterministic processes on fungal community structures in these highly diverse ecosystems. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
Keywords: Amazonian forest; Fungal communities; Host recurrence; Litter; Second-generation sequencing; Soil
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Anouhe, J. - B. S., Niamké, F. B., Faustin, M., Virieux, D., Pirat, J. - L., Adima, A. A., et al. (2018). The role of extractives in the natural durability of the heartwood of Dicorynia guianensis Amsh: new insights in antioxydant and antifungal properties. Annals of Forest Science, 75(1).
Abstract: Key message: The natural durability of Dicorynia guianensis Amsh’s Heartwood is conferred by the high content of antioxidant phenolic compounds, especially tannins and flavonoids combined with the presence of fungistatic alkaloids. The content of phenolic compounds increases according to the natural durability classes, from durable wood (class 2) to moderately durable wood (class 3) and correlated to the antioxidant capacity.
Context: The heartwood of Dicorynia guianensis Amsh is resistant to white rot fungi decay, but the mechanism of this natural durability is not fully elucidated. Aims: Biochemical studies were carried out in order to better understand the role of extractives in natural durability of D. guianensis. Methods: The powders from durable and moderately durable heartwood were extracted with methanol, ethanol, and hot water. The quantity of total phenols, tannins, and flavonoids as well as antioxidant activity, evaluated by 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) were determined using colorimetric methods. Antifungal activity was assessed by using two white rot fungi. The bioactive fractions and compounds were obtained using bio-guided fractionation, HPLC isolation, MS and RMN spectroscopic analyses. Results: Durable woods contain higher amounts of heartwood extract and antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity was highly correlated with the content of phenolics. The purification of the most antioxidant fraction FII affords the characterization of (+)-catechin (−)-epicatechin, neoastilbin, astilbin, and isoastilbin. Alkaloid fraction FIII exhibits dose-dependent fungistatic activity against Pycnoporus sanguineus Linnaeus and Trametes versicolor Quelet. Conclusion: Phenolic antioxidants and fungistatic alkaloids positively impact the natural durability of D. guianensis. Keywords: Alkaloid; Antifungal; Antioxidant; Dicorynia guianensis; Heartwood; Natural durability; Phenols
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Van Langenhove, L., Janssens, I. A., Verryckt, L., Brechet, L., Hartley, I. P., Stahl, C., et al. (2020). Rapid root assimilation of added phosphorus in a lowland tropical rainforest of French Guiana. Soil Biol. Biochem., 140(107646).
Abstract: Tree growth on weathered soils in lowland tropical forests is limited by low phosphorous (P) availability. However, nutrient manupulation experiments do not always increase the P content in these trees, which raises the question whether trees are taking up added P. In French Guianese lowland rainforest, we measured changes in nitrogen (N) and P availability before and up to two months after N and P fertilizer addition, in soils with intact root systems and in soils where roots and mycorrhizal fungi were excluded by root exclusion cylinders. When the root system was excluded, P addition increased P availability to a much greater extent and for a longer time than in soils with an intact root system. Soil N dynamics were unaffected by root presence/absence. These results indicate rapid P uptake, but not N uptake, by tree roots, suggesting a very effective P acquisition process in these lowland rainforests.
Keywords: Fertilization; Nitrogen; Phosphorus; Plant root simulator probes; Root system; Tropical forest; Nitrogen; Nitrogen fertilizers; Phosphorus; Plants (botany); Soils; Tropics; Fertilization; Mycorrhizal fungus; N and P fertilizer; P availabilities; Plant root simulators; Root system; Tropical forest; Tropical rain forest; Forestry; Fungi
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Rey, O., Estoup, A., Vonshak, M., Loiseau, A., Blanchet, S., Calcaterra, L., et al. (2012). Where do adaptive shifts occur during invasion? A multidisciplinary approach to unravelling cold adaptation in a tropical ant species invading the Mediterranean area. Ecol. Lett., 15(11), 1266–1275.
Abstract: Evolution may improve the invasiveness of populations, but it often remains unclear whether key adaptation events occur after introduction into the recipient habitat (i.e. post-introduction adaptation scenario), or before introduction within the native range (i.e. prior-adaptation scenario) or at a primary site of invasion (i.e. bridgehead scenario). We used a multidisciplinary approach to determine which of these three scenarios underlies the invasion of the tropical ant Wasmannia auropunctata in a Mediterranean region (i.e. Israel). Species distribution models (SDM), phylogeographical analyses at a broad geographical scale and laboratory experiments on appropriate native and invasive populations indicated that Israeli populations followed an invasion scenario in which adaptation to cold occurred at the southern limit of the native range before dispersal to Israel. We discuss the usefulness of combining SDM, genetic and experimental approaches for unambiguous determination of eco-evolutionary invasion scenarios. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.
Keywords: Adaptation; Biological invasion; Climatic niche shift; Cold temperature; Mediterranean zone; Wasmannia auropunctata
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Wagner, F., Rossi, V., Stahl, C., Bonal, D., & Herault, B. (2013). Asynchronism in leaf and wood production in tropical forests: A study combining satellite and ground-based measurements. Biogeosciences, 10(11), 7307–7321.
Abstract: The fixation of carbon in tropical forests mainly occurs through the production of wood and leaves, both being the principal components of net primary production. Currently field and satellite observations are independently used to describe the forest carbon cycle, but the link between satellite-derived forest phenology and field-derived forest productivity remains opaque. We used a unique combination of a MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) dataset, a wood production model based on climate data and direct litterfall observations at an intra-annual timescale in order to question the synchronism of leaf and wood production in tropical forests. Even though leaf and wood biomass fluxes had the same range (respectively 2.4 ± 1.4 and 2.2 ± 0.4 Mg C ha-1 yr-1), they occurred separately in time. EVI increased with leaf renewal at the beginning of the dry season, when solar irradiance was at its maximum. At this time, wood production stopped. At the onset of the rainy season, when new leaves were fully mature and water available again, wood production quickly increased to reach its maximum in less than a month, reflecting a change in carbon allocation from short-lived pools (leaves) to long-lived pools (wood). The time lag between peaks of EVI and wood production (109 days) revealed a substantial decoupling between the leaf renewal assumed to be driven by irradiance and the water-driven wood production. Our work is a first attempt to link EVI data, wood production and leaf phenology at a seasonal timescale in a tropical evergreen rainforest and pave the way to develop more sophisticated global carbon cycle models in tropical forests. © 2013 Author(s).
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Cottet, K., Genta-Jouve, G., Fromentin, Y., Odonne, G., Duplais, C., Laprévote, O., et al. (2014). Comparative LC-MS-based metabolite profiling of the ancient tropical rainforest tree Symphonia globulifera. Phytochemistry, 108, 102–108.
Abstract: In the last few years, several phytochemical studies have been undertaken on the tropical tree Symphonia globulifera leading to the isolation and characterisation of several compounds exhibiting antiparasitic activities against Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania donovani. The comparative LC-MS based metabolite profiling study conducted on the tree led to the identification of compounds originating from specific tissues. The results showed that renewable organs/tissues can be used as the starting material for the production of polycyclic poly-prenylated-acylphloroglucinols, therefore reducing impacts on biodiversity. This study also underlined the lack of knowledge on the secondary metabolites produced by S. globulifera since only a small number of the total detected features were putatively identified using the database of known compounds for the species.
Keywords: Kendrick mass defect; Lc-Ms; Plant organs; Symphonia globulifera; Untargeted metabolomics; Symphonia globulifera
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Aili, S. R., Touchard, A., Escoubas, P., Padula, M. P., Orivel, J., Dejean, A., et al. (2014). Diversity of peptide toxins from stinging ant venoms. Toxicon, 92, 166–178.
Abstract: Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) represent a taxonomically diverse group of arthropods comprising nearly 13,000 extant species. Sixteen ant subfamilies have individuals that possess a stinger and use their venom for purposes such as a defence against predators, competitors and microbial pathogens, for predation, as well as for social communication. They exhibit a range of activities including antimicrobial, haemolytic, cytolytic, paralytic, insecticidal and pain-producing pharmacologies. While ant venoms are known to be rich in alkaloids and hydrocarbons, ant venoms rich in peptides are becoming more common, yet remain understudied. Recent advances in mass spectrometry techniques have begun to reveal the true complexity of ant venom peptide composition. In the few venoms explored thus far, most peptide toxins appear to occur as small polycationic linear toxins, with antibacterial properties and insecticidal activity. Unlike other venomous animals, a number of ant venoms also contain a range of homodimeric and heterodimeric peptides with one or two interchain disulfide bonds possessing pore-forming, allergenic and paralytic actions. However, ant venoms seem to have only a small number of monomeric disulfide-linked peptides. The present review details the structure and pharmacology of known ant venom peptide toxins and their potential as a source of novel bioinsecticides and therapeutic agents.
Keywords: Ant venom; Chemotaxonomy; Disulfide linkage; Peptides; Venom biochemistry
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Malé, P. - J. G., Leroy, C., Dejean, A., Quilichini, A., & Orivel, J. (2012). An ant symbiont directly and indirectly limits its host plant's reproductive success. Evol. Ecol., 26(1), 55–63.
Abstract: In theory, mutualisms are intrinsically unstable, and the search for the maximum profit at the minimum cost should lead every mutualist to become a parasite. From an empirical point of view, mutualisms are ubiquitous and of major importance to ecosystems, suggesting the existence of mechanisms that enhance the maintenance of such relationships. We focused on the obligatory myrmecophytic association between the Neotropical plant Hirtella physophora (Chrysobalanaceae) and the ant Allomerus decemarticulatus (Myrmicinae). The plant shelters the ants in leaf pouches in exchange for protection from phytophagous insects. We experimentally demonstrated that the ants partially castrate their host plant by destroying almost two-thirds of its floral buds. The ants also impede pollination through their presence and interactions with pollinators. These results reveal that ant activity negatively affects the plant's reproduction both directly and indirectly. This dual negative effect does not result in the complete castration of the plant. We also highlight major limitations to plant reproduction due to the spontaneous abscission of flowers and to the limited quantity and/or poor quality of the pollen. These limitations must not be overlooked since they can alter the outcome of the association of H. physophora with its ant partner. We therefore conclude that the evolutionary fate of the relationship depends on both ant castration intensity and obstacles to plant fertilization not related to the presence of ants. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Keywords: Cheater; Evolutionary conflict; Mutualism breakdown; Myrmecophyte; Pollination
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Perrin, A. - S., Fujisaki, K., Petitjean, C., Sarrazin, M., Godet, M., Garric, B., et al. (2014). Conversion of forest to agriculture in Amazonia with the chop-and-mulch method: Does it improve the soil carbon stock? Agric. Ecosyst. Environ., 184, 101–114.
Abstract: Fire-free forest conversion with organic inputs as an alternative to slash-and-burn could improve agro-ecosystem sustainability. We assessed soil carbon mass changes in a sandy-clayey and well-drained soil in French Guiana after forest clearing by the chop-and-mulch method and crop establishment. At the experimental site of Combi, native forest was cut down in October 2008; woody biomass was chopped and incorporated into the top 20cm of soil. After about one year of legume and grass cover, three forms of land management were compared: grassland (Urochloa ruziziensis), maize/soybean crop rotation with disk tillage and in direct seeding without tillage. There were four replicates. We measured 14.16kgm-2 of carbon in 2mm-sieved soil down to 2m depth for the initial forest. Forest clearing did not induce significant soil compaction; neither did any specific agricultural practice. In converted soils, C stocks were measured in the 0-30cm layer after each crop for three years. Carbon mass changes for soil fractions <2mm (soil C stock) and >2mm (soil C pool) in the 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30cm soil layers were assessed on an equivalent soil mass basis. One year and 1.5 years after deforestation, higher C stocks (+0.64 to 1.16kgCm-2yr-1) and C pools (+0.52 to 0.90kgCm-2yr-1) were measured in converted soils, compared to those of the forest into the top 30cm of soil. However, the masses of carbon in these converted soils declined later. The highest rates of carbon decrease were measured between 1.5 and 2 years after forest conversion in the <2mm soil fraction, from 0.46kgCm-2yr-1 (in grassland soils) to 0.71kgCm-2yr-1 (in cropland under no tillage). The carbon pool declined during the third year at rates of 0.41kgCm-2yr-1 (cropland under disk tillage) to 0.76kgCm-2yr-1 (grassland soils). Three years after forest conversion, C masses in the top 30cm of soils for grassland showed similar values than for forest. In comparison, the carbon stock in cropped soils managed under no tillage in direct seeding (without mulch) was significantly 17% and 16% lower than in forest and grassland soils, respectively. None of the studied agricultural practices succeeded in accumulating carbon from the chopped forest biomass. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: Annual crops; Brachiaria; Deforestation; Fire-free; French Guiana; No-tillage
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