Imbert, D. (2018). Hurricane disturbance and forest dynamics in east Caribbean mangroves. Ecosphere, 9(7), e02231.
Abstract: Despite low plant diversity and structural simplicity, mangroves offer various ecosystem services to local human communities, including sheltering coastal social-ecological systems from high-energy storm damage. The expected increasing intensity of hurricanes due to climate change raises questions concerning the capacity of mangroves to resist and recover from such disturbances. Herein, this study contributes to a better understanding of (1) the relation between storm intensity and damage to mangrove vegetation, (2) the contributions of species-specific as well as stand-specific components of mangrove vegetation to ecosystem resistance, and (3) the recovery of pre-hurricane forest structure through time. The first two issues have been addressed using a stand-level approach implemented at two east Caribbean mangrove sites in response to three storm events. The third was addressed through a 23-yr survey of forest recovery following the passage of a high-energy storm across one of the two study sites. Generally, hurricane damage was primarily controlled by wind velocity, followed by the hydro-geomorphic context of mangrove forests and species-specific composition, respectively. The relationship between damage to trees and wind velocity evidenced a sigmoidal trend, with a maximum slope at a wind velocity averaging 130 and 180 km/h for higher vs. lower canopy stands, respectively. The red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle, was significantly less resistant to hurricane damage than was the black mangrove, Avicennia germinans. Unlike the fringe and scrub stands, inner, tall-canopy stands fully recovered by the end of the study (23 yr). These stands were more resilient because of their growth performances. Finally, the time for east Caribbean mangroves to recover from high-energy storms seems to fall within the range of the average return time of such disturbances. This may prevent such ecosystems from ever reaching a steady state.
Keywords: Caribbean; forest recovery; high-energy storms; mangrove; resilience; resistance; Special Feature: High-Energy Storms
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Medjigbodo, G., Rozière, E., Charrier, K., Izoret, L., & Loukili, A. (2018). Hydration, shrinkage, and durability of ternary binders containing Portland cement, limestone filler and metakaolin. Construction and Building Materials, 183, 114–126.
Abstract: A partial replacement of the clinker by latent hydraulic or pozzolanic materials is encouraged due to environmental and specific technical requirements. Such substitution remains limited to a relatively low level (less than 30% by mass of cementitious materials). An experimental research work was carried out on mortars made with binary and ternary binders (Portland cement; metakaolin; limestone filler) to reach 45% total replacement. In order to investigate the activating effect of reduced water-to-cement ratio, two series of mixtures were designed with W/C0 of 0.42 and 0.5. Their heat of hydration, portlandite content, shrinkage, porosity, and carbonation were monitored. The tests were performed to understand the evolution of their relative strength (activity index) and durability parameters. The strength development of mortars with ternary binders was found to depend on metakaolin properties, including manufacturing process and particle size distribution. Reducing W/C0 ratio accelerated pozzolanic reaction and allowed improving early-age strength and durability parameters. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords: Durability; Limestone filler; Metakaolin; Shrinkage; Strength; Ternary binders
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Cochard, H., Coste, S., Chanson, B., Guehl, J. M., & Nicolini, E. (2005). Hydraulic architecture correlates with bud organogenesis and primary shoot growth in beech (Fagus sylvatica). Tree Physiol., 25(12), 1545–1552.
Abstract: In beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), the number of leaf primordia preformed in the buds determines the length and the type (long versus short) of annual growth units, and thus, branch growth and architecture. We analyzed the correlation between the number of leaf primordia and the hydraulic conductance of the vascular system connected to the buds. Terminal buds of short growth units and axillary buds of long growth units on lower branches of mature trees were examined. Buds with less than four and more than five leaf primordia formed short and long growth units, respectively. Irrespective of the type of growth unit the bud was formed on, the occurrence of a large number of leaf primordia was associated with high xylem hydraulic conductance. Xylem conductance was correlated to the area of the outermost annual ring. These results suggest that organogenesis and primary growth in buds correlates with secondary growth of the growth units and thus with their hydraulic architecture. Possible causal relationships between the variables are discussed.
Keywords: development; hydraulic conductance; leaf primordia; meristem; xylem
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Fauset, S., Johnson, M. O., Gloor, M., Baker, T. R., Monteagudo M., A., Brienen, R. J. W., et al. (2015). Hyperdominance in Amazonian forest carbon cycling. Nature Communications, 6(6857).
Abstract: While Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, the abundance of trees is skewed strongly towards relatively few â € hyperdominantâ €™ species. In addition to their diversity, Amazonian trees are a key component of the global carbon cycle, assimilating and storing more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth. Here we ask, using a unique data set of 530 forest plots, if the functions of storing and producing woody carbon are concentrated in a small number of tree species, whether the most abundant species also dominate carbon cycling, and whether dominant species are characterized by specific functional traits. We find that dominance of forest function is even more concentrated in a few species than is dominance of tree abundance, with only â ‰1% of Amazon tree species responsible for 50% of carbon storage and productivity. Although those species that contribute most to biomass and productivity are often abundant, species maximum size is also influential, while the identity and ranking of dominant species varies by function and by region. © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
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ter Steege, H., Pitman, N. C. A., Sabatier, D., Baraloto, C., Salomão, R. P., Guevara, J. E., et al. (2013). Hyperdominance in the Amazonian Tree Flora. Science, 342(6156), 1243092.
Abstract: The vast extent of the Amazon Basin has historically restricted the study of its tree communities to the local and regional scales. Here, we provide empirical data on the commonness, rarity, and richness of lowland tree species across the entire Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield (Amazonia), collected in 1170 tree plots in all major forest types. Extrapolations suggest that Amazonia harbors roughly 16,000 tree species, of which just 227 (1.4%) account for half of all trees. Most of these are habitat specialists and only dominant in one or two regions of the basin. We discuss some implications of the finding that a small group of species—less diverse than the North American tree flora—accounts for half of the world’s most diverse tree community.
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Boisse, P., Aimene, Y., Dogui, A., Dridi, S., Gatouillat, S., Hamila, N., et al. (2010). Hypoelastic, hyperelastic, discrete and semi-discrete approaches for textile composite reinforcement forming. International Journal of Material Forming, 3(Supplement 2), 1229–1240.
Abstract: The clear multi-scale structure of composite textile reinforcements leads to develop continuous and discrete approaches for their forming simulations. In this paper two continuous modelling respectively based on a hypoelastic and hyperelastic constitutive model are presented. A discrete approach is also considered in which each yarn is modelled by shell finite elements and where the contact with friction and possible sliding between the yarns are taken into account. Finally the semi-discrete approach is presented in which the shell finite element interpolation involves continuity of the displacement field but where the internal virtual work is obtained as the sum of tension, in-plane shear and bending ones of all the woven unit cells within the element. The advantages and drawbacks of the different approaches are discussed.
Keywords: Textile composites Forming simulations Continuous/discrete approaches Hyperelasticity Hypoelasticity Semi-discrete finite element
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Petillon, J., Montaigne, W., & Renault, D. (2009). Hypoxic coma as a strategy to survive inundation in a salt-marsh inhabiting spider. Biol. Lett., 5(4), 442–445.
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Rifflet, A., Gavalda, S., Téné, N., Orivel, J., Leprince, J., Guilhaudis, L., et al. (2012). Identification and characterization of a novel antimicrobial peptide from the venom of the ant Tetramorium bicarinatum. Peptides, 38(2), 363–370.
Abstract: A novel antimicrobial peptide, named Bicarinalin, has been isolated from the venom of the ant Tetramorium bicarinatum. Its amino acid sequence has been determined by de novo sequencing using mass spectrometry and by Edman degradation. Bicarinalin contained 20 amino acid residues and was C-terminally amidated as the majority of antimicrobial peptides isolated to date from insect venoms. Interestingly, this peptide had a linear structure and exhibited no meaningful similarity with any known peptides. Antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and S. xylosus strains were evaluated using a synthetic replicate. Bicarinalin had a potent and broad antibacterial activity of the same magnitude as Melittin and other hymenopteran antimicrobial peptides such as Pilosulin or Defensin. Moreover, this antimicrobial peptide has a weak hemolytic activity compared to Melittin on erythrocytes, suggesting potential for development into an anti-infective agent for use against emerging antibiotic-resistant pathogens. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.
Keywords: Amp; Ant venom; Antibacterial peptide; Bicarinalin; Esi-Ms/Ms; Staphylococcus; Tetramorium bicarinatum
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Gonzalez, M. A., Baraloto, C., Engel, J., Mori, S. A., Petronelli, P., Riera, B., et al. (2009). Identification of Amazonian Trees with DNA Barcodes. PLoS One, 4(10), e7483.
Abstract: Background: Large-scale plant diversity inventories are critical to develop informed conservation strategies. However, the workload required for classic taxonomic surveys remains high and is particularly problematic for megadiverse tropical forests. Methodology/Principal Findings: Based on a comprehensive census of all trees in two hectares of a tropical forest in French Guiana, we examined whether plant DNA barcoding could contribute to increasing the quality and the pace of tropical plant biodiversity surveys. Of the eight plant DNA markers we tested (rbcLa, rpoC1, rpoB, matK, ycf5, trnL, psbA-trnH, ITS), matK and ITS had a low rate of sequencing success. More critically, none of the plastid markers achieved a rate of correct plant identification greater than 70%, either alone or combined. The performance of all barcoding markers was noticeably low in few species-rich clades, such as the Laureae, and the Sapotaceae. A field test of the approach enabled us to detect 130 molecular operational taxonomic units in a sample of 252 juvenile trees. Including molecular markers increased the identification rate of juveniles from 72% (morphology alone) to 96% (morphology and molecular) of the individuals assigned to a known tree taxon. Conclusion/Significance: We conclude that while DNA barcoding is an invaluable tool for detecting errors in identifications and for identifying plants at juvenile stages, its limited ability to identify collections will constrain the practical implementation of DNA-based tropical plant biodiversity programs.
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Bremaud, I., Cabrolier, P., Gril, J., Clair, B., Gerard, J., Minato, K., et al. (2010). Identification of anisotropic vibrational properties of Padauk wood with interlocked grain. Wood Sci. Technol., 44(3), 355–367.
Abstract: Grain deviations and high extractives content are common features of many tropical woods. This study aimed at clarifying their respective impact on vibrational properties, referring to African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii Taub.), a species selected for its interlocked grain, high extractives content and uses in xylophones. Specimens were cut parallel to the trunk axis (L), and local variations in grain angle (GA), microfibril angle (MFA), specific Young's modulus (E' (L) /rho, where rho stands for the density) and damping coefficient (tan delta(L)) were measured. GA dependence was analysed by a mechanical model which allowed to identify the specific Young's modulus (E'(3)/rho) and shear modulus (G'/rho) along the grain (3) as well as their corresponding damping coefficients (tan delta(3), tan delta(G)). This analysis was done for native and then for extracted wood. Interlocked grain resulted in 0-25A degrees GA and in variations of a factor 2 in E'(L)/rho and tan delta(L). Along the grain, Padauk wood was characterized, when compared to typical hardwoods, by a somewhat lower E'(3)/rho and elastic anisotropy (E'/G'), due to a wide microfibril angle plus a small weight effect of extracts, and a very low tan delta(3) and moderate damping anisotropy (tan delta(G)/tan delta(3)). Extraction affected mechanical parameters in the order: tan delta(3) a parts per thousand tan delta(G) > G'/rho > > E'(3)/rho. That is, extractives' effects were nearly isotropic on damping but clearly anisotropic on storage moduli.
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