Abstract: The present research deals with helical piles behavior in cohesionless soil through finite element modeling. An approach of modeling of the screw-pile geometry has been proposed through the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) computer program Plaxis. The numerical results are compared with measurements from large scale test and the bearing capacity has been estimated using both cylindrical and individual bearing model. Moreover, different failure criterions have been applied to estimate the ultimate capacity. The effect of spacing ratio (S/Dh) on the screw-pile behavior has been further studied. It has found that results from the model fit the field results. Through the study of the load transfer mechanism, the transition from cylindrical shear to individual plate behavior occurs at a value of spacing ratio (1.5 to 2).

Abstract: Wood material for a long time was treated with fungicides or insecticides whose impact on the soil after leaching constitutes a real environmental problem. Nowadays, most of the studies on degradation of these toxic products was carried out with microorganisms which have been isolated in the laboratory. The present study sought to refine the knowledge vis-à-vis these microorganisms, especially wood-destroying fungi degrading pollutants in situ, from which few data are actually available. To decontaminate treated wood, the capacity of wooddestroying microorganisms from tropical forest soils of French Guiana and Reunion was evaluated to degrade toxic biocides. These are pentachlorophenol (PCP) and copper- chromium arsenic based compounds (CCA). Monitoring the degradation of samples of red pine, Pinus resinosa, shows that soils of French Guiana are more efficient than those of Reunion Island in terms of microbial activity vis-àvis these two biocides. A significant difference in loss of mass in specimens of red pine treated with CCA and PCP can range from single to double (respectively 18% and 30%). These findings confirm that CCA is less leacher and less degradable than the PCP by microorganisms in the soil. According to the scale of mass loss in laboratory tests, the wood so treated would be classified very not durable after three years of contact with soil, while the treatment is expected to be very durable.

Abstract: The interlocking leaves of tank-forming bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) collect rainwater and detritus, thus creating a freshwater habitat for specialized organisms. Their abundance and the possibility of quantifying communities with accuracy give us unparalleled insight into how changes in local to regional environments influence community diversity in small water bodies. We sampled 365 bromeliads (365 invertebrate communities) along a southeastern to northwestern range in French Guiana. Geographic locality determined the species pool for bromeliad invertebrates, and local environments determined the abundance patterns through the selection of traits that are best adapted to the bromeliad habitats. Patterns in community structure mostly emerged from patterns of predator species occurrence and abundance across local-regional environments, while the set of detritivores remained constant. Water volume had a strong positive correlation with invertebrate diversity, making it a biologically relevant measure of the pools' carrying capacity. The significant effects of incoming detritus and incident light show that changes in local environments (e.g., the conversion of forest to cropping systems) strongly influence freshwater communities. Because changes in local environments do not affect detritivores and predators equally, one may expect functional shifts as sets of invertebrates with particular traits are replaced or complemented by other sets with different traits. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

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.

Abstract: Guadua sarcocarpa and Guadua weberbaueri (Poaceae: Bambuseae) have a negative influence on tree regeneration and recruitment in bamboo-dominated forests of southwestern Amazonia. The lack of advanced regeneration and sparse canopy in this forest type present a considerable challenge for developing sustainable timber management plans. We conducted field studies in the Porto Dias Agroextractive Settlement Project in Acre, Brazil to assess influences of logging in bamboo-dominated forest sites. Taxonomic composition, stand structure, aboveground biomass, commercial timber volume, and commercial tree seedling and bamboo culm density were compared between five logged vs. unlogged sites in different landholdings, using modified 0.5. ha Gentry plots. No differences in taxonomic composition, aboveground biomass, adult and juvenile stem density, or woody seedling and bamboo culm density were detected between paired logged and unlogged sites. Commercial timber volume, however, was reduced by almost two-thirds in logged plots, suggesting that long-term timber management goals in this forest type are compromised since so few future crop trees remained onsite. Our findings indicate that in order to maximize local management objectives, community forest managers must approach logging in bamboo-dominated forests with caution. We suggest an integration of non-timber forest product extraction with low harvest intensity and low-impact logging, tending of natural regeneration, and diversification of commercial species. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.