|
|
Letort, V., Heuret, P., Zalamea, P. - C., De Reffye, P., & Nicolini, E. (2012). Analysing the effects of local environment on the source-sink balance of Cecropia sciadophylla: A methodological approach based on model inversion. Ann. Forest Sci., 69(2), 167–180.
Abstract: Context Functional-structural models (FSM) of tree growth have great potential in forestry, but their development, calibration and validation are hampered by the difficulty of collecting experimental data at organ scale for adult trees. Due to their simple architecture and morphological properties, “model plants” such as Cecropia sciadophylla are of great interest to validate new models and methodologies, since exhaustive descriptions of their plant structure and mass partitioning can be gathered. Aims Our objective was to develop a model-based approach to analysing the influence of environmental conditions on the dynamics of trophic competition within C. sciadophylla trees. Methods We defined an integrated environmental factor that includes meteorological medium-frequency variations and a relative index representing the local site conditions for each plant. This index is estimated based on model inversion of the GreenLab FSM using data from 11 trees for model calibration and 7 trees for model evaluation. Results The resulting model explained the dynamics of biomass allocation to different organs during the plant growth, according to the environmental pressure they experienced. Perspectives By linking the integrated environmental factor to a competition index, an extension of the model to the population level could be considered. © INRA and Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011.
Keywords: Cecropia; Functional-structural model; Model inversion; Morphology; Trophic competition
|
|
|
|
Remy, C. C., Fleury, M., Beauchene, J., Rivier, M., & Goli, T. (2016). Analysis of PAH Residues and Amounts of Phenols in Fish Smoked with Woods Traditionally Used in French Guiana. Journal of Ethnobiology, 36(2), 312–325.
Abstract: Fish smoking with local wood species is a traditional practice in French Guiana. We evaluated the carcinogenic risk and the smoky taste in acoupa weakfish (Cynoscion acoupa) smoked by a small Guianese company specializing in fish smoking using local wood species. The goal of this study is to promote regional economic development by encouraging the establishment of small companies offering fish smoked with local wood species in agreement with the European health norms in terms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content in smoked fish. The fish smoked with three species of wood traditionally used in French Guiana, Parinari campestris, Caesaria grandiflora, and Laetia procera, conformed to European standards for PAH content. Their phenol contents (correlated with the smoky taste) were close to smoked salmon, the reference in Europe. Given the low rate of extractable compounds in these woods, other flavors had little chance of predominating on the smoky taste. These three tropical wood species might be used for the production of cold smoked fish in compliance with European standards for PAH residues. The flavor and consumer's acceptance of the smoked fish should now be investigated to characterize the added typicity of local woods in comparison to the commonly used European woods. © 2016 Society of Ethnobiology.
Keywords: French Guiana; phenols; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; smoked fish; traditional knowledge
|
|
|
|
Scotti, I., Burelli, A., Cattonaro, F., Chagne, D., Fuller, J., Hedley, P. E., et al. (2005). Analysis of the distribution of marker classes in a genetic linkage map: a case study in Norway spruce (Picea abies karst). Tree Genet. Genomes, 1(3), 93–102.
Abstract: In order to analyze the large-scale structure of the genome of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.), a pseudo-testcross genetic linkage map was built using markers of six different types, belonging to the low (amplified fragment length polymorphisms, simple sequence repeats) or high (sequence-specific amplified polymorphisms, inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphisms) copy-number fraction of the genome, and including expressed region-derived markers (expressed sequence tag polymorphisms). Twenty seven and 23 linkage groups of at least four markers were obtained for the female and the male parent maps, respectively. A subset of these linkage groups coalesced into 13 bi-parental linkage groups through markers shared between the two maps. This map was used to investigate the frequency of each marker type over chromosomes and the distribution of marker types relative to each other, using autocorrelation techniques. Our results show that, while the composition of chromosomes is homogeneous, low- and high-copy-number markers tend to occupy separate regions of the linkage groups, and that expressed sequences are preferentially associated with microsatellites and separated from retrotranspo sons. These results indicate that the spatial structure of Norway spruce chromosomes is not homogeneous.
Keywords: Picea abies; conifers; linkage map; genome structure; molecular markers; autocorrelation
|
|
|
|
Levionnois, S., Salmon, C., Alméras, T., Clair, B., Ziegler, C., Coste, S., et al. (2021). Anatomies, vascular architectures, and mechanics underlying the leaf size-stem size spectrum in 42 Neotropical tree species. Journal of Experimental Botany, 72(22), 7957–7969.
Abstract: The leaf size-stem size spectrum is one of the main dimensions of plant ecological strategies. Yet the anatomical, mechanical, and hydraulic implications of small vs. large shoots are still poorly understood. We investigated 42 tropical rainforest tree species in French Guiana, with a wide range of leaf areas at the shoot level. We quantified the scaling of hydraulic and mechanical constraints with shoot size estimated as the water potential difference ΔΨ and the bending angle ΔΦ, respectively. We investigated how anatomical tissue area, flexural stiffness and xylem vascular architecture affect such scaling by deviating (or not) from theoretical isometry with shoot size variation. Vessel diameter and conductive path length were found to be allometrically related to shoot size, thereby explaining the independence between ΔΨ and shoot size. Leaf mass per area, stem length, and the modulus of elasticity were allometrically related with shoot size, explaining the independence between ΔΦ and shoot size. Our study also shows that the maintenance of both water supply and mechanical stability across the shoot size range are not in conflict.
|
|
|
|
Bremaud, I., Gril, J., & Thibaut, B. (2011). Anisotropy of wood vibrational properties: dependence on grain angle and review of literature data. Wood Sci. Technol., 45(4), 735–754.
Abstract: The anisotropy of vibrational properties influences the acoustic behaviour of wooden pieces and their dependence on grain angle (GA). As most pieces of wood include some GA, either for technological reasons or due to grain deviations inside trunks, predicting its repercussions would be useful. This paper aims at evaluating the variability in the anisotropy of wood vibrational properties and analysing resulting trends as a function of orientation. GA dependence is described by a model based on transformation formulas applied to complex compliances, and literature data on anisotropic vibrational properties are reviewed. Ranges of variability, as well as representative sets of viscoelastic anisotropic parameters, are defined for mean hardwoods and softwoods and for contrasted wood types. GA-dependence calculations are in close agreement with published experimental results and allow comparing the sensitivity of different woods to GA. Calculated trends in damping coefficient (tan delta) and in specific modulus of elasticity (E'/rho) allow reconstructing the general tan delta-E'/rho statistical relationships previously reported. Trends for woods with different mechanical parameters merge into a single curve if anisotropic ratios (both elastic and of damping) are correlated between them, and with axial properties, as is indicated by the collected data. On the other hand, varying damping coefficient independently results in parallel curves, which coincide with observations on chemically modified woods, either “artificially”, or by natural extractives.
|
|
|
|
Céréghino, R., Corbara, B., Hénaut, Y., Bonhomme, C., Compin, A., & Dejean, A. (2019). Ant and spider species as surrogates for functional community composition of epiphyte-associated invertebrates in a tropical moist forest. Ecological Indicators, 96, 694–700.
Abstract: Epiphytes represent up to 50% of all plant species in rainforests, where they host a substantial amount of invertebrate biomass. Efficient surrogates for epiphyte invertebrate communities could reduce the cost of biomonitoring surveys while preventing destructive sampling of the plants. Here, we focus on the invertebrate communities associated to tank bromeliads. We ask whether the presence of particular ant and/or spider taxa (easily surveyed taxa) that use these plants as nesting and/or foraging habitats predicts functional trait combinations of aquatic invertebrate communities hosted by the plants. Functional community composition of invertebrates was predicted both by bromeliad habitat features and the presence of certain ant and spider species. The ant Azteca serica preferred wider bromeliad rosettes that trap large amount of detritus, indicating interstitial-like food webs dominated by deposit feeders that burrow in fine particulate organic matter. Leucauge sp. spiders preferred narrower bromeliad rosettes bearing smaller detrital loads, thereby indicating a dominance of pelagic filter-feeding and predatory invertebrates in the water-filled leaf axils. Both Neoponera villosa ants and Eriophora sp. spiders preferred rosettes at intermediate size bearing moderate amounts of detritus, indicating a benthic food web dominated by leaf shredders and gathering collectors. Owing to the animal diversity and biomass supported by rainforest epiphytes, our approach would deserve to be further tested on a range of epiphytes involved in tight interactions with invertebrates. In this context, surrogate species could serve both as indicators of functional diversity, and as early-warning indicators of network disassembly.
Keywords: Functional traits; Indicator species; Phytotelmata; Rainforests; Surrogacy; Tank bromeliads
|
|
|
|
Lenoir, A., Touchard, A., Devers, S., Christidès, J. - P., Boulay, R., & Cuvillier-Hot, V. (2014). Ant cuticular response to phthalate pollution. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 21(23), 13446–13451.
Abstract: Phthalates are common atmospheric contaminants used in the plastic industry. Ants have been shown to constitute good bioindicators of phthalate pollution. Hence, phthalates remain trapped on ant cuticles which are mostly coated with long-chain hydrocarbons. In this study, we artificially contaminated Lasius niger ants with four phthalates: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP). The first three have previously been found on ants in nature in Touraine (France), while the fourth has not. The four phthalates disappeared rapidly (less than 5 days) from the cuticles of live ants. In contrast, on the cuticles of dead ants, DEHP quantities remained unchanged over time. These results indicate that phthalates are actively absorbed by the cuticles of live ants. Cuticular absorption of phthalates is nonspecific because eicosane, a nonnatural hydrocarbon on L. niger cuticle, was similarly absorbed. Ants are important ecological engineers and may serve as bioindicators of ecosystem health. We also suggest that ants and more generally terrestrial arthropods may contribute to the removal of phthalates from the local environment.
Keywords: Absorption; Ants; Bbp; Bioindicator; Cuticle; Dbp; Dehp; DiBP; Phthalates; Pollutants
|
|
|
|
Groc, S., Delabie, J. H. C., Cereghino, R., Orivel, J., Jaladeau, F., Grangier, J., et al. (2007). Ant species diversity in the 'Grands Causses' (Aveyron, France): In search of sampling methods adapted to temperate climates RID C-4034-2011. C. R. Biol., 330(12), 913–922.
Abstract: This study aimed at showing the applicability of using a combination of four sampling methods (i.e., Winkler extractors, pitfall traps, baiting and manual collection), something most often conducted in the tropics, to create an inventory of ant species diversity in temperate environments. We recorded a total of 33 ant species in the Grands Causses by comparing three vegetal formations: a steppic lawn ('causse' sensu stricto), which was the most species-rich (29 species), followed by an oak grove (22 species) and a pine forest (17 species). No sampling method alone is efficient enough to provide an adequate sampling, but their combination permits one to make a suitable inventory of the myrmecofauna and to obtain information on the ecology of these ant species.
Keywords: ant diversity; Grands Causses; sampling methods; temperate climate
|
|
|
|
Leroy, C., Corbara, B., Pélozuelo, L., Carrias, J. - F., Dejean, A., & Céréghino, R. (2012). Ant species identity mediates reproductive traits and allocation in an ant-garden bromeliad. Ann. Bot., 109(1), 145–152.
Abstract: •Background and Aims: Determining the sources of variation in floral morphology is crucial to understanding the mechanisms underlying Angiosperm evolution. The selection of floral and reproductive traits is influenced by the plants abiotic environment, florivores and pollinators. However, evidence that variations in floral traits result from mutualistic interactions with insects other than pollinators is lacking in the published literature and has rarely been investigated. We aimed to determine whether the association with either Camponotus femoratus or Pachycondyla goeldii (both involved in seed dispersal and plant protection) mediates the reproductive traits and allocation of Aechmea mertensii, an obligatory ant-garden tank-bromeliad, differently.•Methods: Floral and reproductive traits were compared between the two A. mertensii ant-gardens. The nitrogen flux from the ants to the bromeliads was investigated through experimental enrichments with stable isotopes (15N).•Key Results: Camponotus femoratus-associated bromeliads produced inflorescences up to four times longer than did P. goeldii-associated bromeliads. Also, the numbers of flowers and fruits were close to four times higher, and the number of seeds and their mass per fruit were close to 1·5 times higher in C. femoratus than in P. goeldii-associated bromeliads. Furthermore, the 15N-enrichment experiment showed that C. femoratus-associated bromeliads received more nitrogen from ants than did P. goeldii-associated bromeliads, with subsequent positive repercussions on floral development. Greater benefits were conferred to A. mertensii by the association with C. femoratus compared with P. goeldii ants.•Conclusions: We show for the first time that mutualistic associations with ants can result in an enhanced reproductive allocation for the bromeliad A. mertensii. Nevertheless, the strength and direction of the selection of floral and fruit traits change based on the ant species and were not related to light exposure. The different activities and ecological preferences of the ants may play a contrasting role in shaping plant evolution and speciation. © The Author 2011.
Keywords: δ15N; Aechmea mertensii; Bromeliaceae; bromeliad; Camponotus femoratus; floral traits; fruit-set; mutualistic ants; Pachycondyla goeldii; reproductive allocation; stable isotopes
|
|
|
|
Dejean, A., Azémar, F., Libert, M., Compin, A., Herault, B., Orivel, J., et al. (2017). Ant-lepidopteran associations along African forest edges. The Science of Nature, 104(1), 7.
Abstract: Working along forest edges, we aimed to determine how some caterpillars can co-exist with territorially dominant arboreal ants (TDAAs) in tropical Africa. We recorded caterpillars from 22 lepidopteran species living in the presence of five TDAA species. Among the defoliator and/or nectarivorous caterpillars that live on tree foliage, the Pyralidae and Nymphalidae use their silk to protect themselves from ant attacks. The Notodontidae and lycaenid Polyommatinae and Theclinae live in direct contact with ants; the Theclinae even reward ants with abundant secretions from their Newcomer gland. Lichen feeders (lycaenid; Poritiinae), protected by long bristles, also live among ants. Some lycaenid Miletinae caterpillars feed on ant-attended membracids, including in the shelters where the ants attend them; Lachnocnema caterpillars use their forelegs to obtain trophallaxis from their host ants. Caterpillars from other species live inside weaver ant nests. Those of the genus Euliphyra (Miletinae) feed on ant prey and brood and can obtain trophallaxis, while those from an Eberidae species only prey on host ant eggs. Eublemma albifascia (Erebidae) caterpillars use their thoracic legs to obtain trophallaxis and trophic eggs from ants. Through transfer bioassays of last instars, we noted that herbivorous caterpillars living in contact with ants were always accepted by alien conspecific ants; this is likely due to an intrinsic appeasing odor. Yet, caterpillars living in ant shelters or ant nests probably acquire cues from their host colonies because they were considered aliens and killed. We conclude that co-evolution with ants occurred similarly in the Heterocera and Rhopalocera.
|
|
