Search results for "Function"
showing 10 items of 14432 documents
Heterozygosity-fitness correlations in adult and juvenile Zenaida Dove, Zenaida aurita.
2013
10 pages; International audience; Understanding how fitness is related to genetic variation is of crucial importance in both evolutionary ecology and conservation biology. We report a study of heterozygosity-fitness correlations in a wild, noninbred population of Zenaida Doves, Zenaida aurita, based on a sample comprising 489 individuals (382 adults and 107 juveniles) typed at 13 microsatellite loci, resulting in a data set comprising 5793 genotypes. In both adults and juveniles, and irrespective of sex, no evidence was found for an effect of either multilocus or single-locus heterozygosity on traits potentially related to fitness such as foraging tactic, competitive ability, and fluctuatin…
Variations spatiales et temporelles des communautés adventices des cultures annuelles en France
2007
Although arable weed species are particularly well adapted to habitats characterised by high levels of disturbance(ploughing, harvest), the degree and rate at which agro-ecosytems have been transformed in the last 50 years in Europe(use of chemicals, changes in crop rotations) has led to profound changes in the composition and diversity of arable weedcommunities. This thesis provides an update on the composition and diversity of weed communities that can be foundacross the main crop types and regions of France. It also addresses two objectives i) applying (community) ecologytheories for the analysis and interpretation of spatial and temporal variations in weed communities and ii) using the …
Variations in soil-water use by grapevine according to plant water status and soil physical-chemical characteristics - A 3D spatio-temporal analysis.
2016
14 pages; International audience; Understanding plant and soil-water relationships is crucial to optimise agricultural management. In this multidisciplinary work, soil geophysics and plant physiological measurements are coupled and a statistical method is proposed to visualising plant soil-water uptake in space and time. The method is applied in a vineyard context and shows differences in the use of tranpirable soil water by grapevine according to the type of soil and the time of the day (day/night).During two years the water stress experienced by a single Chardonnay/SO4 grapevine clone was monitored both at pre-dawn and midday by leaf water potentials in two field plots exclusively differe…
Free Radicals Mediate Systemic Acquired Resistance
2014
Summary: Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a form of resistance that protects plants against a broad spectrum of secondary infections. However, exploiting SAR for the protection of agriculturally important plants warrants a thorough investigation of the mutual interrelationships among the various signals that mediate SAR. Here, we show that nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) serve as inducers of SAR in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, genetic mutations that either inhibit NO/ROS production or increase NO accumulation (e.g., a mutation in S-nitrosoglutathione reductase [GSNOR]) abrogate SAR. Different ROS function additively to generate the fatty-acid-derived azel…
Assessing the capacity of different urban forms to preserve the connectivity of ecological habitats
2011
International audience; This paper addresses the relationship between anthropogenic forest habitat fragmentation and the form of urban patterns. Using a two-step methodology we first generate 40 theoretical residential development scenarios following a repeatable procedure; the simulated urban forms are either moderately compact or fractal. Then, we compare the scenarios according to the functional connectivity of the remaining forest habitat using a graph-based approach. The methodology is applied to the urban region of Besançon (France), where forest surfaces are considered as a generic habitat for several animal species. Results obtained show that fractal scenarios of residential develop…
Priorities for research in soil ecology
2017
The ecological interactions that occur in and with soil are of consequence in many ecosystems on the planet. These interactions provide numerous essential ecosystem services, and the sustainable management of soils has attracted increasing scientific and public attention. Although soil ecology emerged as an independent field of research many decades ago, and we have gained important insights into the functioning of soils, there still are fundamental aspects that need to be better understood to ensure that the ecosystem services that soils provide are not lost and that soils can be used in a sustainable way. In this perspectives paper, we highlight some of the major knowledge gaps that shoul…
Identification of multi-component trail pheromones in the most evolutionarily derived termites, the Nasutitermitinae (Termitidae)
2009
In the present study, trail pheromone blends are identified for the first time in termites. In the phylogenetically complex Nasutitermitinae, trail-following pheromones are composed of dodecatrienol and neocembrene, the proportions of which vary according to species, although neocembrene is always more abundant than dodecatrienol (by 25–250-fold). Depending on species, termites were more sensitive to dodecatrienol or to neocembrene but the association of both components always elicited significantly higher trail following, with a clear synergistic effect in most of the studied species. A third component, trinervitatriene, was identified in the sternal gland secretion of several species, but…
Resilience of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica following pulse-type disturbance.
2020
Understanding the response of species to disturbance and the ability to recover is crucial for preventing their potential collapse and ecosystem phase shifts. Explosive submarine activity, occurring in shallow volcanic vents, can be considered as a natural pulse disturbance, due to its suddenness and high intensity, potentially affecting nearby species and ecosystems. Here, we present the response of Posidonia oceanica, a long-lived seagrass, to an exceptional submarine volcanic explosion, which occurred in the Aeolian Archipelago (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) in 2002, and evaluate its resilience in terms of time required to recover after such a pulse event. The study was carried out in 2011 i…
Non-unique population dynamics: basic patterns
2000
We review the basic patterns of complex non-uniqueness in simple discrete-time population dynamics models. We begin by studying a population dynamics model of a single species with a two-stage, two-habitat life cycle. We then explore in greater detail two ecological models describing host‐macroparasite and host‐parasitoid interspecific interactions. In general, several types of attractors, e.g. point equilibria vs. chaotic, periodic vs. quasiperiodic and quasiperiodic vs. chaotic attractors, may coexist in the same mapping. This non-uniqueness also indicates that the bifurcation diagrams, or the routes to chaos, depend on initial conditions and are therefore non-unique. The basins of attrac…
Exploring individual and population eco-evolutionary feedbacks under the coupled effects of fishing and predation
2020
Intensive fishing that selects for large and old individuals can have pervasive effects on traits directly associated with the fecundity and survival of the target species. The observed reduction in fish body size can result in earlier sexual maturity at a smaller body size, leading to a lower individual reproductive output and population productivity in the long term. In addition, increased predation can induce similar responses in age and size at maturity due to the release of intraspecific competition and the lower population density. Thus, the combined impact of fisheries and predation is more difficult to predict due to their competition for fish, ultimately limiting and directing the …