bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An «ad hoc» association of hornbills, starlings, coucals, and other birds
Authors: Moynihan M.
Published: November 2022

An association of several different species of birds was observed at M Bour in western Sénégal in early 1977. The two species of greatest social weight were the Longtailed Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis caudatus) and the Redbilled Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus) . Individuals of both species were gregarious among themselves. The Redbilled Hornbills also were attractive to coucals (Centropus senegalensis), Hoopoes (Upupa epops), and Longtailed Shrikes (Corvinella corvina). They were themselves attracted to the starlings. The net result of the interactions among these species was the daily formation of large mixed flocks. The flocks were sometimes visited by birds such as Phoeniculus purpureus and Tockus nasutus, but they were ignored by many other species in the neighborhood.

The benefits derived from the habit of associating in mixed flocks were obviously varied. Mutual help in finding or flushing food seemed to be less important, in the local circumstances, than protection against predators or the regulation of competition by monitoring of rivals.

Some aspects of the behavior involved in the formation and maintenance of the mixed flocks were distinctive. They may be adaptations to facilitate social flexibility in the short term and over small distances. Opportunism would be expected in the rigorous and fluctuating environment of most of Sénégal. The species that associated with one another at M Bour are known to show other kinds of interspecific behavior in other areas and/or at other seasons, not far away in either space or time. Some of the variation may be due to individual choice. Among the apparent consequences or correlates of this opportunism are the absence of certain kinds of visual signals, the partial suppression of acoustic signals, and a reliance upon many and probably complex clues for recognition of potential companions. The mechanisms of such interactions probably are highly specialized.
Etude de la répartition du Grillon des bois Nemobius sylvestris (Bosc) dans un habitat naturel. - II. Les adultes
Authors: Morvan R. , Campan Raymond , Thon B.
Published: November 2022

Adult populations of Nemobius sylvestris were studied in the same two quadrats used for the study of the distribution patterns of their larval populations (Morvan, Campan and Thon, 1977).

Adult wood-crickets were not found above ground in winter or even spring time in the Toulouse region. Their population increase in summer was apparently due to the imaginai molt of a new cohort in late spring. Spatial distribution of males associated with females was aggregative in the two quadrats, whereas the distribution of isolated males or females was clumped in quadrat B only.

Adult distribution was also strongly influenced by the orien¬ tation of the forest border. On quadrat A, whose edge ran parallel to the daily course of the sun (E-W), the density of adult Nemobius sylvestris was greatest at distances between 5-8 and 15-18 metres from the border. On quadrat B, whose edge was oriented N.NE -S.SW, adult wood-crickets were particularly numerous in the first ten metres from the forest border.

An analysis of variance shows that adult distribution depends both on sex and border orientation in quadrat A.

Adult distribution was also influenced by the proximity of trees, but in a different way in males and females, and at different times of the year. Generally speaking, adult density was greater at a distance of 1 to 2 metres from the base of a tree.

Individual marking of adult wood-crickets has shown that they do not generally wander for more than 10 metres from the area where there were first captured. There is a positive correlation between the distance travelled and the interval between captures. In quadrat A, adult wood-crickets apparently wandered at random, whereas they tended to move towards the forest edge on quadrat B.
L’avifaune du Mont Ventoux, essai de synthèse biogéographique et écologique
Authors: Blondel Jacques , David Patrice , Lepart Jacques , Romane François
Published: November 2022

Bird censuses were made at 340 sites, and 83 % of the species known to nest in the Mont Ventoux were recorded at least once. Despite a considerable Central European and montane element, the avifauna is more similar to that of the Provence than to that of the Prealps. Reafforestation has led to the restoration of a European woodland fauna at the expense of Mediterranean species which had established themselves with the destruction of the primary forests.

The dominant plant species, vegetation structure, canopy height and altitude were the features which bore most information about the habitat selection of a species. Many general woodland species are present in the primary forest and in those reafforested areas where there has been considerable disturbance ; on the other hand, several good indicator species of environmental conditions in the different vegetation series were also found. The bird life in reafforested areas scarcely differs from that in the remaining areas of primary forest ; and rich, balanced bird communities have appeared in these new forests (particularly those with Cedrus atlantica).
Première contribution à la connaissance des Araignées du Mont Ventoux
Authors: Cornic Jean-François
Published: November 2022

The spider communities were studied using hand collecting, pitfall traps and beating. 133 species were identified (disregarding certain taxonomically difficult groups), belonging to 24 families, including most of those known from France. The majority of the species are widespread in France and Europe, although thirty are particular to the warmer regions. Some alpine species were found (often at lower altitudes than is normal elsewhere), and also some northern species at the southern limit of their range.
Gestation period and early development in Myomys daltoni (Rodentia : Muridae)
Authors: Anadu Pius A.
Published: November 2022

L’auteur définit la durée de gestation, décrit les stades de développement post-natal et le comportement maternel chez Myomys daltoni. La gestation dure de 21 à 37 jours, la moyenne étant de 29,1 ± 1,4 jours (P = 0,95). Un comportement maternel très développé existe chez les femelles allaitantes, mais les mâles prennent également part aux soins de la portée. Le développement post-natal des jeunes est de type murin : les petits naissent aveugles et sans poils, leur corps ne se couvrant complètement de poils que vers 12 jours. Les yeux s’ouvrent le 14e jour et les petits sont sevrés au cours de la troisième semaine suivant leur naissance.

Les individus élevés en captivité ont une croissance plus rapide et deviennent plus gros que ceux nés dans la nature ; la cause de cette différence est probablement nutritionnelle.
Compte rendu ornithologique camarguais pour les années 1976 et 1977
Authors: Hafner Heinz , Johnson Alan , Walmsley John
Published: November 2022

This bird report follows on from those covering the years 1950-1975. As in the past the area principally concerned is the Camargue and the neighbouring Crau and Alpilles. The species mentioned are those which are regularly censused such as ducks, raptors, laro-limicoles etc., those having changed status and species either occurring only rarely, out of season or in unusual numbers. Climatological data are given for the two years under consideration.

Attention is drawn to the increasing numbers of Cattle Egrets both breeding and overwintering and to an observation of what was almost certainly a Reef heron, which would be the first record for France. The Flamingos enjoyed another two highly successful breeding seasons, particularly in 1977. The small overwintering population of Bewick’s swans reached the record figure of 75 in January 1977. Another species on the increase is the Shelduck both during the breeding season and in winter. For the first time the number of Marsh Harriers wintering in the delta was monitored by counting at the roosts and this revealed the surprising total of at least 300 birds.

Amongst the rareties there are records of Barnacle Goose, Blue-winged Teal and Purple and Buff-breasted Sandpipers. All three species of Phalarope occurred as well as the four Palaearctic skuas. Recent surveys in the Crau and Alpilles show that an estimated 500 pairs of Little Bustards breed in the former region whilst in the Alpilles about 20 pairs of Eagle Owls occur. There were again record numbers of breeding Slender-billed Gulls.
La niche de certains modélisateurs : paramètres d’un monde réel ou d’un univers fictif ?
Authors: Vuilleumier François
Published: November 2022

Hutchinson’s (1958) multi-dimensional niche concept is at the root of most current efforts and attempts to model the dynamics of communities. The main architects of this influential school of thought in modern ecology are MacArthur, Levins, and more recently May, Roughgarden, and Vandermeer, among authors critically reviewed in this paper, and others like Schoener, Cody, and Levin among authors whose work is cited but not reviewed here. Interspecific competition is the single most important phenomenon to affect and mold the structure of community according to ecologists who make such models at present. The region and amount of spatial overlap between competitors along one or more of the dimensions of the niche (the so-called resource axes) are the key indicator of competition.

The models in use today are derived from those of pioneers like Lotka, Volterra and Kostitzin who worked between 1920 and 1940. The modeling technique and the scientific world view of modern modelers differ very little from those of the classic theoreticians. What does differ, however, is the assertion of present-day modelers that competition is the motor of community evolution. The model-making effort is not orientated toward testing this assertion, but instead toward building more models based on this “ fact”. Consequently, the work of modelers consists in defining and specifying the “sufficient parameters” of the theory of the niche, that theory being a mathematical and graphical description of how a few species coexisting in a “community” or in a “guild” subdivide their resources.

According to Levins, the sufficient parameters are niche breadth, niche dimension, niche overlap, and community matrix. Two major elements of niche theory are the form of the resource utilisation function, and the definition of the competition coefficients (α’s). A considerable effort is made today to estimate these coefficients and to calculate the community matrix in natural or quasi-experimental situations, in the apparent and naive goal of directly transposing models into nature.

These field measurements are compared to predictions derived from the theory of the niche, but these comparisons are only of very limited value because of the intrinsic difficulties of taking the measurements. Also, it is not possible to apply the criteria of mathematical stability required by the models to natural systems. Other problems involve the lack of precision in the currently used definition of several concepts (niche breadth ; niche dimension ; environmental grain ; resource ; environmental variance). However the most significant problem seems to be the dogmatism implicit throughout the modern theory of the niche. This theory rests on the key role of competition in community structure. But we should not forget that this role is still only a possibility, even though the reality of competition itself cannot be doubted.
Chapitre 7. Production primaire et relations trophiques chez les invertébrés des communautés halophiles de Camargue
Authors: Berger André , Bigot Louis , Champeau Antoine , Heim G. , Poinsot-Balaguer Nicole
Published: November 2022

Les biomasses végétales mesurées dans les zones émergées de la sansouire camarguaise sont relativement élevées dans le Salicornietum fruticosae, de l’ordre de 3 kg de matière sèche par m2 alors qu’elles n’atteignent que 0,4 kg/m2 dans l'Arthrocnemetum. La production primaire annuelle du S. fruticosae se situe entre 0,5 et 1 kg de matière sèche par m2, soit du même ordre que celle d’un peuplement à Quercus ilex étudié sous le même climat. Elle est réalisée pour l’essentiel en trois mois, de mai à juillet. Ensuite l’abaissement de la nappe aquifère, conséquence de la forte évaporation estivale, se traduit par une chute du potentiel hydrique et par une régulation efficace de la transpiration. L’étude des niveaux de consommation chez les Invertébrés terrestres montre, qu’en dehors de périodes exceptionnelles de pullulation des chenilles de deux espèces de microlépidoptères, la forte production primaire de S. fruticosae n’est pas utilisée directement. Les détritivores (Coléoptères, Collemboles) et les décomposeurs jouent un rôle essentiel.

Dans les zones à submersion temporaire l’abondance des débris végétaux desséchés pendant l’été qui s’ajoute à la production alguale pendant l’inondation hivernale permet la pullulation des Crustacés planctoniques, en particulier celle des Copépodes Calanides filtreurs dont plusieurs espèces de tailles différentes peuvent proliférer ensemble. Ces populations de Crustacés ainsi que les larves aquatiques d’insectes procurent lors de l’assèchement une nourriture abondante pour la communauté ripicole où les Coléoptères Carabiques sont bien représentés.
Chapitre 4. Transfert d’eau dans le système sol-plante
Authors: Berger André , Ramadan Iman
Published: November 2022

Des études sur le terrain mettent en évidence une différence de potentiel hydrique élevée entre la nappe aquifère et la plante (— 8 > ∆ φ > — 20 bars) quand la transpiration est très faible. La valeur de cette différence dépend de la profondeur de la nappe aquifère et du profil d’enracinement. Or, on admet en général que lorsque la transpiration est voisine de zéro, le potentiel de la plante tend vers une valeur voisine du potentiel dans la rhizosphère et que par conséquent toute différence entre la nappe et la plante correspond à la différence entre nappe et rhizosphère et non entre rhizosphère et plante. Cependant, des résultats obtenus sur Salicornia patula Duv-Jouve cultivée à différentes salinités — de — 1 à — 25 bars — montrent que dans la plupart des cas existe une différence de potentiel hydrique entre la plante et la solution nutritive. Ceci semble donc indiquer qu’une partie de la chute de potentiel observée sur le terrain est due non seulement à des caractéristiques du sol et du profil racinaire mais également de caractéristiques physiologiques du végétal qui amènent celui-ci à maintenir, même en conditions de non-transpiration, une chute de potentiel entre la plante et la rhizosphère.
Chapitre 8. Réponses des végétaux et des invertébrés au régime hydrique et aux variations de la salinité dans les communautés halophiles de Camargue
Authors: Berger André , Champeau Antoine , Gabinaud André , Guilvard Eliane , Heim G. , Pasteur Nicole , Poinsot-Balaguer Nicole , Rioux Jean-Antoine , Verdier Jean-Marie
Published: November 2022

Les réponses apportées par plusieurs espèces végétales et animales aux variations de la salinité et à l’alternance de périodes d’inondation et d’assèchement dans la sansouire camarguaise montre des convergences.

L’espèce collective Salicornia herbacea comprend trois taxons, qui correspondent à des situations écologiques différentes. Les deux premiers possèdent un seul type de graine dont la germi¬ nation s’effectue en automne pour S. brachystachya, au printemps après levée de la dormance par le froid pour S. emerici. Au contraire, S. patula possède deux types de graines : les graines centrales non dormantes qui germent à l’automne, les graines latérales dormantes qui germent au printemps.

Les œufs des Copépodes Calanides possèdent également un polymorphisme morphologique et physiologique. Les femelles pondent des œufs à développement immédiat pendant l’hiver, des œufs de résistance dont l’éclosion est soumise à la levée d’une diapause au printemps chez trois espèces bivoltines adaptées respectivement à des basses, moyennes et fortes salinités. Au contraire deux espèces univoltines pondent un seul type d’œufs à diapause. L’enfouissement suivi de diapause chez les Copépodites IV des Cyclopides, suivi de quiescence chez les femelles de l’Harpacticide Cletocamptus retrogressus leur permet de survivre à l’assèchement et à la sursalure.

Le Collembole Isotomurus palustris se maintient grâce à des œufs de résistance. La détérioration du milieu entraîne également l’apparition d’individus écomorphiques différents du type.

L’étude du polymorphisme enzymatique a permis l’individualisation de deux espèces jumelles A et B chez le Culicide Aedes détritus. Ces deux taxons isolés sexuellement sont identiques au plan morphologique. L’autogénèse ne se manifeste que dans l’élément A. Il existe entre eux une certaine ségrégation géographique et temporelle (A domine en Basse-Camargue, B en Haute-Camargue, A domine en hiver, B au printemps).
Une originale expérience de sylviculture restauratrice en milieu montagnard tropical à la Réunion et les réflexions qu’elle suggère
Authors: Paulian Renaud
Published: November 2022

Some comments on J.M. Miguet’s paper. The possibility of applying some of the forestry techniques successfully used in La Réunion to some of the French Guyana forests is discussed.
Caractère saisonnier de la fructification dans une forêt hygrophile de Côte-d’Ivoire
Authors: Alexandre Daniel Y.
Published: November 2022

The seasonality of fruit-production in an Ivory Coast lowland rain-forest has been studied over a whole year cycle along a 15 km transect in the Taï National Park.

A definite seasonality has been found, most trees bearing fruits in December-January, in the middle of the dry season. This is particularly the case for animal-dispersed species, by far the most numerous. The peak production of fruits by wind-dispersed species occurs a little later, at the end of the dry season, whereas mechanically dispersed (autochorous) species bear fruit at the end of the rains.
Eléments d’écologie du Chat forestier d’Europe Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777
Authors: Schauenberg Paul
Published: November 2022

Ce travail réunit l’ensemble des données connues relatives à l’écologie du chat forestier d’Europe Felis silvestris Schreb. Ce félidé habite les forêts caducifoliées de plaine et des régions inférieures du relief. Il fréquente particulièrement les abords des clairières et la zone périphérique des grands massifs forestiers. Le mâle occupe un domaine vital étendu recouvrant ceux de deux ou trois femelles ; il est moins sédentaire que la chatte. Le chat forestier emprunte les pistes et sentiers existants. Pendant l’hiver, soit de novembre à février, l’animal s’abrite dans des terriers, mais durant la belle saison il ne pénètre pas sous terre. Bien que le cycle circadien soit irrégulier, on constate deux périodes d’activité : l’une à l’aube, l’autre au crépuscule. Le chat reste inactif en pleine nuit. Il aime à s’exposer au soleil, particulièrement en hiver. On l’observe alors couché sur de grosses branches ou dans une aire de rapace sur les arbres en fin de matinée. L’espèce chasse en terrain découvert et non au cœur de la forêt. Clairières et champs contigus à la forêt sont les endroits où abondent les campagnols, ses proies favorites.

Les fortes chaleurs estivales sont néfastes et influencent négativement l’alimentation. A l’amaigrissement de l’été succède une période automnale d’engraissement. L’appétit demeure vif jusqu’à fin décembre ; les chats sont alors presque obèses. L’espèce supporte parfaitement le froid, mais l’enneigement constitue un facteur limitant pour sa distribution en altitude. Lors d’hivers à fort enneigement, les chats s’amaigrissent ; ils peuvent mourrir de faim dans les cas extrêmes. Le chat forestier est un solitaire caractérisé, sauf en période de reproduction. La parturition n’a pas lieu dans un terrier, mais le plus souvent à même le sol. Le gîte est sommaire, il a été préalablement nettoyé par la chatte et se trouve invariablement à l’abri de la pluie et de l’humidité. Les rapports prédateur-proie et autres existant entre ce félidé et d’autres vertébrés supérieurs sont encore imparfaitement connus.
Les conséquences d’un supplément alimentaire sur la dynamique des populations de rongeurs au Sénégal. I. Le cas de Mastomys erythroleucus en zone sahélo-soudanienne
Authors: Couturier Guy , Poulet A. , Adam François , Hubert B.
Published: November 2022

The Mastomys erythroleucus population of a sahelo-sudanian woodland has been studied from August 1976 to October 1979 on two quadrats : a control quadrat (QC) 2.5 ha in size, and a provisioned quadrat (QA) 4 ha in size, where food pellets were regurlarly provided twice a week since September 1976 (yearly food supplement : 120 kg/ha/yr).

The following changes were observed on the provisioned quadrat : (1) an increased population density, (2) an increased production of young, and (3) an improvement of their survival rate. Two further changes were also noticed : (4) while the number of immigrants was not significantly different on the two quadrats during the experiment, the duration of their stay was greater on the provisioned area than on the control area, and (5) the size of the resident females home ranges was decreased.

Whereas the experimental increase in food availability and predictibility triggered in this case an increase in Mastomys erythroleucus population density through a better recruitment, it was not influential in preventing the population decline which took place at a similar rate on both quadrats in 1977.
Une typologie des âges chez le Lérot Eliomys Quercinus (L.), au moyen de l’analyse factorielle des correspondances
Authors: Baudoin Claude , Abdi Hervé
Published: November 2022

88 Lérots (36 ♂ ♂, 52 ♀ ♀) capturés dans la nature en Franche-Comté ont été ordonnés dans quatre groupes d’âges principaux par la méthode d’ Analyse Factorielle des Correspondances.

Le groupe G1 correspond aux jeunes et juvéniles avant leur première hibernation, le groupe G 2 aux individus entre la première et la deuxième hibernation, le groupe G 3 aux Lérots entre la deuxième et la troisième hibernation et le groupe G 4 aux animaux au-delà de la troisième période d’hibernation. Cette étude a permis de décrire une classe d’âge supplémentaire par rapport aux études réalisées antérieurement par d’autres auteurs.

Le poids corporel, la longueur condylobasale et la largeur bizygomatique sont de bons indicateurs de l’âge et permettent de bien différencier les individus entre eux.
Quelques nouvelles données sur la répartition et l’écologie des Sauriens en Guyane française
Authors: Gasc Jean-Pierre
Published: November 2022

Data on taxonomy, distribution, and life-history are given for 28 species of terrestrial lizards observed in French Guyana. Particular emphasis is laid (1) upon the microhabitats of the various species within the rain-forest ecosystem, and (2) upon the relationships between some morphological features and the locomotion and feeding habits of the species concerned.

The partitioning of the forest environment (as well as of its associated open areas) between the major taxonomic categories of neotropical lizards is discussed. The ecological specialization of the various groups quite likely took place quickly after the separation of South America from the rest of the Gondwanian block.
L’existence d’unités fonctionnelles démontrée chez les Sarcelles d’hiver en Camargue par la biotélémétrie
Authors: Tamisier Alain , Tamisier Marie-Christine
Published: November 2022

In order to check the validity of the “functional units” previously described from visual observations, sixteen teals were equipped with radio-tracking equipment. The movements of each bird were followed for about one month, giving rise to a total of 384 day-time and 374 night-time contacts. Eighty to 90 % of contacts demonstrate the validity of the functional unit concept : the winter quarter is divided into separate geographical sectors (the F.U.) exploited by distincts groups. Individuals of a group use the same diurnal roost, fly out at night to exploit feeding grounds which are exclusive to the group and return to the same roost the following day at dawn. Exceptional changes of roost (2 %) are accompanied by a change in feeding grounds.

In addition, several new aspects of teal behaviour are described : birds are remarquably immobile during the night ; individuals transferred artificially to another roost return rapidly (0.5 to 5 days) to their original roost ; the precise position of each individual within the roost is very constant, in 84 % of cases within a radius of 500 m of the center of the roost ; each individual regularly uses the same feeding grounds (to within about 200 m) ; and finally, the position of the individual in the roost usually faces the direction of the feeding grounds.

Thus the strong social organisation of teal leads to the division of the population into several groups, each one exploiting exclusively a distinct sector (the F.U.) within which new detailed patterns of spatial distribution appear. This telemetric demonstration on teal can probably be applied to those species of ducks where the same kind of social organisation and spatial distribution have already been observed, and which are probably characteristic of the majority of ducks in winter.
Post-weaning dispersion of Southern Elephant Seal Mirounga leonina underyearlings at Kerguelen
Authors: Lenglart P.Y , Bester Marthán N.
Published: November 2022

Les auteurs présentent les résultats qu’ils ont obtenus pendant l’été austral 1979-1980 sur la dispersion après sevrage des jeunes éléphants de mer Mirounga leonina de la Péninsule Courbet, aux îles Kerguélen. Ces jeunes de l’année («underyearlings ») quittent leurs lieux de naissance début novembre, surtout entre le crépuscule et l’aube, et se déplacent le long de la côte en profitant des courants de surface dus aux vents. Du fait de la prédominance des vents du nord sur ceux du sud, il en est résulté un déplacement de ces animaux en direction du sud, le long de la côte — en particulier à la fin de novembre quand ils furent capables de nager correctement. Cette dispersion des jeunes de l’année est également influencée par la physionomie et la configuration du littoral. Les portions de la côte où les jeunes doivent s’aventurer en eau profonde sans qu’il y ait une plage à proximité sont rarement franchies. Du fait de leur dispersion massive, les jeunes de l’année qui ont été préalablement marqués se mêlent au hasard, en fin novembre, avec les individus non marqués, dans une zone de dispersion bien définie, avant de prendre définitivement la mer. Ce phénomène peut faciliter la détermination du nombre de jeunes nés pendant la saison de reproduction précédente, en utilisant la méthode de marquage-recapture.
Contribution à l’écologie et à la zoogéographie de Micropotamogale lamottei (Mammalia, Tenrecidae)
Authors: Vogel Peter
Published: November 2022

Eighty eight specimens of the West African Pigmy Otter shrew Micropotamogale lamottei were collected in Western Ivory Coast between 1971 and 1976. Most of the animals had been drowned accidentally in native bow-nets ; four were live-trapped by the author. The Pigmy Otter shrew lives not only in swampy areas, as supposed by other authors, Jbut also in small rivers and forest streams. The species is well adapted to its aquatic environment ; it feeds mainly on fresh water crab and fish, swims well, is able to remain submerged for 10 to 15 minutes when alarmed, and grooms itself carefully and regularly.

A survey carried out locally shows that the species is relatively common in the mountainous region surrounding Danané and Man, and further west in similar habitats of Liberia and Guinea. Its distribution in the Ivory Coast extends no more than 50 km around the Danané-Man core-area.

It is thought that the living Potamogalinae stem from an early adaptive radiation of the Tenrecidae in continental Africa. Later on, the terrestrial forms were probably eliminated by competing Soricidae and Erinaceidae, their aquatic way of life enabling the Potamogalinae to survive until now.
Les chauves-souris frugivores de la région de Manaus et leur rôle dans la dissémination des espèces végétales
Authors: Dos-Reis Nélio Roberto , Guillaumet J.-L.
Published: November 2022

Fifty eight species of bats were trapped with mist-nets in the Manaus area, Amazonas, Brazil. Eighteen of them were found to be exclusively or partly frugivorous. Bats belonging to subfamilies Carollinae, Sturnirinae and Stenoderminae fed only on fruit, whereas Phyllostominae and Glossophaginae were omnivorous. Some unidentified plant material (not fruit) was also recovered from the stomachs of some Carollia brevicauda. On the other hand, four species known to be frugivorous elsewhere in tropical America (Tonatia silvicola, Trachops cirrhosus, Vampyrum spectrum and Chaeroniscus minor) were not found to eat fruit in our study area.

When these actual and potential fruit-eating bats are all taken together, they represent 74-78 % of the bat community sampled between 0.5 and 2.0 m above ground (878 out of 1 474 captured individuals). If bat species living and feeding mostly in the canopy were to be taken into account, the percentage of frugivorous bats would probably be different.

The frugivorous bats studied did not feed at random, but were highly selective. The fruits eaten were picked up from emergent forest trees, or from understorey plants. Fruits from trees and shrubs of secondary forest were frequently consumed, as well as those of cultivated fruit trees. The fruits selected by bats were fleshy, dull and grew away from the foliage (flagellicarpy or caulicarpy).

Seed dispersal by bats is carried out either by transport of the fruit in the mouth of the animal and subsequent dropping of the kernel, or by ingestion of the fruit and subsequent defecation of the seeds. Endozoochory is shown to facilitate germination of some seeds. These data show that bats play an important (perhaps the most important) role in seed dispersal during the forest-regeneration cycle in central Amazonia, particularly for pioneer species.
Essai sur la dynamique des peuplements de lianes ligneuses d’une forêt du Nord-Est du Gabon
Authors: Caballé Guy
Published: November 2022

The dynamics of two woody liana communities has been studied in two rain forest plots on the M’Passa plateau, North-East Gabon.

The forest structure was different in the two areas studied. The first plot (2.4 ha) was set up at ground level on the forest edge, along a track opened ten years earlier. The second plot (3.2 ha) was located within the mature rain forest itself, a few hundred metres away, on uneven ground with a slope leaning towards a small river valley.

The pattern of distribution of the woody climbers whose diameter at breast height (DBH) was ≧ 5 cm is described on the two plots. The distribution of these liana communities was always clumped. The density of woody climbers was higher in the forest edge plot than in the mature forest plot (145 ind/ha vs. 114 ind/ha). However, the percentage of older lianas, i.e. those whose DBH was ≧ 10 cm, was higher in the mature forest than at the forest edge (20.6 % vs. 7.8 %).

The role of tree falls at the settlement stage of a woody liana community is discussed, and the importance of the supporting trees surrounding the gap is stressed. Woody lianas thrive during the first stages of the forest growth cycle, competing for light with the trees. Later on, woody climber communities age and regress when the forest mosaic matures.
La dissémination des graines par les Cercopithécidés forestiers africains
Authors: Gautier-Hion Annie
Published: November 2022

Un nouvel examen des 250 contenus stomacaux ayant servi à l’analyse des régimes de cinq espèces de Cercopithecinés, permet de statuer sur l’importance relative de la synzoochorie et de l’endozoochorie chez ces primates. On montre que : le taux moyen d’endozoochorie est relativement faible ; que les graines ingérées subissent une destruction d’autant plus importante qu’elles sont de grande taille ; qu’un même consommateur a le plus souvent plusieurs actions simultanées sur les graines ; que des consommateurs phylogénétiquement proches peuvent agir différemment sur les graines d’une même espèce végétale et être ainsi des «disperseurs» de qualité très différente. Tous ces éléments font qu’il est difficile de classer les plantes en espèces synzoochores et espèces endozoochores et confortent le fait qu’il n’y a pas de coadaptation étroite entre plantes et animaux consommateurs.
Un record mondial de longévité in natura pour un Chiroptère insectivore ?
Authors: Caubère Bertrand , Gaucher P. , Julien J.F.
Published: November 2022

A Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) captured in 1982, 29 years after initial banding (Caubère et al., 1982) was again observed in January 1983, but not seen again thereafter. Although this clearly senile individual probably died shortly afterwards it had lived for at least 30 years.

Out of a grand total of about 25,000 Greater Horseshoe Bats banded in France, only 21 individuals have so far been recorded to live for more than 15 years, and the 6 which have lived for more than 23 years were all males. This apparent difference in maximum lifespan between the sexes suggests that the suspected higher cost of reproduction in females may in this species result in a more rapid ageing of the female.
Zoochorie et premiers stades de la régénération naturelle après coupe en forêt guyanaise
Authors: Foresta H. de , Charles-dominique P. , Erard Ch. , Prévost M.F.
Published: November 2022

Processes leading to forest regeneration in a mature rain forest of French Guiana were studied on six plots representing initial stages of regeneration, from 2 to 10 years following clear-cutting.

The first woody species to appear in plots after tree felling are light demanding species growing from seeds remaining dormant in the rain forest soil. Such a «seed bank» is very heterogeneous, its composition being strongly influenced by the proximity of forest gaps and tree falls. Burning and increased soil compaction can prevent dormant seeds from germinating. Other seeds are disseminated by frugivorous bats and birds, yet other by wind. A few other regenerating plants are sucker shoots from cut stumps of shade tolerant species of the undergrowth, which grow easily beneath the canopy of pioneers.

The pioneer vegetation (Table I) is characterized by a low species richness : no more than 15 species (out of a grand total of 113 found 3.5 years after clear cutting), contribute to 85 % of the woody community. The seeds of these pioneer species are dispersed by bats and birds. Twenty species of frugivorous bats were observed in the study area, out of which only 4 (Table II) were abundant in the regenerating forest. Forty species of birds (Table III) also contribute to seed dispersal, out of which 16 species are restricted to second-growth. Some of these birds have a limited flight range and tend to disperse seeds more or less evenly around feeding trees. Other birds, particularly «lek» forming species (Pipridae), tend to defecate mainly around their traditional display grounds and generate a more aggregative dispersal of seeds. Some generalist species with a mixed insectivorous and frugivorous diet (Turdus albicollis and Ramphocelus carbo) are the first birds to colonize newly formed gaps in the forest.

The «seed rain» generated by bats during the night and by birds during the day, was measured (Table IV) both in the open and under the trees, using plastic collecting sheets. Only bats defecate in the open in a 50 metre wide belt bordering the forest edge. Seed rain generated by birds was observed only under isolated trees used as perches in the open, and to a lesser extent in the undergrowth of the mature forest.
La communauté de primates diurnes de la forêt de Taï, Côte-d’Ivoire
Authors: Galat Gérard , Galat-Luong Anh
Published: November 2022

The community of diurnal primates living in the Taï Forest National Park, Western Ivory Coast is described. Besides the Chimpanzee, it includes four species of genus Cercopithecus (C. campbelli, C. diana, C. nictitans, C. petaurista), three species of Colobus (C. badius, C. polykomos, C. verus) and one Cercocebus (C. atys) Details are given on the relative abundance of the seven species found on a 2 km² study area which was closely studied from 1977 to 1983, together with their population density, age and sex ratios, and sizes of home-ranges.

The ecological niche of every species is defined, based upon three major parameters : diet, vertical stratification within the forest structure, and the usual supports for locomotion.

The Taï forest Cercopithecids are more often observed in polyspecific groups than in monospecific groups. However, all the species do not display the same tendency to associate with the others. It is the Olive Colobus Colobus verus which lives the more often in mixed groups (in 92 per cent of the cases !). It also associates preferentially with the three sympatric species of Cercopithecus, rather than with the other Colobines. The polyspecific troops of Cercopithecids of the Taï Forest can include as many as 6 different species of monkeys.

Adaptive relationships between abundance and distribution of food resources, on the one hand, and group size, home range size, and strength of territorial behaviour on the other hand, are stressed. Scarse and patchy food resources favour large multimale groups exploiting large undefended ranges. Conversely, abundant and evenly distributed resources favors small unimale groups living on permanent territories.

Information is given in an appendix on some behavioural idiosyncrasies of the Olive Colobus.
Quelques aspects des interactions entre litières forestières et écosystèmes aquatiques ou terrestres
Authors: Trémolières M. , Carbiener Roland
Published: November 2022

We have examined the processes responsible for the disturbing effects of dead leaves in freshwater environments.

The first is a biochemical deoxygenation caused by the polyphenoloxidase-polyphenol system, which remains active in dead leaves. The intensity of this effect considerably varies from species to species. It depends on the quantity and nature of the phenolic substrates, as well as of the phenoloxidase activities, the presence of variable amounts of phenoloxidase inhibitors such as tanins, and the aqueous extractibility of these agents. The deoxygenating effect of dead leaves macerates is immediate and intense for some species, for example Poplar and Ash, but weak for others, such as Oak and Birch.

This first process is followed by two others : 1) microbiological deoxygenation and 2) spontaneous precipitation of phytomelanins resulting from their oxidative polycondensation.

These phytomelanins have ion exchange and sequestration properties. Nevertheless their disturbing effects on the aquatic environment are poorly understood at the present time.

A fourth process is the toxicity of leaf macerates. This toxicity is probably due to their phenolic compounds, their oxidation products, or other compounds such as saponosides. Thus the Birch, in spite of a very weak deoxygenating effects is very toxic for juvenile roaches.

We studied these four different processes in ten different species, and we established their respective role in the pollution of freshwater by dead leaves. These roles are discussed in terms of the phylogeny of the tree species studied, as well as of the functionning of temperate forest ecosystems.
Spatial organization, movements and dispersal in a dutch Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) population : some preliminary results
Authors: Mulder J.L.
Published: November 2022

Quelques aspects d’une population vulpine habitant les dunes néerlandaises de la Mer du Nord sont décrits. La plupart des renards adultes vivent en petits groupes, chaque groupe occupant un territoire stable de 105 à 200 ha. Plusieurs types caractéristiques de mouvements quotidiens ont été décrits concernant les renards territoriaux et les jeunes renards vivant sur de petits domaines situés parmi les territoires de groupe. Finalement cinq types de dispersion de jeunes renards pendant leur premier hiver et la période suivante sont décrits.
The expansion mechanism of the Wolf (Canis lupus) in Northern Europe
Authors: Pulliainen Erkki
Published: November 2022

The tracks of wolves crossing the frontiers make it possible to study the exchange of population. An increase in the crossings is recorded which is due to an increase in the number of wolves in Soviet Karelia. The culling of populations resulted in a slight decrease of the number of wolves in the Soviet Union.
Le chien errant en Tunisie
Authors: Ben Osman F.
Published: November 2022

Les différents types de chiens errants rencontrés en Tunisie, ainsi que leur mode de vie et leur importance épidémiologique respectifs, sont décrits. Leur rôle en tant qu’agents de transmission de zoonoses majeures en relation directe avec leur statut de chiens errants, est confirmé par les études épidémiologiques.
La circulation d’Echinococcus multilocularis entre ses hôtes naturels
Authors: Houin R. , Liance M.
Published: November 2022

In the various focuses of its wide geographical distribution, Echinococcus multilocularis moves between its natural hosts according to apparently unchanging mechanisms, although the hosts change. A factor of euzoonose, following Schwabe’s terminology Echinococcus multilocularis is first of all a parasite of Canids and Rodents, the latter being responsible for the focuses of the enzootic disease. Man is a marginal dead-end for this parasite, like any other mammal ; he plays, however, the role of indicator.
Social relations among Halcyon Kingfishers in Senegal
Authors: Moynihan M.
Published: November 2022

Woodland Kingfishers (Halcyon senegalensis) and Blue-breasted Kingfishers (H. malimbica ) are widespread in tropical Africa. They compete with one another. In the Basse Casamance, both occur in many of the same habitats. Individuals of the two species are similar in appearance. They may take similar ranges of foods, large arthropods and small vertebrates. The competition between them is controlled, perhaps reduced, by a variety of social behavior patterns. There is both spatial and acoustic avoidance among individuals of different species. Even when they use the same sites, they almost never do so simultaneously. Both species, and perhaps other kingfishers, are involved in a complex social «cluster» with rollers of the genus Coracias. The formalized social relations between senegalensis and malimbica may be of comparatively recent origin. There is evidence to suggest that they are transitional.
La reproduction du Martinet pâle (Apus pallidus, Shelley) sur des îlots satellites de la Corse : ses relations avec les facteurs climatiques
Authors: Thibault Jean-Claude , Brunstein Daniel , Pasquet Eric , Guyot Isabelle
Published: November 2022

Cette étude présente des informations sur la période et le succès de reproduction de trois colonies de martinets pâles (Apus pallidus) nichant sur des îlots du sud de la Corse. La ponte est étalée sur près de deux mois, mais la plupart des œufs sont déposés durant les trois premières semaines de la période. Il semble que le début de la ponte soit en relation avec le climat (pluie et température) des deux semaines précédentes, mais la différence entre les dates moyennes n’excède pas une huitaine de jours d’une année à l’autre.

Une comparaison des périodes de reproduction des populations de l’aire de répartition laisse apparaître des décalages de date qui correspondent aux différences de température moyenne mensuelle entre les régions. Les données démographiques sont sensiblement les mêmes entre les colonies étudiées et celles recueillies chez d’autres populations ; toutefois, les martinets des îlots n’élèvent pas de nichées tardives, contrairement à certaines populations urbaines.
The diet of the Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis (Baird & Girard) (Poeciliidae) in Mediterranean France
Authors: Crivelli Alain Jean , Boy Vincent
Published: November 2022

Le régime alimentaire de Gambusia affinis, espèce introduite en Camargue, est essentiellement constitué par des crustacés d’octobre à mai. Pendant la période de reproduction, de juin à septembre, les poissons mangent surtout des insectes aquatiques. Le régime alimentaire des mâles matures et celui des immatures se chevauche considérablement (61.9-95.6 %). Les femelles matures, présentes seulement de juin à septembre, mangent plus d’insectes terrestres à la surface de l’eau et d’insectes aquatiques que les autres classes de poissons. Par conséquent, leur régime alimentaire se distingue bien de celui des autres poissons. La même chose est observée si l’on considère la taille des proies ingérées. La grande taille des femelles matures leur permet d’exploiter une source de nourriture qui n’est pas disponible pour les autres classes de poissons. Lorsque la prédation par les poissons réduit l’abondance des proies les plus petites, il se crée une situation potentielle de compétition intraspécifique pour la nourriture. Les femelles matures, cependant, peuvent pleinement satisfaire leurs besoins alimentaires, intenses en période de reproduction, en exploitant des ressources différentes des autres classes de poissons, et elles peuvent ainsi maximiser leur succès de reproduction.
Etude comparée de l’adaptation des mésanges du genre Parus aux différentes essences forestières du bassin méditerranéen occidental
Authors: Isenmann Paul , Cramm Patrice , Clamens Alex
Published: November 2022

Data on some breeding parameters, especially clutch-size, of the Blue Tit from various mediterranean study-sites are presented (Table I). In the european oakwood vegetation belt (Southern Sweden to Southern France) clutch size remains more or less the same (10 to 12 eggs) (Table II). Conversely, in the evergreen oak vegetation belt (Mediterranean region), clutch size progressively diminishes southwards, and reaches its minimum value of 3.5 eggs on the Canary Islands.

It is suggested that this is the «quality» of the habitat (i.e. food availability during the breeding season), which plays the «key» role in determining these differences in clutch sizes. The role of «environmental quality» is further emphasized by comparatives studies, still in progress, on the breeding patterns of Blue Tits and Great Tits in an evergreen oak woodland and in a deciduous oak woodland, both located in the same geographical area. The data at hand (Tables III and IV) show that there are important differences between these two kinds of habitats for such parameters as the onset of breeding, clutch size, and breeding success. The birds generally perform better in deciduous woodland.
Les bernaches hivernant dans le golfe du Morbihan (sud Bretagne) et leur impact sur les herbiers de Zostères : premiers résultats
Authors: Mahéo Roger A. , Denis Pierre
Published: November 2022

The Golfe du Morbihan (11,500 ha) is characterized by extensive mixed sand and mud flats (61 %) ; the intertidal area approximates 4 300 ha.

Seagrass beds (Zostera marina and Z. noltii) were covering approximately 1 900 ha during the 1978-1982 period. The biological cycle of the plants is unimodal throughout the year, with a maximum in summer (biomass : 100-120 g, dry weight, per m2 for Z. noltii, 110 g, dry weight, per m2 for Z. marina, typical form, and 240 g, dry weight per m2, for Z. marina, annual form). The Dark-bellied Brent Geese Branta b. bernicla visit the Golfe du Morbihan from October to April, with a peak in November (14,000 to 20,000 birds yearly during the past few years, representing 9 to 12 of the World population).

The geese feed on Zostera which are grazed as soon as the grass becomes accessible at low tide. The use of exclosures allowed for an estimate of the quantity of food eaten by the birds : approximately 51.6 g, dry weight, per m2 during the winter.