bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Importance, composition et distribution des populations d’anatidés présentes en hiver dans l’Ouest africain tropical
Authors: Jarry Guy , Roux Francis 
Published: November 2022

The results of the 1984 aerial counts of wintering waterfowl in the Senegal, Niger, and Chad basins are given and discussed.
Both palearctic and afro-tropical species of Anatidae are restricted to the Sahelian belt during the winter, and do not enter the Guinea savannas or the forest-savanna mosaic further south, even during the drought episodes. In such harsh circumstances, paleartic migrants and afro-tropical species both concentrate in a limited number of refuge areas within the Sahelian belt itself. However, these winter waterfowl refuges may change from year to year. In January 1984, for instance, the Lake Chad refuge harboured 868 900 ducks and geese, against 122 400 in the Senegal basin refuge, and 545 100 in the Niger basin refuge.
Production de litière, nécromasse, apports minéraux au sol par la litière en forêt guyanaise
Authors: Puig Henri , Delobelle Jean-Philippe 
Published: November 2022

The litter production of a lowland rain forest of French Guiana was measured over a three year period (1978-1981). It averaged 7.8 t/ha/year, a rather low value, well in accordance with many other tropical sites. This production varies from year to year, and from plot to plot, but this variation remains small (ca. 13 %). The local variations in production may be related to edaphic differences within, or between, plots.
As a consequence of the reduced litter fall, the input of nutrients to the forest soil is small. This is due, not only to the relatively small litter production, but also to a low Ca, K, and Mg content of the falling leaves.
Poursuite d’un Engoulevent par une sérotine. Quelle interprétation ?
Authors: Masson Didier 
Published: November 2022

At twilight, on August 5 1986, in South-West France, a hunting Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus) was observed chasing, during a few seconds, a Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) whose flying path had just crossed that of the bat.
Four possible interpretations are discussed : rabid bat in a furious phase, territory or hunting route defence, food competition, and «mobbing» of a bird resembling a hawk. The last two interpretations seem the most likely.
Position trophique des Nettes rousses (Netta rufina, Pallas) hivernant en Camargue
Authors: Allouche Laurent , Roux Philippe , Tamisier Alain 
Published: November 2022

L’alimentation de la Nette rousse en Camargue, évaluée à partir des gésiers et jabots de 66 individus collectés en 1964-66, repose essentiellement, en termes d’abondance relative et de fréquence de rencontre, sur 3 grands types de proies : graines de Scirpus litoralis, parties végétatives de Potamées et parties végétatives de Characées. Tiges et feuilles sont à peu près également représentées ; la taille des fragments varie de 1 à 10 mm. Les proies animales sont rares, surtout représentées par le mollusque Hydrobia jenkinsi. Les graines de Sc. litoralis dominent jusqu’en janvier, remplacées ensuite par les parties végétatives de Potamées et de Characées.
La position trophique de la Nette rousse est donc intermédiaire entre celle des espèces typiquement herbivores comme le Canard siffleur Anas penelope, le Chipeau A. strepera ou la Foulque Fulica atra, et celle des espèces granivores comme la Sarcelle d’hiver A. crecca. Parmi les espèces de la communauté des herbivores en Camargue, elle est la seule à exploiter abondamment les parties végétatives des Characées.
Rôle du facteur trophique sur la biologie des populations de lapins (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) des Îles Kerguelen
Authors: Boussès Patrick , Arthur Christian P. , Chapuis Jean-Louis 
Published: November 2022

The diet of two European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations living on the subantarctic Kerguelen archipelago was studied from February 1984 to February 1985, in two different habitats. The condition of the animals (carcass weight and kidney f at index) and their reproductive parameters (rate of pregnancy, litter size, rate of embryonic resorption) were recorded.
At the first site, Pointe du Morne, the rabbit’s stapple food during the whole year was a grass Poa annua. At the second site, Molloy, their diet was mostly made up of two dicots Acaena adscendens and Taraxacum sp., the rabbits having to fall back on Acaena stems of low nutritional value in winter. Consequently, the winter carcass weight losses averaged 12 % at Pointe Morne and 24 % at Molloy, and the production per female per year was of 15 and 11 offsprings respectively. The plane of nutrition therefore appears as the most important factor regulating rabbit population size in this subantarctic habitat.