bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Étude comparative de l’ichtyofaune des herbiers de Phanérogames marines en milieux tropical et tempéré
Authors: Harmelin-Vivien M. L. 
Published: November 2022

The fish communities of seagrass beds around Tulear (Madagascar) and Marseilles (France) are compared, particular attention being given to community structure and resource partitioning.
Physical and biotic conditions are more variable in the polyspecific tropical seagrass meadows of the Mozambique Channel than in the monospecific Mediterranean beds of Posidonia oceanica. Around Tulear seagrasses extend from the surface to a depth of 6 metres, and emerge in part at low tide. Composed of 7 species they form a mosaic of habitats. Around Marseilles, P. oceanica beds are found from 0.3 m to 35 m deep ; our study sites being located between 15 and 20 m. Their internal structure is complex and stratified, and they offer a variety of habitats to the fish fauna.
The overall species richness of fish is lower around Marseilles (49 spp.) than around Tulear (157 spp.), the greater number of species being found in the polyspecific seagrass meadows on the reef. The fish species characteristic of seagrass beds are both more numerous and more abundant in our tropical study site (30 % of the community) than in our temperate one (10 %). In both locations, species richness, species diversity, fish numbers and fish biomasses are higher by night than by day. The diet fo these fish is very different at these two time periods : by night all species actively feeding are carnivorous, whereas all herbivorous and omnivorous fish, as well as those feeding on sessile invertebrates, are active by day. At Tulear and at Marseilles, the main prey of seagrass beds fish are Crustaceans (53 to 70 %), Fish (17 to 25 %), Molluscs (4 to 10 %) and Polychaetes (1 to 5 %). However, herbivorous and omnivorous fish, and nocturnal zooplancton feeders, are less numerous in the North West Mediterranean than in the Mozambique Channel, whereas there are no sessile invertebrate feeders around Marseilles. Fish diet diversity is therefore higher in tropical waters than in the Mediterranean, particularly with regard to the fish population actively feeding during the day.
The potential competition arising from the large number of fish species living in tropical seagrass beds is quite likely avoided in the following three different ways at least : (1) consumption by tropical fish of some foodresources not used in temperate waters, (2) consumption of some very abundant and highly predictable resources by several species, and (3) decrease in niche breadth and dietary overlap of other species.
The only herbivorous fish (Sarpa salpa) found in the Mediterranean only lives in the shallow Posidonia beds, not entering the deeper part of the beds. The seagrass browsers are more numerous in tropical waters, but they only represent a small part of the seagrass beds fish fauna. In both locations, the low consumption rate of live seagrasses by fish may be responsible for the lack of toxic secondary compounds noticed in these aquatic phanerogams.
L’Albatros fuligineux à dos sombre Phoebetria fusca, exemple de stratégie d’adaptation extrême à la vie pélagique
Authors: Jouventin Pierre , Weimerskirch Henri 
Published: November 2022

Fifteen hundred sooty albatrosses (Phoebetria fusca) were ringed since 1966 at the Ile de la Possession, Crozet Archipelago, Southern Indian Ocean, and a detailed ecological and behavioural study of this population has been carried out from 1978 to 1982.
Adult males and females are sexually dimorphic, and their song is also different. They feed mostly on squid and forage up to 1,200 km off-shore.
The breeding biology of the species is described. As a rule adults breed every second year. The chick is fed every 5-6 days by both parents. The duration of the rearing period averages 164.5 days, and is the longest of all the smaller albatrosses. Mortality is high at the egg and chick stages (57.9 %), but the low survival rate of the immatures (68.5 %) is balanced by a high survival rate of the adults (96.3 %).
The seasonal distribution and demographic structure of the Possession Island’s population is described. It varies throughout the year, but the breeding birds never represent more than one third of the population present on the island. This is due to the fact that sexual maturity is delayed in this species ; on average birds do not return to their native colony until 8.4 years of age and are unabe to reproduce before 11.9 years of age. Among adults we can therefore distinguish at least three different categories of birds : successful breeders, potential breeders and temporary visitors.
The sooty albatrosses normally pair for life, 99.2 % of the breeders did not change partners during our study period. This long-lasting pair bond is slowly established during the prolonged immature stage and involves complex sexual displays. It takes the members of a pair 3.35 years on the average to completely synchronize their respective breeding cycles and be able to success¬ fully rear a chick.
As an extreme K-strategist, the Sooty Albatross appears to be remarkably adapted to exploit the pelagic resources of the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean.
Les oiseaux des régions forestières du Nord-Est du Gabon. I. Ecologie et comportement des espèces
Authors: Brosset André , Erard Christian 
Published: November 2022

This first volume summarizes the observational data obtained by the CNRS/MNHN team, from 1963 to 1985, in the Makokou-Belinga area, North-East Gabon.
Four hundred and twenty four species of birds were recorded in this area, and many of them were photographed, tape-recorded, or collected for identification purposes. Nine other species were seen, but not definitely identified. Three hundred and sixty three bird species were recorded on the 2 kma of the M’Passa field station alone. Detailed information is given for most of the species on the status, habitat preferences, abundance, life-history characteristics, diet and reproduction.
A second volume will deal with more general problems of community and population ecology. Comparisons will then be made with the results of similar studies carried out elsewhere in the humid tropics.
Régime alimentaire automnal de la Perdrix bartavelle, Alectoris graeca saxatilis, dans les Alpes-Maritimes
Authors: Bernard-Laurent Ariane 
Published: November 2022

The autumn diet of the Rock partridge Alectoris graeca saxatilis in the southern sector of the French Alps (Alpes-Maritimes) is described, based on 114 crop contents collected between 1981 and 1983. Seventy five per cent, dry weight, of the crop contents were made up of vegetable food, including green plant parts, dry fruits and seeds. Animal prey, mostly Orthoptera (Caelifera and Ensifera), made up ca 25 per cent of the diet. Juvenile partridges, however, ate more animal food than adults.
The rock partridge’s diet varied from one year to the next, apparently depending on the amount of rainfall in autumn which influences the availability of food. Altitude also plays a role ; the diet was more varied at middle elevations (1000-1900 m) than higher up (1900-2600 m), reflecting the higher plant species richness at middle altitudes. The possibility that rock partridges deliberately select in autumn dry fruits, seeds and (at higher elevation) animal prey, rather than fresh plants parts, is discussed.
Etude de l'écologie des micromammifères à partir des pelotes de réjection de Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769). Application au Bas-Chablais (Haute-Savoie, France)
Authors: Taberlet Pierre 
Published: November 2022

A method of investigating the ecology of small mammals in open habitats is proposed, based on the author’s own investigations carried out in Bas Chablais, Haute-Savoie, France.
Pellets of Barn Owl (Tyto alba) were collected at 15 sites within a defined study area. The remains of 14,056 small mammals found in these pellets were identified to the species level. The environmental descriptors of each of the 15 sites were identified, and a correlation matrix between the percentage occurence of each prey category and the environmental variables was calculated. The occurence of each prey species was subjected to a correspondence analysis, and the environmental parameters were projected onto the axes thus produced.
The overall results confirm the view that Barn Owl captures its prey at random in open environments ; the analysis thus suggests that the pellets provide a goad random sample of the prey populations.
The ecology of the 16 species of small mammals captured by the Barn Owl is discussed. For the species living in open environments the habitat is defined by the first three factors of the correspondence analysis, i.e. rainfall, area under cereal cultivation, and grassland type (Mesobrometum or Arrhenatheretum).
A strong positive relationship is suggested between the percentage occurence of Apodemus sylvaticus and the total area under cereal cultivation. Interspecific competition is shown by the opposite position of species on the axis of the correspondence analysis. Such is the case for Sorex coronatus versus Crocidura russula, and Microtus arvalis versus Arvicola terrestris. The results also provide information on the movements and dispersal of several woodland species : Clethrionomys glareolus, Sorex minutus, Neomys anomalus and N. fodiens mostly move within the understorey ; N. fodiens would appear to have higher power of dispersal than N. anomalus.
Such a method might be useful in other regions, and provide data on regional variations in habitat preferences of small mammals.
Rythmes journaliers d’activité et partage des ressources dans une communauté de lézards du désert de Sonora, Mexique
Authors: Ortega Alfredo , Gonzalez-Romero A. , Barbault R. 
Published: November 2022

The diurnal activity rhythms of the five more numerous species in a lizard community of the Sonoran desert were studied in October 1982 and June 1983, near El Pinacate, Mexico.
The diurnal rhythms of the five species were very similar, but varied extensively from summer to autumn. These rhythms were obviously dependent on the thermal constraints of the environment, and these constraints were so strong that they led to an almost identical activity pattern in all species.
Agroforesteries indonésiennes : contributions paysannes à la conservation des forêts naturelles et de leurs ressources
Authors: Michon Geneviève , Bompard Jean-Marie 
Published: November 2022

Agroforestry is a new approach which aims to reconciliate agricultural and forestry sciences. However, agroforestry is an old practice. In the humid areas of the tropical world, peasant agrosystems often associate annual crops and tree crops, agriculture and management of natural forests.
The great diversity of forest environment and of agricultural systems in Indonesia gave rise to a variety of agroforestry practices, which range from fairly simple modifications of the forest ecosystem, or tree-crop enrichment fallows in shifting cultivation, to complex agroforests and sophisticated home-gardens.
Facing the ever increasing problems due to deforestation and genetic erosion, village gardens in Java or complex agroforests in forest areas of Sumatra can contribute to the conservation of natural forests and of their resources.
The traditional knowledge concerning utilization and management of trees, forest stuctures and sylvigenetic mechanisms, which peasants developped over centuries, is of great value. It could inspire programs involving both conservation and economic use of forests in the tropics.
Avifaune et altérations forestières. II. L’avifaune de boisements résineux du haut-Beaujolais. Relations structurales végétation-avifaune
Authors: Lebreton Philippe , Broyer Joël , Pont Bernard 
Published: November 2022

Previous investigations have already documented the sharp (ca.50 %) decline in species diversity and population density of the resident avifauna following «forest artificialization» in Haut-Beaujolais, France. An attempt is now made to demonstrate a causal relationship between the structure of the forest and the structure of its bird communities.
The classical vertical vegetation parameters (stratification) allow a first analysis, but raise some theoretical and practical issues. Horizontal parameters, such as basal area, and evenness of tree distribution, combined with physionomie criteria such as the presence or absence of deciduous shrubs, improve the predictive value of habitat structure.
The results of the present study allow both, (1) a substantiation of the concept of forest alteration, and (2) the integration of ecological parameters into modern forest management practice.
Variabilité phénotypique du lézard des murailles Podarcis muralis sur les îles de la côte provençale, France
Authors: Cheylan Marc 
Published: November 2022

La variabilité phénotypique du lézard Podarcis muralis est étudiée dans plusieurs populations continentales et dix populations insulaires de la côte méditerranéenne française à partir de deux caractères de coloration et huit caractères d’écaillure.
Les résultats montrent une forte perte de variabilité sur la plupart des îlots inférieurs à trois hectares, et aucune différence notable par rapport au continent sur les îles d’une surface supérieure.
Une revue des données disponibles sur le sujet chez d’autres groupes zoologiques à partir du polymorphisme enzymatique permet de dresser un schéma général de la variabilité génétique en condition insulaire. Ce schéma permet en outre de réinterpréter certaines contradictions obtenues précédemment à partir d’un nombre restreint de situations insulaires.
Finalement, les mécanismes invoqués pour rendre compte de la variabilité et de la divergence génétique des populations animales insulaires sont discutés.
Stratégies comparées d’utilisation des ressources trophiques dans une lande bretonne par un Lagomorphe (Oryctolagus cuniculus, L.) et un Rongeur (Apodemus sylvaticus, L)
Authors: Butet Alain , Chapuis Jean-Louis , Lefeuvre J. C. 
Published: November 2022

The diet of a Lagomorph, the European Wild Rabbit Oryctolagus cunniculus, and that of an omnivorous Rodent, the Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, are compared using microscopic analysis of the feces. The two studies were carried out simultaneously in a heathland of Brittany, five years after a fire.
The species of plants and the plant parts consumed are listed. The seasonal variations in the consumption of aerial plant parts are considered only for those plant species which are dominant in the diet. The trophic niches of rabbits and wood mice in this specific environment are described ; there is very little overlap between the diets of the two species.
The feeding strategies of these two herbivores can be summarized as follows :
— The Wood Mouse strategy. This small species is able to forage within the different vegetation layers of the heathland, is highly selective in its dietary
Régime alimentaire de Rupicola rupicola(Cotingidae) en Guyane française. Relations avec la frugivorie et la zoochorie
Authors: Erard Christian , Théry Marc , Sabatier Daniel 
Published: November 2022

The diet of the Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola rupicola) was studied in a pristine lowland rainforest, near an inselberg in French Guiana. Droppings were collected under a nest and observations were conducted on a radio-tagged female.
Nestlings were mostly fed fruit, but not exclusively so, as insects, small snakes, and lizards were also delivered to the chicks. The characteristics of the fruits consumed, and of the fruiting plants, were given special attention.
The fruit diet is highly diversified : 65 species belonging to 31 families were recorded as ingested in a little more than one month. Remains of fifty-two species belonging to 26 families were identified under the nest itself. A quantification by feeding units (representing what the bird actually takes on the plant) shows that three quarters of the diet were contributed by only a quarter of the fruit species. Two thirds of the feeding units were contributed by only four plant families. Half the number of fruit species and two thirds of the feeding units were drupes, generally 10 to 20 mm in breadth, with seeds 5-1 5 mm wide. 83 % of the fruits were uniformly coloured. Taken together, black and red fruits were three times more abundant than all the others. The pulp of more than two thirds of the fruits amounted to at least three fifths of the fruit itself. A large proportion of the fruits consumed were those of canopy trees and lianas. More than three quarters of the fruits were from plants with large simultaneous crop production. These fruits were plucked out on the wing by the adult female which patroled a home range of 9.7 ha when feeding her brood, going from one fruiting tree to another.
These results are compared with the scanty littérature data on the diet of the two Rupicola species. Cocks-of-the-rocks cannot be considered as specialized frugivores, sensu Snow (1981). The assumed coevolution between cocks-of-the-rocks and plants is briefly discussed.
Compte rendu ornithologique camarguais pour les années 1986-1987
Authors: Boutin Jean , Chérain Yves 
Published: November 2022

This bird report covers the years 1986-1987 and is a sequel to the bi-annual reports begun in the 1930’s of the major ornithological events recorded in the Camargue and neighbouring Crau and Alpilles. Several researchers present the results of long-term monitoring programmes and there are observations of rare species (but only those accepted by the Rareties Committee) or the more regular ones recorded in unusual numbers, or outside the normal dates of presence in the region.
There were spells of severely cold weather in February 1986 and again, for the 3rd consecutive winter, in January 1987, this latter being the more severe of the two. Flamingos and egrets suffered less than in January 1985 but passerines were hard hit, particularly Cetti’s and Fan-tailed warblers and Bearded Tits. Rainfall over the two years was quite high and as a result the salinity of the Vaccarès lagoon dropped from 33 g/1 to only 20 g/1 by the end of 1987.
All european grebes have been recorded in the delta and their numbers have increased on the Vaccarès where 1 000 or more Great-crested and around 3 000 Black-necked were censused both years. The Grey Heron breeding population continues to increase and there were a record 891 pairs censused in the Camargue area in 1986. In winter the Great White Heron is now a regular visitor with up to 35 individuals. Storks are still regular on migration with 8 Black and 43 White in autumn 1987.
Record numbers of flamingos were again breeding in 1986 and 1987 with 20 000 and 17 500 pairs respectively and a record 8 590 chicks raised in 1986. In 1987, only 2 200 chicks were raised because of disturbance caused by a child’s balloon blown onto the breeding island during hatching. The banding programme continues and 600 chicks were marked each year. During the cold spell of January 1987 about 100 flamingos died, one of the victims being marked with an Iranian ring from Lake Rezaiyeh.
Waterfowl counts revealed record numbers of Shelducks in February, with 2 745 in 1986 and 3 590 in 1987. The Mute Swan breeding population continues to increase in the area and the Bewick’s peaked at 105 in January 1986. A small flock of Grey-lag Geese now winters in the Camargue and one bird has been seen wearing a Swedish ring. Midwinter counts of ducks and coots have now been made over 24 consecutive seasons. Although Gadwall and Shoveler numbers have increased in recent years the overall numbers of ducks have decreased for the thirteenth consecutive winter. This decline is attributed mainly to excessive hunting and an increase in the salinity of Camargue lagoons.
Other notorious winter visitors to the delta have been Sea and Booted Eagles in 1986 and 1987, and 7 cranes in 1986. Amongst the rarer waders is the 4th record of a Pectoral Sandpiper, a spring report of Buff-breasted Sandpiper and several observations of Wilson’s Phalarope, Terek Sandpiper and Black-winged Pratincole. Finally, a record 193 pairs of Slender-billed Gulls bred in 1987 and 35 pairs of Mediterranean gulls in 1986.
Organisation spatiale du Renard roux (Vulpes vulpes) en zone d’enzootie de rage en Lorraine
Authors: Artois Marc , Aubert Michel , Stahl P. 
Published: November 2022

The use of space and movements of adult Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in a rabies enzootic area of Lorraine were studied between 1 980 and 1 982. Five males and six females were followed by radiotracking (149 MHz) for various lengths of time (from 1 1 days to more than one year).
The surface of their «seasonal activity areas » (a more suitable term than «home range » in this case) was estimated at 300-400 ha, depending on indivi- duals and method. The seasonal activity areas of males were slightly larger than those of vixens, and probably correlated with body size.
No seasonal differences were noted, and from a third up to slightly more than a half of the activity area was patrolled every night. The daily distances covered ranged from 7.5 to 18 km. Though highly variable from one fox to the other, the use of space was far from random. It always differed between day and night, and open areas (mostly meadows) were intensively used during the night. The foxes studied tended to be solitary and intolerent towards neighbouring conspecifics. Most of the time their activity areas were unstable, gradually shifting limits. Such an unstable spatial behaviour might well be due to the rabies induced mortality of the adults, which leads to social instability and a more solitary behaviour. It might also enhance survival in rabies enzootic areas.
The impact of the feral cat (Felis catus) on the native fauna of Aldabra atoll, Seychelles
Authors: Seabrook, Wendy 
Published: November 2022

Feral cats (Felis catus) have had devastating effects on island ecosystems throughout the world. The history, distribution and ecology of the feral cat on Aldabra Atoll (a World Heritage Site) is summarized, and used with information from studies of feral cats elsewhere, to assess their impact on native fauna.
Despite virtually all of the Aldabran fauna being potentially vulnerable to cat predation, no native species have (apparently) become extinct. Cats are however having an impact, the most dramatic being that all the sea-birds and many land birds restrict their nesting to the few cat-free sites, and that the flightless White-throated rail (Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus) survives on two islands where cat populations have yet to become established.
These impacts are sufficient to recommend that the cat population should be eradicated, but in practice this would be impossible using the currently available techniques suitable for use on Aldabra.