Les articles d'Arnaud Bechet

Using Two-Stage Random Sampling and N-Mixture Models to Estimate the Breeding Population Size of a Threatened Nomadic Species in Morocco

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:48:34

de Haytem Bouchri, Rhimou El Hamoumi, Raphaël Musseau, Arnaud Béchet, Jocelyn Champagnon
In Animal Conservation, (en ligne) (July, 2026), 1-11
En ligne : onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...]

Robust estimates of animal population size are critical for effective conservation planning, yet such studies remain scarce in the North African region, making it difficult to assess the population status of various species. Here, we present the results of a national-scale survey of the rare and elusive Marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris) conducted over 2 years in Morocco. Using a two-stage random sampling design, we surveyed 187 secondary sampling units of 0.25 km2 nested within 35 primary sampling units of 100 km2, spanning from the Moulouya River to the Saharan wadis. We applied hierarchical binomial N-mixture models to estimate the breeding population size of the species and identify key breeding habitat features. At the scale of sampled sites that cover 46.75 km2 of wetlands, our best-supported model estimated a total of 24 broods, with an average detection probability of 0.71 (95% BCI: 0.49–0.86), highlighting the need to account for imperfect detection in field surveys. When extrapolated to all Moroccan wetlands (748 km2), this translated into a national breeding population size estimate of 386 broods (95% BCI: 283–487). Emergent vegetation was found to be the strongest predictor of brood abundance. Among wetland types, ponds showed positive associations with brood abundance relative to dams, while rivers were associated with lower abundance. These findings represent the first robust national-scale estimate of Marbled duck breeding population size in Morocco. The analysis highlights emergent vegetation and wetland types as predictors of brood abundance, offering direction for habitat-focused conservation efforts. The scalable survey and modeling framework used here can be adapted elsewhere to improve monitoring and conservation efforts of vulnerable waterbird species.

Drought-driven breeding failures of greater flamingos in an important bird area, in semi-arid southern Iran

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:15:35

de Ali Gholamhosseini, Mahta Jafari, Arnaud Béchet
In Ornithology Research, 34(1) (April, 2026), 20
En ligne : doi.org[...]

In recent years, many wetlands in the semi-arid and arid regions of southwest Asia, particularly in southern Iran, have completely dried up, raising significant concerns regarding the reproductive success of the greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus). This study investigates the breeding success of the species in the saline wetlands of Bakhtegan and Maharloo in southern Iran over the breeding seasons 2023 and 2024. In 2023, egg laying initiated around mid-March in Bakhtegan, but the breeding site was subsequently deserted around April 23 during the egg hatching period likely due to drought conditions and disturbances from humans and predators. We counted a total of 1,953 nests and 538 dead chicks. The extremely low precipitation (about 33 mm) during the wet seasons of 2024 further resulted in suboptimal breeding conditions, leading to the absence of flamingos in Bakhtegan. Survey in Maharloo demonstrated breeding success in 2023, with an estimated 1,700 to 2,200 chicks. However, subsequent surveys in 2024 revealed no nests or chicks. Droughts, coupled with human interventions such as upstream dam construction and agricultural irrigation, have severely threatened flamingo populations, contributing to flamingo breeding failures and increased chick mortality.

Les oiseaux nicheurs rares et menacés en France en 2024

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:46:26

de Gwenael Quaintenne, Antoine Arnaud, Arnaud Béchet, Maurice Benmergui, Baptiste Boutilleux, Christian Boutrouille, Jean-Jacques Boutteaux, Bernard Cadiou, Pierre Camberlein, Gaëtan Cavitte, et al.
In Ornithos, 174 (Janvier, Février, Mars 2026), 04-35

L’observatoire des oiseaux nicheurs « rares et menacés » s’intéresse depuis 1994 à suivre l’évolution d’espèces à l’état de conservation jugé fragile ou préoccupant, mais aussi aux espèces rares, localisées ou nouvellement nicheuses dont certaines montrent depuis quelques années des dynamiques de population singulières, illustrées entre autres par des essors numériques fulgurants. Cette 25e publication des résultats des suivis des espèces nicheuses rares et menacées présente les éléments clés de la saison 2023 de reproduction de ces espèces, rendue possible par la contribution de près de 200 structures et associations naturalistes et d’un millier d’observateurs.

Migration shapes senescence in a long-lived bird

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 11:57:02

de Hugo Cayuela, Sébastien Roques, Antoine Arnaud, Christophe Germain, Arnaud Béchet, Jocelyn Champagnon
In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(36) (2025-09-09), e2422882122
En ligne : www.pnas.org[...]

Each year, billions of animals migrate across the globe on diverse spatial and temporal scales. Migration behavior thus plays a fundamental role in the life cycle and Darwinian fitness of many organisms. While the influence of migration on early-life survival and reproduction is well documented, its effects on senescence (aging) in advanced age remain largely unexplored. Using a unique 44-y ring-resighting dataset from a long-lived, partially migratory bird species, the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), we demonstrate that migration plays a key role in shaping age-specific trajectories of mortality and reproduction. Resident flamingos exhibit higher early-life demographic performances, with lower baseline mortality than migrants, resulting in longer adult lifespan. Residents also have a higher probability of breeding than migrants, though their breeding success is similar. However, residents seem to pay for their early-life advantages in old age, experiencing accelerated actuarial and reproductive senescence compared to migrants. Overall, our study highlights the critical impact of migration on survival and reproduction throughout life, thereby illustrating the role played by behavioral decisions in the biology of aging in long-lived vertebrates.

Interdependencies among hydro-saline dynamics, economic activities, ecological processes, and biodiversity in a deltaic social-ecological system: insights from the Rhône delta (southern France)

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:36:54

de Rose Rodier, Olivier Boutron, Arnaud Béchet, Olivier Therond
In Ecology and Society, 30(3) (July, 2025)
En ligne : ecologyandsociety.org[...]

Deltas are complex social-ecological systems (SESs) that involve many economic activities that interconnect closely with ecological processes and biodiversity. Sustainable management of such intricate SESs requires developing an integrated and understandable representation of their main human and ecological entities, processes, and interactions. We developed a formal representation of the Ile de Camargue (center of the Rhône delta), in which hydro-saline dynamics, water management, economic activities (e.g., agriculture, hunting, fishing, tourism), and natural environments (i.e., habitats for biodiversity) interact. The conceptual model was based on four submodels that provided complementary representations of i) water governance, ii) agriculture, and iii) bird and iv) fish communities. The conceptual model highlights the strong relationships (i.e., causal chains, feedback loops, interactions, side effects, and trade-offs) among the multiple entities of this deltaic SES. It provides information about the region and describes deltas as a SES to support decision-making. One major feedback loop in the delta concerned relationships among regulations, rice fields, and use of marshes as a habitat for birds: strengthening pesticide regulations to improve water quality and bird habitats caused the area of rice cultivation to decrease which degraded habitat conditions for birds. Directly related to pesticide use, the most common trade-off is to decide whether water management should prioritize water quality or quantity in the delta’s Vaccarès lagoon, and opinion differs among stakeholders. The conceptual model could be used as a starting point to develop computer-based integrated assessment and modeling to explore dynamics of and resilience to climate change in the Ile de Camargue.

Contrasting effects of agriculture and urbanisation on bird and reptile communities in a Mediterranean delta (Gediz Delta, Türkiye)

Wed, 4 Jun 2025 15:53:31

de Dilara Arslan, Elie Gaget, Kerim Cicek, Anthony Olivier, Thomas Galewski, Ömer Döndüren, Anis Guelmami, Lisa Ernoul, Arnaud Béchet
In BMC Ecology and Evolution, 25(1) (June, 2025), 58
En ligne : doi.org[...]

Wetlands have been some of the most destroyed ecosystems over the last century, with important land-use changes resulting from agricultural, industrial, and urban development. Gediz Delta is a large wetland on the Aegean coast of Western Türkiye with natural areas affected by conversion to agriculture and urban developments from the Izmir metropolis. We assessed the effects of landscape type (natural, agricultural, and urban) on the composition of breeding bird (90 species) and reptile (14 species) communities in the Gediz Delta between 2019 and 2021. We used generalized linear models to estimate the effect of landscape types on community indexes and joint species distribution models to assess how species-specific habitat preferences explained their responses to landscape type.

Persistent lead poisoning of waterfowl in the Camargue (southern France) 10 years after the ban on the use of lead ammunition in wetlands

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 09:44:46

de Arnaud Béchet, Anthony Olivier, Francois Cavallo, Lou Sauvajon, Jocelyn Champagnon, Pierre Defos du Rau, Jean-Yves Mondain-Monval
In Conservation Science and Practice, (en ligne) (April, 2025), e70045
En ligne : onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...]

Lead pollution is a worldwide environmental and health issue causing persistent detrimental effects on humans and wildlife. Despite having been identified as detrimental to waterfowl a century ago, in France lead shotgun pellets for hunting were banned only in 2006 and only in wetlands. We used long-term monitoring data from the Camargue (southern France) to (1) assess the local effectiveness of the French regulation at reducing the ingestion of lead shotgun pellets by waterfowl and to (2) assess local hunter compliance with the regulation. We used data on 2187 gizzards from 13 waterfowl species collected from 38 hunters in the Camargue over 20 hunting seasons (1998 to 2017). In addition, from 2008 to 2019, we systematically collected shotgun shell cases at three communal wetland hunting sites and used the ratio of cases indicating lead versus nontoxic shotgun shells to estimate hunter compliance with the ban. Across the 20-year study period that spanned pre- and post-ban, gizzards of harvested waterfowl had a mean lead shotgun pellet prevalence of 12% across the 13 species with no significant reduction over time. There was a slow increase in the use of nontoxic shot shells after the ban; lead shells continued to be used widely, suggesting inadequate policy enforcement. Because the ban was only applied for hunting in wetlands, hunters have to be caught with lead shells in the shotgun while in wetland to be fined. It is still legal to carry lead shells, favoring the circumvention of the regulation. Our results support the need for a complete ban of lead shotgun shells for both wetland and terrestrial hunting. A complete ban would facilitate policy enforcement and would favor compliance, eventually leading to a phase-out of lead shell production and use.

Les oiseaux nicheurs rares et menacés en france en 2023

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 14:21:09

de Gwenael Quaintenne, Antoine Arnaud, Mathurin Aubry, Arnaud Béchet, Maurice Benmergui, Mathieu Bourgeois, Bernard Cadiou, Pierre Camberlein, Pierre Chambrelein, Jocelyn Champagnon, et al.
In Ornithos, 170 (Janvier, Février, Mars 2025), 04-31

L’observatoire des oiseaux nicheurs « rares et menacés » s’intéresse depuis 1994 à suivre l’évolution d’espèces à l’état de conservation jugé fragile ou préoccupant, mais aussi aux espèces rares, localisées ou nouvellement nicheuses dont certaines montrent depuis quelques années des dynamiques de population singulières, illustrées entre autres par des essors numériques fulgurants. Cette 25e publication des résultats des suivis des espèces nicheuses rares et menacées présente les éléments clés de la saison 2023 de reproduction de ces espèces, rendue possible par la contribution de près de 200 structures et associations naturalistes et d’un millier d’observateurs.

Un plan national de gestion en faveur des limicoles prairiaux

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 16:48:30

de Jean-Baptiste Mouronval, Arnaud Béchet, Emmanuel Joyeux, Charlotte Francesiaz
In Zones Humides Infos, 106 (Septembre, 2024), 13-14

Les plans nationaux de gestion (PNG) sont l’équivalent pour des espèces exploitées en état de conservation défavorable, des plans nationaux d’action (PNA) dédiés aux espèces réglementairement protégées et menacées. Au sein de I’Union européenne, la moitié des espèces de l’annexe II de Ia directive oiseaux sont dans cette situation, et parmi elles les cinq limicoles visés par le PNG en cours de rédaction: Barge à queue noire (Limosa hmosa), Vanneau huppé (Vanellus vanellus), Chevalier gambette (Tringa totanus), Courlis cendré (Numenius arquata) et Bécassine des marais (Gailinago gallinago). En déclin, menacés ou vulnérables à I’extinction en Europe, ces limicoles sont considérés comme prioritaires pour Ia mise en place de mesures conservatoires par I’Union européenne (Nadeg, 2020f) et I’Accord sur Ia conservation des oiseaux d’eau migrateurs d’Afrique-Eurasie (AEWA). Les quatre premiers font ou ont fait l‘objet de plans de gestion européens ou de plans internationaux d’action de I’AEWA tous sont concernés par l’actuel plan de conservation européen des limicoles nicheurs prairiaux (Leyer et a!., 2018) et par le programme Life transfrontalier GrassBirdHa bitats , dont l’une des actions consiste à élaborer et mettre en œuvre un plan stratégique de conservation des oiseaux nicheurs des prairies humides à I’échelle de Ia région atlantique de l‘Europe.

Dynamique très positive pour les laro-limicoles coloniaux méditerranéens de 2011 à 2021

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 11:57:39

de Olivier Scher, Arnaud Béchet, Christophe Pin, Thomas Blanchon, Elvin Miller, Florian Escot, Rémi Tiné, Rémi Jullian, Florian Ollivier, Dominique Clément, et al.
In Ornithos, 31(3) (Mai-Juin, 2024), 113-137

Huit espèces de laridés et de limicoles nicheurs se rencontrent le long du littoral sableux de la cóte méditerranéenne française continentale. Leur écologie est variée mais, dans Ia mesure où ils nichent en colonies mono- ou plurispécifiques sur des îlots, ils sont confrontés aux mêmes problématiques de conservation durant la saison de reproduction. Ces espèces, que nous nommons ici par convenance "laro limicoles coloniaux", rassemblent le Goéland railleur Chroicocephalus genei, la Mouette rieuse C. ridibundus, la Mouette mélanocéphale lchthyaetus melanocephalus, les Sternes pierregarin Sterna hirundo, naine Sternula albifrons, caugek Thalasseus sandyicensis, hansel Gelochelidon nilotica et l’Avocette élégante Recurvirostra avosetta. A l'exception de la Mouette rieuse, toutes sont inscrites à l’annexe I de Ia Directive Oiseaux, parmi lesquelles deux — le Goéland railleur et la Sterne hansel — ont un statut "Vulnerable" sur la liste rouge de l'UICN à l'échelle nationale. Compte tenu de l’abondance de ces oiseaux sur leur façade méditerranéenne, les régions Occitanie et Provence-Alpes-Cóte-d’Azur ont une responsabilité particulière pour leur conservation.

Les oiseaux nicheurs rares et menacés en France en 2022 : 24e rapport du réseau ENRM

Tue, 14 May 2024 09:33:42

de Gwenael Quaintenne, Antoine Arnaud, Mathurin Aubry, Arnaud Béchet, Maurice Benmergui, Mathieu Bourgeois, Bernard Cadiou, Pierre Camberlein, Justin Chambrelin, Jocelyn Champagnon, et al.
In Ornithos, 31(2) (Mars-Avril, 2024), 49-94

L’observatoire des oiseaux nicheurs « rares et menacés » en France s’emploie, depuis 1994, à suivre l’évolution d’espèces dont l’état de conservation est jugé fragile ou préoccupant, mais aussi d’espèces rares, localisées ou nouvellement nicheuses, dont certaines montrent depuis quelques années des dynamiques de population singulières, illustrées entre autres par des essors numériques fulgurants. Ce 24e rapport du suivi des espèces nicheuses rares et menacées (ENRM) en France présente les éléments-clés de la saison de reproduction 2022, grâce à la contribution de près de 200 structures et associations naturalistes et plus de 1 000 observateurs.
Parmi les éléments marquants de cette saison de nidification 2022 des espèces nicheuses rares et menacées en France, retenons l’actualisation des tailles de population du Cochevis de Thékla et du Traquet oreillard dans les Pyrénées-Orientales et le sud de l’Aude par le GOR et la LPO Aude (complétée pour le Traquet Oreillard par une actualisation des effectifs en PACA). Depuis leurs estimations de 2013, ces espèces méditerranéennes accusent un déclin de 50 % de leurs effectifs. Affiliées aux garrigues basses et ouvertes et aux milieux steppiques, ces espèces sont particulièrement affectées par la fermeture du milieu associée à la déprise pastorale et aux modifications de l’occupation du sol (urbanisation et plantation de résineux). Autre élément notable, les premières citations dans cette synthèse de l’épidémie d’Influenza aviaire hautement pathogène, avec des effets marqués sur le succès de la reproduction de certaines espèces qui se ressentiront les années suivantes : chez les Fous de bassan des Sept-Îles (avec la mort de près de 20000 adultes et un taux d’échec de la reproduction de près de 90 %), dans deux colonies de Sternes caugeks des Hautsde-France ou encore dans les colonies de Vautours fauves. Si les effectifs du Râle des genêts, de la Guifette noire ou encore de la Sterne de Dougall sont au plus bas, tout n’est pas noir cependant et nombre d’espèce suivies dans cette synthèse affichent des records absolus d’effectifs. La saison de reproduction a été exceptionnelle en termes de nombre de couples pour la Sterne caugek, la Sterne hansel, la Mouette mélanocéphale, tandis que les petites populations bretonnes de Guillemot de Troïl et de Pingouin torda continuent leur progression, dans un contexte d’augmentation globale des populations régionales. Sous les auspices des plans nationaux d’action et des programmes européens Life dédiés à leur conservation, les populations de rapaces menacés se restaurent lentement et gagnent en effectifs : Gypaète barbu (+2 couples), Vautour percnoptère (+3), Aigle de Bonelli (+2), Balbuzard pêcheur (+7) et Faucon crécerellette (+73). La saison de reproduction de la Glaréole à collier est également jugée exceptionnelle, l’espèce ayant profité d’un moindre dérangement (activités agricoles et inondations) des marais asséchés en lien avec la sécheresse et d’une occurrence importante de colonies dans des espaces protégés. Pour les espèces les plus rares, citons : l’absence de couple de Harle huppé sur Chausey, après 4 années d’échec de la reproduction ; la découverte d’un nouveau noyau de population de Marouettes de Baillon au marais d’Orx (Landes) et deux couples supplémentaires de Pygargue à queue blanche recensés en 2022.

Compte rendu ornithologique : Camargue, Crau, Alpilles, pour les années 2013 à 2018

Fri, 8 Mar 2024 16:35:40

de Yves Kayser, Thomas Blanchon, Thomas Galewski, Jocelyn Champagnon, Marc Thibault, Gregoire Massez, Christophe Pin, Nicolas Sadoul, Rémi Tiné, Jérémiah Petit, et al.
In Alauda, 92(1) (2024), 3-96

Ce 26e rapport ornithologique de Camargue s'inscrit dans la continuité d'une longue tradition commencée en 1930, peu après la création de la Réserve Botanique et Zoologique de Camargue, devenue par la suite Réserve Nationale de Camargue. L'ornithologie a toujours tenu une place importante en Camargue. Entre 1930 et 2012, 25 rapports ont été publiés. Ce rapport ornithologique couvre l'ensemble de la Camargue, de la Crau et des Alpilles et les années 2013 à 2018. La pression d'observation n'a cessé d'augmenter avec l'augmentation des données disponibles. Alors que l'édition précédente était basée sur 400 000 données d'observation, plus de 900 000 données d'observation ont été réalisées sur la période 2013 à 2018. Certains faits importants comme le déplacement de la colonie de Flamants roses Phoenicopterus roseus de l'étang du Fangassier (Salin-de-Giraud) sur les salins d'Aigues-Mortes. Ce constat est toujours lié aux difficultés de mise en eau suite au démantèlement des stations pompages ayant eu lieu après la vente progressive de 6500 ha de terrains par la Compagnie des Salins du Midi au Conservatoire du Littoral. À cela, s'est ajouté la présence régulière de prédateurs sur le site du Fangassier comme le Renard roux Vuipes vulpes ou le Grand-duc d’Europe Bubo bubo. Ces six années ont vu l’apparition de neuf nouvelles espèces sur la zone étudiée. En hivernage, une nette baisse du nombre d'Oies cendrées Anser anser été constatée avec des effectifs passant de 4800 individus en 2013 à 2400 en 2018. Les effectifs de Fuligule milouin Aythya ferina sont également en chute constante. Quant à l'hivernage du Fuligule morillon Aythya fuligula, il est pour ainsi dire devenu relictuel. Plusieurs nouvelles observations hivernales de Crabiers chevelus Ardeola ralloides ont été effectuées sur la période. Le nombre de Grues cendrées Grus grus hivernantes poursuit sa progression pour dépasser les 15000 oiseaux en 2018. Une nette baisse des effectifs nicheurs de Crabier chevelu Ardeola ralloides a été observée. L'effectif est passé de plus de 600 couples en 2014 à 189 en 2018. Il en est de même pour le Héron cendré Ardea cinerea qui voit le nombre de nicheurs passer de 793 couples en 2014 à 418 en 2018. En revanche, certaines espèces comme le Grand Cormoran Phalacrocorax carbo, la Spatule blanche Platalea leucorodia ou la Cigogne blanche Ciconia ciconia montrent des augmentations progressives du nombre de reproducteurs et d’autres, comme l'Ibis falcinelle Plegadis faicinellus continue leur progression spectaculaire. La Talève sultane Porphyrio porphyrio est à nouveau présente dans bon nombre de marais d’eau douce suite à la vague de froid de 2012 qui avait nettement freiné son expansion. Il a été constaté en Crau un fort taux de consanguinité chez le Ganga cata Pterocles alchata induisant un nombre de jeunes peu élevé survivant au premier hiver. La Glaréole à collier Glareola pratincola se maintient autour de 70 couples chaque année, par contre, un nombre important de jeunes a été élevé en 2017 (1,9 jeune à l'envoi par couple). Chez les laro-limicoles coloniaux de Camargue, la baisse du nombre de nicheurs continue chez le Goéland leucophée Larus michahellis alors que l'Avocette élégante Recurvirostra avosetta, le Goéland railleur Chroicocephalus genei et la Sterne naine Sternula albifrons ont connu des effectifs records depuis 1956. L’Aigle de Bonelli Aquila fasciata a connu une très mauvaise année de nidification en 2018 avec aucun jeune à l'envol. Durant les périodes hivernales et migratoires, il a été mis en évidence une très forte augmentation du nombre de données concernant le Busard pâle Circus macrourus et le Pouillot à grands sourcils Phylloscopus inornatus. Les observations de Pouillot sibérien Phyloscopus collybita tristis ont aussi augmenté. Enfin, une très forte hausse du nombre de contacts (tant au niveau des sites où l'espèce est présente qu'à celui du nombre de données) a été enregistrée chez le Bruant proyer Emberiza calandra en période de nidification.

Tracking Changes and Shifting Homes: Within-Season Displacement of Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus between Mediterranean Colonies

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 15:44:11

de Abdennour Boucheker, Riad Nedjah, Mouloud Boulkhssaim, Christophe Germain, Araceli Garrido, Miguel Angel Rendón, Juan A. Amat, Manuel Rendón-Martos, Roger Prodon, Arnaud Béchet, et al.
In Ardeola, 71(1) (January, 2024), 43-60
En ligne : bioone.org[...]

Las variaciones en la calidad del hábitat en el espacio y el tiempo llevan a las aves a rastrear estos cambios para optimizar su estado físico. Investigamos los movimientos entre colonias de los flamencos comunes Phoenicopterus roseus entre colonias de cría del norte del Mediterráneo, establecidas desde hace décadas, y una nueva colonia de cría en el sur del Mediterráneo, en un sitio bastante impredecible (Ezzemoul, Argelia). Entre los flamencos observados como reproductores en Ezzemoul en 2006 y 2009, 59 y 26 individuos anillados, respectivamente, fueron observados antes durante la misma temporada de cría en otra colonia del norte del Mediterráneo y posteriormente en la colonia del sur del Mediterráneo, proporcionando así la primera evidencia de desplazamientos a gran escala dentro de la temporada (> 1.000 km) de una colonia a otra. Sugerimos que el fracaso de la cría y una densidad de nidos mucho mayor en las colonias del norte, establecidas desde hace mucho tiempo, desencadenaron estos movimientos. El éxito reproductivo y la condición corporal de los polluelos en Ezzemoul fueron mayores que en Fuente de Piedra (España), lo que indica que a gran escala espacial y en un marco de tiempo más largo, el éxito de reproducción dependiente de la densidad en las colonias de flamencos comunes puede inducir un cambio de una distribución despótica ideal a una distribución libre ideal.—Boucheker, A., Nedjah, R., Boulkhssaïm, M., Germain, Ch., Garrido, A., Rendón, M.A., Amat, j.A., Rendón-Martos, M., Prodon, R., Béchet, A. y Samraoui, B. (2024). Rastreando cambios y desplazamientos entre sitios de nidificación: Desplazamientos de flamencos comunes Phoenicopterus roseus entre colonias mediterráneas dentro de la temporada de cría. Ardeola, 71: 43-60.

Direct and indirect estimates of dispersal support strong juvenile philopatry and male-biased dispersal in a freshwater turtle species (Emys orbicularis)

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 15:36:57

de Remi Fay, Sébastien Ficheux, Arnaud Béchet, Aurélien Besnard, Pierre-André Crochet, Raphael Leblois, Alain Crivelli, Remi Wattier, Anthony Olivier
In Freshwater Biology, Online (September 2023), 12
En ligne : onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...]

Dispersal has major impacts on population dynamics, population genetics and evolution, and also is critical for population management and conservation. Dispersal is frequently sex- and age-specific, but current knowledge is strongly taxonomically biased toward birds and mammals. Here, we provide estimates of dispersal in a threatened freshwater turtle species, the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis. Based on 15 years of capture-mark-recapture (CMR) monitoring and DNA samples from 194 individuals, we quantified both demographic and genetic dispersal between three sites separated by 1.5–3.5 km. We also investigated the effect of age and sex on dispersal. Direct (CMR) and indirect (genetic) approaches provided consistent results, showing that the studied sites are connected with a flow of about one to three dozen migrants per generation. Dispersal was both age- and sex-biased in this species, with frequent dispersal of adult males and a strong philopatry of juveniles (of both sexes) and adult females. The network of canals and marshes allow effective dispersal to occur among the three study sites despite the relatively large distance separating them (≤3.5 km). The strong philopatry of juveniles contrasts with the frequently higher dispersal rate in young birds and mammals and shows the relevance of investigating dispersal in various taxonomic groups. Our results provide useful information for the conservation of European pond turtle populations.

Field margins as substitute habitat for the conservation of birds in agricultural wetlands

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 15:21:50

de Pierre Mallet, Arnaud Béchet, Clelia Sirami, François Mesléard, Thomas Blanchon, Francois Calatayud, Thomas Dagonet, Elie Gaget, Carole Leray, Thomas Galewski
In Peer Community Journal, 3 (August, 2023)
En ligne : peercommunityjournal.org[...]

Breeding birds in agricultural landscapes have declined considerably since the 1950s and the beginning of agricultural intensification in Europe. Given the increasing pressure on agricultural land, it is necessary to identify conservation measures that consume little productive land. We tested the compensation hypothesis which states that field margins may represent substitute habitats for bird species in agricultural wetlands. We monitored bird species in 86 crop fields in rice paddy landscapes of Camargue (southern France), a wetland of international importance for birds. We investigated whether the area of three types of field margins (reed strips, grass strips and hedgerows) within a 500 meter buffer around the centroid of each crop fields had an effect on the abundance of bird species from three groups defined based on their primary habitat (reedbeds, grasslands, and forest edge species). We controlled for the area of each type of semi-natural habitat (wetlands, grasslands, and woodlands), crop diversity (rice, wheat, alfalfa, rape, and market gardening) and mean crop field size. Results show partial support of the compensation hypothesis with species-dependent responses to primary and substitute habitat area. Some species within the reedbed and grassland bird guilds are favored by the area of their primary habitat as well as by the area of field margins, in line with the compensation hypothesis. Eurasian reed warbler is favored by the area of both wetlands and reed strips. Corn bunting is favored by grassland and grass strip areas. We could not confirm the compensation hypothesis for other species. However, this may be due to the fact that most of these species did not respond to their primary habitat. These results therefore suggest that field margins may represent substitute habitats for some species but further studies, in contexts where species are strongly associated with their primary habitat, would be needed to confirm the generality of this hypothesis. Our results also suggest that species response to increasing the area of a field margin type may vary among guilds and even within guilds. Therefore, it may be difficult to favor all species within a given landscape and management actions may need to be tailored to whichever species are locally associated with the highest conservation priority. To tackle this challenge, it may be necessary to design landscape management actions at different spatial scales.

Les oiseaux nicheurs rares et menacés en France en 2021

Tue, 23 May 2023 17:45:53

de Gwenael Quaintenne, Arnaud Béchet, Maurice Benmergui, Hervé Bergère, Bernard Cadiou, Pierre Camberlein, Virginie Couanon, Fabrice Croset, Emmanuelle Csabai, Gérard Debout, et al.
In Ornithos, 30(1) (Janvier- Fevrier, 2023), 1-41

Using literature and expert knowledge to determine changes in the bird community over a century in a Turkish wetland

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 17:35:55

de Dilara Arslan, Lisa Ernoul, Arnaud Béchet, Ömer Döndüren, Mehmet Sıkı, Thomas Galewski, Dilara Arslan, Lisa Ernoul, Arnaud Béchet, Ömer Döndüren, et al.
In Marine and Freshwater Research, Online (October, 2022)
En ligne : www.publish.csiro.au[...]

Bird species have been studied and documented abundantly in the past decades and are good indicators of ecosystem conditions, providing useful information of the changes in the ecological state of wetlands over time. However, monitoring data for birds in wetland sites are often disparate and not homogeneous over time and among species, which complicates the interpretation of trends.
We examined historical literature from 1835 to 2019, complemented by an expert knowledge survey and citizen-science databases to estimate the abundance of species, and evaluated changes in the structure and composition by average bird abundances.Key results Our results suggested that land-cover and land-use changes have shaped the local bird community, with a decline in agricultural and grassland bird species as a result of changes in agricultural practices. Coastal wetland and marine birds have increased in abundance, most probably linked to the extension of saltpans and successful conservation measures.
hese trends in bird communities demonstrate the impacts of different land management strategies on biodiversity.Implications This methodology can be replicated in other Ramsar and wetland sites around the world to raise new conservation issues and improve site conservation.

Efficacy of created and restored nesting sites for the conservation of colonial Laridae in the south of France

Thu, 6 Oct 2022 10:32:17

de Timothée Schwartz, Aurélien Besnard, Christophe Pin, Olivier Scher, Thomas Blanchon, Arnaud Béchet, Nicolas Sadoul
In Conservation Biology, Online (September, 2022)
En ligne : onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...]

By rapidly modifying key habitat components, habitat restoration is at risk of producing attractive cues for animals without providing habitats of sufficient quality. As such, individual fitness components such as reproduction could be reduced and restored habitats could become ecological traps. This risk notably appears by using artificial constructions in restoration projects, yet few studies have evaluated their efficacy in a robust way. In this study, we investigated this by analysing 154 islets that were created or restored in order to improve the conservation status of seven colonial Laridae species in the south of France. During a 10-year study period (2007 to 2016), we compared occupancy dynamics and breeding parameters of these species between the restored sites and 846 unmanaged nesting sites. We also explored species’ preference for different nesting site characteristics and their respective effect on breeding parameters. We found that restored nesting sites were more attractive than unmanaged sites for all species except the black-headed gull. Colonization probability was higher in sites already used by other species the previous year. Abandonment probability was lower when breeding was successful the previous year in all species except the Sandwich tern, and decreased with the size of the colony the previous year in four of the seven species. Breeding parameters were significantly higher on managed sites. Distance from the shore was an important attractive characteristic of artificial nesting sites in all species. Other nesting site characteristics had species-specific effects on colonization, abandonment and breeding success. These results indicate that managed nesting sites are successful conservation tools for colonial Laridae in the Mediterranean and do not act as ecological traps. Our study shows that the test of the ecological trap hypothesis is a robust way to evaluate the success of restoration projects of breeding habitats.

Les oiseaux nicheurs rares et menacés en France en 2020

Fri, 20 May 2022 18:18:45

de Gwenael Quaintenne, Arnaud Béchet, Maurice Benmergui, Hervé Bergère, Jean-Jacques Boutteaux, Bernard Cadiou, Pierre Camberlein, Jocelyn Champagnon, Frederic Chapalain, Virginie Couanon, et al.
In Ornithos, 29(2) (Mars-Avril, 2022), 73-111

Different components of landscape complexity are necessary to preserve multiple taxonomic groups in intensively-managed rice paddy landscapes (2022)

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 10:02:41

de Pierre Mallet, Arnaud Béchet, Thomas Galewski, François Mesléard, Samuel Hilaire, Gaëtan Lefebvre, Brigitte Poulin, Clelia Sirami
2022, 8
En ligne : www.sciencedirect.com[...]

Increase in pesticide use and landscape homogenization are two key drivers of the decline in farmland biodiversity. The effects of these two drivers are often complex, interactive and vary among taxonomic groups. Our study tested the hypothesis that pesticide use influences the effect of different components of landscape complexity on different taxonomic groups. We sampled 32 rice paddy landscapes of 1 * 1 km in the Camargue (south of France), a wetland internationally recognized as an exceptional biodiversity hotspot. We assessed the abundance and diversity of 7 taxa (plants, bees, butterflies, hoverflies, carabids, spiders and birds) in 3 or 4 crop fields per landscape. For each landscape, we measured the length of different field margins (ditch, grass strip, hedgerow), the proportion of semi-natural areas and crop diversity. For each field, we measured management intensity by the treatment frequency index (TFI) of pesticides. We then tested our hypothesis across 118 fields. Our results show that different components of landscape complexity influence different taxonomic groups: crop diversity and the length of ditches influence bee abundance and species richness, the proportion of semi-natural areas influence spider abundance and species richness, and the length of grass strips influences bird abundance. Moreover, we show that local pesticide use modulates these effects, with more positive effects of landscape complexity in intensively-managed fields. However, we found no interactive effect between landscape complexity and field management for plants, butterflies, hoverflies and carabids. Our study therefore suggests that different components of landscape complexity need to be maintained in order to preserve multiple taxonomic groups. Moreover, it suggests that increasing landscape complexity is particularly relevant to restore biodiversity in intensively-managed fields. Agricultural policies should therefore support the simultaneous increase in semi-natural areas, field margins length and crop diversity to conserve a wide range of taxonomic groups in intensively-managed rice paddy landscapes.

The color of greater flamingo feathers fades when no cosmetics are applied

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:48:48

de Maria Cecilia Chiale, Miguel A. Rendon, Sophie Labaude, Anne-Sophie Deville, Juan Garrido-Fernandez, Antonio Pérez-Gálvez, Araceli Garrido, Manuel Rendón-Martos, Arnaud Béchet, Juan A. Amat
In Ecology and Evolution, Online (September, 2021), 7
En ligne : onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...]

Greater flamingos use cosmetic coloration by spreading uropygial secretions pigmented with carotenoids over their feathers, which makes the plumage redder. Because flamingos inhabit open environments that receive direct solar radiation during daytime, and carotenoids bleach when exposed to solar radiation, we expected that the plumage color would fade if there is no maintenance for cosmetic purposes. Here, we show that the concentrations of pigments inside feathers and on the surface of feathers were correlated, as well as that there was a correlation between the concentrations of pigments in the uropygial secretions and on the surface of feathers. There was fading in color (becoming less red) in feathers that received direct solar radiation when there was no plumage maintenance, but not so in others maintained in darkness. When we controlled for the initial color of feathers, the feathers of those individuals with higher concentration of pigments on the feather surfaces were those that lost less coloration after experimental exposure of feathers to sunny conditions. These results indicate that exposure to sunlight is correlated with the fading of feather color, which suggests that individuals need to regularly apply makeup to be more colorful. These results also reinforce the view that these birds use cosmetic coloration as a signal amplifier of plumage color. This may be important in species using highly variable habitats, such as wetlands, since the conditions experienced when molting may differ from those when the signal should be functional, usually months after molting.

Gap analysis of the Ramsar site network at 50: over 150 important Mediterranean sites for wintering waterbirds omitted

Wed, 7 Jul 2021 14:08:13

de Nadège Popoff, Elie Gaget, Arnaud Béchet, Laura Dami, Pierre Defos Du Rau, Ilse Geijzendorffer, Anis Guelmami, Jean-Yves Mondain-Monval, Christian Perennou, Marie Suet, et al.
In Biodiversity and conservation, 30 (July, 2021), 19
En ligne : link.springer.com[...]

The Mediterranean Basin is a biodiversity hotspot. Wetlands make a key contribution to this status, but many of them remain outside the Ramsar network fifty years after the establishment of the Ramsar Convention. Here we evaluate the extent to which the Mediterranean Ramsar network covers wetlands of international importance for wintering waterbirds using the Ramsar Convention criteria 2 (species of conservation concern), 5 (> 20,000 waterbirds) and 6 (1% of a population). These criteria were applied to 4186 sites in 24 Mediterranean countries using counts of 145 wintering waterbird species from 1991 to 2017. We identified 161 sites of international importance for waterbirds that have not yet been declared as Ramsar sites, which could be added to the 180 current Mediterranean Ramsar sites established based on waterbird criteria (criteria 5 and/or 6). Among these sites, a subset of 32 very important sites reached double the required level for at least one criterion and 95 were not protected by any site conservation status. Coastal wetlands represented half of the Ramsar gap for waterbirds. We identified that an additional 1218 monitored sites could be provisionally considered as internationally important and thus require more survey efforts to assess their status. This study highlights a lack of participation of the Mediterranean countries to build the Ramsar network for wetland protection. Our results should help policymakers and managers to prioritize future Ramsar site designation, notably in the Middle East and Western European region where important gaps were identified.

Demography, distribution, and threat assessment of the Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca) in the Gediz Delta, Turkey (Reptilia: Testudines)

Wed, 26 May 2021 10:39:17

de Dilara Arslan, Anthony Olivier, Lisa Ernoul, Arnaud Béchet, Kerim Cicek
In Zoology in the Middle East, 67(3) (July, 2021), 1-12
En ligne : www.tandfonline.com[...]

The Spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with small and fragmented populations located around the Mediterranean basin. In Turkey, this species has remained poorly studied which hampers solid assessment of threats and conservation measures. We studied the spatial distribution, habitat use, and demography of the species in the Gediz Delta (Aegean coast of Turkey) between 2015 and 2017 with a specific capture-mark-recapture survey made in the Sazlıgöl marshes. A total of 114 individuals (20 juveniles, 62 males and 32 females) were captured and released in that period. Carapace length of adult females was on average higher (205.2±3.2 mm) than in adult males (190.9±2.3 mm). Sex ratio was biased with 1.94 males per female. Based on the capture-recapture histories of 65 individuals (3 juveniles, 37 males and 25 females) marked in 2015, we estimated the population size of the Sazlıgöl marsh population to be 137±23 individuals, which corresponds to a density of 5.7 individuals per ha. The main threats detected were agricultural activities, urbanisation and captures for the pet trade.

Context in Landscape Planning: Improving Conservation Outcomes by Identifying Social Values for a Flagship Species

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 15:30:27

de Lisa Ernoul, Angela Wardell-Johnson, Raphael Mathevet, Alain Sandoz, Olivier Boutron, Loic Willm, Stephan Arnassant, Arnaud Béchet
In Sustainability, 13(12) (June 2021), 6827
En ligne : www.mdpi.com[...]

Sustainable conservation planning depends on understanding local context including the way social values impact a landscape. Flamingos are used here as a ﬂagship species to focus the social values of a broad range of people living in and working in the Camargue in France. A survey questionnaire (n = 87) was used to identify the range of ways in which people value the landscape and their perception of effectiveness of ﬂamingo management strategies. Survey analysis was conducted through a multi-method approach, triangulating standard descriptive statistics, qualitative data analysis, and multivariate analysis applying numerical taxonomy. Applying numerical taxonomy allowed us to identify and deﬁne six social assemblages. Each assemblage had geographical characteristics with distinct values and perceptions in relation to management. The primary residence and geographic identity of the participants was deﬁning, showing clear value differences from participants living in different parts of the delta. The participants most frequently agreed that ﬂamingos contributed to the aesthetic, economic, biodiversity, and recreational values of the landscape. We show how identifying points of consensus and points in contest is necessary for navigating differences in values for conservation planning. This research shows the importance of the local social context in sustainably managing landscape change. /La planification d'une conservation durable dépend de la compréhension du contexte local, notamment de l'impact des valeurs sociales sur un paysage. Les flamants roses sont utilisés ici comme une espèce phare pour mettre l'accent sur les valeurs sociales d'un large éventail de personnes vivant et travaillant en Camargue. L'analyse de l'enquête montre que la résidence principale et l'identité géographique des participants ont été déterminantes, montrant des différences de valeurs claires entre les participants vivant dans différentes parties du delta. Les participants ont le plus souvent exprimaient que les flamants roses contribuaient aux valeurs esthétiques, économiques, de biodiversité et récréatives du paysage. Nous montrons comment l'identification des points de consensus et des points de contestation est nécessaire pour naviguer dans les différences de valeurs pour la planification de la conservation. Cette recherche montre l'importance du contexte social local dans la gestion durable du changement de paysage.

Assessing Management Perceptions Linked to a Flagship Species: A New Approach to Increase Landscape Management Legitimacy and Support

Tue, 8 Jun 2021 10:32:39

de Lisa Ernoul, Angela Wardell-Johnson, Raphael Mathevet, Alain Sandoz, Olivier Boutron, Loic Willm, Stephan Arnassant, Arnaud Béchet
In Coastal Management, 49(4) (June, 2021), 1-13
En ligne : www.tandfonline.com[...]

Integrated socio-ecological decision-making is important in improving legitimacy in management decisions through effective solutions that avert conflicts. This research examined social perceptions in landscape planning and management with regard to the Greater flamingo, a flagship species along the southern French Coast. A strategic delivery to a cross-section in a social catchment (n = 87) captured the perception and the recognition of management strategies through a survey questionnaire. Analysis was conducted through a multi-method approach, triangulating qualitative and quantitative results. Results show the importance of the attachment to flamingos in local landscapes. Knowledge on flamingo ecology was relatively high and participants perceived some of the regional management options to be unfavorable for flamingos. Participants identified threats to the species and expressed concern for the future of the flamingos, challenging the legitimacy of some landscape management decisions and planning policies. This research demonstrates the role of flagship species in stimulating reflection on landscape management, addressing both the ecological and human dimensions. Understanding social perceptions of biodiversity management objectives is fundamental for effective coastal conservation.

Phylogeny- and Abundance-Based Metrics Allow for the Consistent Comparison of Core Gut Microbiome Diversity Indices Across Host Species

Wed, 12 May 2021 10:46:36

de Alice Risely, Mark A. F. Gillingham, Arnaud Béchet, Stefan Brändel, Alexander C. Heni, Marco Heurich, Sebastian Menke, Marta B. Manser, Marco Tschapka, Wasimuddin, et al.
In Frontiers in Microbiology, 12 (2021)
En ligne : www.frontiersin.org[...]

The filtering of gut microbial datasets to retain high prevalence taxa is often performed to identify a common core gut microbiome that may be important for host biological functions. However, prevalence thresholds used to identify a common core are highly variable, and it remains unclear how they affect diversity estimates and whether insights stemming from core microbiomes are comparable across studies. We hypothesized that if macroecological patterns in gut microbiome prevalence and abundance are similar across host species, then we would expect that increasing prevalence thresholds would yield similar changes to alpha diversity and beta dissimilarity scores across host species datasets. We analysed eight 16S gene rRNA gut microbiome datasets collected from different host species to 1) compare macroecological patterns across datasets, including amplicon sequence variant (ASV) detection rate with sequencing depth and sample size, occupancy-abundance curves, and rank-abundance curves; 2) test whether increasing prevalence thresholds generate universal or host-species specific effects on alpha and beta diversity scores; and 3) test whether diversity scores from prevalence-filtered core communities correlate with unfiltered data. We found that gut microbiomes collected from diverse hosts demonstrated similar ASV detection rates with sequencing depth, yet required different sample sizes to sufficiently capture rare ASVs across the host population. This suggests that sample size rather than sequencing depth tends to limit the ability of studies to detect rare ASVs across the host population. Despite differences in the distribution and detection of rare ASVs, microbiomes exhibited similar occupancy-abundance and rank-abundance curves. Consequently, increasing prevalence thresholds generated remarkably similar trends in standardized alpha diversity and beta dissimilarity across species datasets until high thresholds above 70%. At this point, diversity scores tended to become unpredictable for some diversity measures. Moreover, high prevalence thresholds tended to generate diversity scores that correlated poorly with the original unfiltered data. Overall, we recommend that high prevalence thresholds over 70% are avoided, and promote the use of measures that account for phylogeny and abundance, because we show that these measures are insensitive to prevalence filtering and therefore allow for the consistent comparison of core gut microbiomes across studies without the need for prevalence filtering.

Bioaccumulation of trace elements affects chick body condition and gut microbiome in greater flamingos

Mon, 7 Dec 2020 17:17:21

de Mark A.F. Gillingham, Fabrizio Borghesi, B. Karina Montero, Francesca Migani, Arnaud Béchet, Manuel Rendón-Martos, Juan A. Amat, Enrico Dinelli, Simone Sommer
In Science of The Total Environment, Online (11/2020), 143250
En ligne : linkinghub.elsevier.com[...]

Elevated concentrations of trace elements represent a major concern to wetland ecosystems, since river estuaries are geochemical endpoints that accumulate pollution. Although the negative impact of environmental exposure of highly toxic elements such as Pb and Hg has received substantial attention, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the effects that these and other common trace elements have on natural populations. We used greater flamingos as a study system within three sites that represent a gradient of pollution. Controlling for environmental sediment exposure, we assessed if signatures of bioaccumulation in feathers for ten trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn and Zn) are associated with two known proxies of health: body condition and the gut bacterial microbiome. We found evidence of an adverse effect of Se, Hg, and Pb bioaccumulation on body condition. Furthermore, bioaccumulation of the elements As, Cu, Se, Pb and Zn influenced different aspects of the gut microbiome. Bioaccumulation of Se led to a shift in the microbiome composition, largely driven by an enrichment of Bacteroides plebeius, which is linked to the breakdown of sulphated polysaccharides of algae. Bacteroides plebeius was negatively associated with chick body condition, suggesting an adverse effect of a microalgae diet rich in Se. Pb bioaccumulation was linked with a decrease in microbial diversity (adjusted-R2 = 10.4%) and an increase in heterogeneity of the microbial community (adjusted-R2 = 10.5%), an indication of impaired gut homeostasis. As, Cu and Zn had more nuanced effects on gut microbiome heterogeneity according to breeding site and bioaccumulation concentration. Our results therefore suggest that in addition to well-studied elements, bioaccumulation of poorly studied elements also adversely affect health of natural populations.

The dimensions of evolutionary potential in biological conservation

Wed, 1 Jul 2020 13:58:39

de Emmanuel Milot, Arnaud Béchet, Virginie Maris
In Evolutionary Applications, Online (2020-06-12), eva.12995
En ligne : onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...]

It is now well admitted by ecologists that the conservation of biodiversity should imply preserving the evolutionary processes that will permit its adaptation to ongoing and future environmental changes. This is attested by the ever-growing reference to the conservation of evolutionary potential in the scientific literature. The impression that one may have when reading papers is that conserving evolutionary potential can only be a good thing, whatever biological system is under scrutiny. However, different objectives, such as maintaining species richness versus ecosystem services, may express different, when not conflicting, underlying values attributed to biodiversity. For instance, biodiversity can be intrinsically valued, as worth it to be conserved per se, or it can be conserved as a means for human flourishing. Consequently, both the concept of evolutionary potential and the prescriptions derived from the commitment to conserve it remain problematic, due to a lack of explicit mention of the norms underlying different conservation visions. Here, we contend that those who advocate for the conservation of evolutionary potential should position their conception along four dimensions: what vehicles instantiate the evolutionary potential relevant to their normative commitment; what temporality is involved; how measurable evolutionary potential is, and what degree of human influence is tolerated. We need to address these dimensions if we are to determine why and when the maintenance of evolutionary potential is an appropriate target for the conservation of biodiversity.

Foraging niche shift maintains breeding parameters of a colonial waterbird during range expansion

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 14:26:55

de Charlotte Francesiaz, Elizabeth Yohannes, Aurélien Besnard, Nicolas Sadoul, Thomas Blanchon, Arnaud Béchet
In Ecology and Evolution, 10(4) (February, 2020), ece3.6030
En ligne : onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...]

Relating the effects of foraging niche variation to reproductive dynamics is critical to understand species response to environmental change. We examined foraging niche variations of the slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei), a nomadic colonial waterbird species during its range expansion along the French Mediterranean coast over a 16-year period (1998–2013). We investigated whether range expansion was associated with a change in chick diet, breeding success, and chicks body condition. We also examined whether breeding success and chicks body condition were explained by diet and colonial characteristics (number of pairs, laying phenology, habitat, and locality). Diet was characterized using dual-stable isotopic proxies (δ13C and δ15N) of feather keratin from 331 individuals subsampled from a total of 4,154 chicks ringed and measured at 18 different colonies. δ13C decreased and δ15N increased significantly during range expansion suggesting that chicks were fed from preys of increasing trophic level found in the less salty habitat colonized by the end of the study period. Niche shift occurred without significant change of niche width which did not vary among periods, habitats, or localities either. Breeding success and chick body condition showed no consistent trends over years. Breeding success tended to increase with decreasing δ13C at the colony level while there was no relationship between stable isotope signatures and chick body condition. Overall, our results suggest that even if range expansion is associated with foraging niche shift toward the colonization of less salty and more brackish habitats, the shift had marginal effect on the breeding parameters of the Slender-billed gull. Niche width appears as an asset of this species, which likely explains its ability to rapidly colonize new locations.

Cohort effect on discriminant rate: the case of greater flamingo (Phœnicopterus roseus) chicks sexed with morphological characters

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 09:46:11

de Abdennour Boucheker, Riad Nedjah, Roger Prodon, Mark Gillingham, François-Xavier Dechaume-Moncharmont, Arnaud Béchet, Boudjema Samraoui
In Web Ecology, 20(2) (2020), 153
En ligne : univ-lyon1.hal.science[...]

We used a large dataset of greater flamingo chicks banded and measured at Camargue, France, to verify the applicability of discriminant function analysis to sex this species. Males and females sexed genetically differed significantly in all of the morphological characters measured (body mass, tarsus and wing length), with males being significantly larger than females. Although the discriminant rate varied substantially from one year to another, we found that it increased with the sample size of genetically sexed individuals. Our results suggest that discriminant function analysis (DFA) does not provide an efficient tool to sex greater flamingo chicks as these relationship are highly variable across years, requiring the genetic determination of sex on a large number of individuals every year for calibrating the DFA and still providing an overall low accuracy in sex determination. Indeed, conditions at breeding seasons can vary between years and can be considered proximate causes affecting the correct discriminant rate. Like previous studies, we recommend caution in dealing with discriminant equations computed from small datasets, and our simulation suggests that 325 genetically sexed individuals are needed to obtain 80 % correctly classified greater flamingo chicks.

Le Grand-duc d'Europe (Bubo bubo) prédateur du flamant rose (Phoenicopterus roseus) en Camargue (France) et indications sur le régime alimentaire

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 13:47:42

de Yves Kayser, Antoine Arnaud, Arnaud Béchet
In Nos Oiseaux, 66(3) (Septembre, 2019)

Offspring Microbiomes Differ Across Breeding Sites in a Panmictic Species

Wed, 6 Feb 2019 16:45:32

de Mark Alan Frank Gillingham, Arnaud Béchet, Frank Cézilly, Kerstin Wilhelm, Manuel Rendón-Martos, Fabrizio Borghesi, Sergio Nissardi, Nicola Baccetti, Hichem Azafzaf, Sebastian Menke, et al.
In Frontiers in Microbiology, 10 (2019-2-6), 35
En ligne : www.frontiersin.org[...]

High dispersal rates are known to homogenize host’s population genetic structure in panmictic species and to disrupt host local adaptation to the environment. Long-distance dispersal might also spread micro-organisms across large geographical areas. However, so far, to which extent selection mechanisms that shape host’s population genetics are mirrored in the population structure of the enteric microbiome remains unclear. High dispersal rates and horizontal parental transfer may homogenize bacterial communities between breeding sites (homogeneous hypothesis). Alternatively, strong selection from the local environment may differentiate bacterial communities between breeding sites (heterogeneous hypothesis). Furthermore, selection from age-specific environmental or physiological factors may differentiate the microbiome between juveniles and adults. Here, we analyzed the cloacal bacterial 16S rRNA gene of fledgling greater flamingos, Phoenicopterus roseus, across nine western Mediterranean breeding sites and four breeding seasons (n = 731) and adult birds (n = 27) from a single site. We found that fledgling cloacal microbiome, as measured by alpha diversity, beta diversity, the relative abundance of assigned sequence variants (ASVs) belonging to a phylum and genus composition within phylum, varied significantly between sampling sites and across time within site despite high adult dispersal rates. The spatio-temporal effects were stronger on individual ASV absence/presence than on ASV abundance (i.e., than on core microbiome composition). Spatial effects had a stronger effect than temporal effects, particularly on ASV abundance. Our study supports the heterogeneous hypothesis whereby local environmental conditions select and differentiate bacterial communities, thus countering the homogenizing effects of high-dispersing host species. In addition, differences in core microbiome between adult vs. fledgling samples suggests that differences in age-specific environmental and/or physiological factors result in differential selection pressure of core enteric microbiome between age classes, even within the same environment. In particular, the genus Corynebacterium, associated with both seasonal fat uptake and migration in previous studies, was much more abundant in high-dispersing fledglings than in more resident adults. To conclude, selection mechanisms that shape the host’s genetic structure cannot be extended to the genetic structure of the enteric microbiome, which has important implications regarding our understanding of both host local adaptation mechanisms and enteric microbiome population genetics.

Late snowmelt can result in smaller eggs in Arctic shorebirds

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 11:06:30

de Jean-Louis Martin, Paul Allen Smith, Arnaud Béchet, Tanguy Daufresne
In Polar Biology, 41(11) (2018-11-01), 2289-2295
En ligne : doi.org[...]

Migratory birds often travel long distances between non-breeding and breeding areas. The suitability of weather and foraging conditions they experience upon arrival at their breeding grounds is an essential component explaining the timing and success of reproduction. Climate change has been identified as a major contributor to “mismatches” in resource phenology and timing of reproduction in animal populations. Climate models project a disproportionate degree of warming at high latitudes, thus the potential for marked temperature-related mismatches in polar regions. Timing of breeding for many Arctic species is also governed by snowmelt. Current models project a general increase in winter precipitation for the Arctic, which can lead to years of delayed snowmelt despite the overall warming trend. This delayed snowmelt could affect phenology, or the availability of resources for egg production. We use an unplanned contrast in dates of snowmelt during a two year research program in the Canadian Arctic to explore the hypothesis that, for Arctic-breeding shorebirds with fixed clutch sizes and an income-breeding strategy, adjustment of reproductive effort to delayed snowmelt could result in a reduced egg size. We compared egg volume in clutches of several shorebird species in the two consecutive years. We found significant variation in egg volume between years, with eggs approximately 5% smaller in the year of late snowmelt, suggesting that shorebirds faced with adverse conditions upon arrival to their breeding grounds can respond by decreasing egg-size. A larger sample of years, sites and shorebird species would help to clarify the generality of this response.

Lateralization of complex behaviours in wild greater flamingos

Wed, 19 Sep 2018 14:21:38

de Annabelle Vidal, Charlotte Perrot, Jean-Nicolas Jasmin, Eva Lartigau, Antoine Arnaud, Frank Cézilly, Arnaud Béchet
In Animal Behaviour, 144 (10/2018), 67-74
En ligne : linkinghub.elsevier.com[...]

Lateralization refers to the preferential use of one side of the body to perform certain tasks, often as a consequence of the specialization of cerebral hemispheres. Individuals may benefit from lateralization if it allows them to perform complex tasks simultaneously. Studies on laterality further suggest that sex and age can influence the extent of lateralization. However, most studies on lateralization have been performed on captive individuals, exposed to simplified environments and expressing limited behavioural repertoire. Here, we evaluated behavioural lateralization in the greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus, through observations of wild individuals 5–37 years old. We examined the lateralization of simple behaviours (resting postures) and of several demanding behaviours requiring enhanced motor control and coordination (stamping for food and five courtship postures). Resting postures were not lateralized. In contrast, nearly all flamingos were completely lateralized for stamping, with a significant predominance of right-footed individuals. During courtship displays, twist-preens were significantly lateralized, yet with no dominant laterality at the population level. Finally, we detected a slight positive effect of age on the intensity of twist-preen lateralization, which may be related to the increased complexity of courtship displays with age in this species. Our results support the hypothesis that lateralization manifests in complex behaviours, even in

Dynamic signalling using cosmetics may explain the reversed sexual dichromatism in the monogamous greater flamingo

Wed, 25 Jul 2018 13:30:42

de Juan A. Amat, Araceli Garrido, Francesca Portavia, Manuel Rendón-Martos, Antonio Pérez-Gálvez, Juan Garrido-Fernandez, Jesus Gomez, Arnaud Béchet, Miguel A. Rendon
In Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 72(8) (August 2018)
En ligne : link.springer.com[...]

Colourful plumage is typical of males in species with conventional sex roles, in which females care for offspring and males compete for females, as well as in many monogamous species in which both sexes care for offspring. Reversed sexual dichromatism—more colourful females than males—is predominant in species with sex role reversal. In the latter species, males care for offspring and females compete for mates, the mating system is mainly polyandrous and there is reversed size dimorphism—females are larger than males. Here, we document a case of reversed dichromatism, in the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus, in which there is no sex role reversal and no reversed size dimorphism. Although theoretical models postulate that cases of reversed dichromatism should be rare among monogamous ornamented birds, our findings show that the use of cosmetics might be a mechanism for the occurrence of more ornamented females than males. Indeed, the concentrations of carotenoids in the uropygial secretions used as make-up were higher in females than in males. Apparently, there was a trade-off between coloration and antioxidant defence, as the concentrations of carotenoids in the uropygial secretions were lower during chick provisioning than in other periods, contrary to those in plasma. In this system, the application of make-up would act as a dynamic signal, which would allow a rapid reallocation of resources used for signalling among functions depending on needs. Cases like this may have evolved to signal the ability to provide parental care when females are more physiologically stressed than males. /
Chez les oiseaux, on observe souvent un dichromatisme important du plumage entre les deux sexes. Chez les espèces où les femelles s'occupent de la progéniture et les mâles se font concurrence pour les femelles, mais aussi chez de nombreuses espèces monogames où les deux sexes s'occupent également de la progéniture, on observe un plumage plus coloré chez les mâles. Le dichromatisme sexuel est inversé -les femelles sont plus colorées que les mâles - chez les espèces où les mâles s'occupent de la progéniture et les femelles entrent en compétition pour les accouplements. Les flamants roses font exception à ce patron général car les deux sexes ont un rôle assez semblable dans leur investissement en soins parentaux mais les femelles sont plus colorées que les mâles.

Cette étude suggère que l'utilisation de maquillage pourrait expliquer cette inversion chez les flamants. En effet, de précédents travaux ont montré que les flamants utilisaient des sécrétions uropygiennes (produites par une glande située au dessus du croupion) pour colorer leur plumage notamment au moment des parades nuptiales. Or les concentrations de caroténoïdes dans ces sécrétions uropygiennes sont plus élevées chez les femelles que chez les mâles. Il semble également exister un compromis entre la coloration et la défense antioxydante, car les concentrations de caroténoïdes dans les sécrétions uropygiennes sont plus faibles durant 'élevage des jeunes qu'à d'autres périodes, contrairement à celles du plasma.
Les femelles se serviraient donc du maquillage pour signaler, de façon dynamique, leur capacité future à fournir des soins parentaux.

Covariates streamline age-specific early life survival estimates of two chelonian species

Mon, 9 Jul 2018 14:54:45

de D. Arsovski, Anthony Olivier, X. Bonnet, S. Drilholle, L. Tomović, Arnaud Béchet, A. Golubović, A. Besnard
In Journal of Zoology, 305(3) (July 2018)
En ligne : zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...]

Delayed maturity and high survival rates of immatures and adults characterize long-lived species’ life histories. Understanding how these traits interact in stochastic environments is essential to understand early life in long-lived species and to assist conservation planning. Unfortunately, available information of demographic traits in immatures are often fragmentary and the logistical difficulties of capturing and recapturing this cohort leave little room for improvement. Published immature chelonian survival estimates vary broadly, are often not age-specific, and lack precision. In an attempt to overcome this issue, we developed a novel modelling approach based on Capture-Recapture data to obtain robust age-specific survival probabilities in two chelonian species (the freshwater European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis, and the terrestrial Hermann's tortoise, Testudo hermanni). More specifically, we show that implementing a linear relationship between survival probabilities and age does not distort survival estimates and improves precision. Both species display a progressive increase in survival with age, reaching a plateau at the ages of four to five. As maturity occurs later in both species (8–12 years-old), the survival plateau might be governed by the final hardening of the carapace, which brings obvious survival benefits. Taking advantage of the flexibility of multievent models we encourage a systematic field approach even when very large samples from immatures cannot be amassed. Only so can demographic traits in chelonians, and more generally in long-lived species, be properly explored.

Population Structure and Morphometrics of the European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758)) at Lake Tonga, Algeria

Wed, 4 Jul 2018 15:20:11

de Samira Fediras, Rachid Rouag, Nadia Ziane, Anthony Olivier, Arnaud Béchet, Slim Benyacoub
In Russian Journal of Herpetology, 25(2) (July 2018), 88-96
En ligne : rjh.folium.ru[...]

A total of 100 specimens of Emys orbicularis were collected and marked at Lake Tonga (northeastern of Algeria) during 3 consecutive years (2013, 2014, 2015). Most of the turtles inhabit a canal where they remain throughout the whole activity season (March to October) and where they overwinter as well. Carapace Length (CL) and body weight (BW) were measured for each individual of E. orbicularis. The size of the turtles of our population was more similar to those of northern European populations than to the Mediterranean populations; females were significantly larger than the Spanish and Italian populations. The population size was calculated as 108.50 and the density as 8.63 turtles/ha. From 6.52 to 12.77% of the population were juveniles. The adult sex ratio was slightly in favor of males (males:females = 1.12, P < 0.005).

Le comportement explique la démographie

Fri, 13 Jul 2018 17:48:07

de R. Pradel, R. Choquet, Arnaud Béchet
In Les dossiers d'Agropolis International, 23 (Juin 2018), 34
En ligne : www.agropolis.fr[...]

Une étude récente des parades nuptiales du flamant rose montre l’intérêt et la nécessité de rapprocher comportement et démographie. La complexité de la parade favorise l’accès à la reproduction dans cette espèce.

Participatory mapping: Exploring landscape values associated with an iconic species

Fri, 4 May 2018 11:12:57

de Lisa Ernoul, Angela Wardell-Johnson, Loic Willm, Arnaud Béchet, Olivier Boutron, Raphael Mathevet, Stephan Arnassant, Alain Sandoz
In Applied Geography, 95 (June 2018), 71-78
En ligne : www.sciencedirect.com[...]

Participatory mapping provides a way to collate a wide range of landscape values providing a visual representation to inform conservation planning. We tested the use of an iconic species, the Greater Flamingo, as a lens for participatory mapping to render explicit the socio-cultural values attributed in a landscape. Spatial information on six landscape values in a biodiversity hotspot, the Camargue Biosphere Reserve (southern France) was collected from 113 participants through surveys, interviews and workshops. This data was geo-located through a SoftGIS methodology to map and quantify the overlap of bivariate hotspots identifying value concurrence. The most frequent values recorded through total number of polygons and surface areas were wilderness and recreation. The least frequently mapped values were economic loss and biodiversity. There was frequent concurrence between biodiversity and aesthetic values especially in wetlands (lagoons, salt flats and sea). There was also frequent concurrence between biodiversity and recreational values with more overlap in sites with easy access (along roads and public areas). Our results show that using an iconic species is an effective way to render explicit spatial variations in the values attributed to a landscape and to identify concurrence of values, thus enabling integration of multiple landscape values in conservation planning.

Insights on dispersal and recruitment paradigms: sex- and age-dependent variations in a nomadic breeder

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 17:03:49

de Paul Acker, Charlotte Francesiaz, Arnaud Béchet, Nicolas Sadoul, Catherine M. Lessells, Agata S. Pijl, Aurélien Besnard
In Oecologia, 186(1) (2018), 85-97
En ligne : link.springer.com[...]

Sex- and age-dependence in recruitment and dispersal are often explained by costs arising from competition for holding a breeding territory over the years—a typical feature of species living in stable habitats. For instance, long-lived birds with male territoriality often exhibit large variation in recruitment age and higher dispersal in females and young individuals. As a corollary, we expected that species with ephemeral habitat suitability, and hence nomadic breeding, would show weak age- and sex-dependence in dispersal and low variation in recruitment age, because territory ownership is not maintained over the years. In addition, the higher cost of reproduction in females might not be (over)compensated for by costs of territoriality in males. Accordingly, females would recruit later than males. We explored these variations using multievent capture–recapture models over 13 years, 3479 (2392 sexed) slender-billed gulls (Chroicocephalus genei) and 45 colony sites along the French Mediterranean coast. As expected, variability in recruitment age was low with males recruiting earlier than females. Nonetheless, dispersal in and out of the study area decreased with age and was slightly higher in males than in females. Decreased dispersal with age might result from foraging benefits associated with increased spatial familiarity. Higher dispersal in males might be explained by a male-biased sex ratio or higher philopatry benefits in females (arising from their higher cost of reproduction). Sex- and age-dependent dispersal and recruitment may thus occur in the absence of year-to-year breeding territory ownership, which stresses the importance of considering other processes in shaping recruitment and dispersal patterns.

The multidimensional value of long-term individual-based studies: more than lots of data

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 12:03:05

de Giacomo Tavecchia, Daniel Oro, Ana Sanz-Aguilar, Arnaud Béchet
In Avocetta, 41(1) (2017), 19-21

Very high MHC Class IIB diversity without spatial differentiation in the mediterranean population of greater Flamingos

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 12:06:08

de Mark A. F. Gillingham, Arnaud Béchet, Alexandre Courtiol, Manuel Rendón-Martos, Juan A. Amat, Boudjema Samraoui, Ortaç Onmuş, Simone Sommer, Frank Cézilly
In BMC Evolutionary Biology, 17 (2017), 56
En ligne : dx.doi.org[...]

Selective pressure from pathogens is thought to shape the allelic diversity of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in vertebrates. In particular, both local adaptation to pathogens and gene flow are thought to explain a large part of the intraspecific variation observed in MHC allelic diversity. To date, however, evidence that adaptation to locally prevalent pathogens maintains MHC variation is limited to species with limited dispersal and, hence, reduced gene flow. On the one hand high gene flow can disrupt local adaptation in species with high dispersal rates, on the other hand such species are much more likely to experience spatial variation in pathogen pressure, suggesting that there may be intense pathogen mediated selection pressure operating across breeding sites in panmictic species. Such pathogen mediated selection pressure operating across breeding sites should therefore be sufficient to maintain high MHC diversity in high dispersing species in the absence of local adaptation mechanisms. We used the Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus, a long-lived colonial bird showing a homogeneous genetic structure of neutral markers at the scale of the Mediterranean region, to test the prediction that higher MHC allelic diversity with no population structure should occur in large panmictic populations of long-distance dispersing birds than in other resident species. / De précédents travaux avaient montré que les populations de flamants étaient panmictiques au niveau du bassin méditerranéen (Geraci et al.
2012). Dans ce contexte, les mécanismes permettant le maintien de la diversité allèlique des gènes du Complexe Majeur d'Histocompatibilité
(CMH) chez des espèces, qui comme le flamant rose, présentent de forts flux de gènes entre colonies demeurent mal compris. D’un côté des flux de gènes élevés peuvent perturber l’adaptation locale et donc réduire la diversité génétique. D’un autre côté, des espèces avec de forts taux de dispersion ont plus de chance d’être exposées à des pressions de pathogènes variées, ce qui peut sélectionner pour des allèles spécifiques à chacune des pressions rencontrées et donc favoriser la diversité. Dans cet article montrons une très forte diversité allélique du CMH de classe II (une des plus élevées pour un oiseau qui n’est pas un passereau) et qu’il n’existe aucune structure de population en ce qui concerne le CMH entre quatre colonies méditerranéennes de flamants (France, Espagne, Turquie et Algerie). Ces résultats suggèrent que, comme attendu, l’adaptation locale est perturbée par un flux de gènes très élevé entre les colonies. Cependant, la forte diversité pourrait être maintenue par une sélection équilibrante qui se joue à l’échelle de la Méditerranée.

Familiarity drives social philopatry in an obligate colonial breeder with weak interannual breeding-site fidelity

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 13:23:05

de Charlotte Francesiaz, Damien Farine, Charlotte Laforge, Arnaud Béchet, Nicolas Sadoul, Aurélien Besnard
In Animal Behaviour, 124 (février 2017), 125-133
En ligne : www.sciencedirect.com[...]

Repeated association between subsets of individuals is a common feature of species living in social groups. Because colonial breeding, an extreme case of group living, is associated with certain group behaviour, colonial species are interesting study models to explore the occurrence of social bonds between individuals. As colonial species are usually highly philopatric, disentangling the fidelity to a breeding site from the fidelity to a group of individuals is challenging. Slender-billed gull, Chroicocephalus genei, colonies, however, relocate almost yearly. This behaviour makes it possible to study individual associations over several years, i.e. associations between individuals breeding in the same colony in more than 1 year. To quantify and identify the mechanisms that favour repeated individual associations across years, we analysed data from 14 years of observations of 953 individually marked gulls. Our results showed that some individuals repeatedly bred together across breeding seasons despite the colony moving every year. The probability of an individual selecting a colony increased with an increase in the number of birds that had bred in the same colony as that individual the previous year and not the overall number at the colony. However, we found yearly variation in group tenacity levels and that colony breeding failure favoured splitting of the groups. We also found that association rates rapidly decreased across years but stayed higher than random associations during 2 consecutive years after the first observations. Moreover, over the entire study period, we plotted a bipartite network and found that all colonies and individuals in the population were fully connected. This study reveals group tenacity across years in a colonial bird. Evolutionary pressures as well as the mechanisms favouring social bond persistence across years in colonial birds, however, need further research.

Prevalence of Placobdella costata (Fr. Mûller, 1846) (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae) on the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) in the North-East of Algeria

Thu, 2 Feb 2017 09:52:07

de Samira Fediras, Rachid Rouag, Nadia Ziane, Anthony Olivier, Arnaud Béchet, Slim Benyacoub
In Herpetology Notes, 10(0) (2017/01/27), 3-8
En ligne : www.biotaxa.org[...]

In Algeria, Emydidae is represented by only one species, the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758). A population has been studied during the spring 2013 in the Parc National d’El Kala. The objective of this survey was identification and the quantification of leech species. Placobdella costata (Fr. Mûller, 1846) (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae) proved to be the only species of leech that parasitizes our population of Emys orbicularis. The prevalence was 26.41 %, it was very weak at the juvenile stages (10.28 %). The intensity was 0.51± 1.20 for the population; it was lower at the juvenile stages (0.14 ± 0.37). No relationship exists between the parasitic load and the morphological parameter. Indeed, plastron and posterior part (hind limbs) were the most parasitized with respectively 44.44 % and 29.63% of parasite load.

In Memoriam: Hans Lukas “Luc” Hoffmann (1923–2016)

Mon, 23 Jan 2017 14:33:13

de Arnaud Béchet
In Waterbirds, 39(4) (décembre 1, 2016), 426-428
En ligne : www.bioone.org[...]

Sexual display complexity varies non-linearly with age and predicts breeding status in greater flamingos

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 13:33:03

de Charlotte Perrot, Arnaud Béchet, Céline Hanzen, Antoine Arnaud, Roger Pradel, Frank Cézilly
In Scientific Reports, 6(36242) (2016/11/24), 36242
En ligne : hal.archives-ouvertes.fr[...]

The long-lived greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is famous for performing conspicuous group displays during which adults try to acquire a new mate each year with varying success. We examined variation in the sexual display complexity (SDC) of wild flamingos aged between 4 and 37 yrs. SDC was defined as the product of richness (the number of different display movements) and versatility (the number of transitions between movements) within a 5 min behavioral sequence. In both sexes, date in the pairing season had a linear and positive effect on SDC, whereas age had a quadratic effect, with SDC increasing until about age 20yrs, and declining afterwards. SDC better explained pairing patterns than age, and positively influenced the probability of becoming a breeder. Our results thus support the idea that SDC is an honest signal of individual quality and further suggest that senescence in display could be an overlooked aspect of reproductive decline in species with no or weak pair bonding./ Cet article traite des résultats d'une étude menée par Charlotte Perrot, doctorante à la Tour du Valat, sur les parades des flamants roses Pheonicopterus roseus en Camargue, une des plus importantes colonies de cette espèce dans l'ensemble du bassin méditerranéen.Conduites sur 100 flamants âgés de 4 à 37 ans, dont les parades amoureuses ont été filmées et analysées, ces recherches montrent que la complexité des parades est correlée positivement avec le succès de reproduction au niveau de chaque individu. L'explication en est que les flamants qui démontrent les meilleures capacités à mener des parades complexes sont considérés par leurs partenaires potentiels comme dotés de capacités locomotrices supérieures, nécessaires pour la reproduction et pour trouver de la nourriture au moment de nourrir les poussins.

Assessing environmental pollution in birds: a new methodological approach for interpreting bioaccumulation of trace elements in feather shafts using geochemical sediment data

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 14:40:07

de Fabrizio Borghesi, Enrico Dinelli, Francesca Migani, Arnaud Béchet, Manuel Rendón-Martos, Juan A. Amat, Simone Sommer, Mark A. F. Gillingham, Matthew Davey
In Methods in Ecology and Evolution (19 September 2016), 13 p.
En ligne : doi.wiley.com[...]

Cet article traite de la façon d'analyser la bioaccumulation d'éléments trace dans les plumes d'oiseaux en tenant compte de la contamination par la pollution externe à partir d'échantillons de sédiments. La méthode a été utilisée pour estimer la bioaccumulation de 10 éléments trace (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn and Zn) dans les plumes de flamants roses. Premièrement, on a seulement gardé les rachis pour s'affranchir de la contamination externe des barbes. En second lieu, on a lavé soigneusement les plumes. Enfin la concentration des éléments a été corrigée par une méthode analytique qui assume que la contamination externe est principalement due à des particules de sédiment qui restent collées aux plumes et dont la composition géochimique est similaire à d'échantillons de sédiments prélevés sur place. / Environmental trace element composition can have an im portant impact on ecosystem and population health as well individual fitness. Therefore, carefully assessing bioaccumulation of trace elements is central to studies investigating the ecological impact of pollution. Colonial birds are important bioindicators since non-invasive sampling can easily be achieved throug h sampling of chick feathers, which controls for some confounding factors of variability (age and environmental heterogeneity). How ever, an additional confounding factor, external contamination (ExCo), which remains even after washing feathers, has frequently been overlooked in the literature. The authors developed a new method to reliably interpret bioaccumulation of 10 trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn and Zn) in feathers using chicks of a colonial species: the Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus

Evidence of gene orthology and trans-species polymorphism, but not of parallel evolution, despite high levels of concerted evolution in the major histocompatibility complex of flamingo species

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 10:57:42

de M. A. F. Gillingham, A. Courtiol, M. Teixeira, M. Galan, Arnaud Béchet, F. Cezilly
In Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 29(2) (02/2016), 438-454
En ligne : doi.wiley.com[...]

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a cornerstone in the study of adaptive genetic diversity. Intriguingly, highly polymorphic MHC sequences are often not more similar within species than between closely related species. Divergent selection of gene duplicates, balancing selection maintaining trans-species polymorphism (TSP) that predate speciation and parallel evolution of species sharing similar selection pressures can all lead to higher sequence similarity between species. In contrast, high rates of concerted evolution increase sequence similarity of duplicated loci within species. Assessing these evolutionary models remains difficult as relatedness and ecological similarities are often confounded. As sympatric species of flamingos are more distantly related than allopatric species, flamingos represent an ideal model to disentangle these evolutionary models. We characterized MHC Class I exon 3, Class IIB exon 2 and exon 3 of the six extant flamingo species. We found up to six MHC Class I loci and two MHC Class IIB loci. As all six species shared the same number of MHC Class IIB loci, duplication appears to predate flamingo speciation. However, the high rate of concerted evolution has prevented the divergence of duplicated loci. We found high sequence similarity between all species regardless of codon position. The latter is consistent with balancing selection maintaining TSP, as under this mechanism amino acid sites under pathogen-mediated selection should be characterized by fewer synonymous codons (due to their common ancestry) than under parallel evolution. Overall, balancing selection maintaining TSP appears to result in high MHC similarity between species regardless of species relatedness and geographical distribution.

Applications of hidden hybrid Markov/semi-Markov models: from stopover duration to breeding success dynamics

Mon, 25 May 2020 11:59:38

de Remi Choquet, Arnaud Béchet, Yann Guédon
In Ecology and Evolution, 4(6) (2014), 817–826

Limits to agri-environmental schemes uptake to mitigate human–wildlife conflict: lessons learned from Flamingos in the Camargue, southern France (2014)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:31

de Lisa Ernoul, François Mesléard, P. Gaubert, Arnaud Béchet
2014

Rapid response of a long-lived species to improved water and grazing management: The case of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) in the Camargue, France (2014)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:31

de S. Ficheux, Anthony Olivier, R. Fay, Alain Jean Crivelli, A. Besnard, Arnaud Béchet
2014

Comparison of plasma vitamin A and E, copper and zinc levels in free-ranging and captive greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and their relation to pododermatitis (2014)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:30

de F. Wyss, P. Wolf, C. Wenker, S. Hoby, V. Schumacher, Arnaud Béchet, N. Robert, A. Liesegang
2014

Impacts of extreme climatic events on the energetics of long-lived vertebrates: the case of the greater flamingo facing cold spells in the Camargue (2014)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:30

de A.-S. Deville, S. Labaude, J.-P. Robin, Arnaud Béchet, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, W. Porter, M. Fitzpatrick, P. Mathewson, Gremillet; D.
2014
En ligne : hal.archives-ouvertes.fr[...]

Non-linear feeding functional responses in the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) predict immediate negative impact of wetland degradation on this flagship species (2013)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:36

de A.S. Deville, D. Gremillet, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, Matthieu Guillemain, F. Von Houwald, B. Gardelli, Arnaud Béchet
2013

Inferring dispersal dynamics from local population demographic modelling: the case of the slender-billed gull in France (2013)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:33

de A. Doxa, A. Besnard, Arnaud Béchet, C. Pin, Jean-Dominique Lebreton, Nicolas Sadoul
2013

Factors influencing the onset and progression of pododermatitis in captive flamingos (Phoenicopteridae) (2013)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:31

de F. Wyss, C. Wenker, S. Hoby, B. Gardelli, A. Studer-thiersch, F. Von Houwald, V. Schumacher, M. Clauss, M. G. Doherr, W. Hafeli, et al.
2013

Tracking variations in wetland use by breeding flamingos using stable isotope signatures of feather and blood (2013)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:31

de E. Yohanes, Antoine Arnaud, Arnaud Béchet
2013

Global economy interacts with climate change to jeopardize species conservation: the case of the greater flamingo in the Mediterranean and West Africa (2012)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, M. Rendon-martos, M.A. Rendon, J. Aguilar Amat, A.R. Jonhson, Michel Gauthier-Clerc
2012

Reproductive dynamics of three amphibian species in Mediterranean wetlands: the role of local precipitation and hydrological regimes (2012)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:23

de H. Cayuela, A. Besnard, Arnaud Béchet, V. Devictor, Anthony Olivier
2012

Diagnostic de l'échec de la contractualisation des mesures agri-environnementales pour réduire les incursions des flamants dans les rizières de Camargue (France) (2012)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:39

de Lisa Ernoul, François Mesléard, Arnaud Béchet
2012

Greater flamingo colonies around the Mediterranean form a single interbreeding population and share a common history (2012)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:22

de J. Geraci, Arnaud Béchet, F. Cezilly, S. Ficheux, N. Bacetti, B. Samraoui, R. Wattier
2012

Genetic polymorphism in dopamine receptor D4 is associated with early body condition in a large population of greater flamingos, Phoenicopterus roseus (2012)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:20

de M.A.F. Gillingham, Arnaud Béchet, J. Geraci, R. Wattier, C. Dubreuil, F. Cezilly
2012

To leave or not to leave: survival trade-offs between different migratory strategies in the greater flamingo (2012)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:02:36

de A. Sanz-aguilar, Arnaud Béchet, Christophe Germain, A.R. Jonhson, R. Pradel
2012

Relative importance of island availability and terrestrial predation risk for nesting habitat selection of colonial Charadriiformes in Sfax salina (Tunisia) (2011)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:15

de M.A. Chokri, Nicolas Sadoul, Slaheddine Selmi, Arnaud Béchet
2011

An automatic counter for aerial images of aggregations of large birds (2011)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:51

de Stig Descamps, Arnaud Béchet, X. Descombes, Antoine Arnaud
2011

Flamingo (2011)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:04:19

de R. Lee, F. Arengo, Arnaud Béchet
[S.l.] : Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, 2011, 80p* Bull IUCN-SSC-Wetlands International Flamingo Specialist Group 18

Using multistate recapture modelling to assess age-specific bottlenecks in breeding success: a case study in the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus (2011)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:03:15

de L. Schmaltz, F. Cezilly, Arnaud Béchet
2011

Why roost at the same place? Exploring short-term fidelity in staging snow geese (2010)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, J.F. Giroux, G. Gauthier, Marc Belisle
2010

Nidification des sternes naine Sterna albifrons, pierregarin Serna hirundo et hansel Sterna nilotica dans le salin de Sfax, Tunisie: chronologie, effectifs et succès reproducteur (2010)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:15

de M.A. Chokri, Slaheddine Selmi, Nicolas Sadoul, Arnaud Béchet
2010

From adaptative management to adjustive management: a pragmatic account of biodiversity values (2010)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:04:09

de Virginie Maris, Arnaud Béchet
2010

Figures de style sur la destruction de la biodiversité (2010)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:04:09

de Virginie Maris, Raphael Mathevet, Arnaud Béchet
2010

Metapopulation dynamics of the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus in the Mediterranean: Implications for conservation (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:59

de O. Balkiz, Arnaud Béchet, L. Rouan, R. Choquet, Christophe Germain, J.A. Amat, M. Rendon-martos, N. Baccetti, U. Ozesmi, R. Pradel
2009
En ligne : www.wetlands.org[...]

An update of the status of the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus in Turkey (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:59

de O. Balkiz, U. Ozesmi, R. Pradel, Christophe Germain, M. Siki, J.A. Amat, M. Rendon-martos, N. Baccetti, Arnaud Béchet
2009
En ligne : digital.csic.es[...]

Assessment of the impacts of hydrological fluctuations and salt pans abandonment on greater flamingos in the Camargue, South of France (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, Christophe Germain, A. Sandoz, G.J.M. Hirons, R.E. Green, John G. Walmsley, Alan R. Johnson
2009

Greater flamingos stop breeding in the Camargue (southern France) in 2007, for the first time in 38 years; the beginning of a new era? (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, Antoine Arnaud, Christophe Germain, Alan R. Johnson
2009
En ligne : www.wetlands.org[...]

Marsh management, reserve creation, hunting periods and carrying capacity for wintering ducks and coots (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:33

de A.L. Brochet, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, Raphael Mathevet, Arnaud Béchet, Jean-Yves Mondain-Monval, Alain Tamisier
2009

Flamingo (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:16

de B. Childress, F. Arengo, Arnaud Béchet
[S.l.] : Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, 2009, 72p* Bull IUCN-SSC-Wetlands International Flamingo Specialist Group 17

Détection de flamants roses par processus ponctuels marqués pour l'estimation de la taille des populations (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:51

de S. Descamps, X. Descombes, Arnaud Béchet, J. Zerubia
2009

Monitoring of the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus in Mauritania (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:49

de Yelli Diawara, Antoine Arnaud, C. Mohamed, Arnaud Béchet
2009

A common database for ring resightings of the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus in the Mediterranean (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:22

de Christophe Germain, Arnaud Béchet
2009
En ligne : www.wetlands.org[...]

Current research and conservation of the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus in Algeria (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:03:18

de B. Samraoui, M. Boulkhssaim, A. Bouzid, E. Bensaci, Christophe Germain, Arnaud Béchet, F. Samraoui
2009
En ligne : www.researchgate.net[...]

Anthropogenic and environmental determinants of greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus breeding numbers and productivity in the Camargue (Rhone delta, southern France) (2008)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, Alan R. Johnson
2008

Flamingo (2008)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:16

de B. Childress, F. Arengo, Arnaud Béchet
[S.l.] : Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, 2008, 72p* Bull IUCN-SSC-Wetlands International Flamingo Specialist Group 16

Analyse comparative de la richesse avifaunistique du salin de Sfax dans le contexte tunisien et méditerranéen (2008)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:15

de M.A. Chokri, Nicolas Sadoul, K. Medhioub, Arnaud Béchet
2008
En ligne : hal.archives-ouvertes.fr[...]

Nous présentons ici une analyse comparative de l'avifaune du salin de Sfax dans le but d'examiner si des facteurs intrinsèques et environnants expliquent les effectifs, la composition spécifique et la diversité des oiseaux d'eau de ce salin (i) durant l'hivernage comparativement aux zones humides tunisiennes, (ii) durant l'hivernage et la reproduction comparativement à un échantillon de six salins de l'ouest de la Méditerranée faisant l'objet de fortes mesures de protection. Ce travail constitue une première évaluation de l'importance du salin de Sfax pour les oiseaux d'eau afin qu'il bénéficie d'une désignation à la hauteur de sa richesse. Nos résultats montrent que le salin de Sfax revêt une importance nationale et internationale pour ses effectifs hivernants et nicheurs d'oiseaux d'eau. Nous proposons que cette richesse exceptionnelle s'explique par (i) la permanence de l'activité salinière tout au long de l'année, procurant ainsi une ressource en eau et en nourriture abondante et prévisible durant tous les mois de l'année, (ii) la proximité du golfe de Gabès dont l'estran constitue un site d'hivernage de toute première importance pour les oiseaux d'eau et (iii) une part de contingence historique non négligeable. En plus d'accueillir une proportion significative des oiseaux hivernants et nicheurs de Tunisie pour un grand nombre d'espèces, les effectifs du salin de Sfax répondent aux critères requis pour la désignation RAMSAR pour cinq espèces d'oiseaux d'eau hivernants et nicheurs. Pourtant ce site ne bénéficie que du label ZICO qui n'a aucune valeur réglementaire. Nous recommandons donc la désignation du salin de Sfax comme zone humide RAMSAR afin de favoriser sa protection.

Découverte de deux colonies de flamants roses dans l'Aftout es Saheli, Mauritanie le 29 février 2008 (2008)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:49

de Yelli Diawara, Z. Siddaty, Arnaud Béchet
2008

Compte rendu ornithologique camarguais pour les années 2001-2006 (2008)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:04:31

de Yves Kayser, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, Arnaud Béchet, Brigitte Poulin, Gregoire Massez, Y. Cherain, J. Paoli, Nicolas Sadoul, E. Vialet, G. Paulus, et al.
2008
En ligne : documents.irevues.inist.fr[...]

Ce calendrier ornithologique couvre les six années de 2001 à 2006, une période marquée par un phénomène de réchauffement général accéléré du climat en général et par la canicule de l'été 2003 en particulier. Compte tenu de la pression d'observation élevée, 18 nouvelles espèces ont été signalées et de nombreuses espèces rares ont été revues dans la région (Camargue, Crau, Alpilles). Parmi les espèces ou groupes d'espèces qui font l'objet de recensements réguliers, les effectifs nicheurs de Flamant rose Phoenicopterus roseus de même que ceux des Anatidés et des Foulques hivernants n'appellent pas de commentaires particuliers pour ce laps de temps. Les Ardéidés coloniaux continuent soit de progresser pour certains, soit de fluctuer dans des limites qui restent élevées pour d'autres. Par exemple, la Grande Aigrette Casmerodius albus s'est installée durablement dans le delta, le Crabier chevelu Ardeola ralloides a atteint un nouveau maximum avec 505 couples en 2006. Des effectifs plus précis sont fournis pour deux espèces comme le Butoir étoilé Botaurus stellaris et le Blongios nain Ixohrychus minutus grâce à des prospections plus efficaces. Des espèces nicheuses d'installation récente comme le Grand Cormoran Phalacrocorax carho, la Cigogne blanche Ciconia ciconia, la Spatule blanche Platalea leucorodia et l'Oie cendrée Anser anser continuent de progresser de même que l'Ibis falcinelle Plegadis falcinellus dont 14 couples se sont reproduits en 2006 et la Talève sultane Porphyrio porphyrio dont la reproduction a enfin été confirmée en 2006. Parmi les espèces posant un problème grave, il faut relever les laro-limicoles nicheurs dont les effectifs se sont effondrés. Sans intervention urgente de gestion, leur situation risque d'empirer. Parmi les faits remarquables, signalons le premier cas d'hivernage de l'Aigle pomarin Aquila pomarina en 2001/2002, un couple mixte de Glaréole à ailes noires Glareola nordmanni x Glaréole à collier G. pratincola en 2001, l'installation du Corbeau freux Corvus frugilegus à Arles.

Metapopulation networks as tools for research and conservation: the case of the Greater Flamingo in the Mediterranean and West Africa

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 17:16:06

de Arnaud Béchet, Christophe Germain, Juan Aguilar Amat, Charina Canas, Manuel Rendón-Martos, Araceli Garrido, Nicola Baccetti, Paolo Dall'Antonia, Ozge Balkyz, Yelli Diawara, et al.
In Ostrich, 78(2) (June, 2007), 506-507
En ligne : www.researchgate.net[...]

Environmental determinants of Greater Flamingo breeding success in the Camargue, southern France

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 17:14:57

de Arnaud Béchet, Alan R. Johnson, Christophe Germain
In Ostrich, 78(2) (June, 2007), 507-507

Range of the greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus, metapopulation in the Mediterranean: new insights from Turkey (2007)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:59

de O. Balkiz, U. Ozesmi, R. Pradel, Christophe Germain, M. Siki, J.A. Amat, M. Rendon-martos, N. Baccetti, Arnaud Béchet
2007

Sexing greater flamingo chicks from feather bulb DNA (2007)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:59

de O. Balkiz, S. Dano, C. Barbraud, S. Tekin, U. Ozesmi, M. Dündar, Arnaud Béchet
2007
En ligne : www.cebc.cnrs.fr[...]

Vigilance in greater flamingos wintering in Southern Tunisia: age-dependent flock size effect (2007)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:37

de J. Boukhriss, Slaheddine Selmi, Arnaud Béchet, S. Nouira
2007

Flamingo (2007)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:16

de B. Childress, F. Arengo, Arnaud Béchet, N. Jarrett
[S.l.] : Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, 2007, 56p* Bull IUCN-SSC-Wetlands International Flamingo Specialist Group 15

Nouvelles données sur la reproduction et l'hivernage des flamants roses Phoenicopterus roseus en Mauritanie et confirmation d'échanges avec les colonies méditerranéennes (2007)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:49

de Yelli Diawara, Antoine Arnaud, A. Araujo, Arnaud Béchet
2007

Population dynamics in a long-lived seabird. 1. Impact of breeding activity on survival and breeding probability in unbanded king penguins (2007)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:04:21

de C. Le Bohec, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, D. Gremillet, R. Pradel, Arnaud Béchet, J.P. Gendner, Y. Le Maho
2007

Flamingo (2006)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:16

de B. Childress, F. Arengo, Arnaud Béchet, N. Jarrett
[S.l.] : Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, 2006, 54p* Bull IUCN-SSC-Wetlands International Flamingo Specialist Group 14

The first recorded reproduction of the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus in Algeria: behavioral and ecological aspects (2006)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:03:17

de B. Samraoui, A. Ouldjaoui, M. Boulkhssaim, M. Houhamdi, M. Saheb, Arnaud Béchet
2006

Un exemple de gestion intégrée, la grande oie des neiges en Amérique du Nord (2005)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet
2005

Flamingo (2005)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:16

de B. Childress, Arnaud Béchet, F. Arengo, N. Jarrett
[S.l.] : Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, 2005, 48p* Bull IUCN-SSC-Wetlands International Flamingo Specialist Group 13

Interactions between land use, and population increase in greater snow geese: what are the consequences for natural wetlands ? (2005)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:25

de G. Gauthier, J.F. Giroux, A. Reed, Arnaud Béchet, L. Belanger
2005

The effects of disturbance on behaviour, habitat use and energy of spring staging snow geese (2004)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, J.F. Giroux, G. Gauthier
2004

Estimating the size of the greater snow goose population (2004)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, A. Reed, N. Plante, J.F. Giroux, G. Gauthier
2004

Ecologie et comportement de la grande oie des neiges lors de sa migration pré-nuptiale dans le Québec méridional (2003)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:11:12

de Arnaud Béchet
Arles : Tour du Valat, 2003, * 166p ill

Spring hunting changes the regional movements of migrating greater snow geese (2003)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, J.F. Giroux, G. Gauthier, J.D. Nichols, J.E. Hines
2003

Summary of the flamingo breeding season in the Mediterranean and West Africa 2003 (2003)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:06:53

de Arnaud Béchet, Christophe Germain
Arles : Tour du Valat, 2003, 7p

Effect of spring hunt on nutrient storage by greater snow geese in Southern Quebec (2003)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:05:35

de M. Feret, G. Gauthier, Arnaud Béchet, J.F. Giroux, K.A. Hobson
2003

Effets du dérangement par la chasse sur les oiseaux d'eau. Revue de la littérature (2003)

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:03:00

de Alain Tamisier, Arnaud Béchet, G. Jarry, Jean-Claude Lefeuvre, Y. Le Maho
2003