Diet and breeding success of long-eared owls in a semi-arid environment

Only a few studies, and mostly in temperate climates in Europe, have examined the breeding and diet of long-eared owls (Asia otus) compared to studies of cavity-breeding owls, possibly because of the difficulties in reaching the nests of the former. Here we studied a population of long-eared owls, monitoring the diet of breeding owls and that of owls at a communal roost, every two to three months during 2006 -2009, in a semi-arid region in Israel. It was found that the studied owls produced more young than in most countries in Europe. Diet was not associated with breeding parameters of the owls, whereas laying date was negatively correlated with both clutch size and number of nestlings. We found that more social voles (Microtus socialis) and fewer birds and house mice (Mus musculus) made up the diet at nests than that of adults at the roosts. The diet and breeding of long-eared owls in Israel differ from that in Europe, with birds and mice comprising an important part of the diet, in addition to voles.

Effects of alternative sets of climatic predictors on species distribution models and associated estimates of extinction risk: a test with plants in an arid environment

Aim To evaluate the effects of using distinct alternative sets of climatic predictor variables on the performance, spatial predictions and future projections of species distribution models (SDMs) for rare plants in an arid environment. . Location Atacama and Peruvian Deserts, South America (18º30'S - 31º30'S, 0 - 3 000 m) Methods We modelled the present and future potential distributions of 13 species of Heliotropium sect. Cochranea, a plant group with a centre of diversity in the Atacama Desert. We developed and applied a sequential procedure, starting from climate monthly variables, to derive six alternative sets of climatic predictor variables. We used them to fit models with eight modelling techniques within an ensemble forecasting framework, and derived climate change projections for each of them. We evaluated the effects of using these alternative sets of predictor variables on performance, spatial predictions and projections of SDMs using Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). Results The use of distinct sets of climatic predictor variables did not have a significant effect on overall metrics of model performance, but had significant effects on present and future spatial predictions. Main conclusion Using different sets of climatic predictors can yield the same model fits but different spatial predictions of current and future species distributions. This represents a new form of uncertainty in model-based estimates of extinction risk that may need to be better acknowledged and quantified in future SDM studies.

La reconversion du quartier Gare/Crêt-Taconnet à Neuchâtel: réflexions sur la densification qualifiée

La reconversion des friches industrielles des secteurs de gare est prometteuse dans l'optique d'un développement urbain dense alternatif à l'étalement. Elles constituent en effet une réserve foncière centrale et bien desservie par les transports publics. La densification de ces terrains stratégiques ne pourra cependant freiner l'étalement urbain qu'à condition d'offrir un cadre de vie attractif pour l'habitat. Notre hypothèse est que l'engagement des pouvoirs publics est déterminant pour assurer cette densification qualifiée. Brown fields regeneration in railway station areas is particularly promising in the perspective of a compact urban development alternative to sprawl. They indeed constitute a central land stock which is well connected to public transportation networks. However, the densification of these strategic lands will make it possible to moderate urban sprawl only by providing an attractive environment for residential activities. Our hypothesis is that public authorities involvement is decisive to ensure such a qualified densification. Die Umnutzung von Industriebrachen in Bahnhofsarealen scheint viel versprechend im Hinblick auf eine Stadtentwicklung nach innen als Alternative zur Ausbreitung. Zentralgelegen, stellen diese ungenutzten Flächen eine strategische Bodenreserve dar, welche gut an das öffentliche Verkehrsmittelnetz angeschlossen ist. Ihre Verdichtung kann jedoch die Stadtausbreitung nur eindämmen unter der Bedingung, einen attraktiven Lebens- und Wohnraum zu bieten. Unsere Hypothese lautet, dass das Ausmass des Engagements der öffentlichen Hand bestimmend ist um diese qualitative Verdichtung sicherzustellen.

Maps as risk mitigation tools. Adaptation of the Swiss hazard assessment and mapping methodology to a Moroccan site: Beni Mellal

Dans le contexte climatique actuel, les régions méditerranéennes connaissent une intensification des phénomènes hydrométéorologiques extrêmes. Au Maroc, le risque lié aux inondations est devenu problématique, les communautés étant vulnérables aux événements extrêmes. En effet, le développement économique et urbain rapide et mal maîtrisé augmente l'exposition aux phénomènes extrêmes. La Direction du Développement et de la Coopération suisse (DDC) s'implique activement dans la réduction des risques naturels au Maroc. La cartographie des dangers et son intégration dans l'aménagement du territoire représentent une méthode efficace afin de réduire la vulnérabilité spatiale. Ainsi, la DDC a mandaté ce projet d'adaptation de la méthode suisse de cartographie des dangers à un cas d'étude marocain (la ville de Beni Mellal, région de Tadla-Azilal, Maroc). La méthode suisse a été adaptée aux contraintes spécifiques du terrain (environnement semi-aride, morphologie de piémont) et au contexte de transfert de connaissances (caractéristiques socio-économiques et pratiques). Une carte des phénomènes d'inondations a été produite. Elle contient les témoins morphologiques et les éléments anthropiques pertinents pour le développement et l'aggravation des inondations. La modélisation de la relation pluie-débit pour des événements de référence, et le routage des hydrogrammes de crue ainsi obtenus ont permis d'estimer quantitativement l'aléa inondation. Des données obtenues sur le terrain (estimations de débit, extension de crues connues) ont permis de vérifier les résultats des modèles. Des cartes d'intensité et de probabilité ont été obtenues. Enfin, une carte indicative du danger d'inondation a été produite sur la base de la matrice suisse du danger qui croise l'intensité et la probabilité d'occurrence d'un événement pour obtenir des degrés de danger assignables au territoire étudié. En vue de l'implémentation des cartes de danger dans les documents de l'aménagement du territoire, nous nous intéressons au fonctionnement actuel de la gestion institutionnelle du risque à Beni Mellal, en étudiant le degré d'intégration de la gestion et la manière dont les connaissances sur les risques influencent le processus de gestion. L'analyse montre que la gestion est marquée par une logique de gestion hiérarchique et la priorité des mesures de protection par rapport aux mesures passives d'aménagement du territoire. Les connaissances sur le risque restent sectorielles, souvent déconnectées. L'innovation dans le domaine de la gestion du risque résulte de collaborations horizontales entre les acteurs ou avec des sources de connaissances externes (par exemple les universités). Des recommandations méthodologiques et institutionnelles issues de cette étude ont été adressées aux gestionnaires en vue de l'implémentation des cartes de danger. Plus que des outils de réduction du risque, les cartes de danger aident à transmettre des connaissances vers le public et contribuent ainsi à établir une culture du risque. - Severe rainfall events are thought to be occurring more frequently in semi-arid areas. In Morocco, flood hazard has become an important topic, notably as rapid economic development and high urbanization rates have increased the exposure of people and assets in hazard-prone areas. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SADC) is active in natural hazard mitigation in Morocco. As hazard mapping for urban planning is thought to be a sound tool for vulnerability reduction, the SADC has financed a project aimed at adapting the Swiss approach for hazard assessment and mapping to the case of Morocco. In a knowledge transfer context, the Swiss method was adapted to the semi-arid environment, the specific piedmont morphology and to socio-economic constraints particular to the study site. Following the Swiss guidelines, a hydro-geomorphological map was established, containing all geomorphic elements related to known past floods. Next, rainfall / runoff modeling for reference events and hydraulic routing of the obtained hydrographs were carried out in order to assess hazard quantitatively. Field-collected discharge estimations and flood extent for known floods were used to verify the model results. Flood hazard intensity and probability maps were obtained. Finally, an indicative danger map as defined within the Swiss hazard assessment terminology was calculated using the Swiss hazard matrix that convolves flood intensity with its recurrence probability in order to assign flood danger degrees to the concerned territory. Danger maps become effective, as risk mitigation tools, when implemented in urban planning. We focus on how local authorities are involved in the risk management process and how knowledge about risk impacts the management. An institutional vulnerability "map" was established based on individual interviews held with the main institutional actors in flood management. Results show that flood hazard management is defined by uneven actions and relationships, it is based on top-down decision-making patterns, and focus is maintained on active mitigation measures. The institutional actors embody sectorial, often disconnected risk knowledge pools, whose relationships are dictated by the institutional hierarchy. Results show that innovation in the risk management process emerges when actors collaborate despite the established hierarchy or when they open to outer knowledge pools (e.g. the academia). Several methodological and institutional recommendations were addressed to risk management stakeholders in view of potential map implementation to planning. Hazard assessment and mapping is essential to an integrated risk management approach: more than a mitigation tool, danger maps represent tools that allow communicating on hazards and establishing a risk culture.

La gravimétrie expéditive appliquée à la recherche d'aquifères en zone aride. Cas de la nappe alluviale du Teloua (Agadez, Niger)

This paper illustrates the practicality and efficiency of gravimetry for aquifer prospecting in arid zones. Known for the long and tedious data-processing it requires, this method becomes expeditious when simplified as presented here. Its use is then fully justified in a survey of this kind. During the study of the Teloua alluvial aquifer (Agadez, Niger), several ancient channels were clearly and rapidly located. Comparison of the results obtained here with those from previous studies demonstrates anew that for comprehensive prospecting, several complementary geophysical methods should always be employed.

Influence of environmental conditions on the distribution of Central Asian green toads with three ploidy levels.

We studied the distribution of Palearctic green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup), an anuran species group with three ploidy levels, inhabiting the Central Asian Amudarya River drainage. Various approaches (one-way, multivariate, components variance analyses and maximum entropy modelling) were used to estimate the effect of altitude, precipitation, temperature and land vegetation covers on the distribution of toads. It is usually assumed that polyploid species occur in regions with harsher climatic conditions (higher latitudes, elevations, etc.), but for the green toads complex, we revealed a more intricate situation. The diploid species (Bufo shaartusiensis and Bufo turanensis) inhabit the arid lowlands (from 44 to 789 m a.s.l.), while tetraploid Bufo pewzowi were recorded in mountainous regions (340-3492 m a.s.l.) with usually lower temperatures and higher precipitation rates than in the region inhabited by diploid species. The triploid species Bufo baturae was found in the Pamirs (Tajikistan) at the highest altitudes (2503-3859 m a.s.l.) under the harshest climatic conditions.

Early Cretaceous life, climate and anoxia

Early Cretaceous life and the environment were strongly influenced by the accelerated break up of Pangaea, which was associated with the formation of a multitude of rift basins, intensified spreading, and important volcanic activity on land and in the sea. These processes likely interacted with greenhouse conditions, and Early Cretaceous climate oscillated between "normal" greenhouse, predominantly arid conditions, and intensified greenhouse, predominantly humid conditions. Arid conditions were important during the latest Jurassic and early Berriasian, the late Barremian, and partly also during the late Aptian. Humid conditions were particularly intense and widespread during shorter episodes of environmental change (EECs): the Valanginian Weissert, the latest Hauterivian Faraoni, the latest Barremian earliest Aptian Taxy, the early Aptian Selli, the early late Aptian Fallot and the late Aptian-early Albian Paquier episodes. Arid conditions were associated with evaporation, low biogeochemical weathering rates, low nutrient fluxes, and partly stratified oceans, leading to oxygen depletion and enhanced preservation of laminated, organic-rich mud (LOM). Humid conditions enabled elevated biogeochemical weathering rates and nutrient fluxes, important runoff and the buildup of freshwater lids in proximal basins, intensified oceanic and atmospheric circulation, widespread upwelling and phosphogenesis, important primary productivity and enhanced preservation of LOM in expanded oxygen-minimum zones. The transition of arid to humid climates may have been associated with the net transfer of water to the continent owing to the infill of dried-out groundwater reservoirs in internally drained inland basins. This resulted in shorter-term sea-level fall, which was followed by sea-level rise. These sea-level changes and the influx of freshwater into the ocean may have influenced oxygen-isotope signatures. Climate change preceding and during the Early Cretaceous EECs may have been rapid, but in general, the EECs had a "pre"-history, during which the stage was set for environmental change. Negative feedback on the climate through increased marine LOM preservation was unlikely, because of the low overall organic-carbon accumulation rates during these episodes. Life and climate co-evolved during the Early Cretaceous. Arid conditions may have affected continental life, such as across the Tithonian/Berriasian boundary. Humid conditions and the corresponding tendency to develop dys- to anaerobic conditions in deeper ocean waters led to phases of accelerated extinction in oceans, but may have led to more luxuriant vegetation cover on continents, such as during the Valanginian, to the benefit of herbivores. During Early Cretaceous EECs, reef systems and carbonate platforms in general were particularly vulnerable. They were the first to disappear and the last to recover, often only after several million years. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extended family structure in the ant Formica paralugubris: the role of the breeding system

In populations of various ant species, many queens reproduce in the same nest (polygyny), and colony boundaries appear to be absent with individuals able to move fi eely between nests (unicoloniality). Such societies depart strongly from a simple family structure and pose a potential challenge to kin selection theory, because high queen number coupled with unrestricted gene flow among nests should result in levels of relatedness among nestmates close to zero. This study investigated the breeding system and genetic structure of a highly polygynous and largely unicolonial population of the wood ant Formica paralugubris. A microsatellite analysis revealed that nestmate workers, reproductive queens and reproductive males (the queens' mates) are all equally related to each other, with relatedness estimates centring around 0.14. This suggests that most of the queens and males reproducing in the study population had mated within or close to their natal nest, and that the queens did not disperse far after mating. We developed a theoretical model to investigate how the breeding system affects the relatedness structure of polygynous colonies. By combining the model and our empirical data, it was estimated that about 99.8% of the reproducing queens and males originated from within the nest, or from a nearby nest. This high rate of local mating and the rarity of long-distance dispersal maintain significant relatedness among nestmates, and contrast with the common view that unicoloniality is coupled with unrestricted gene flow among nests.

Remediation of a marine shore tailings deposit and the importance of water-rock interaction on element cycling in the coastal aquifer

We present the study of the geochemical processes associated with the first successful remediation of a marine shore tailings deposit in a coastal desert environment (Bahia de Ite, in the Atacama Desert of Peru). The remediation approach implemented a wetland on top of the oxidized tailings. The site is characterized by a high hydrauliz gradient produced by agricultural irrigation on upstream gravel terraces that pushed river water (similar to 500 mg/L SO(4)) toward the sea and through the tailings deposit. The geochemical and isotopic (delta(2)H(water) and delta(18)O(water), delta(34)S(sulfate) , delta(18)O(sulfate)) approach applied here revealed that evaporite horizons (anhydrite and halite) in the gravel terraces are the source of increased concentrations of SO(4), Cl, and Na up to similar to 1500 mg/L in the springs at the base of the gravel terraces. Deeper groundwater interacting with underlying marine sequences increased the concentrations of SO(4), Cl, and Na up to 6000 mg/L and increased the alkalinity up to 923 mg/L CaCO(3) eq. in the coastal aquifer. These waters infiltrated into the tailings deposit at the shelf-tailings interface. Nonremediated tailings had a low-pH oxidation zone (pH 1-4) with significant accumulations of efflorescent salts (10-20 cm thick) at the surface because of upward capillary transport of metal cations in the arid climate. Remediated tailings were characterized by neutral pH and reducing conditions (pH similar to 7, Eh similar to 100 mV). As a result, most bivalent metals such as Cu, Zn, and Ni had very low concentrations (around 0.01 mg/L or below detection limit) because of reduction and sorption processes. In contrast, these reducing conditions increased the mobility of iron from two sources in this system: (1) The originally Fe(III)-rich oxidation zone, where Fe(II) was reduced during the remediation process and formed an Fe(II) plume, and (2) reductive dissolution of Fe(III) oxides present in the original shelf lithology formed an Fe-Mn plume at 10-m depth. These two Fe-rich plumes were pushed toward the shoreline where more oxidizing and higher pH conditions triggered the precipitation of Fe(HI)hydroxide coatings on silicates. These coatings acted as a filter for the arsenic, which naturally infiltrated with the river water (similar to 500 mu g/L As natural background) into the tailings deposit.

Strong reproductive barriers in a narrow hybrid zone of West-Mediterranean green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup) with Plio-Pleistocene divergence

Background One key question in evolutionary biology deals with the mode and rate at which reproductive isolation accumulates during allopatric speciation. Little is known about secondary contacts of recently diverged anuran species. Here we conduct a multi-locus field study to investigate a contact zone between two lineages of green toads with an estimated divergence time of 2.7 My, and report results from preliminary experimental crosses. Results The Sicilian endemic Bufo siculus and the Italian mainland-origin B. balearicus form a narrow hybrid zone east of Mt. Etna. Despite bidirectional mtDNA introgression over a ca. 40 km North-South cline, no F1 hybrids could be found, and nuclear genomes display almost no admixture. Populations from each side of the contact zone showed depressed genetic diversity and very strong differentiation (FST = 0.52). Preliminary experimental crosses point to a slightly reduced fitness in F1 hybrids, a strong hybrid breakdown in backcrossed offspring (F1 x parental, with very few reaching metamorphosis) and a complete and early mortality in F2 (F1 x F1). Conclusion Genetic patterns at the contact zone are molded by drift and selection. Local effective sizes are reduced by the geography and history of the contact zone, B. balearicus populations being at the front wave of a recent expansion (late Pleistocene). Selection against hybrids likely results from intrinsic genomic causes (disruption of coadapted sets of genes in backcrosses and F2-hybrids), possibly reinforced by local adaptation (the ranges of the two taxa roughly coincide with the borders of semiarid and arid climates). The absence of F1 in the field might be due to premating isolation mechanisms. Our results, show that these lineages have evolved almost complete reproductive isolation after some 2.7 My of divergence, contrasting sharply with evidence from laboratory experiments that some anuran species may still produce viable F1 offspring after > 20 My of divergence.

Biogeochemical evolution of a marine shore tailings deposit during bioremediation

Summary : Mining activities produce enormous amounts of waste material known as tailings which are composed of fine to medium size particles. These tailings often contain sulfides, which oxidation can lead to acid and metal contamination of water; therefore they need to be remediated. In this work a tailings bioremediation approach was investigated by an interdisciplinary study including geochemistry, mineralogy and microbiology. The aim of the work was to study the effect of the implementation of wetland above oxidizing tailings on the hydrogeology and the biogeochemical element cycles, and to assess the system evolution over time. To reach these goals, biogeochemical processes occurring in a marine shore tailings deposit were investigated. The studied tailings deposit is located at the Bahìa de Ite, Pacific Ocean, southern Peru, where between 1940 and 1996 the tailings were discharged from the two porphyry copper mines Cuajone and Toquepala. After the end of deposition, a remediation approach was initiated in 1997 with a wetland implementation above the oxidizing tailings. Around 90% of the tailings deposits (total 16 km2) were thus remediated, except the central delta area and some areas close to the shoreline. The multi-stable isotope study showed that the tailings were saturated with fresh water in spite of the marine setting, due to the high hydraulic gradient resulting from the wetland implementation. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) was the major source of SO4 2-, C1-, Na+, Fe2+, and Mn2+ input into the tailings at the original shelf-seawater interface. The geochemical study (aquatic geochemistry and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and sequential extractions from the solid fraction) showed that iron and sulfur oxidation were the main processes in the non-remediated tailings, which showed a top a low-pH oxidation zone with strong accumulation of efflorescent salts at the surface due to capillary upward transport of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cd, Co, and Ni) in the arid climate. The study showed also that the implementation of the wetland resulted in very low concentrations of heavy metals in solution (mainly under the detection limit) due to the near neutral pH and more reducing conditions (100-150 mV). The heavy metals, which were taken from solution, precipitated as hydroxides and sulfides or were bound to organic matter. The bacterial community composition analysis by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) and cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes combined with a detailed statistical analysis revealed a high correlation between the bacterial distribution and the geochemical variables. Acidophilic autotrophic oxidizing bacteria were dominating the oxidizing tailings, whereas neutrophilic and heterotrophic reducing bacteria were driving the biogeochemical processes in the remediated tailings below the wetland. At the subsurface of the remediated tailings, an iron cycling was highlighted with oxidation and reduction processes due to micro-aerophilic niches provided by the plant rhizosphere in this overall reducing environment. The in situ bioremediation experiment showed that the main parameter to take into account for the effectiveness was the water table and chemistry which controls the system. The constructed remediation cells were more efficient and rapid in metal removal when saturation conditions were available. This study showed that the bioremediation by wetland implementation could be an effective and rapid treatment for some sulfidic mine tailings deposits. However, the water saturation of the tailings has to be managed on a long-term basis in order to guarantee stability. Résumé : L'activité minière produit d'énormes quantités de déchets géologiques connus sous le nom de « tailings » composées de particules de taille fine à moyenne. Ces déchets contiennent souvent des sulfures dont l'oxydation conduit à la formation d'effluents acides contaminés en métaux, d'où la nécessité d'effectuer une remédiation des sites de stockage concernés. Le but de ce travail est dans un premier temps d'étudier l'effet de la bio-remédiation d'un dépôt de tailings oxydés sur l'hydrogéologie du système et les cycles biogéochimiques des éléments et en second lieu, d'évaluer l'évolution du processus de remédiation dans le temps. Le site étudié dans ce travail est situé dans la Bahía de Ite, au sud du Pérou, au bord de l'Océan Pacifique. Les déchets miniers en question sont déposés dans un environnement marin. De 1940 à 1996, les déchets de deux mines de porphyre cuprifère - Cuajone et Toquepala - ont été acheminés sur le site via la rivière Locumba. En 1997, une première remédiation a été initiée avec la construction d'une zone humide sur les tailings. Depuis, environ 90% de la surface du dépôt (16 km2) a été traité, les parties restantes étant la zone centrale du delta du Locumba et certaines zones proches de la plage. Malgré la proximité de l'océan, les études isotopiques menées dans le cadre de ce travail ont montré que les tailings étaient saturés en eau douce. Cette saturation est due à la pression hydraulique résultant de la mise en place des zones humides. Un écoulement d'eau souterrain sous-marin a été à détecté à l'interface entre les résidus et l'ancien fond marin. En raison de la géologie locale, il constitue une source d'entrée de SO4 2-, Cl-, Na+, FeZ+, et Mn2+ dans le système. L'analyse de la géochimie aquatique, la Diffraction aux Rayons X (XRD) et l'extraction séquentielle ont montré que l'oxydation du fer et .des sulfures est le principal processus se produisant dans les déchets non remédiés. Ceci a entraîné le développement d'une zone d'oxydation à pH bas induisant une forte accumulation des sels efflorescents, conséquence de la migration capillaire des métaux lourds (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cd, Co et Ni) de la solution vers la surface dans ce climat aride. Cette étude a montré également que la construction de la zone humide a eu comme résultats une précipitation des métaux dans des phases minérales en raison du pH neutre et des conditions réductrices (100-150mV). Les métaux lourds ont précipité sous la forme d'hydroxydes et de sulfures ou sont adsorbés à la matière organique. L'analyse de la composition de la communauté bactérienne à l'aide la technique T-RFLP (Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) et par le clonage/séquençage des gènes de l'ARNr 16S a été combinée à une statistique détaillée. Cette dernière a révélé une forte corrélation entre la distribution de bactéries spécifiques et la géochimie : Les bactéries autotrophes acidophiles dominent dans les déchets oxydés non remédiés, tandis que des bactéries hétérotrophes neutrophiles ont mené les processus microbiens dans les déchets remédiés sous la zone humide. Sous la surface de la zone humide, nos analyses ont également mis en évidence un cycle du fer par des processus d'oxydoréduction rendus possibles par la présence de niches micro-aérées par la rhizosphère dans cet environnement réducteur. L'expérience de bio-remédiation in situ a montré que les paramètres clés qui contrôlent l'efficacité du traitement sont le niveau de la nappe aquifère et la chimie de l'eau. Les cellules de remédiation se sont montrées plus efficaces et plus rapides lorsque le système a pu être saturé en eau. Finalement, cette étude a montré que la bio-remédiation de déchets miniers par la construction de zones humides est un moyen de traitement efficace, rapide et peu coûteux. Cependant, la saturation en eau du système doit être gérée sur le long terme afin de garantir la stabilité de l'ensemble du système.