Discriminating small wooded elements in rural landscape from aerial photography: a hybrid pixel/object-based analysis approach

While small, fragmented wooded elements do not represent a large surface area in agricultural landscape, their role in the sustainability of ecological processes is recognized widely. Unfortunately, landscape ecology studies suffer from the lack of methods for automatic detection of these elements. We propose a hybrid approach using both aerial photographs and ancillary data of coarser resolution to automatically discriminate small wooded elements. First, a spectral and textural analysis is performed to identify all the planted-tree areas in the digital photograph. Secondly, an object-orientated spatial analysis using the two data sources and including a multi-resolution segmentation is applied to distinguish between large and small woods, copses, hedgerows and scattered trees. The results show the usefulness of the hybrid approach and the prospects for future ecological applications

Biodiversité et services rendus à l’agriculture. Principaux enseignements de différents dispositifs de recherche récents et actuels en Midi-Pyrénées

Dans le canton d’Aurignac, des chercheurs de l’Institut national de la recherche agronomique et de l’Institut national polytechnique de Toulouse travaillent depuis une trentaine d’années sur l’agriculture, les paysages et la biodiversité. Les paysages agricoles étudiés sont caractérisés par une agriculture de polyculture élevage et la présence de petits bois. Ces paysages agri-forestiers constituent un site d’étude à long terme qui est reconnu au niveau national et européen

Detecting clear-cuts and decreases in forest vitality using MODIS NDVI time series

This paper examines the potential of MODIS-NDVI time series for detecting clear-cuts in a coniferous forest stand in the south of France. The proposed approach forms part of a survey monitoring the status of forest health and evaluating the forest decline phenomena observed over the last few decades. One of the prerequisites for this survey was that a rapid and easily reproducible method had to be developed that differentiates between forest clear-cuts and changes in forest health induced by environmental factors such as summer droughts. The proposed approach is based on analysis of the breakpoints detected within NDVI time series, using the "Break for Additive Seasonal and Trend" (BFAST) algorithm. To overcome difficulties detecting small areas on the study site, we chose a probabilistic approach based on the use of a conditional inference tree. For model calibration, clear-cut reference data were produced at MODIS resolution (250 m). According to the magnitude of the detected breakpoints, probability classes for the presence of clear-cuts were defined, from greater than 90% to less than 3% probability of a clear-cut. One of the advantages of the probabilistic model is that it allows end users to choose an acceptable level of uncertainty depending on the application. In addition, the use of BFAST allows events to be dated, thus making it possible to perform a retrospective analysis of decreases in forest vitality in the study area

Non-renormalization for planar Wess-Zumino model

Using a non-perturbative functional method, where the quantum fluctuations are gradually set up,it is shown that the interaction of a N=1 Wess-Zumino model in 2+1 dimensions does not get renormalized. This result is valid in the framework of the gradient expansion and aims at compensating the lack of non-renormalization theorems

Cost Burden of Illness for Hepatitis C Patients with Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

The disease burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is expected to more than double in the next two decades. Currently, there is very little information about the costs of HCV treatment for employers who pay for treatment and health plans that cover HCV patients. This study reports the medical costs of HCV for workers with health insurance. A retrospective claims data design was used for this study. A sample of HCV patients with health insurance was drawn from the inpatient, outpatient, and enrollment files of the MEDSTAT Group's MarketScan family of databases for 1993-1998. Patients were grouped into cohorts and studied for up to 2 years before and after HCV diagnosis. Sample size varies according to length of follow-up, peaking at 3,077 patients enrolled for at least 6 months. In the first year following HCV diagnosis, average payments for HCV patients ($10,925) were almost six times as high as payments for all patients in the MarketScan database ($1,186). Doctors are encouraged to test high-risk patients to find HCV patients earlier in the course of their disease and to better manage their care in order to avoid unnecessary illness and expenses for this disease.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63140/1/109350702320229195.pd

Télédétection et Ecologie du paysage

National audienc

Comprendre la dynamique régionale des exploitations de polyculture élevage pour accompagner le développement rural dans les Coteaux de Gascogne

Les Coteaux de Gascogne constituent un des terrains de recherche sur l’avenir des paysages ruraux et la durabilité de la gestion des ressources naturelles. Cette petite région du Sud-Ouest de la France est historiquement fondée sur un système social dit « à maison » caractérisé par une permanence des patrimoines fonciers et des exploitations agricoles. Le système agraire qui lui est lié génère une mosaïque de paysages composée de grandes cultures, de prairies liées à l’élevage bovin et de bois. L’agriculture locale a connu, depuis les années 1950, de profonds changements liés à la modernisation et à l’agrandissement des exploitations. A l’origine très diversifiées et tournées vers l’autoconsommation, les exploitations s’inscrivent aujourd’hui dans l’économie de marché tout en conservant une orientation de polyculture-élevage. Dans une perspective d’élaboration de scénarios d’évolution relatifs à l’élevage, nous avons mis en place un dispositif de recherche en partenariat. Il a été convenu, avec les partenaires, que la première étape de nos travaux porte sur l’amélioration de la connaissance des changements en cours dans les exploitations et la compréhension des stratégies des familles agricoles. A partir d’une enquête exhaustive et spatialisée des exploitations utilisant le territoire de quatre communes, nous avons, en premier lieu, élaboré une typologie pour disposer d’une représentation de la diversité de leurs situations. Les modes d’organisation spatiale et fonctionnelle des territoires d’exploitation montrent des situations contrastées liées à leur dimension et à leur accès aux ressources foncières. La transmission des exploitations et l’avenir de l’élevage bovin sont des questions pressantes qui constituent des éléments à intégrer dans les modèles et scénarios à élaborer

Les territoires d'exploitations agricoles qui pratiquent des systèmes de production différents présentent-ils une biodiversité différente? L'exemple des oiseaux nicheurs

Agri-environmental policies are most often applied at the individual farm level. An improved effectiveness of these policies could result from an it is then necessary to study the ecological patterns by consi dering the level of agricultural organisation. However, many studies are currently lead at the field scale or the landscape scale without considering the whole farm territory. Our study focus on the relationships between bird diversity in farmland and spatial patterns of farming system types regarded as a level of agricultural organisation.We test 2 hypotheses: -The farming systems can discriminate bird diversity. - Landscape areas with extensive farming systems have an higher bird diversity than the ones with intensive farming systems because they include more semi-natural elements

Sylviculture et nutrition des accrus de frêne dans les Hautes-Pyrénées

Le projet CHAPAY a contribué à produire des connaissances, des méthodes et des outils pour prendre en compte les relations entre le changement des activités agricoles et des paysages dans l’action publique et la gouvernance des territoires. Le frêne trouve dans de nombreux sites des Hautes-Pyrénées des conditions favorables à son installation, mais sa croissance est très variable selon les stations. L’exploitation forestière de ces accrus nécessite, au préalable, une connaissance du potentiel de croissance auquel on peut s’attendre selon la fertilité de la station concernée. Nos résultats sont fondés sur une étude de terrain portant sur des accrus représentatifs des Hautes-Pyrénées. Nous les avons classés en niveaux de potentiel de croissance actuels et futurs et nous avons interprété ces niveaux par rapport aux données de fertilité chimique des stations. Cette méthodologie peut être étendue à d’autres régions et à d’autres types d’accrus. Elle peut servir de base à une catégorisation des accrus selon leur intérêt écologique ou économique

An integrative multi‐scale approach to regional agriculture to support the assessment and benefit of pest‐regulation services delivered by biodiversity

Ecology is first of all a scientific discipline, with its body of theories and methods, and a constant renewal of its main specific fields and principles. In that regard, Ecology is not different from the other scientific disciplines and produces an increasing number of outstanding publications on both fundamental and applied grounds. Ecology can produce highly theoretical works, which is essential, but Ecology can be -and even moremust be an applied science. Currently, practical applications of Ecology for the benefits of our societies have become more numerous and increasingly urgent. ‘Interactions’, sensu lato, are at the very heart of Ecology which makes it by definition THE science of Biodiversity. Beyond the knowledge of how Life has appeared and developed, Ecology can provide the basis for the preservation of Biodiversity and ensure its management is relevant and efficient into the future. By being more integrative and global, Ecology could establish itself as the cornerstone of sustainable development. In this beginning of the 21st century, the influence of Ecology will inevitably grow and play a key role for Planet Earth and human well-being. Sfécologie2016, an International Conference on ecological sciences would not have taken place without 2 years of hard work from the staff of my Institute (IMBE). That is thus with a real pleasure that we welcome you today in Marseille. (Thierry TATONI IMBE Director