Introduction: Human ecology in the Himalaya

Knowledge of human adaptation in the Himalayas has developed more slowly than that for other world mountain systems. At the same time, the opening of the region to research has focused attention toward description in a “natural history” mode until quite recently. Where these studies have addressed issues of adaptation they have tended to do so more as a heuristic tool rather than in terms of contributing to the development of adaptive perspectives from a uniquely Himalayan vantage point. The contributions to this special issue suggest some of Himalayan cultural ecology's new themes as it more directly assumes a truly processual approach that incorporates the individual and domestic dimensions of adaptation within historical and social contexts .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44482/1/10745_2004_Article_BF00889710.pd

Distribution spatiale et \ue9volution temporelle de la v\ue9g\ue9tation et de sa diversit\ue9 : relations avec l'h\ue9t\ue9rog\ue9n\ue9it\ue9 des structures des peuplements en pessi\ue8re d'altitude

La dynamique des pessi\ue9res alpines d'altitude de la r\ue9gion de Chambery (France) est \ue9tudi\ue9e au niveau de synusies v\ue9g\ue9tales. Distribution spatiale et composition sp\ue9cifique des synusies sont particuli\ue8rement analis\ue9es pour formuler des r\ue8gles de gestion favorisant la r\ue9g\ue9n\ue9ration naturelle des peuplements d'\ue9picea.- - - - - (ABSTRACT: Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of the plant communities and of its diversity : relations with stand structure heterogeneity in natural sprucer forests, in French Alpine region

Est-il possible d'estimer précisément la richesse spécifique de grands quadrats? Cas d'étude sur des données de calibration entre observateurs

International audienceThe number of species (species richness) is certainly the most widely used descriptor of plant diversity. However, estimating richness is a difficult task because plant censuses are prone to overlooking and identification errors that may lead to spurious interpretations. We used calibration data from the French ICP-level II plots (RENECOFOR) to assess the magnitude of the two kinds of errors in large forest plots. Eleven teams of professional botanists recorded all plants on the same eight 100-m2 plots in 2004 (four plots, eights teams) and 2005 (four plots, nine teams including six from 2004), first independently and then consensually. On average, 15.5% of the shrubs and trees above 2 m were overlooked and 2.3% not identified at the species level or misidentified. On average, 19.2% of the plant species below 2 m in height were overlooked and 5.3% were misidentified and 1.3% were misidentified at the genus level (especially bryophytes). The overlooking rate also varied with plant species, morphological type, plot and team. It was higher when only one botanist made the census. It rapidly decreased with species cover and increased with plot species richness, the recording time of the census in the tree layer and the number of the censuses carried out during the day in the ground layer. Familiarity of the team with the local flora reduced the risk of overlooking and identification errors, whereas training had little impact. Differences in species richness (over space or time) in large plots should be cautiously interpreted, especially when several botanists participate in the survey. In particular, the quality of the data needs to be evaluated using calibration training and, if necessary, may be improved by involving more experienced botanists working in teams and by fixing a minimum recording time