Species trait shifts in vegetation and soil seed bank during fen degradation

Fens in Central Europe are characterised by waterlogged organic substrate and low productivity. Human-induced changes due to drainage and mowing lead to changes in plant species composition from natural fen communities to fen meadows and later to over-drained, degraded meadows. Moderate drainage leads to increased vegetation productivity, and severe drainage results in frequent soil disturbances and less plant growth. In the present article, we analyse changes in plant trait combinations in the vegetation and the soil seed bank as well as changes in the seed bank types along gradient of drainage intensity. We hypothesize that an increase in productivity enhances traits related to persistence and that frequent disturbance selects for regeneration traits. We use multivariate statistics to analyse data from three disturbance levels: undisturbed fen, slightly drained fen meadow and severely drained degraded meadow. We found that the abundance of plants regenerating from seeds and accumulating persistent seed banks was increasing with degradation level, while plants reproducing vegetatively were gradually eliminated along the same trajectory. Plants with strong resprouting abilities increased during degradation. We also found that shifts in trait combinations were similar in the aboveground vegetation and in soil seed banks. We found that the density of short-term persistent seeds in the soil is highest in fen meadows and the density of long-term persistent seeds is highest in degraded meadows. The increase in abundance of species with strong regeneration traits at the cost of species with persistence-related traits has negative consequences for the restoration prospects of severely degraded sites

Comparaison des trajectoires d'innovation pour la sécurisation alimentaire des pays du Sud

Comparison of innovation paths for food security in countries of the South. Description of the subject. The evolution of the concept of food security and of food securization emphasizes the multi-dimensionality of food challenges (quantity, quality, affordability, identity, stability, etc.). This implies strengthening the innovation capacity of populations faced with food insecurity. Objectives. The objective of this study was to analyze how the concept of innovation system structures different trajectories of innovation for food security in developing countries. Method. A literature review firstly examines the application of this concept within the agricultural and food sector (SIA). The application of the concept is then tested in two case studies. Results. A first type of "productivist" path hypothesizes that food security necessitates increased availability and thus requires industrial input. This type of path re-emerged during the 2008 financial crisis in a form that included biotechnological potentialities, and retained a linear conception of innovation. This type of path is limited by environmental and social externalities as well as in terms of efficiency in relation to food security, in particular in the less developed countries undergoing demographic transition. The second type of path is based on a multi-dimensional approach and on the notion of food securization. Innovation will foster an ecological transition of the production function in the food sector. This approach is based on the promotion of local resources and involves a change in the innovation model. This change is illustrated in two case studies, one on plantain in Cameroon, the other on yam in Haiti. Conclusions. The results confirm the success of a process of the co-construction of innovation. The strengthening of local innovation capacities provides opportunities to realize the potentialities of agrosystems for food security

Conditions météorologiques défavorables qui ont un impact sur 21 pratiques viticoles en moyenne vallée de la Loire au moment de leur réalisation

<p>L'image montre en générale l'impact des conditions climatiques défavorables sur le développement et la croissance d'une culture dans ce cas c'est le vignoble. Ces conditions se résument par le vent, le sol, l'humidité, la température et la pluviométrie.</p

Conditions climatiques défavorables qui ont un impact sur 21 pratiques viticoles en moyenne vallée de la Loire au moment de leur réalisation

<p>L'image montre en générale l'impact des conditions climatiques défavorables sur le développement et la croissance d'une culture dans ce cas c'est le vignoble. Ces conditions sont le vent, le sol, l'humidité, la température et la pluviométrie.</p