Données préliminaires sur l’exploitation des pangolins (Pholidota) autour du Parc National de Kahuzi-Biega, République Démocratique du Congo

Dans un contexte où la demande des écailles des pangolins pour la médicine traditionnelle chinoise ne cesse d’augmenter, ces animaux se trouvent de plus à plus braconner. Il est donc important que les études soient menées dans leur zone de répartition pour arriver à dégager les motivations de cette exploitation dans chaque zone. C’est dans cet angle que l’étude sur l’exploitation des pangolins et de leurs produits dérivés a été réalisée autour du parc national de Kahuzi-Biega avec pour objectif de dégager les différentes fins pour lesquelles ces animaux y sont exploités et identifier les différents acteurs intervenant dans ce domaine via l’information et les connaissances des riverains. La méthode d’enquête individuelle et collective a été conduite auprès de 116 personnes pendant une période de deux mois (mars et avril 2019) autour du Secteur Tshivanga et du Secteur Itebero. Les analyses comparatives, Khi-deux, Ficher et les analyses à correspondances multiples (ACM) ont été effectuées à l’aide du logiciel Past 3.2. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les pangolins sont principalement exploités pour l’alimentation et la médecine traditionnelles. Cependant, le trafic de leurs écailles a fait augmenter la demande dans la zone. Les demandeurs des écailles viennent principalement des grandes villes (Bukavu, Goma, Kisangani) et des certaines pays étrangers (Ouganda, Burundi, Tanzanie et les agents de la Mission des Nations-Unies pour la Stabilisation au Congo). Le commerce des écailles pour satisfaire la demande externe, bien qu’encore à ces débuts, vient menacer les pangolins dans cette zone où la chasse est strictement interdite. Ce commerce passe par des intermédiaires, dont les principaux sont les enfants du milieu.Mots clés : Étude préliminaire, exploitation, pangolins, Kahuzi-biega, RDC English Title: Preliminary data on the exploitation of Pangolins (Pholidota) about the National Park of Kahuzi-Biega, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)In a context where the demand for pangolin scales for traditional Chinese medicine continues to increase, these animals are increasingly being poached. It is therefore important that studies be carried out in their area of distribution in order to identify the motivations for this exploitation in each area. It is in this perspective that the study on the exploitation of pangolins and their by-products was carried out around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park with the aim of identifying the different purposes for which these animals are exploited there and to identify the different actors involved in this field through the information and knowledge of local residents. The individual and collective survey method was conducted among 116 people over a two-month period (March and April 2019) around the Tshivanga Sector and the Itebero Sector. Comparative, Chi-square, File and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) analyses were carried out using Past 3.2 software. The results obtained show that pangolins are mainly exploited for traditional food and medicine. However, the trafficking of their scales has increased demand in the area. The demand for the scales comes mainly from the big cities (Bukavu, Goma, Kisangani) and from some foreign countries (Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and agents of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Congo). The trade in scales to satisfy external demand, although still in its infancy, is threatening pangolins in this area where hunting is strictly prohibited. This trade goes through intermediaries, the main ones being local children.Keywords: Preliminary study, exploitation, pangolins, Kahuzi-biega, DRC

Strategies for climate change impacts on irrigated crops in National Capital Region of India

Irrigation has helped in increasing food production and achieving food security in India. However, climate change is expected to affect the crop production in irrigated area particularly in groundwater irrigated areas. This study was undertaken for suggesting strategies to climate change impact on irrigated crops based on projected change in crop water requirement and groundwater availability for irrigation in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Prevailing groundwater recharge in the study area during monsoon was 4.01 MCM (Million cubic meter). The same for various scenarios varied from -15.47 MCM to 5.08 MCM. It was revealed that groundwater recharge would increase if it is estimated based on the climate prediction done using local weather data. The impact of climate change on groundwater availability is evident in scenarios based on INCCA and IPCC predictions where it varied from -2.66 MCM to 1.02 MCM. Contrary to common perceptions, crop water requirement of prevailing cropping system would not increase in future if all the important climatic parameters are considered for its prediction. This may be due to the fact that effect of increase in temperature on crop water requirement may be compensated by decrease in other climatic parameters such wind speed and duration of daily sunshine hours. Results indicated that climate change may not have much impact on sustainability of prevailing cropping system as per the crop water requirement is concerned. Based on water requirement and groundwater availability under various climate change scenarios, appropriate strategies to cope up the climate change impact on irrigated crops have been suggested

Population dynamics and genetic connectivity in recent chimpanzee history

Knowledge on the population history of endangered species is critical for conservation, but whole-genome data on chimpanzees (<Pan troglodytes) is geographically sparse. Here, we produced the first non-invasive geolocalized catalog of genomic diversity by capturing chromosome 21 from 828 non-invasive samples collected at 48 sampling sites across Africa. The four recognized subspecies show clear genetic differentiation correlating with known barriers, while previously undescribed genetic exchange suggests that these have been permeable on a local scale. We obtained a detailed reconstruction of population stratification and fine-scale patterns of isolation, migration, and connectivity, including a comprehensive picture of admixture with bonobos (Pan paniscus). Unlike humans, chimpanzees did not experience extended episodes of long-distance migrations, which might have limited cultural transmission. Finally, based on local rare variation, we implement a fine-grained geolocalization approach demonstrating improved precision in determining the origin of confiscated chimpanzees

Precursor-free eruption triggered by edifice rupture at Nyiragongo volcano

International audienceAbstract Classical mechanisms of volcanic eruptions mostly involve pressure buildup and magma ascent towards the surface 1 . Such processes produce geophysical and geochemical signals that may be detected and interpreted as eruption precursors 1–3 . On 22 May 2021, Mount Nyiragongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), an open-vent volcano with a persistent lava lake perched within its summit crater, shook up this interpretation by producing an approximately six-hour-long flank eruption without apparent precursors, followed—rather than preceded—by lateral magma motion into the crust. Here we show that this reversed sequence was most likely initiated by a rupture of the edifice, producing deadly lava flows and triggering a voluminous 25-km-long dyke intrusion. The dyke propagated southwards at very shallow depth (less than 500 m) underneath the cities of Goma (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Gisenyi (Rwanda), as well as Lake Kivu. This volcanic crisis raises new questions about the mechanisms controlling such eruptions and the possibility of facing substantially more hazardous events, such as effusions within densely urbanized areas, phreato-magmatism or a limnic eruption from the gas-rich Lake Kivu. It also more generally highlights the challenges faced with open-vent volcanoes for monitoring, early detection and risk management when a significant volume of magma is stored close to the surface

Development and evaluation of a genome-wide Coffee 8.5K SNP array and its application for high-density genetic mapping and for investigating the origin of Coffea arabica L

Coffee species such as Coffea canephora P. (Robusta) and C. arabica L. (Arabica) are important cash crops in tropical regions around the world. C. arabica is an allotetraploid (2n = 4x = 44) originating from a hybridization event of the two diploid species C. canephora and C. eugenioides (2n = 2x = 22). Interestingly, these progenitor species harbour a greater level of genetic variability and are an important source of genes to broaden the narrow Arabica genetic base. Here, we describe the development, evaluation and use of a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array for coffee trees. A total of 8580 unique and informative SNPs were selected from C. canephora and C. arabica sequencing data, with 40% of the SNP located in annotated genes. In particular, this array contains 227 markers associated to 149 genes and traits of agronomic importance. Among these, 7065 SNPs (82.3%) were scorable and evenly distributed over the genome with a mean distance of 54.4 Kb between markers. With this array, we improved the Robusta high-density genetic map by adding 1307 SNP markers, whereas 945 SNPs were found segregating in the Arabica mapping progeny. A panel of C. canephora accessions was successfully discriminated and over 70% of the SNP markers were transferable across the three species. Furthermore, the canephora-derived subgenome of C. arabica was shown to be more closely related to C. canephora accessions from northern Uganda than to other current populations. These validated SNP markers and high-density genetic maps will be useful to molecular genetics and for innovative approaches in coffee breeding

Artificial ferroic systems: novel functionality from structure, interactions and dynamics

Lithographic processing and film growth technologies are continuing to advance, so that it is now possible to create patterned ferroic materials consisting of arrays of sub-1 μm elements with high definition. Some of the most fascinating behaviour of these arrays can be realised by exploiting interactions between the individual elements to create new functionality. The properties of these artificial ferroic systems differ strikingly from those of their constituent components, with novel emergent behaviour arising from the collective dynamics of the interacting elements, which are arranged in specific designs and can be activated by applying magnetic or electric fields. We first focus on artificial spin systems consisting of arrays of dipolar-coupled nanomagnets and, in particular, review the field of artificial spin ice, which demonstrates a wide range of fascinating phenomena arising from the frustration inherent in particular arrangements of nanomagnets, including emergent magnetic monopoles, domains of ordered macrospins, and novel avalanche behaviour. We outline how demagnetisation protocols have been employed as an effective thermal anneal in an attempt to reach the ground state, comment on phenomena that arise in thermally activated systems and discuss strategies for selectively generating specific configurations using applied magnetic fields. We then move on from slow field and temperature driven dynamics to high frequency phenomena, discussing spinwave excitations in the context of magnonic crystals constructed from arrays of patterned magnetic elements. At high frequencies, these arrays are studied in terms of potential applications including magnetic logic, linear and non-linear microwave optics, and fast, efficient switching, and we consider the possibility to create tunable magnonic crystals with artificial spin ice. Finally, we discuss how functional ferroic composites can be incorporated to realise magnetoelectric effects. Specifically, we discuss artificial multiferroics (or multiferroic composites), which hold promise for new applications that involve electric field control of magnetism, or electric and magnetic field responsive devices for high frequency integrated circuit design in microwave and terahertz signal processing. We close with comments on how enhanced functionality can be realised through engineering of nanostructures with interacting ferroic components, creating opportunities for novel spin electronic devices that, for example, make use of the transport of magnetic charges, thermally activated elements, and reprogrammable nanomagnet systems