Signification environnementale de guano de salanganes et de chiroptères de Nouvelle-Calédonie. Premiers résultats

sera mis en ligne en texte intégral en septembre 2019International audienceGuano accumulated in caves by bats or birds contains a stratigraphic record of the environment which may supplement or supply conventionnal terrestrial sedimentary records like lacustrine/palustrine deposits or peat. Thus, guano study allows the understanding of recent or past climate and environment changes, which ability has expanded recently with the development of more sophisticated analytical tools, based on proxies that are indirect measures of past climates or environments preserved in natural archives. In New Caledonia, diurnal cave swiftlet Collocalia spodiopygia and nocturnal Chiroptera Micropterus robustior, both insectivores, share very often the same cavities. The comparison of the content of pollen and isotopes δ13C and δD in their respective guano, shows a great variability of constituents which reflects the sources of the feeding grounds of the eaten preys and their interaction with the ecosystem, more particularly the vegetation. The high richness of pollen taxa, identical to 50 % between the two guanos, underlines the respective food resource areas. The pollen content also shows seasonal variations probably in response to changes in food availability and in turn environmental change, if not climatic changes. This paper presents a preliminary set of results obtained on the 92cm-long core HAK1 retrieved in a guano mound taken under a cave swiftlet roost site in Hama Cave from Lifou (Loyalty Islands). The comparison between yearly mean daily rainfall, carbon (δ13C) and hydrogen (δD) isotopes compositions of high-molecular weight n-alkane (n-C29) from guano shows a good covariation, which is interpreted as a proxy of ENSO occurrences. Our work confirms that the guano piles are promising records for palaeoenvironmental change studies at high temporal resolution.L'intérêt est grandissant pour le potentiel présenté par les acccumulations cavernicoles de guano de chauves-souris et d'oiseaux en tant qu'enregistrements stratigraphiques continentaux, complémentaires voire alternatifs aux archives étudiées générale-ment (sédiments lacustres, palustres, tourbeux, etc.). Ces dépôts permettent des reconstructions de la variabilité climatique à haute résolution pour des échelles de temps récentes à plus anciennes, grâce à la calibration de nouveaux proxies susceptibles d'enregistrer ces variations. Ainsi la comparaison du contenu pollinique et des traceurs isotopiques δ13 C et δD des n-alcanes du guano de différents animaux insectivores, les salanganes diurnes (Collocalia spodiopygia) et les chiroptères nocturnes (Micropterus robustior) cohabitant dans de nombreuses grottes de Nouvelle-Calédonie, met en évidence une grande variabilité. Celle-ci est à l'image des cibles de nourrissage des proies appétées et de leur interaction avec les composantes de l'écosystème, en particulier les plantes. La grande richesse du contenu pollinique observée dans les deux types de guano, bien que présentant 50 % de taxons communs, souligne des aires de nourrissage préférentielles. Elle montre aussi des fluctuations interannuelles, marqueurs probables de changements environnementaux, sinon climatiques. Cet article présente des premiers résultats obtenus sur le sondage HAK1 prélévé dans un amas de guano de salanganes de la grotte Hama sur l'île de Lifou, l'une des îles Loyautés. La comparaison entre les données de géochimie isotopique moléculaire (isotopes du carbone δ13C et de l'hydrogène δD du n-alcane C29) et les données pluviométriques met en évidence une bonne covariation interprétée comme marqueur du signal climatique ENSO contemporain des dépôts de guano analysés. Ce travail préliminaire confirme le fort potentiel des amas de guano cavernicoles pour étudier à haute résolution les changements paléo-environnementaux

Monitoring hunted species of cultural significance: Estimates of trends, population sizes and harvesting rates of flying-fox (Pteropus sp.) in New Caledonia

International audienceAssessing population trends and their underlying factors is critical to propose efficient conservation actions. This assessment can be particularly challenging when dealing with highly mobile, shy and nocturnal animals such as flying-foxes. Here we investigated the dynamics of hunted populations of Pteropus ornatus and P. tonganus in the Northern Province of New Caledonia. First, an ethno-ecological survey involving 219 local experts identified 494 flying-fox roosts. Current status was assessed for 379 of them, among which 125 were no longer occupied, representing a loss of 33% over ca. 40 years. Second, species-specific counts conducted at 35 roosts, and a sample of animals killed by hunters, revealed that the endemic species, P. ornatus, was dominant (68.5%). Between 2010 and 2016, 30 roosts were counted annually during the pre-parturition period. Roosts size averaged 1,425 ± 2,151 individuals (N = 180 counts) and showed high among-year variations (roost-specific CV = 37-162%). If we recorded significant inter-annual variation, we did not detect a significant decline over the 7-yr period, although one roost went possibly extinct. Population size of the two species combined was estimated at 338,000−859,000 individuals distributed over ca. 400 roosts in the Northern Province. Flying-foxes are popular game species and constitute traditional food for all communities of New Caledonia. Annual bags derived from a food survey allowed us to estimate harvesting rates at 5-14%. Such a level of harvesting for species with a 'slow' demography, the occurrence of poaching and illegal trade, suggest the current species use might not be sustainable and further investigations are critically needed. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone