Invading or recolonizing? Patterns and drivers of wild boar population expansion into Belgian agroecosystems

peer reviewedNative species can also exhibit invasive-like spreading patterns, and identifying mechanisms driving spread of native species is a recent but essential challenge in ecology. In Europe, wild boar Sus scrofa populations and range increased for decades. While patterns of population growth are well studied, those related to range expansion are still poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to understand patterns and mechanisms that promoted wild boar population expansion in agricultural landscapes of Southern Belgium between 1981 and 2010. Using hunting-based knowledge on colonization history and an information-theoretic approach, we evaluated support to four a priori hypotheses explaining mechanisms of wild boar colonisation in an agro-ecosystem: natural forested landscape as recolonization mechanism, and cultivated landscape, propagule pressure and climate change as invasion mechanisms. We found that wild boar population expansion in Belgian agroecosystems was a relatively slow process driven by the natural landscape, propagule pressure, and climatic changes. This suggests a combination of invasive and recolonization mechanisms was in play in the expansion of wild boar over the last three decades. Our study provides insights in the mechanisms that enable the species’ recovery in Europe since the mid-20th century, and underline the need for adapted management strategies taking into account the invasive components of wild boar population expansion

Prerequisites for a Black locust genomic selection program

The use of renewable resources as an alternative to fossil fuels has become a priority. Efficient use of forest as a resource for energy and green chemistry purposes require the development of suitable selected genotypes that are competitive and ready to meet the challenges of global change. In this context, the black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia L., is a very promising species which has many advantages in the context of current global change: high phenotypic plasticity, drought resistance, high biomass production and fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. The genetic improvement of woody species using traditional methods can take between 20 to 30 years. These times can be greatly reduced with the development of new selection methods such as genomic selection. Before starting a genomic selection program, it is necessary to 1) develop new molecular markers to achieve a very dense genetic map for genomic selection, 2) study the genetic diversity of the species present in Belgium and compare it with that of the native area, 3) study the structure and the relatedness of different populations, 4) establish a core collection gathering the most genetically diverse individuals, and 5) as black locust is an exotic species, verify its invasiveness in Belgium. These 5 steps will be detailed and the first results obtained will be discussed

La photogrammétrie terrestre: approche non destructive pour modéliser la forme des troncs irréguliers d'arbres tropicaux

peer reviewed1. Irregularly shaped trees including trees with buttresses, flutes or stilt roots are frequent in tropical forests. The lack of an international standard tomeasure the diameter of such trees leads to high uncertainties in biomass estimation, tree growth and carbon budget monitoring. 2. In this study, we developed a new method based on terrestrial close-range photogrammetry for measuring andmodelling irregular stems. This approach is cheap and easy to implement in the field as it only requires a camera and a graduated rod. We validated the approach with destructive cross-sectionmeasurements along the stem of three buttressed trees. To demonstrate the broader utility of this method, we extended the validated approach to 43 additional trees belonging to two species: Celtis mildbraedii (Ulmaceae) and Entandophragma cylindricum (Meliaceae). Based on the three dimensional models, we computed shape indices for each tree, and we analysed the stem morphology of the two species. Finally, we analysed some standardized predictors for the estimation of above-ground biomass. 3. We found a high concordance between diameters derived from the photogrammetric process and destructive diameter measurements along the stem for the three calibration trees. We found that C. mildbraedii develop much stronger irregularities than E. cylindricum.We also identified a large intraspecific variation in trunk morphology for E. cylindricum. The basal area at 1 3 mheight (Darea130) seems to be amore robust predictor for biomass estimates (lowest Akaike information criterion and relative squared error) than diameter measured above buttresses (DAB) or diameter at breast height estimated from available taper model. Finally, Darea130 might be estimated with a good precision [root mean square error (RMSE) < 5%] with linear model based on the field measurements DABand the perimeter of the convex hull of the buttresses at 1 3 mheight (Dconvhull130). 4. In this study, we showed the high potential of the photogrammetry for measuring and modelling irregular stems. Photogrammetry could then be used as a non-destructivemeasurement tool to produce correction factors for standardizing the diameter of irregular stems at a reference height which is a key issue in tree growthmonitoring and biomass change estimation.DynaFfor, PreRED

Terrestrial photogrammetry: A non-destructive method for modeling irregularly shaped tropical tree trunks

1. Irregularly shaped trees including trees with buttresses, flutes or stilt roots are frequent in tropical forests. The lack of an international standard to measure the diameter of such trees leads to high uncertainties in biomass estimation, tree growth and carbon budget monitoring. 2. In this study, we developed a new method based on terrestrial close range photogrammetry for measuring and modeling irregular stems. This approach is cheap and easy to implement in the field as it only requires a camera and a graduated rod. We validated the approach with destructive cross section measurements along the stem of three buttressed trees. To demonstrate the broader utility of this method, we extended the validated approach to 43 additional trees belonging to two species: Celtis mildbraedii (Ulmaceae) and Entandophragma cylindricum (Meliaceae). Based on the 3D models, we computed shape indices for each tree, and we analyzed the stem morphology of the two species. Finally, we analyzed some standardized predictors for the estimation of above-ground biomass. 3. We found a high concordance between diameters derived from the photogrammetric process and destructive diameter measurements along the stem for the three calibration trees. We found that C. mildbraedii develop much stronger irregularities than E. cylindricum. We also identified a large intra-specific variation in trunk morphology for E. cylindricum. The basal area at 1.3m height (Darea130), seems to be a more robust predictor for biomass estimates (lowest AIC and RSE) than diameter measured above buttresses (DAB) or DBH estimated from available taper model. Finally, Darea130 might be estimated with a good precision (RMSE < 5 %) with linear model based on the field measurements DAB and the perimeter of the convex hull of the buttresses at 1.3 m height (Dconvhull130). 4. In this study, we showed the high potential of the photogrammetry for measuring and modeling irregular stems. Photogrammetry could then be used as a non destructive measurement tool to produce correction factors for standardizing the diameter of irregular stems at a reference height which is a key issue in tree growth monitoring and biomass change estimation.Point cloud of the 34 additonal trees and biomass dat

A few north Appalachian populations are the source of European black locust

The role of evolution in biological invasion studies is often overlooked. In order to evaluate the evolutionary mechanisms behind invasiveness, it is crucial to identify the source populations of the introduction. Studies in population genetics were carried out on Robinia pseudoacacia L., a North American tree which is now one of the worst invasive tree species in Europe. We realized large‐scale sampling in both the invasive and native ranges: 63 populations were sampled and 818 individuals were genotyped using 113 SNPs. We identified clonal genotypes in each population and analyzed between and within range population structure, and then, we compared genetic diversity between ranges, enlarging the number of SNPs to mitigate the ascertainment bias. First, we demonstrated that European black locust was introduced from just a limited number of populations located in the Appalachian Mountains, which is in agreement with the historical documents briefly reviewed in this study. Within America, population structure reflected the effects of long‐term processes, whereas in Europe it was largely impacted by human activities. Second, we showed that there is a genetic bottleneck between the ranges with a decrease in allelic richness and total number of alleles in Europe. Lastly, we found more clonality within European populations. Black locust became invasive in Europe despite being introduced from a reduced part of its native distribution. Our results suggest that human activity, such as breeding programs in Europe and the seed trade throughout the introduced range, had a major role in promoting invasion; therefore, the introduction of the missing American genetic cluster to Europe should be avoided