New Insight into the Colonization Processes of Common Voles: Inferences from Molecular and Fossil Evidence

Elucidating the colonization processes associated with Quaternary climatic cycles is important in order to understand the distribution of biodiversity and the evolutionary potential of temperate plant and animal species. In Europe, general evolutionary scenarios have been defined from genetic evidence. Recently, these scenarios have been challenged with genetic as well as fossil data. The origins of the modern distributions of most temperate plant and animal species could predate the Last Glacial Maximum. The glacial survival of such populations may have occurred in either southern (Mediterranean regions) and/or northern (Carpathians) refugia. Here, a phylogeographic analysis of a widespread European small mammal (Microtus arvalis) is conducted with a multidisciplinary approach. Genetic, fossil and ecological traits are used to assess the evolutionary history of this vole. Regardless of whether the European distribution of the five previously identified evolutionary lineages is corroborated, this combined analysis brings to light several colonization processes of M. arvalis. The species' dispersal was relatively gradual with glacial survival in small favourable habitats in Western Europe (from Germany to Spain) while in the rest of Europe, because of periglacial conditions, dispersal was less regular with bottleneck events followed by postglacial expansions. Our study demonstrates that the evolutionary history of European temperate small mammals is indeed much more complex than previously suggested. Species can experience heterogeneous evolutionary histories over their geographic range. Multidisciplinary approaches should therefore be preferentially chosen in prospective studies, the better to understand the impact of climatic change on past and present biodiversity

Windbreaks in North American Agricultural Systems

Windbreaks are a major component of successful agricultural systems throughout the world. The focus of this chapter is on temperate-zone, commercial, agricultural systems in North America, where windbreaks contribute to both producer profitability and environmental quality by increasing crop production while simultaneously reducing the level of off-farm inputs. They help control erosion and blowing snow, improve animal health and survival under winter conditions, reduce energy consumption of the farmstead unit, and enhance habitat diversity, providing refuges for predatory birds and insects. On a larger landscape scale windbreaks provide habitat for various types of wildlife and have the potential to contribute significant benefits to the carbon balance equation, easing the economic burdens associated with climate change. For a windbreak to function properly, it must be designed with the needs of the landowner in mind. The ability of a windbreak to meet a specific need is determined by its structure: both external structure, width, height, shape, and orientation as well as the internal structure; the amount and arrangement of the branches, leaves, and stems of the trees or shrubs in the windbreak. In response to windbreak structure, wind flow in the vicinity of a windbreak is altered and the microclimate in sheltered areas is changed; temperatures tend to be slightly higher and evaporation is reduced. These types of changes in microclimate can be utilized to enhance agricultural sustainability and profitability. While specific mechanisms of the shelter response remain unclear and are topics for further research, the two biggest challenges we face are: developing a better understanding of why producers are reluctant to adopt windbreak technology and defining the role of woody plants in the agricultural landscape

Ancient DNA of narrow-headed vole reveal common features of the Late Pleistocene population dynamics in cold-adapted small mammals

The narrow-headed vole, collared lemming and common vole were the most abundant small mammal species across the Eurasian Late Pleistocene steppe-tundra environment. Previous ancient DNA studies of the collared lemming and common vole have revealed dynamic population histories shaped by climatic fluctuations. To investigate the extent to which species with similar adaptations share common evolutionary histories, we generated a dataset comprised the mitochondrial genomes of 139 ancient and 6 modern narrow-headed voles from several sites across Europe and northwestern Asia covering approximately the last 100 thousand years (kyr). We inferred Bayesian time-aware phylogenies using 11 radiocarbon-dated samples to calibrate the molecular clock. Divergence of the main mtDNA lineages across the three species occurred during marine isotope stages (MIS) 7 and MIS 5, suggesting a common response of species adapted to open habitat during interglacials. We identified several time-structured mtDNA lineages in European narrow-headed vole, suggesting lineage turnover. The timing of some of these turnovers was synchronous across the three species, allowing us to identify the main drivers of the Late Pleistocene dynamics of steppe- and cold-adapted species.NWOVI.C.191.070Human Origin

Incidence des facteurs de production et des conditions de milieu sur la composition des fruits et des jus

Incidence des facteurs de production et des conditions de milieu sur la composition des fruits et des jusIncidence des facteurs de production et des conditions de milieu sur la composition des fruits et des ju

Effet du climat sur la composition des pommes à cidre

Effet du climat sur la composition des pommes à cidr

Amélioration génétique des variétés cidricoles: Cider apple breeding (résumé en anglais)

Amélioration génétique des variétés cidricoles. Cider apple breeding (résumé en anglais). European Symposium on Apple Processin

Fruit quality prediction on cider apple: effect of annual fruit load, soil and climate

Monitoring during 12 years, a network of about twenty plots in commercial orchards was used to analyse the respective influence of soil, climate and trees load, on fruit quality at harvest for two important varieties of cider apples: Douce Coëtligné and Douce Moën. A first analysis was conducted to compare the quality results of the two cultivars, to define the load levels and soil types able to explain some of the fruit variability, and to propose a first prediction of the quality at harvest acMonitoring during 12 years, a network of about twenty plots in commercial orchards was used to analyse the respective influence of soil, climate and trees load, on fruit quality at harvest for two important varieties of cider apples: Douce Coëtligné and Douce Moën. A first analysis was conducted to compare the quality results of the two cultivars, to define the load levels and soil types able to explain some of the fruit variability, and to propose a first prediction of the quality at harvest according to growing conditions defined as combinations of variety x load x soil. It was shown that fruit load effect was often predominant. In a second step, PLS method with cross-validation has been used to predict the remaining variability of fruit quality around the previous defined reference value (depending on load and soil). At this stage, annual characteristics of climate from bud break to fruit ripening, were supposed to be the main factors able to modulate the reference value. Promising results were obtained with the variety Douce Moën to estimate fruit weight, density and acidity of juice with a quite good quality of estimation