MALE REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES IN WILD NORTHERN PIG-TAILED MACAQUES (MACACA LEONINA): TESTING THE PRIORITY-OF-ACCESS MODEL

Among multi-male, multi-female primate groups, males engage in direct contest competition for access to mates. The priority-of-access model (PoA model) generally predicts that male reproductive success increases with male dominance rank, but the strength of this relationship is expected to decrease with increasing female reproductive synchrony, particularly in seasonally breeding primates. Genetic paternity studies support the model’s predictions, having found a positive relationship between male dominance rank and reproductive success. However, in addition to dominance status and female reproductive synchrony, a number of proximate factors also impact males’ ability to sire offspring, which have not been considered in studies of male reproductive strategies.By integrating behavioral, genetic, morphological, and hormonal analysis as more direct measures of reproductive success in individual males, this dissertation investigated the relationship between male dominance rank and reproductive success and including the proximate factors affecting this relationship in wild northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina). The main objectives of this study are: 1) to identify the relationships between male dominance rank, male mating success, and male reproductive success, and assess to what extent female synchrony affects these relationships; 2) to identify the proximate factors that may reduce the reproductive success of the top-ranking male and assess variation in male mating tactics related to dominance rank and migration status (i.e., resident males vs. extra-group males); and 3) to evaluate the function of males’ red ornaments that may be used to signal male dominance status (male-male competition) to attract females (female mate choice) or both. The study was conducted at Khao Yai National Park, northeastern Thailand. Systematic data collection on CH group occurred from September 2015-June 2017. The group composition was recorded daily as well as births, deaths, individual emigrations and immigrations, females’ parity status, and the presence of extra-group males (EGMs). Sociosexual data and male-female interactions (i.e., copulations, ejaculatory copulations, consortships, grooming, female proceptive behaviors and receptive behaviors) were recorded during females’ receptive periods. To assess male reproductive success, genetic paternity analyses were conducted on fecal DNA samples collected from 18 adult and subadult males, 22 adult females, and 25 juveniles and infants. To measure red skin coloration of males, hindquarter images were collected non-invasively for seven adult males. From those images, skin color and luminance were computationally quantified to assess variation in male anogenital reflectance. Lastly, fecal samples were collected from nine adult males to assess monthly levels of fecal testosterone by microtitreplate enzyme immunoassay. The distribution of births and matings suggested that northern pig-tailed macaques, at least in this group, are best categorized as moderate seasonal breeders. Indeed, 33-67% of births occurred within a three-month period. Copulation data revealed a positive relationship between male dominance rank and mating success, supporting the predictions of the PoA model. However, the distribution of male reproductive success indicated that: 1) high-ranking males controlled a proportion of paternity much lower than predicted by the PoA model; 2) middle-ranking males controlled a proportion of paternity higher than predicted by the model; and 3) EGMs, not considered in the PoA model, controlled a surprisingly large proportion of paternity despite a low observed mating success. When females were simultaneously receptive, lower-ranking and subadult males engaged in opportunistic and surreptitious copulation and avoided direct competition with higher-ranking males, and most females approached and mated with EGMs out of the resident adult males’ sight. However, one EGM also mated in full sight of resident adult males. This is the first study to report mating and successful paternity by EGMs in a moderately seasonally breeding species.Four male mating tactics were identified: 1) the top-ranking resident male tactic, in which the male competes for the alpha male position to control priority of access to receptive females through long consortships and copulations; 2) the lower-ranking resident male tactic, in which the male copulates opportunistically and surreptitiously out of sight of higher-ranking males mostly during the mating peak; 3) the subordinate EGM tactic, in which the male lives semi-solitarily and copulates opportunistically and surreptitiously, mostly during the mating peaks; and 4) the super-dominant EGM tactic, in which the EGM copulates irrespective of the presence of other males and in full sight of even the highest-ranking resident male. In addition, I found support for female mate choice. Darker and redder males had more mating partners, received more female proceptive behaviors, and were engaged in more consortships and grooming with receptive females. Furthermore, males became redder and darker as female reproductive synchrony increased. Together, these results suggest that male red ornaments exhibited in the male’s anogenital area is attractive to females. Furthermore, behavioral evidence of female mate choice towards EGMs was found. This dissertation provides a comprehensive picture of the complex male mating tactics of northern pig-tailed macaques. To achieve reproductive success, males engage in a diversity of mating tactics, strongly influenced by male dominance rank and the degree of female reproductive synchrony. However, mate-guarding costs, surreptitious copulations by lower-ranking males and EGMs, and female mate choice, need to be included in an extended version of the PoA model to provide stronger predictions of the distribution of male reproductive success in primates

Cartographie et évaluation multi-échelle de l'étalement urbain à l'aide d'images Spot XS : Exemple du Mans (Ouest-France)

Les recherches sur l'étalement urbain posent la question de la cartographie, de l'évaluation et du suivi spatio-temporel des villes. Elles interpellent la télédétection car celle-ci fournit en continu des images qui permettent de caractériser les territoires et leur évolution. Nous avons utilisé deux images satellites Spot XS de 1993 et de 2006 pour cartographier les modes d'occupation du sol et pour évaluer l'emprise et l'évolution du bâti dans le contexte géographique régional de l'Ouest de la France à travers l'exemple du Mans. Des classifications supervisées ont été appliquées à ces images suivant une approche multi-échelle qui distingue trois niveaux scalaires : l'agglomération urbaine, la communauté urbaine et la ville intra muros. Les résultats indiquent que l'étalement urbain décroît lorsqu'on passe du niveau de l'agglomération au niveau de la ville. De 1993 à 2006, les surfaces bâties ont augmenté au total de 49% (+2 439 ha) dans l'agglomération urbaine, de 22% (+1 168 ha) dans la communauté urbaine, de 6% (+233 ha) dans la ville du Mans intra muros. Ces résultats montrent qu'au niveau de la ville, le phénomène d'étalement urbain est caractérisé par la densification du bâti dans le peu d'espaces non bâtis encore disponibles, tandis qu'aux niveaux de l'agglomération et de la communauté urbaine, l'étalement urbain se déroule par de nouvelles constructions et par le mitage des espaces constructibles situés dans les communes périphériques de la ville du Mans

Traitement de lixiviats stabilisés de décharge par des membranes de nanofiltration

Le terme "lixiviat" ou "jus de décharge", désigne l'eau qui a percolé à travers les déchets en se chargeant de polluants. Ces effluents pollués doivent être traités.En raison des exigences croissantes des normes de rejet et de la stabilisation des lixiviats au cours du temps, de nouvelles techniques ont fait leur apparition dans ce domaine. La technologie de l'osmose inverse s'est développée dans de nombreux pays européens. Cependant cette technique sélective et coûteuse, se justifie seulement quand les normes sont drastiques. C'est pourquoi la nanofiltration pourrait constituer une solution intermédiaire.L'objectif de ce travail est de contribuer à mieux maîtriser cette technique pour l'élimination de la Demande Chimique en Oxygène (DCO) récalcitrante, subsistant après les traitements biologiques classiques.Nous avons évalué les performances de trois membranes (organiques et minérales) pour l'abaissement de la charge organique, en fonction des conditions hydrodynamiques (vitesse et pression).Chacune de ces membranes possède un comportement spécifique vis à vis de ces lixiviats stabilisés (adsorption, polarisation de concentration, obstruction des pores).L'influence d'une coagulation préalable sur les performances d'épuration a également été examinée pour l'une des membranes.Cette étude constitue une étape préliminaire au dimensionnement d'une installation.Landfill leachate is the name given to water that has passed through solid waste and contains organic and mineral contaminants. Therefore this effluent must be treated before discharge to the environment. Because of new norms and the stabilization of leachates with time, new treatment methods have been designed. Thus, reverse osmosis is used in many European countries. But the use of reverse osmosis is only justified when norms are severe, because the treatment is highly selective (salt rejection >99%) and very expensive. In other cases, nanofiltration may be an interesting alternative.The purpose of the present work is to propose a process for recalcitrant organic matter in order to optimize the technique. Thus, three membranes (organic and mineral) have been used to evaluate their ability to decrease the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the leachate. This study helps to determine the size of the device. First, physical parameters were investigated. Each time, the hydraulic regime was turbulent (Re > 2500). Higher permeation fluxes were obtained with organic membranes than with the mineral one (80 L·h-1·m-2 compared to 25 L·h-1·m-2) under the same experimental conditions (10 bar and 3.4 m·s-1). Tangential flow rates higher than 2.5 m·s-1 do not influence COD retention; at lower flow rates polarisation concentration may occur. The removal of COD is achieved in the three cases. At 10 bar an acceptable value of less than 120 mg O2·L-1 (norm) is obtained. The inorganic membrane (Tech-Sep) gives the best results (COD rejection: 70 % at 10 bar).Membranes behave differently toward landfill. The organic membrane MP 20 (Weizmann membrane, cut-off 450 Dalton (Da), polyacrylonitrile) shows low adsorption with landfill leachate. The organic membrane MP 31 (Weizmann membrane, cut off 450 Da, polysulfone) gave a high COD retention ratio; the values for irreversible fouling and static adsorption are of the same order ofmagnitude; a strong membrane-foulant interaction must occur, which improves membrane selectivity. The mineral membrane N01A (Tech-Sep membrane, cut off 1000 Da, zirconium oxide), like MP-31, gives high static adsorption with leachate and irreversible fouling as well. The latter phenomenon can be explained by the obstruction of membrane pores by leachate particles, the size of which is near the membrane cut-off point. Fouling and static adsorption contribute to the increase in the membrane rejection rate. We studied coagulation as a pretreatment to improve performances of the N01A membrane. Experiments have been carried out with Jar-Test and FeCl3-like coagulants. The optimal amount of coagulant was 1.4 g Fe·L-1; 60% COD reduction was achieved. The results obtained with the N01A membrane are improved: reduction of COD rises from 78% to 92 %, concentration polarisation is lower, and therefore the flux increases up to 53 L·h-1·m-2. This value still remains lower than the organic membrane fluxes (respectively 80 L·h-1·m-2 for organic membranes and 25 L·h-1·m-2 for N01A). However, coagulation may not be the appropriate pretreatment because the fouling index of the supernatant after coagulation was similar to that of the raw leachate. Permeability measurements after treatment show that internal fouling is still important (25%). In fact, coagulation does not remove molecules with molecular weights around 500 Daltons, and consequently these particles still obstruct the membrane pores. The phenomenon limits the performance (flux) of this membrane

Réduction de la DCO dure des lisiers de porc et lixiviats par nanofiltration

Malgré un traitement biologique préalable, les lisiers et les lixiviats de décharge ont en commun de conserver une Demande Chimique en Oxygène (DCO) résiduelle supérieure à 500 mg O2.l-1 : valeur 4 à 5 fois trop élevée pour un rejet direct dans le milieu naturel. La nanofiltration pourrait constituer une solution comme traitement de finition. Dans le cadre de cette étude expérimentale, deux membranes de nanofiltration sont mises en œuvre à l'échelle pilote afin de comparer leur efficacité pour réduire la DCO non biodégradable des deux effluents précités. Dans un premier temps, l'étude menée à concentration constante, montre que les performances (flux de perméation et DCO dans le perméat) dépendent principalement du couple membrane - effluent. Dans le cas du lisier, la couche de colmatants formée à la surface de la membrane a un caractère compressible et peu structuré ce qui entraîne une plus grande sensibilité aux variations de conditions hydrodynamiques. Dans le cas des lixiviats, la couche formée est moins dépendante des conditions opératoires. Après avoir sélectionné les meilleures conditions opératoires pour réduire la DCO des deux effluents étudiés, les essais de nanofiltration sont ensuite menés en mode "concentration" en fixant la pression à 15 bar et la vitesse de recirculation à 1,5 m.s-1. L'obtention d'un facteur de réduction volumique de 4 entraîne, d'une part, une diminution plus accentuée des flux de perméation dans le cas du lisier que dans celui du lixiviat et, d'autre part, une augmentation plus importante de la DCO du perméat pour le lisier. La valeur de la DCO devient alors supérieure, en fin de concentration, à celle requise pour un rejet en milieu naturel (120 mg O2.l-1).Pig manure and landfill leachate cannot be treated only by conventional biological treatment because a "refractory" COD persists, superior to 500 mg O2.l-1 : four times too high for a direct discharge in the environment. Nanofiltration, an intermediate process between reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration, may be an interesting alternative as a final treatment. In nanofiltration, lower pressure can be used and fluxes are higher than for reverse osmosis. The present study compared the treatability of pig manure and landfill leachate after biological treatment using a pilot-scale nanofiltration plant. Performances were evaluated in terms of permeate COD and permeate flux versus operating conditions (applied pressure, crossflow velocity and recovery rate). Two tubular organic nanofiltration membranes with 450 diameter cut-offs were used for pilot-scale testing: MPT-20 (polyacrylonitrile) and MPT-31 (polysulfone). Preliminary experiments carried out at constant concentrations show that performance (permeation flux and permeate COD) depends mainly on the nanofiltration membrane/effluent coupling. Permeate fluxes obtained with the MPT-20 membrane were higher than those obtained with the MPT-31. The increased crossflow velocity produced a particularly marked flux increase for pig manure. Moreover, the flux obtained with pig manure decreased at pressures superior to 15 bars whereas for the landfill leachate it became constant regardless of the pressure applied. COD retention was better in the case of pig manure and increased with pressure. On the other hand, high crossflow velocity helped reduce the COD retention, particularly for pig manure. The difference stems mainly from the foulant layer on the membrane surface. This layer is compressible and not organised; in the case of pig manure, it may explain the influence of hydrodynamic parameters: crossflow velocity favours the back migration of potential foulant such as colloids from the membrane surface to the bulk liquid phase. This may explain an increased mass transfer and consequent reduction of COD retention at high tangential velocities. Moreover, higher pressure generates a dense layer, which leads to a reduction of mass transfer. The influence of operating conditions was less important for the leachate, as the foulant layer may be more organised and have better cohesion.In the second part of this study, the nanofiltration pilot plant was operated in concentration mode in order to evaluate the influence of recovery rate on flux and retention. Since COD retention is better with the MPT-31 membrane, the latter was used for concentration experiments. The applied pressure was fixed at 15 bar and crossflow velocity at 1.5 m.s-1. Both effluents were concentrated with a volume reduction factor of 4. However this reduction of retentate volume led to both a drop in permeation flux and a rise of permeate COD, to a value above to the environmental norm of 120 mg O2.l-1

Evaluation of the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score to predict outcome in dogs with newly diagnosed lymphoma

The modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) assigns a numerical value (0–2) from pre-treatment serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin to predict patient outcome. CRP and albumin were evaluated in 77 untreated dogs with lymphoma to determine the relationship of mGPS to clinicopathological parameters and whether it could predict progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in treated dogs. mGPS distribution was significantly associated with clinical stage, substage b, weight loss, gastrointestinal disturbances and lethargy at presentation. On univariate analysis, mGPS was significantly associated with OS and PFS, with shorter median survival times for mGPS 2 compared to mGPS 0 and 1 combined. Hypoalbuminaemia significantly reduced OS and PFS, however increased CRP had no effect. Only clinical stage was significantly associated with OS and PFS on both univariate and multivariate analysis. mGPS has potential prognostic value for canine lymphoma , but further studies are needed

Overview of biologically digested leachate treatment using adsorption

Biological process is effective in treating most biodegradable organic matter present in leachate; however, a significant amount of ammonia, metals and refractory organic compounds may still remain in this biologically digested leachate. This effluent cannot be released to receiving bodies until the discharge limit is met. Several physical/chemical processes have been practiced as post-treatment to remove the remaining pollutants including coagulation–flocculation, oxidation and adsorption. Adsorption is often applied in leachate treatment as it enhances removal of refractory organic compounds. This chapter will focus on works related to adsorption as one of the commonly used methods to treat biologically digested leachate further down to acceptable discharge limit

Overview of biologically digested leachate treatment using adsorption

Biological process is effective in treating most biodegradable organic matter present in leachate; however, a significant amount of ammonia, metals and refractory organic compounds may still remain in this biologically digested leachate. This effluent cannot be released to receiving bodies until the discharge limit is met. Several physical/chemical processes have been practiced as post-treatment to remove the remaining pollutants including coagulation–flocculation, oxidation and adsorption. Adsorption is often applied in leachate treatment as it enhances removal of refractory organic compounds. This chapter will focus on works related to adsorption as one of the commonly used methods to treat biologically digested leachate further down to acceptable discharge limit

Applications des membranes à des procédés de filtration tangentielle et d’extraction liquide-liquide

Génie des procédé