Etude du régime alimentaire de la Chouette effraie Tyto alba (Strigiforme,Tytonidae) dans la région de Lalla Mimouna dans la plaine du Gharb, plaine du Maroc atlantique

Nous présentons dans ce travail les résultats de l’analyse du régime alimentaire d’un rapace nocturne (la Chouette effraie Tyto alba) dans les plaines du Maroc atlantique à partir de plusieurs lots de pelotes de réjection collectées en 2012. Il s’agit de deux régions de la plaine du Gharb, une située dans un milieu forestier anthropisé (Sidi Boubker El Haj) et l’autre en plein milieu irrigué et intensément cultivé (domaine des Drader à Moulay Bousselhame). L’étude des pelotes a fournie 1285 proies réparties sur plusieurs groupes zoologiques formants l’essentiel du régime de ce rapace. Les mammifères sont beaucoup plus représentés avec environ 64% de ce régime, les insectes sont représentés avec plus de 27% alors que les oiseaux et les amphibiens forment moins de 10%. Ce régime diffère fortement de celui des effraies des plaines semi-arides du Maroc atlantique (Rihane, 2003, 2004 et 2005) caractérisé par une nette abondance des oiseaux.Mots-clés: régime alimentaire, chouette effraie, Lalla Mimouna , plaine du Gharb, Maroc atlantique. Study of the diet of the Barn Owl Tyto alba (Strigiforme, Tytonidae) in Lalla Mimouna region in the Gharb plain (plain of Atlantic Morocco)We present in this work the results of the analysis of the diet of the Barn owl Tyto alba in the plains of Atlantic Morocco, from several batches of diet pellets collected in 2012. These study covers two regions of the Gharb plain, one located in ananthropized forest (Sidi Boubker El Haj) and the other in the middle irrigated and intensively cultivated (field Drader Moulay Bouselhame). The study of several lots of pellets has provided 1285 prey over several zoological groups making the most of the diet of this predator. Mammals are much more represented with approximately 64% of the diet,the insects are strongly represented with more than 27% while birds and amphibians make up less than 10%. The scheme of this diet differs greatly from that of semi-arid plains of Atlantic Morocco (Rihane, 2003, 2004 and 2005) characterized by a marked abundance of birds.Keywords: diet, barn Owl, Lalla Mimouna, gharb plain, Atlantic Morocco

Carbonate mounds of the Moroccan Mediterranean margin: Facies and environmental controls

Sedimentological and geochemical studies of boxcores from the Brittlestar Ridge I and Cabliers carbonate mounds, along the Moroccan Mediterranean margin, show that sediments are composed of cold water scleratian corals and micritic mud, muddy micrite or muddy allochem limestone matrix, outlining seven different facies that can be attributed to “cluster reefs”. The mixed siliciclastic/carbonate sediments have been derived from both extra- and intrabasinal sources. Extra-basinal sources may be the geological formations outcropping in the Moroccan hinterland and Sahara, the latter including corals and associated bioclasts. Sediments were transported by wind and rivers and redistributed by bottom currents and local upwelling. Our results confirm the role of tectonics in the genesis of these carbonate mounds and reveal that their developments during the Holocene (10.34–0.91ka BP) was controlled by climatic fluctuations (e.g. Holocene Climate Optimum and Little Ice Age), eustatic sea level change, and hydrodynamic regime

The Sidi Moussa-Oualidia wetland complex A Bird Paradise between land and sea

The Sidi Moussa-Oualidia wetland complex is a unique natural ecosystem of significant national and international importance, as designated by the Ramsar Convention. Located in the Moroccan Atlantic zone between El Jadida and Oualidia, this wetland fulfils many functions. The most important are the rich biodiversity, ecological, hydrological, and economic functions are the most important. Regular censuses, carried out during winter between 1993 and 2022 in the Sidi Moussa-Oualidia lagoon complex, made it possible to determine the composition of the waterbird population that frequents this site and to define the status of the various encountered species. Emphasis was also made on the value of this complex, particularly for breeding, based on monitoring work and our unpublished observations. Ninety-six (96) species frequented the site, 51 of which are regular. Waders represent the most dominant group, followed by Laridae and Anatidae. The remaining groups, poorly represented in numbers, total some 29 species, of which twelve (12) are accidental or rare, and nine (9) are mainly observed outside the wintering period. However, some species are particularly interesting, such as the Greater Flamingo, the Eurasian Spoonbill, and the Red-knobbed Coot. Of the 51 regular species in the site, 16 are breeding ones, including species classified as threatened or near-threatened on the global red list (Marbled Teal, Ferruginous Duck) and others considered threatened in Morocco (Purple Swamphen, Red-crested Pochard), rare (Little Tern) or remarkable (Red-knobbed Coot). Despite this ornithological richness, the site is subject to multiple constraints. Creating a specific administrative structure similar to an 'Agency for the development of the Sidi Moussa-Oualidia complex' could be a potential solution for the control, rational management, and sustainable local development

Carbonate mounds of the Moroccan Mediterranean margin : facies and environmental controls

Sedimentological and geochemical studies of boxcores from the Brittlestar Ridge I and Cabliers carbonate mounds, along the Moroccan Mediterranean margin, show that sediments are composed of cold water scleratian corals and micritic mud, muddy micrite or muddy allochem limestone matrix, outlining seven different facies that can be attributed to “cluster reefs”. The mixed siliciclastic/carbonate sediments have been derived from both extra- and intrabasinal sources. Extra-basinal sources may be the geological formations outcropping in the Moroccan hinterland and Sahara, the latter including corals and associated bioclasts. Sediments were transported by wind and rivers and redistributed by bottom currents and local upwelling. Our results confirm the role of tectonics in the genesis of these carbonate mounds and reveal that their developments during the Holocene (10.34–0.91 ka BP) was controlled by climatic fluctuations (e.g. Holocene Climate Optimum and Little Ice Age), eustatic sea level change, and hydrodynamic regime

Impact of shorebird predation on intertidal macroinvertebrates in a key North African Atlantic wintering site: an experimental approach

Shorebirds, as migratory aquatic birds and top predators in intertidal  ecosystems, can be affected by global environmental changes and  escalations in local impacts on coastal lagoons and estuarine trophic networks. Many shorebirds winter in North African Atlantic coastal sites, most likely because these locations provide constant and reliable food supplies with less energy costs in comparison with the wintering sites of northern Europe. Although more information is available for other important  southern coastal sites (e.g. Saharan Atlantic coastal desert and Guinean mangroves coast), very little information is available for the North African Atlantic coast. Here, we focus on the impact of shorebird predation on benthic macroinvertebrates in a major wintering site in this area—Sidi Moussa coastal lagoon, Morocco—using an exclosure experiment. For most of the macroinvertebrate species there was no significant effect of the exclusion of shorebird predation. Overall, our results do not show evidence that predation by shorebirds influenced the overall standing biomass of the benthic community. This may indicate that the benthic productivity is high enough to provide constant and reliable food supplies for non-breeding shorebirds.Keywords: biomass, carrying capacity, benthic  macroinvertebrates, exclosure experiment, migration, predator–prey  interactions, Sidi Moussa lagoon, waterbird