Diversity of major histocompatibility complex of II B gene and mate choice in a monogamous and long-lived seabird, the Little Auk (Alle alle).

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a key role in the adaptive immune system of vertebrates, and is known to influence mate choice in many species. In birds, the MHC has been extensively examined but mainly in galliforms and passerines while other taxa that represent specific ecological and evolutionary life-histories, like seabirds, are underexamined. Here, we characterized diversity of MHC Class II B exon 2 in a colonial pelagic seabird, the Little Auk (or Dovekie Alle alle).

The impact of boldness on demographic rates and life-history outcomes in the wandering albatross.

Differences among individuals within a population are ubiquitous. Those differences are known to affect the entire life cycle with important consequences for all demographic rates and outcomes. One source of among-individual phenotypic variation that has received little attention from a demographic perspective is animal personality, which is defined as consistent and heritable behavioural differences between individuals.

Low migratory connectivity and similar migratory strategies in a shorebird with contrasting wintering population trends in Europe and West Africa.

Migratory shorebird populations are declining worldwide, showing an apparent inability to respond to the interplaying challenges emerging along their flyways. Within the East Atlantic Flyway, non-breeding populations show moderate to strong declines in Sub-Saharan Africa, contrasting with stable or increasing trends in Europe. Local factors are insufficient to explain the opposite tendencies and, therefore, investigating migratory strategies and connectivity of these populations may help identifying the drivers of their demography.

Cold adaptation does not handicap warm tolerance in the most abundant Arctic seabird.

Arctic birds and mammals are physiologically adapted to survive in cold environments but live in the fastest warming region on the planet. They should therefore be most threatened by climate change. We fitted a phylogenetic model of upper critical temperature () in 255 bird species and determined that for dovekies (; 22.

Development of a new control rule for managing anthropogenic removals of protected, endangered or threatened species in marine ecosystems.

Human activities in the oceans are increasing and can result in additional mortality on many marine Protected, Endangered or Threatened Species (PETS). It is necessary to implement ambitious measures that aim to restore biodiversity at all nodes of marine food webs and to manage removals resulting from anthropogenic activities. We developed a stochastic surplus production model (SPM) linking abundance and removal processes under the assumption that variations in removals reflect variations in abundance.

Differences on the level of hepatic transcriptome between two flatfish species in response to liver cancer and environmental pollution levels.

Environmental factors can cause cancer in both wild animals and humans. In ecological settings, genetic variation and natural selection can sometimes produce resilience to the negative impacts of environmental change. An increase in oncogenic substances in natural habitats has therefore, unintentionally, created opportunities for using polluted habitats to study cancer defence mechanisms.

Isotopic niches of the Northern shoveler in spring migratory stopover sites in the Marais breton, France.

The Northern shoveler, , makes several migratory stopovers to reach its breeding site in the best conditions. These stopovers allow the species to replenish their reserves. Therefore, feeding efficiency at such sites is essential.

Understanding morphological evolution and sediment dynamics at multi-time scales helps balance human activities and protect coastal ecosystems: An example with the Gironde and Pertuis Marine Park.

Finding a balance between the preservation of habitat, species and the sustainable development of human activities in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is made even more challenging in coastal areas where sediment dynamics entails naturally changing habitats. To achieve this goal, a solid knowledge base is needed, and reviews are essential. Starting from an extensive review of sediment dynamics and coastal evolution at three-time scales (from millenaries to events), in the Gironde and Pertuis Marine Park (GPMP, French Atlantic coast), we investigated the interactions between human activities, sediment dynamics and morphological evolution in the GPMP.

Causes and consequences of pair-bond disruption in a sex-skewed population of a long-lived monogamous seabird.

Many animals form long-term monogamous pair bonds, and the disruption of a pair bond (through either divorce or widowhood) can have significant consequences for individual vital rates (survival, breeding, and breeding success probabilities) and life-history outcomes (lifetime reproductive success [LRS], life expectancy). Here, we investigated the causes and consequences of pair-bond disruption in wandering albatross (). State-of-the-art statistical and mathematical approaches were developed to estimate divorce and widowhood rates and their impacts on vital rates and life-history outcomes.

Boldness predicts divorce rates in wandering albatrosses ().

Personality predicts divorce rates in humans, yet how personality traits affect divorce in wild animals remains largely unknown. In a male-skewed population of wandering albatross (), we showed that personality predicts divorce; shyer males exhibited higher divorce rates than bolder males but no such relationship was found in females. We propose that divorce may be caused by the intrusion of male competitors and shyer males divorce more often because of their avoidance of territorial aggression, while females have easier access to mates regardless of their personality.

A 600 years sediment record of heavy metal pollution history in the Danube Delta.

Heavy metal pollution in the Danube Delta (in sediments, water and living organisms) has recently received increasing attention due to its impact on ecosystems health and water quality. However, long term records of heavy metal contamination are not available to date. In this study radiometric dating and geochemical analyses for major elements (Al, Fe, Ca and S) and metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd) were performed on the top 4 m of a 9-m sediment core retrieved from the alluvial plain of Sulina distributary channel aiming to reconstruct the heavy metal geological background and contamination history and discuss the possible origins (natural vs.

Morphological, calorific and nutritive characteristics of 656 freshwater invertebrates taxa.

Background: The Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment (FADA) project estimated that freshwater animal species represent 9.5% of the 1.2 million species described.

Formation of Iron Sulfides on Carbon Steel in a Specific Cement Grout Designed for Radioactive Waste Repository and Associated Corrosion Mechanisms.

Carbon steel coupons were buried in a specific low-pH cement grout designed for radioactive waste disposal and left 6 months in anoxic conditions at 80 °C. The corrosion product layers were analyzed by µ-Raman spectroscopy, XRD, and SEM. They proved to be mainly composed of iron sulfides, with magnetite as a minor phase, mixed with components of the grout.

Autumn movements of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from Svalbard, Norway, revealed by satellite tracking.

Insight into animal movements is essential for understanding habitat use by individuals as well as population processes and species life-history strategies. In this study, we instrumented 25 fin whales with ARGOS satellite-transmitters in Svalbard, Norway, to study their movement patterns and behaviour (Area Restricted Search (ARS), transiting or unknown) during boreal autumn/early winter. Ten of the whales stayed in the tagging area (most northerly location: 81.

Meta-analysis of multidecadal biodiversity trends in Europe.

Local biodiversity trends over time are likely to be decoupled from global trends, as local processes may compensate or counteract global change. We analyze 161 long-term biological time series (15-91 years) collected across Europe, using a comprehensive dataset comprising ~6,200 marine, freshwater and terrestrial taxa. We test whether (i) local long-term biodiversity trends are consistent among biogeoregions, realms and taxonomic groups, and (ii) changes in biodiversity correlate with regional climate and local conditions.

Measuring ontogenetic shifts in central-place foragers: A case study with honeybees.

Measuring time-activity budgets over the complete individual life span is now possible for many animals with the recent advances of life-long individual monitoring devices. Although analyses of changes in the patterns of time-activity budgets have revealed ontogenetic shifts in birds or mammals, no such technique has been applied to date on insects. We tested an automated breakpoint-based procedure to detect, assess and quantify shifts in the temporal pattern of the flight activities in honeybees.

Two Decades of Mercury Concentrations in Barents Sea Polar Bears () in Relation to Dietary Carbon, Sulfur, and Nitrogen.

Temporal trends of total mercury (THg) were examined in female polar bear () hair ( = 199) from the Barents Sea in 1995-2016. In addition, hair values of stable isotopes ( = 190-197) of carbon (δC), sulfur (δS), and nitrogen (δN) and information on breeding status, body condition, and age were obtained. Stable isotope values of carbon and sulfur reflect dietary source (e.

Trophic transfer of trace elements in a euryhaline fish, the turbot Scophthalmus maximus: Contrasting effects of salinity on two essential elements.

Trace elements can be accumulated from coastal environment by aquatic organisms from their food and be transferred throughout the food webs. Studying the effects of salinity on the trophic transfer of trace elements in a euryhaline fish, able to deal with large variations in salinity, is therefore key to understand their dynamics in aquatic environments. In this context, we investigated the potential influence of salinity on the trophic transfer of two essential elements (Mn and Zn) in the euryhaline fish, the turbot Scophthalmus maximus using radiotracer techniques.