Le fuligule milouin (Aythya ferina) est une espèce de canard plongeur répandue dans l’ensemble du Paléarctique. Montrant des signes de déclin de ses effectifs nicheurs en Europe depuis les années 2000, son statut de conservation IUCN a été réévalué de « Préoccupation Mineure » à « Vulnérable ». Etant une espèce chassée, la question du maintien de ces prélèvements cynégétiques est légitime. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est donc de comprendre son fonctionnement démographique et les mécanismes sous-jacents à sa dynamique de population, pour proposer des mesures de gestion et de conservation. Pour cela, nous nous sommes attachés à estimer la tendance de ce déclin sur sa voie de migration nord-ouest européenne à partir des données de recensements de la mi-janvier. Puis, nous avons étudié la connectivité migratoire de cette voie de migration avec les autres voies préssuposées, afin de mieux comprendre l’origine de ce déclin. Enfin, nous avons estimé deux paramètres démographiques clés, la survie et le succès de nidification, pour les intégrer dans un cadre matriciel permettant d’estimer un taux de croissance asymptotique et comprendre quels sont les paramètres démographiques clés sur lesquels doivent reposer les actions de gestion. Il ressort de ce travail de thèse que le déclin du fuligule milouin est probalement dû surtout à une diminution de sa productivité en Europe de l’Est et en Russie. Le contrôle et la gestion de la productivité par l’Homme étant limités, uniquement des travaux de gestion autour des habitats liés à la nidification sont envisageables. Ces travaux pourraient être facilement menés en Europe mais beaucoup plus difficilement en Sibérie, principale aire de reproduction des milouins caractérisée par une vaste superficie et un fort isolement. Les taux de survie des oiseaux bagués en France sont plus faibles que pour les oiseaux bagués dans d’autres pays, potentiellement du fait d’une pression de chasse plus élevée. Amener le taux de survie en France au même niveau que dans les pays voisins (Suisse et Grande-Bretagne), par une modification de la réglementation sur la chasse, serait de nature à ramener le taux de croissance à l’équilibre. La mise en place de la gestion adaptative pourrait faciliter les objectifs de conservation fixés en adaptant annuellement ces prélèvements aux effectifs présents et aux connaissances dont on dispose. / The Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) is a regular diving duck species in the western Palearctic. However, a worrisome decline of its wintering population led to an up-listed IUCN status from “Least Concern” to “Vulnerable”. This species is still hunted in Europe despite this decline. Hence, one may wonder about the sustainability of its harvest. The aim of this work was to understand the population dynamics of this species, and the drivers of these mechanisms. For this purpose, we assessed the declining trend in northwestern Europe using the mid-january censuses. Then, we studied the migratory connectivity with the two others flyways, in order to better understand the origin of the decline. Finally, we assessed two main demographic parameters (survival rate and nesting success) and combined these into a matrix population model. This model allowed us to assess an asymptotic growth rate and to determine the key demographic parameters on which management actions should focus. The main results of this thesis indicate that the decrease in productivty in Europe and in Russia could have been the main reason of the decline. However, given the limited human action to improve Pochard productivity, only breeding habitat improvement could be considered. Such improvements could be easily considered in Europe, but not in Siberia, the main breeding region characterized by a large area and a strong geographic isolation. Survival rates were lower in France than in neighbouring countries, possibly owing to a greater hunting pressure. A more moderate hunting pressure could lead to higher survival rates, and a balanced growth rate. Setting up an adaptative harvest management scheme could help reaching defined management goals, by annually adapting hunting quotas to current knowledge and assessment of Pochard population size.

Pathogenic fungi are increasingly associated with epidemics in wildlife populations and represent a significant threat to global biodiversity. Snake fungal disease is an emerging disease caused by the fungus, Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, and appears to be widespread in the eastern United States. Yet an evaluation of field diagnostics, and an understanding of the population-level consequences of the disease, are lacking. First, I evaluated the use of clinical signs to predict the presence of O. ophiodiicola across season and snake habitat affiliation (aquatic or terrestrial) and I compared two sampling methods to see if collection method impacts PCR result. Overall, snakes with clinical signs had a higher probability of testing positive regardless of season or habitat association. However, terrestrial snakes had a lower overall probability of testing positive for O. ophiodiicola compared to aquatic snakes. I found no significant difference between sampling methods. Second, I used Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) telemetry, and multistate capture-mark-recapture modelling to determine if SFD affects the short-term survival, movement, and behavior of wild snakes. I found no difference in short-term survival for snakes with SFD. Snakes with SFD spend more time surface-active and have lower permanent emigration and temporary immigration rates than snakes without SFD.

Carcharias taurus is listed as Critically Endangered along the east coast of Australia and there is concern about their status globally. The use of traditional tag–recapture methods to monitor the east coast C. taurus population have been discontinued due to tag–biofouling and injuries that relate to tag attachment. In the current study, captive and wild C. taurus were used to assess whether spots present on their flanks were suitable natural tags for individual shark recognition. Photographic images of seven captive sharks taken at monthly intervals for 13 months and at three years after the start of the study indicated that their spot number, position and relative size did not change over this period. Similarly, eighty–nine wild sharks photographically re–identified at least 23 months after their initial identification (and in one case after 14 years) confirmed long–term spot–pattern retention. Photographic recaptures of individual C. taurus provided information about their temporal and spatial distribution and movement patterns along the Australian east coast in relation to maturity, sex and reproductive condition. A total of 930 sharks were photo–identified between 2004 and 2008 at 23 aggregation sites between Wolf Rock and Montague Island. Of these, 479 were females (271 mature, 208 immature) and 452 were males (288 mature, 60 sub–adults, 104 juveniles). The distribution of pregnant C. taurus was seasonally and temporally distinct from all other sharks. Visibly pregnant C. taurus were recorded at Wolf Rock (the most northern site) from February until October, although many sharks left during July. Pregnant C. taurus were also observed at North Moreton Island, Flat Rock and Fish Rock between June and November. Resting (mature, non–gravid) females and mature males were mostly observed at mid–southern sites from December to June, with northern counts increasing from June to November. The majority of immature sharks were recorded at mid–southern sites. Of 930 sharks identified between 2004 and 2008, 149 were identified at more than one site. On average, mature females moved 338 km (SD ± 465), mature males 340 km (SD ± 299), immature females 147 km (SD ± 98), sub–adult males 185 km (SD ± 216), and juvenile males 271 km (SD ± 237). The maximum rate of movement per day was 18.5 km for a mature female shark, 20.7 km for a mature male, 4.3 km for an immature female, 86 km for a sub–adult male and 4 km for a juvenile male. Mature males and mature non–pregnant females tended to move north from mid–winter and mate in late spring/early summer in warmer waters. From about mid–winter, pregnant females began to move from the warmer waters of their gestation areas to cooler southern waters to pup (probably from late spring to mid–summer). The movement patterns of immature sharks varied temporally, and were more limited spatially. Underwater censuses, photo–identification and acoustic tracking of individual C. taurus were used to investigate their reproductive periodicity, localised movements and behavioural segregation at Wolf Rock – the most northerly aggregation site on the east Australian seaboard. A biennial reproductive cycle was indicated for 18 of 28 females for which re–identifications spanned at least two mating and/or pregnancy events. Nine of the 28 sharks appeared to exhibit a triennial reproductive cycle. Male C. taurus were observed between July and January, but were absent between February and April. Scuba divers reported seeing some mating scars on individuals from mid–October, however fresh mating scars were predominately observed on photographs of individual C. taurus taken in November and December. Four acoustically–tagged mature female sharks remained within 500 m of the Wolf Rock aggregation site within a marine sanctuary zone for 78 – 90 % of the 11–15 day study period. A minimum population estimate of 930 individuals is provided from all sharks identified between 2004 and 2008. In addition, a Jolly–Seber (open model design) mark–recapture analysis on data obtained during four scheduled photo–identification surveys (conducted between July 2006 and February 2008 at 25 aggregation sites along the east coast of Australia) was used to estimate the size of this population. A maximum of 272 sharks (143 females and 129 males) were identified during any scheduled survey period. Model averaging across the highest rated JS models (Popan data formulation) resulted in an estimate of 756 males (95% CI = 590 – 922) and 1185 females (95% CI = 901 – 1469). The mark–recapture abundance estimate is considered preliminary and requires further model development to incorporate the heterogeneity in distribution and migration patterns within the C. taurus population. The occurrence of retained fishing gear and gear–related jaw injuries were quantified from the four scheduled photo–identification surveys along the east coast of Australia. A total of 673 sharks were identified with 119 occurrences of retained fishing gear or jaw injury recorded from 113 individual sharks. For sharks that were known by spot–patterns on both flanks, 29 % of females and 52 % of males were seen with retained fishing gear or a gear–related jaw injury. The largest numbers of identified sharks (222) during the surveys were seen at Fish Rock (off the New South Wales coast): 48 % of all sharks identified with retained fishing gear were first identified at this site. Fish Rock is a designated critical habitat for C. taurus, but most forms of line fishing, except fishing while anchored or moored with bait and/or wire trace line are permitted. Results from the surveys clearly demonstrated that C. taurus is susceptible to a large variety of fishing gear and fishing methods. Current protection measures for C. taurus appear insufficient at this site, particularly as large aggregations that include immature and mature sharks occur consistently throughout the year.

Background: Parasite evolution is hypothesized to select for levels of parasite virulence that maximise transmission success. When host population densities fluctuate, low levels of virulence with limited impact on the host are expected, as this should increase the likelihood of surviving periods of low host density. We examined the effects of Morogoro arenavirus on the survival and recapture probability of multimammate mice (Mastomys natalensis) using a seven-year capture-mark-recapture time series. Mastomys natalensis is the natural host of Morogoro virus and is known for its strong seasonal density fluctuations. Results: Antibody presence was negatively correlated with survival probability (effect size: 5-8% per month depending on season) but positively with recapture probability (effect size: 8%). Conclusions: The small negative correlation between host survival probability and antibody presence suggests that either the virus has a negative effect on host condition, or that hosts with lower survival probability are more likely to obtain Morogoro virus infection, for example due to particular behavioural or immunological traits. The latter hypothesis is supported by the positive correlation between antibody status and recapture probability which suggests that risky behaviour might increase the probability of becoming infected.

Chez les espèces longévives, une relation inverse entre la variabilité des paramètres démographiques et leur élasticité (i.e. la contribution relative du paramètre au taux de croissance de la population) semble exister. La théorie de la canalisation environnementale permet d'expliquer une telle relation. Les paramètres ayant la plus haute élasticité auraient évolué de façon à être moins variable face aux variations environnementales afin d'optimiser la fitness individuelle et ainsi maximiser la croissance de la population. Afin de tester l'existence d'une telle hypothèse chez une espèce, il est nécessaire d'estimer les paramètres démographiques ainsi que leur contribution relative au taux de croissance. À l'aide des modèles les plus récents de capture-marquage-recapture, nous avons donc estimé les paramètres de survie juvénile et de reproduction chez la grande oie des neiges pour les comparer au taux de survie adulte, paramètre le plus élastique.Notre étude a montré que les paramètres de survie juvéniles et de probabilité de nicher étaient très variables, tel qu'attendu. Le taux de survie juvénile dépend des conditions environnementales, avec notamment un fort effet du parasitisme. En vermifugeant des individus, nous avons trouvé un effet négatif des parasites intestinaux sur la survie des oies juvéniles femelles mais pas sur celle des mâles, ce qui s'explique probablement par une différence d'investissement dans le système immunitaire en fonction du sexe chez les individus en croissance. La probabilité de nicher est également dépendante des conditions environnementales mais notre étude a également révélé l'existence de coûts associés à la reproduction. En effet, la probabilité de nicher l'année suivante était fortement réduite suite à une reproduction avec succès comparé aux individus qui avaient eu un échec. Par contre, parmi les individus qui nichent, ceux qui avaient du succès l'année précédente avaient plus de chance d'avoir à nouveau du succès l'année suivante que ceux qui avaient eu un échec, ce qui suggère une hétérogénéité dans la qualité des individus. En parallèle de ces estimations, nous avons montré que le taux de survie adulte était constant au cours du temps et indépendante du statut reproducteur l'année précédente. Finalement, nous avons également trouvé que la survie adulte ne différait pas entre 2 colonies situés à 800 km de distance dans l'Arctique canadien, ce qui suggère une absence de variabilité spatiale pour ce paramètre démographique. Notre étude a donc démontré la faible variabilité temporelle et spatiale du paramètre démographique le plus important pour le taux de croissance de la population, contrairement aux autres paramètres qui montrent une forte variabilité chez la grande oie des neiges. Notre étude permet donc d'appuyer la théorie de la canalisation environnementale des paramètres démographiques chez les espèces longévives. / In long-lived species, an inverse relationship apparently occurs between variability of demographic parameters and their elasticity (i.e. the relative contribution of a given parameter to the population growth rate). The environmental canalization theory has been proposed to explain such a relationship. Demographic parameters with the highest elasticity should have evolved in a way reducing their variability in presence of environmental variations in order to optimize individual fitness and hence to maximize the population growth rate.To test this hypothesis in a given species, demographic parameters and their elasticity need to be accurately estimated. Using advanced capture-mark-recapture models, we estimated juvenile survival and breeding probabilities in the greater snow goose and we compared their variability to adult survival, the parameter with the highest elasticity.Our study showed that both juvenile survival rate and breeding propensity were highly variable, as expected. The juvenile survival probability varied upon environmental conditions, with a strong impact of parasitism. An anthelmintic drug treatment applied to juveniles revealed a negative effect of intestinal parasites on survival of juvenile females but not males, which could be explained by a sex-differential investment in the immune system in growing individuals. We found that the breeding propensity also varied with environmental conditions but we also found some evidence for costs of reproduction. Breeding propensity in the following year was greatly reduced after a successful reproduction compared to birds that had a failed attempt. However, among birds that bred, those that had a success the year before were more likely to be successful again the following year than those that had failed, which suggests heterogeneity in individual quality. In those studies, we showed that adult survival was constant over time and independent of the breeding status the year before. Finally, we also found that adult survival did not differ between 2 breeding colonies distant of 800 km in the Canadian Arctic, which suggests an absence of spatial variability for this demographic parameter.We thus demonstrated a low temporal and spatial variability in the most important demographic parameter for population growth, which contrasts with the high variability of other parameters in the greater snow goose. Our study supports the environmental canalization theory as applied to demographic parameters in long-lived species.

La fragmentation des paysages et des habitats induite par les infrastructures linéaires de transport terrestres est une des principales causes de la perte de biodiversité actuelle. Parmi ces infrastructures, la route est un acteur majeur de fragmentation, d’autant plus qu’elle possède des effets propres dus au trafic circulant qui induit des collisions véhicule-faune et une pollution des paysages. Afin de diminuer ces effets négatifs, des mesures de réduction sont mises en place, notamment des passages à faune permettant de faire traverser la faune de part et d’autre des voies. La route crée aussi de nouveaux habitats potentiels pour les espèces de la petite faune dans des paysages anthropisés et fragmentés. Dans ce mémoire sont démontrées (1) la potentialité d’habitat de différents éléments routiers ; (2) la possibilité de prédire les collisions véhicule-faune afin de positionner au mieux les mesures de réduction ; (3) l’importance de la méthodologie dans l’évaluation de l’efficacité des passages à faune ; et (4) la possibilité d’améliorer les passages à faune existants. Ces résultats permettront d’améliorer les stratégies de défragmentation des paysages. / Habitats and landscape fragmentation, caused by linear land transports infrastructures, is one of the major cause for the current loss of biodiversity. Among those infrastructures, road is a major cause of fragmentation, especially as it possess specific traffic-linked effects, which induces wildlife-vehicles collisions and landscape pollution. In order to decrease those negative effects, mitigation measures are taken, among which wildlife crossings, enabling wildlife to cross the road. Road also creates new potential habitats for small wildlife species in anthropogenic and fragmented landscapes. In this essay are shown (1) the potential as habitat of different road-linked elements; (2) the possibility to anticipate wildlife-vehicles collisions in order to improve the position of mitigation measures; (3) the importance of methodology in the evaluation of wildlife crossings effectiveness; and (4) the possibility to improve existing wildlife crossings. Those results will allow improving landscape defragmentation strategies.

Pour limiter l'impact des activités humaines sur la biodiversité, les populations animales sont gérées dans de nombreux contextes. La gestion des populations animales comprend la conservation des espèces menacées, comme l’exploitation/régulation des espèces gibiers ou considérées nuisibles. Elle consiste à modifier la dynamique des populations soit en favorisant leur croissance, soit en réduisant leur abondance. Face à l’urgence d’agir dans un contexte de ressources financières limitées, une gestion efficiente des populations animales requiert une bonne compréhension de leur dynamique en réponse aux actions mises en œuvre. Durant mon doctorat, j’ai travaillé en partenariat avec des gestionnaires agissant sur deux systèmes biologiques : la conservation de rapaces méditerranéens (aigles de Bonelli et vautours percnoptères) et la régulation des densités de renards en paysage rural. Pour chaque système, mon travail a consisté i) en l’analyse des suivis de populations qui sont réalisés pour ii) évaluer l’effet de la gestion sur la dynamique des espèces gérées. Dans les deux contextes, j’ai pu iii) mettre en évidence la contribution de l’immigration à la croissance des populations menacées, comme à l’atténuation des effets de la régulation. Après iv) avoir extrait des recommandations pouvant améliorer l’efficience de la gestion en tenant compte de ces processus d’immigration, mon travail s’est conclu par v) une réflexion en retour sur l’optimisation des suivis de populations, afin qu’ils génèrent le plus d’informations pour un investissement moindre. Dans l’ensemble, ce travail aboutit à une réflexion sur les moyens favorisant une gestion efficiente des populations animales. / Due to the multiple interactions linking species together, human activities and animal species influence each other. Animal populations are therefore managed to favour long-term cohabitation. Wildlife management includes the conservation of endangered species, the harvest of game species and the control of species considered as pest. It consists in impacting population dynamics (density variation in a territory) either by favouring or limiting population growth. Faced with the complexity of ecological processes and the urgent need for acting in a context of decreasing allocated resources, an efficient management requires a precious understanding of population dynamics in response to actions. During my PhD, I collaborated with managers supervising two contrasted biological systems: the conservation of endangered Mediterranean raptors (Bonelli’s eagles and Egyptian vultures) and the control of fox densities in French rural landscapes. For each case of study, my work consisted in i) analysing data from population monitoring designed to ii) evaluate the management impact on population dynamics. In both systems, I highlighted iii) the crucial importance of immigration either in boosting endangered population or compensating for fox regulation. After having iv) derived concrete guidelines to improve management facing with immigration. I concluded my PhD by v) searching in turn for cost-effective designs of population monitoring. Overall, I questioned the contrasted systems I studied to understand pitfalls and solutions favouring an efficient management of animal populations.

El gecko, Phyllodactylus sentosus, es endémico del Perú y el único miembro de la Familia Phyllodactylidae considerado amenazado por las leyes peruanas. Se conoce su distribución principalmente por subpoblaciones en siete sitios arqueológicos, aislados entre sí, dentro de la ciudad de Lima. Se analizó la dinámica y estructura poblacional de P. sentosus en la Huaca Pucllana, ubicada en el distrito de Miraflores, Lima, a través de evaluaciones mensuales de captura y recaptura. Se marcaron, midieron e identificaron hembras, machos y juveniles. La población varió estacionalmente y la estructura por clases de tamaño no siguió una distribución normal, la mayor parte de los organismos fueron juveniles y se distribuyeron en las clases de menor tamaño, los adultos presentaron una mayor dispersión y en todos los meses evaluados se registraron hembras, machos y juveniles. Las hembras fueron significativamente más grandes que los machos, por lo que existe dimorfismo sexual de tamaño. La temporada de reproducción fue de noviembre a febrero y de febrero a marzo se dieron la mayor cantidad de nacimientos. P. sentosus mostró una proporción de sexual de 1(♀) : 0,9(♂). Los resultados de este estudio muestran aspectos importantes sobre la historia de vida de P. sentosus, proveyendo información útil para la toma de decisiones sobre el manejo y conservación de esta especie amenazada.The gecko, Phyllodactylus sentosus, is endemic to Peru and is the only member of the family Phyllodactylidae which is deemed threatened under the Peruvian legislation. Its distribution is mainly known in the form of subpopulations in seven separate archaeological sites, not connected with one another, within the city of Lima. The population dynamics and structure of P. sentosus were analyzed in the Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Incan temple, located in the Miraflores district in Lima. The analysis comprised monthly assessments of capture and recapture. Female, male and juvenile geckos were marked, measured and identified. The population varied on a seasonal basis and the size class structure did not follow a normal distribution. Most organisms were juvenile and distributed into the lower size classes. The adults presented a greater spread. Throughout the months of the assessment, females, males and juvenile geckos were recorded. The females were significantly larger than males. Therefore, there is sexual dimorphism in size. The mating season occurred from November through February and most births took place from February through March. P. sentosus showed a sex rate of 1(♀) : 0,9(♂). The results of this study feature important aspects in regard to the life history of P. sentosus, providing useful information for the decision making about the management and conservation of this threatened species.

The topic of badgers in the UK is often a contentious one, dividing opinions and sparking political debate. On one hand, badgers represent an important part of the British ecosystem but on the other a wildlife reservoir of disease implicated in the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (TB) to livestock in the UK. This has prompted strong interest in their population dynamics and epidemiology. Using data from a long-term study of a naturally infected badger population in Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire, this thesis explores a range of capture-mark-recapture (CMR) models to further understand disease and demographic processes. The first section examines long term population dynamics, simultaneously estimating demographic rates alongside their drivers using integrated population models (IPMs). The findings provide new insight into badger demography, highlighting density-dependent mechanisms, vulnerabilities to changing climate and disease prevalence and subsequently how multi-factorial analyses are required to explain fluctuating badger populations. The following sections use multistate models to answer pertinent questions regarding individual disease dynamics, revealing rates of TB infection, progression and disease-induced mortality. A key finding was sex-differences in disease response, with males more susceptible to TB infection. After applying a survival trajectory analysis we suggest sex differences are due to male immune defence deficiencies. A comparative analysis demonstrated similarities between epidemiological processes at Woodchester Park to an unconnected population of badgers from a vaccine study, supporting its continued use as a model population. The final study in this thesis constructs an IPM to estimate disease and population dynamics and in doing so uncovers disease-state recruitment allocation rates, demographic and population estimates of badgers in varying health-states and predicts future dynamics. This model aims to encapsulate the more commonly held notion of populations as dynamic entities with numerous co-occurring processes, opening up avenues for future analyses within both the badger-TB system and possible extensions to other wildlife reservoir populations.

La dispersion, caractérisée par les mouvements d’individus dans l’espace conduisant à la production d’un flux de gènes, permet la connectivité des populations. L’étude de la dispersion est devenue d’une importance primordiale pour prédire les conséquences des changements globaux sur la structure et la dynamique des populations. Les espèces à dispersion limitées, comme les chéloniens, sont particulièrement menacées par ces phénomènes. Cette étude se propose d’analyser la dispersion chez la Cistude d’Europe (Emys orbicularis), en régression en Europe, dans un contexte de fragmentation d’habitats et de déterminer les causes de ce comportement via l’analyse de la dynamique et de la génétique des populations. Nos résultats montrent, d’une part, que les temps de générations lents chez les cistudes (environ 12 ans) peuvent ralentir les phénomènes d’érosion génétique par dérive. Cette érosion lente est accentuée en présence de grandes populations même en milieu très fragmenté. D’autre part, la sélection aurait favorisée la philopatrie chez les femelles cistudes dans les milieux peu riches en site de ponte et de faible densité d’individus car elles ont un avantage à la territorialité. A l’inverse, le coût à la dispersion diminuerait pour les mâles car ce comportement éviterait la consanguinité. Les cistudes semblent donc très sensibles à la compétition intra-spécifique. En effet, la relaxation de la densité-dépendance des adultes permet un recrutement important de juvéniles. Cette dynamique favoriserait une récupération rapide des effectifs après une importante perturbation, ce qui est surprenant pour une espèce longévive dont les temps de résilience sont supposés lents. / Dispersal, characterized by the movements of individuals in space leading to gene flows, allows populations to connect. The study of dispersal has become of essential importance to predict the consequences of global changes on the population structures and dynamics. Species with limited dispersal, such as chelonians, are particularly threatened by these phenomena. Our study aimed at analyzing the dispersal of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), in decline in Europe, in a habitats fragmentation context and determining the causes of this behavior through analysis of population dynamics and genetics. Our results show, firstly, that the slow generation time in Emys orbicularis (about 12 years) may slow the genetic erosion by drift. This slow erosion is accentuated with large populations such as Kerkini populations, even with a strong fragmentation. On the other hand, selection would have favored philopatry in females in habitats with few nesting site and deers, because they have the advantage of territoriality. In contrast, the cost of dispersal decreases for males because this behavior allows inbreeding avoidance. The European pond turtles seem very sensitive to intra-specific competition. Indeed, the relaxation of adult density-dependence allows for a significant recruitment of juveniles. This dynamic promotes an unexpected rapid response of the population after a major disturbance, because chelonians are long-lived animals with a late age of first reproduction and very high generation time, therefore, the time of resilience to perturbations is also expected to be high.