Il est maintenant reconnu que les changements climatiques ont des impacts importants sur l’ensemble des organismes vivants. Parmi les facteurs de ces changements, la température occupe une place prépondérante pour les organismes ectothermes car elle régule leur métabolisme. Toutefois, bien que les effets de la température sur les individus d’une espèce soient largement connus, les connaissances demeurent limitées quant aux conséquences sur les interactions trophiques. Dans ce contexte, notre étude s’intéresse aux effets de la température sur un système biologique composé d’une plante, le poivron Capsicum annuum L., d’un herbivore, le puceron Myzus persicae Sulzer (proie extraguilde), ainsi que de deux de ses ennemis naturels : la coccinelle maculée Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake (prédateur intraguilde) et la cécidomyie prédatrice Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (proie intraguilde). Dans ce but, nous avons opté pour une approche multiple comprenant : (1) la modélisation des interactions prédateur-proie et intraguilde (prédation entre deux compétiteurs d’espèces différentes qui exploitent une même ressource), (2) la réalisation d’expériences empiriques en laboratoire permettant de tester les prédictions des modèles et de caractériser l’effet de la température et de ses variations sur les composantes du système biologique étudié. Conformément aux prédictions d’un premier modèle, nous mettons en évidence que, lorsque la température augmente, C. maculata est plus efficace pour trouver et manipuler ses proies, ce qui augmente le taux de prédation. En revanche, à haute température son efficacité de recherche décroît, ce qui entraîne une diminution du taux de prédation. L’activité de prédation se limite donc à une fenêtre thermique en dehors de laquelle elle est réduite ou nulle. Par la suite, nous comparons un modèle linéaire et un modèle non-linéaire (saturant à haute densité de proies) afin de déterminer lequel de ces deux modèles décrit le mieux la réponse fonctionnelle d’un prédateur intraguilde, c’est-à-dire la relation entre le nombre de proies consommées et la densité de proies. Nos résultats expérimentaux démontrent que les prédictions du modèle non-linéaire correspondent bien aux observations empiriques, tandis que le modèle linéaire surestime largement le nombre de proies consommées et la fréquence des interactions intraguildes. Par la suite, nous dérivons le modèle non-linéaire afin d’y inclure l’effet de la température. Comme prédit par ce dernier modèle, la prédation intraguilde devient plus fréquente lorsque la température augmente mais diminue lorsqu’il y a davantage de proies extraguildes. Dans une dernière étude, nous soumettons le système biologique à des pics de température. Nos résultats démontrent que ces pics diminuent la fécondité des pucerons, l’accroissement de leurs populations, le poids des larves de coccinelles et le contrôle des pucerons par les coccinelles mais n’ont pas d’effets sur la plante et les relations plante-insecte. Le système biologique s’avère également plus résistant aux pics de température en présence de coccinelles qu’en leur absence. En conclusion, notre étude souligne l’importance de considérer la température dans les interactions trophiques puisqu’elle influence le comportement des organismes et la fréquence de leur interaction, ce qui se répercute au niveau des populations et des communautés. / There are several pieces of evidence that climate change significantly impact plants, herbivores, and predators. For ectotherms, temperature is the most important factor associated with these changes as it regulates their metabolism. Although the effects of temperature on individual organisms or populations have been well documented, our understanding about their consequences on trophic and guild interactions remains limited. In this context, we investigated the effects of temperature on complex interactions between a plant, the pepper Capsicum annuum L.; an herbivore, the aphid Myzus persicae Sulzer (extraguild prey); and two of its natural enemies, the ladybeetle Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake (intraguild predator) and the predatory midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (intraguild prey). We combined two approaches: (1) modeling predator–prey and intraguild (predation between two species that compete for the same resource) interactions, and (2) testing model predictions and characterizing the effects of temperature on components of our biological system through laboratory experiments. As predicted by the first model, we found that when temperature rises, C. maculata is more efficient at finding and handling prey, which increases predation rate. However, search rate decreases at high temperatures, leading to a reduction in predation. The predatory activity is therefore limited to a temperature window outside of which predation is reduced or absent. The next objective was to compare two models, one linear and one nonlinear, to determine which one best describes the functional response (the relationship between the number of prey consumed and prey density) of an intraguild predator. Results indicated that predictions of the nonlinear model (i.e., saturating at high prey densities) fit empirical observations well while the linear model greatly overestimates the number of prey consumed and the incidence of intraguild predation. Subsequently, we derived the nonlinear model to include the effect of temperature. As predicted by this model, we found that the incidence of intraguild predation increases with temperature but decreases when extraguild prey are more abundant. In a last experiment, we investigated the effects of temperature peaks on each component of our biological system. Results showed that temperature peaks reduce aphid fecundity and thereby population growth, decrease the weight of ladybeetle larvae, and decrease aphid control by ladybeetles, but have no effect on plants or plant–insect relationships. We also observed that the food chain is more resistant to temperature peaks when ladybeetles are included in the system than when they are absent. This suggests that ecosystems with predators exerting strong biotic control on prey population should be more resistant to climate change than ecosystem lacking them. In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of considering temperature in trophic and guild interactions since it influences the behavior of organisms as well as the frequency of interactions that affect population and community dynamics. / Doctorat réalisé en cotutelle entre l'Université de Montréal et l'Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse III

Rodents often colonise agricultural lands and become pests that cause economic loss and crop damage. Eradicating or regulating pest numbers has economic and environmental costs and has always been of great interest to farmers and nature conservationists. To reduce rodent numbers poison baits are used more often than biological control. However, poisoning has adverse environmental impacts and ignores the underlying biological factors that influence pest abundance. This study examined the interactions of the common rat species of oil palm plantations, namely Rattus rattus diardii, R. argentiventer and R. tiomanicus, with their food resource, habitat structure and introduced predators in an attempt to provide a better understanding and approach for their control. To investigate the interrelationships among rodents, owls and oil palms, rodent trapping was conducted simultaneously with pellet collection and assessment of the breeding of owls over six study plots and seven trapping intervals in one oil palm plantation. Trapping records suggested that relative abundances of rodent species differed in plots with palms of differing ages. There were more R. r. diardii as a proportion of the total captures in older palms (seven years old) while R. argentiventer was the most common rat captured in younger palms (three years old). The abundance of R. tiomanicus remained low throughout trapping sessions for palms of all ages. A numerical response of rats to fruit availability in older palms was demonstrated by a positive and significant correlation between the numbers of fruit bunches present and the total number of rats captured. This relationship was observed in both older and younger palms only for R. argentiventer but not R. r. diardii or R. tiomanicus in either age of palms. This suggests that the competitiveness of R. argentiventer may be higher than that of the other two species providing that there were no factors other than food availability that limit the numbers of other two species. However, the levels of damage to palm fruit were significantly correlated with the relative abundance of R. argentiventer only in younger palms, not in older ones where R. r. diardii were more abundant. The more terrestrial nature of R. argentiventer may have restricted their acquisition of food when the palms became taller. In addition to differences in feeding niche, habitat heterogeneity may also be important in determining the rat species compositions at different ages of palms. Vegetation cover may act as a refuge for rats; the overall occurrence of rats, and especially R. argentiventer, was positively correlated with vegetation cover and height, and even certain vegetation associations. This study supported the continued use of the barn owl Tyto alba javanica for biological control of rodent pests in the palm oil plantations. The numbers of different rat species consumed by owls, as measured by pellet numbers, were proportional to prey captures with R. r. diardii dominating the prey items. Weights and sexes of rats, based upon sizes of bones recovered from owl pellets, indicated that the birds did not preferentially prey on any size or sex classes of rats. Although there was no differential predation by the owls, a functional, and possibly a numerical, response of the birds to changes in rat numbers was demonstrated. A functional response of barn owls to prey abundance was evidenced by a significant positive relationship between the relative abundance of rats captured and numbers of pellets collected. Some form of numerical response of barn owls was suggested by higher breeding records when rat abundances were significantly higher. Since both functional and numerical responses are important determinants of whether predators are likely to be able to regulate prey numbers, the role of barn owls as a practical biological control agent in oil palm plantations was supported. This study suggested that the regulation of rodent pests in oil palm plantations should not be limited to chemical measures but can be complemented by other biological factors including interspecific interactions, manipulation of the availability and density of food and habitat structure, in addition to predation by barn owls. The findings suggested that an integrated approach to rodent control, considering all biological factors that influence rat numbers, should be properly applied if an environmentally friendly and possibly cost effective approach is to be applied for the palm oil industry.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:33:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PabloLRCS_DISSERT.pdf: 1228218 bytes, checksum: b276b915fd466efaf9aba5529ad6c0f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-01 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, is an important omnivorous fish in the reservoirs of the semi-arid region of Brazil. Throughout its growth tilapia s feeding behavior changes from a visual predator of zooplankton to a filter-feeder, collecting suspended particulate matter, including planktonic organisms, through pumping. This feature results in different impacts of tilapia on plankton community as the fish grows. Aiming to quantify the functional response of different sizes of Nile tilapia on zooplankton experiments in microcosms scale in the laboratory and in mesocosm scale in the field were carried out. The data were fitted to four different models of functional response. The best fits were obtained for nonlinear models in laboratory experiments. While the experiments in mesocosms were the best settings for responses of type I (juvenile and adult tilapia) and type III (fry). The Manly's alpha index was used to evaluate the feeding selectivity of tilapia on the three main groups of the zooplankton in the experiments in mesocosms. The results show that: (i) rotifers were the preferred prey of fingerlings,(ii) copepods were rejected by fry and juvenile tilapia and (iii) adult fish fed non-selectively on copepods, cladocerans and rotifers. The functional response models obtained in this research can be applied to population models and help in modeling the dynamics of interactions between Nile tilapia and the planktonic communities in the reservoirs of the semi-arid / A til?pia do Nilo, Oreochromis niloticus, ? um peixe on?voro importante nos a?udes do semi-?rido nordestino. No decorrer de seu crescimento este peixe passa de um predador visual do zoopl?ncton para um organismo filtrador, coletando part?culas em suspens?o, incluindo organismos planct?nicos, atrav?s de suc??o. Esta caracter?stica resulta em impactos distintos da til?pia sobre a comunidade planct?nica ? medida que o peixe se desenvolve. Com o objetivo de quantificar a resposta funcional de diferentes tamanhos de til?pia do Nilo sobre organismos zooplanct?nicos foram realizados experimentos de resposta funcional em escala de microcosmos em laborat?rio e em escala de mesocosmos no campo. Os dados obtidos foram ajustados a quatro diferentes modelos de resposta funcional. Os melhores ajustes foram obtidos para modelos n?o lineares nos experimentos em laborat?rio. Enquanto nos experimentos em mesocosmos os melhores ajustes foram para respostas do tipo I (til?pias juvenis e adultas) e do tipo III (alevinos). O ?ndice alfa de Manly foi usado para verificar a seletividade alimentar da til?pia sobre os tr?s principais grupos do zoopl?ncton nos experimentos em mesocosmos. Os resultados sugerem que:(i) alevinos apresentam prefer?ncia por rot?feros,(ii) cop?podes s?o rejeitados por alevinos e juvenis e (iii) peixes adultos se alimentaram de forma n?o seletiva de cop?podes, clad?ceros e rot?feros. Os modelos de resposta funcional obtidos nesta pesquisa poder?o ser aplicados a modelos populacionais e ajudar na modelagem das din?micas das intera??es entre a til?pia do Nilo e as comunidades planct?nicas nos a?udes do semi-?rido nordestino

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:33:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FabricioRC_DISSERT.pdf: 838962 bytes, checksum: 3096b614c5fa73cd030f8193624b3469 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-31 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Protozoa may be an important alternative food source for Calanoida copepods in these environments. Aiming to quantify the feeding preferences of N. cearensis by ciliates in the presence of cyanobacteria, in vitro experiments were conducted, using mixed cultures in different concentrations of total food for copepod. Two ciliates species (Paramecium sp. and Cyclidium sp.) and a cyanobacteria toxic strain (Microcystis aeruginosa) were offered as food. Previous experiments were done to identify the copepod s maximum ingestion rate through the use of a type II functional response model when each prey is offered separately. High maximum ingestion rate were found when those protists were offered as prey. N. cearensis showed significant preference for protozoal prey over the cyanobacterium tested both in low (corresponding 95.15% of the diet) and in high food concentration treatments (about 91.56% of the diet), preferring the bigger ciliate in lower concentrations (67.52% of the diet). The meaningful involvement of heterotrophic organisms in the zooplankton diet emphasis the microbial loop participation in the energy transition from copepods to higher trophic levels. This data contributes to understand the stability of existing trophic interactions in reservoirs subjected to eutrophication and assists trophic cascade studies in these environments / Protozo?rios podem ser uma importante fonte alternativa de alimento para cop?podos Calanoida em ambientes dominados por cianobact?rias. Com o objetivo de quantificar a prefer?ncia alimentar de Notodiaptomus cearensis por ciliados em presen?a de cianobact?rias, experimentos in vitro foram conduzidos, utilizando-se culturas mistas em diferentes concentra??es totais de alimento para o cop?podo. Duas esp?cies de ciliados (Paramecium sp. e Cyclidium sp.) e uma cepa t?xica de cianobact?ria (Microcystis aeroginosa) foram ofertados como alimentos. Experimentos pr?vios visando identificar as taxas de ingest?o m?xima do cop?podo atrav?s do uso de um modelo de resposta funcional do tipo II quando cada uma das presas ? ofertada separadamente tamb?m foram realizados. O cop?podo apresentou maior taxa de ingest?o m?xima quando ciliados s?o ofertados como presa. N. cearensis mostrou prefer?ncia significativa por protozo?rios em detrimento da cianobact?ria testada tanto em tratamentos com menor (correspondendo a cerca de 95,15% da dieta) quanto com maior concentra??o de alimento (cerca de 91,56% da dieta), preferindo o ciliado de maior tamanho nas menores concentra??es (67,52% da dieta). A participa??o significativa de organismos heterotr?ficos na dieta do zoopl?ncton d? maior ?nfase ? participa??o da al?a microbiana na passagem de energia para n?veis tr?ficos superiores. Tal dado colabora para o entendimento da estabilidade das intera??es tr?ficas existentes em reservat?rios sujeitos a eutrofiza??o e auxilia estudos de cascata tr?fica nesses ambientes

Complexity science has come into the limelight in recent years as the scientific community begins to grapple with higher-order natural phenomena that cannot be fully explained via the behaviour of components at lower levels of organization. Network modeling and analysis, being a powerful tool that can capture the interconnections that embody complex behaviour, has therefore been at the forefront of complexity science. In ecology, the network paradigm is relatively young and there remain limitations in many ecological network studies, such as modeling only one type of species interaction at a time, lack of realistic network structure, or non-inclusion of community dynamics and environmental stochasticity. I introduce bioenergetic network models that bring together for the first time many of the fundamental structures and mechanisms of species interactions present in real ecological communities. I then use these models to address some outstanding questions that are relevant to understanding ecological networks at the systems level rather than at the level of subsets of interactions. Firstly, I find that realistic red-shifted environmental noise, and synchrony of species responses to noise, are associated with increased variability in ecosystem properties, with implications for predictive ecological modeling which usually assumes white noise. Next, I look at simultaneous species extinction and invasion, finding that as their individual impacts increase, their combined impact becomes decreasingly additive. In addition, the greater the impact of extinction or invasion, the lesser their reversibility via reintroduction or eradication of the species in question. For modifications of pairwise species interactions by third-party species, a phenomenon that has so far been studied one interaction at a time, I find that the many interaction modifications that occur concurrently in a community can collectively have systematic effects on total biomass and species evenness. Finally, examining a higher level of organization in the form of compartmentalized networks, I find that the relationship between intercompartment connectivity and the impacts of species decline depends considerably on network topology and whether the consumer-resource functional response is prey- or ratio-dependent. Overall, the results vary considerably across model communities with different parameterizations, underscoring the contingency and context dependence of nature that scientists and policy makers alike should no longer ignore. This work hopes to contribute to a growing multidisciplinary understanding, appreciation and management of complex systems that is fundamentally transforming the modern world and giving us insights on how to live more harmoniously within our environment.

Dans cette thèse nous nous sommes intéressés à la formation des bancs de poissons et à l'étude des interactions proies-prédateurs en présence de comportements collectifs par une approche de modélisation. Ce phénomène, bien qu'il soit le résultat d'interactions qui ont lieu à l'échelle individuelle, il engendre des conséquences à plus grande échelle, spatiale ou temporelle. L'objectif principal de cette thèse a été celui de comprendre l'influence du processus d'agrégation sur la réponse fonctionnelle. Nous avons élaboré un modèle centré sur l'individu (IBM) qui décrit les interactions intra-spécifiques ainsi que celle entre proies et prédateurs. Les agents peuvent ou pas avoir du comportement collectif.Dans un premier modèle les prédateurs sont attirés par les proies qu'ils voient. Ensuite, nous avons ajouté une composante à la vitesse du prédateur dépendante du bruit émis par les proies. Pour les deux cas, nous avons comparé les réponses fonctionnelles dans quatre configurations différentes. Nos résultats suggèrent que la prédation est plus efficace lorsque les proies s'agrègent. De plus, deux différents types de réponse fonctionnelle émergent : celle de Holling type II si les proies ne forment pas des bancs, celle de Holling type III autrement.Ensuite, nous nous sommes focalisés sur les conséquences à l'échelle de la population d'un phénomène (l'agrégation) se déroulant à l'échelle individuelle. Nous avons cherché un indice capable de détecter les bancs dans l'espace. Ensuite, en suivant une démarche mathématique, nous avons écrit une équation aux dérivées partielles représentant l'évolution spatio-temporelle de la densité des proies. / This thesis deals with the modelling of schooling phenomena and its consequences on predator-prey dynamics. Many marine species exhibit collective behaviour. While this phenomenon depends on individual interactions, it can have important effects at larger spatial and temporal scales.The main goal of this work is to understand the influence of aggregation on functional response, which represents predator feeding behaviour. We elaborated an individual-based model (IBM) describing schooling behaviour as well as predator-prey interactions. Predators can either be attracted towards visible prey, or hear, and so move towards, the noise produced by prey at a larger distance and then attack once they are close enough to see them. We analysed four different configurations, in which prey and/or predators can school or just move randomly. Our results shown an increased predation efficiency when prey school, and also different functional response shapes: Holling type II emerges if prey do not aggregate, while Holling type III emerges when prey school. Then, we focused on schooling consequences at higher scale. In particular, we analysed how to fit classical models to our emergent functional responses. Moreover, we found out a possible way to detect aggregates. Finally, we wrote a model representing the spatio-temporal evolution of prey density.

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La réussite d'un programme de lutte biologique ou intégrée est fortement liée à l'agent de lutte impliqué, à ses caractéristiques intrinsèques et à ses différentes interactions avec le milieu cible d'introduction. Une juste identification de l'ennemi naturel, une connaissance approfondie de sa biologie, son écologie, son potentiel de gestion des populations de nuisibles et même, de sa génétique sont indispensables avant son implication dans un tel programme. Ce travail de thèse s'insère dans le cadre de la problématique de limitation des risques sanitaires et environnementaux liés aux productions de fruits et légumes au niveau du bassin méditerranéen. Plus spécifiquement, il s'agit de limiter les impacts phytosanitaires et économiques de certains ravageurs s'attaquant à la tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.), culture méditerranéenne par excellence. Depuis une vingtaine d'années, la protection biologique et intégrée a considérablement évoluée en mettant en jeu une large gamme d'agents de lutte pour une gestion satisfaisante des principales invasions parasitaires (les deux aleurodes Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889) et Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood, 1856), et plus récemment le lépidoptère Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) ). Parmi les auxiliaires utilisés en région méditerranéenne, une punaise zoophytophage appartenant au genre Macrolophus (Hemiptera: Miridae) s'est imposée comme la pierre angulaire du contrôle biologique des ravageurs de la tomate. Bien que commercialisé depuis les années 90 sous le nom de Macrolophgus caliginosus, son identité spécifique porte encore à confusion. Ceci est du à la présence dans la zone d'origine (bassin méditerranéen) de deux espèces morphologiquement très proches : Macrolophus caliginosus/melanotoma et Macrolophus pygmaeus. La première partie de la thèse a permis de clarifier ce problème d'identification par une double approche morphologique et moléculaire, et de proposer une nouvelle clé d'identification de toutes les espèces paléarctiques du genre Macrolophus. La deuxième partie s'est focalisée sur des aspects de la bio-écologie de l'espèce commercialisée identifiée dans cette thèse comme M. pygmaeus. L'influence des ressources trophiques sur sa capacité de survie a été d'abord étudiée puis le caractère cannibale de cet agent de lutte a été mis en évidence. L'étroite relation entre sa phytophagie et sa zoophagie a été démontrée et enfin l'impact de la température sur sa réponse fonctionnelle a été caractérisé. Les résultats montrent l'importance de tous ces paramètres sur le potentiel de prédation de M. pygmaeus et soulignent leur contribution à la réussite ou à l'échec de son rôle dans la protection biologique intégrée de la tomate. / The success of a biological or integrated pest management control program is deeply dependant of the involved biological control agent as well as its intrinsic characteristics and its various interactions with the target introduction area. Before any implication in such a program an accurate/correct identification, a detailed knowledge of its biology, ecology, potential in pest control are necessary. This work was developed in a context of the sanitary and environmental fruits and vegetables production limitation risk problems. It consists, more specifically, in the phytosanitary and environmental impact limitations of some tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) pests. In the last twenty years, the biological and integrated pest management has considerably changed by involving a large scale of biological control agents for a successful control of the main parasitic invasions (the two whiteflies, Bemisia tabaci [Gennadius, 1889) and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood, 1856), more recently the moth Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917)]. Among the natural enemies used on the Mediterranean region, one finds a zoophytophagous bug belonging to the Macrolophus genus (Hemiptera: Miridae. In spite of its marketing since the 1990s under the name Macrolophgus caliginosus, its specific identity still remains unclear. This is due to the presence in the origin zone (Mediterranean area) of two morphologically closed species: Macrolophus caliginosus/melanotoma and Macrolophus pygmaeus. The first part of this thesis shed light on the identification problem through a double morphological and molecular approach. It also provided a new identification key of all the Palaearctic species belonging to the genus Macrolophus. The second part focused on some bio-ecological traits of the commercialised species, identified in this work as M. pygmaeus. The influence of trophic/feeding resources on the survival capacity has been studied and a cannibalistic behaviour has been demonstrated. The close relationship between phytophagy and zoophagy was characterized; finally the impact of temperature on its functional response was described. The results showed the importance of all these parameters on M. pygmaeus predation potential and emphasized their contribution on the success or failure in tomato pest management.