Abstract Mutualism is often conditional and the associations vary from antagonism to mutualism along environmental conditions and genotypes of interacting species. I studied antagonism-mutualism continuum hypothesis of symbiosis experimentally using two different Epichloë/Neotyphodium endophytes and their host grasses, agricultural meadow fescues and natural fine fescue, as study systems. These systemic fungal endophytes live asymptomatically within aerial tissues of grasses, and are vertically transmitted to the next grass generation via seeds. Thus, asexual endophyte strains are dependent on the growth, survival and reproduction of their hosts. Epichloë/Neotyphodium endophytes are considered plant mutualists, because they improve the resistance of the host against various stresses, e.g. herbivores. In addition to experimental approach, I examined prevalence and genetic structure of Epichloë festucae in natural grass populations. Finally, current knowledge concerning grass endophytes was reviewed and the effects of variable environment and genetic background on the ecology and the evolution of grass-endophyte symbiosis were discussed. The endophyte improved the performance of the agronomic meadow fescues, but the beneficial effects were dependent on the grass cultivar and the growth environment. The endophyte-infected (E+) meadow fescues were more susceptible to the pathogenic snow molds and they suffered increased winter damage compared to the endophyte-free (E-) plants. Many natural Festuca rubra and F. ovina populations were either endophyte-free or had low infection frequency. The highest infection frequencies were found in subarctic areas where the infection incidence differed between habitats. Twenty out of the 25 E. festucae genotypes detected were carrying multiple alleles in microsatellite loci indicating multiple infections or vegetative hybridization of the fungus. A dominant genotype (63.5% of all isolates) occurred in all populations suggesting that this fungus is mainly asexual. E+ F. ovina seedlings performed worse than endophyte-free E- seedlings. In F. rubra, the river bank originated E+ seedlings allocated fewer, but longer and heavier tillers than the other seedlings indicating possible improved performance of the endophyte infected grasses in harsh river bank conditions. In short, I detected both positive and negative effects of endophyte infection on grasses varying along species, environment and genotypic background of study subjects. The results support the antagonism-mutualism continuum hypothesis.

La compréhension de la connectivité entre les nourriceries estuariennes et les habitats marins est fondamentale pour l'étude de la dynamique des peuplements et des populations de poissons et pour la conception de stratégies efficaces de conservation et de gestion des pêches. Le but de ce travail était donc de fournir une première référence faunistique et écologique des poissons des estuaires et du lagon de l'île de Socotra (Nord-Ouest de l'Océan Indien) pour les gestionnaires de la zone côtière, avec un accent particulier sur le fonctionnement des populations d'une espèce sentinelle: Terapon jarbua. Dans cette étude, une approche multidisciplinaire a été développée afin de comprendre le fonctionnement et l'importance des estuaires (TOCE's : Temporarily Open / Closed Estuaries) et du lagon de l'île de Socotra pour les poissons marins. Différents outils de la biologie et de la chimie (taxonomie, écologie, phylogéographie, génétique des populations, microstructure et microchimie des otolithes) ont été utilisés et les principales conclusions de ce travail sont les suivantes: 1) Les estuaires de Socotra sont composés de 64 espèces dans 30 familles, un chiffre élevé par rapport aux normes régionales. La comparaison avec les inventaires faunistiques d'Afrique du Sud et du Yémen suggère que Socotra joue le rôle de tremplin biogéographique, en permettant la connexion d'une grande variété de groupes taxonomiques provenant de différentes unités biogéographiques. De plus 33 des 64 espèces recensées sont considérées comme importantes pour l'économie locale, soulignant l'importance primordiale des estuaires comme sites de fraie et nourriceries, pour le fonctionnement durable des services écosystémiques. 2) La phylogéographie et la structure génétique des populations de T. jarbua ont été analysées considérant des marqueurs de type Cytochrome c Oxydase sous-unité I et microsatellites. Une différenciation génétique élevée et significative a été observée à l'échelle de l'Indo-Ouest Pacifique. Trois groupes de populations ont pu être identifiés, le groupe du Nord-Ouest de l'Océan Indien (Socotra, Yémen et Iran), le groupe de l'Ouest de l'Inde et le groupe de la Mer de Chine. Cependant, les grandes différences nucléotidiques observées soulèvent certaines questions concernant l'identification de l'espèce et suggèrent que T. jarbua pourrait être en réalité un complexe d'espèces, en dépit du fait que la coloration caractéristique de T. jarbua facilite son identification. A l'échelle plus restreinte du Nord-Ouest de l'Océan Indien, une expansion récente de la population de T. jarbua après des extinctions locales au cours des glaciations du Pléistocène pourrait expliquer la faible mais significative différenciation génétique. Le génotypage des marqueurs microsatellites souligne une différenciation génétique relativement élevée et significative entre les estuaires, sur le secteur Socotra-Yémen. Si la distance géographique n'est pas un facteur structurant majeur des populations de T. jarbua dans la région du Golfe d'Aden, le lien étroit entre les juvéniles T. jarbua et les TOCE, ainsi que les phénomènes d'ouverture associés à de possibles goulots d'étranglement démographiques dans ces systèmes côtiers, peuvent expliquer la mise en place d'une différenciation génétique locale significative entre les estuaires. Bien que l'environnement dynamique de la région puisse limiter la différenciation génétique, la courte durée du stade larvaire de cette espèce (25 jours estimés par la lecture des microstructures de l'otolithe) et la possible rétention des larves dans certains secteurs peuvent réduire l'homogénéisation à plus grande échelle géographique. 3) Les analyses de la composition élémentaire des nucleus d'otolithes suggèrent l'existence de plusieurs zones de fraie marines ; ces données confrontées aux résultats des investigations en génétique des populations suggèrent un modèle régional de métapopulation composée de sous-populations ouvertes… / Understanding connectivity between estuarine nurseries and marine habitats is fundamental to explore fish population dynamics and to the design of effective conservation and fisheries management strategies. The aim of this work was to provide the first faunistic and ecological baseline of Socotra Island (North-Western Indian Ocean) estuaries and lagoon fishes for governmental coastal managers and decision makers, with a particular focus on the population functioning of a sentinel species: Terapon jarbua. In this study, a multidisciplinary approach was developed to understand the functioning and importance of Socotra estuaries (TOCE's: Temporarily Open / Close Estuaries) and lagoons for marine fishes. Several biological and chemical tools (taxonomy, ecology, phylogenetics, population genetics, otolith microstructure, otolith microchemistry) were used and the main findings of this work are as follows: 1) Socotra estuaries are composed of 64 species in 30 families, a high figure by regional standards. The comparison with faunistic records from South Africa and Yemen mainland provides further support to Socotra's function as a biogeographic "stepping stone" for certain species. Moreover 33 out of the 64 recorded species were considered as relevant species for the local economy. This underscores the paramount importance of these coastal water bodies as spawning and nursery sites and for the sustainability of vital provisioning ecosystem services. 2) The phylogeography and the genetic structure of T. jarbua populations were analyzed considering Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I and microsatellites and underlined two patterns of genetic structure. A high and significant genetic differentiation was observed at the scale of the Indo-West Pacific. Three population clusters could be drawn, the North-Western Indian Ocean cluster (Socotra, Yemen and Iran), the West Indian Shelf cluster and the Chinese Sea cluster. However, the large number of nucleotide differences raised some issues concerning the species identification as T. jarbua might be a species complex, despite the fact that it shows a characteristic color pattern easily identifiable. At the restricted scale of the North-Western Indian Ocean, recent population expansion after local extinctions during the Pleistocene glaciations might explain small but significant genetic differentiation. Considering microsatellites, genotyping highlighted a relatively high and significant genetic differentiation between estuaries, over the Socotra-Yemen region. Geographical distance is not a major structuring factor for T. jarbua populations in the wider Gulf of Aden region. The strict link between juvenile T. jarbua and TOCE's, and the opening/closing associated with possible demographic bottlenecks, could increase the local differentiation among estuaries. Although the dynamic environment of the region driven by the monsoon system could reduce the genetic differentiation between populations, the short larval stage duration and potential larval retention in particular sectors might reduce homogenization over larger geographical scale. 3) The analysis of otolith nucleus elemental composition suggested the existence of several marine spawning grounds, thus confirming the population genetics approach suggesting a regional model of metapopulation composed of open subpopulations (i.e. multiple sources and more or less pronounced mixtures of larval flows displaying a spatio-temporal variability). In addition, transect Sr:Ba ratio analysis along the otolith growth axis showed clear pattern of post larval migrations into estuarine nurseries where individuals remain for two years. Finally, otolith edges elemental fingerprint assignation tests to nurseries were highly accurate and could conduct in the future to the assessment of the contribution level of a particular nursery to the adult population of T. jarbua as well as others ecologically or economically important species.

Orientadores: Maria Imaculada Zucchi, Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T12:21:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Schwarcz_KaiserDias_D.pdf: 5972760 bytes, checksum: 6089d106796adfd5fab684651bfb298e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: A degradação ecológica e o desflorestamento são processos que se iniciaram há muito tempo e cuja história confunde-se com a da agricultura. A Mata Atlântica é a segunda maior floresta tropical em ocorrência e importância na América do Sul, possuindo grande diversidade biológica e altos níveis de endemismo. A ocupação desordenada da Mata Atlântica causou sua redução a 11,26% de sua área original, com distribuição de forma fragmentada pelo território brasileiro. A destruição da Mata Atlântica tem resultado na eliminação de muitas populações e, potencialmente, na erosão da diversidade genética de diversas espécies. Essa combinação de alto endemismo e forte ameaça de extinção, faz com que a Mata Atlântica seja considerada um hotspot para a conservação. Nas últimas décadas a recuperação de ecossistemas degradados recebeu a atenção da comunidade científica, dando origem ao campo do conhecimento chamado Ecologia da Restauração, que se dedica aos estudos teóricos dos princípios, práticas, resultados e conseqüências de projetos de restauração. O estudo e monitoramento de áreas de restauração florestal é essencial para melhorar as técnicas de restauração em ecossistemas tropicais e subtropicais. Para que uma determinada espécie se perpetue em uma área em processo de restauração, é preciso que a mesma desenvolva todo o seu ciclo de vida e que gerem descendentes capazes de se desenvolver a ponto de substituir as árvores mães quando as mesmas entrarem em senescência. Por isso há a necessidade de se estudar a variabilidade genética de populações arbóreas dentro de áreas de floresta restaurada, assim como a ocorrência e efetividade do fluxo gênico entre estas áreas e os fragmentos de seu entorno. Neste trabalho, estudamos a variabilidade genética de Myroxylon peruiferum L. f., em duas diferentes áreas de restauração florestal e em duas áreas de remanescentes naturais de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual. Nossos resultados indicam que as restaurações florestais de Cosmópolis e Iracemápolis conservam diversidades genéticas HE e alélicas semelhantes às de remanescentes naturais. A principal diferença entre áreas naturais e restauradas foi a menor riqueza de alelos endêmicos nestas últimas o que é um efeito de amostragem que favorece a perda de alelos raros. A área de restauração florestal mais antiga em Cosmópolis apresentou uma estruturação genética espacial compatível com a de áreas naturais. O mesmo não ocorreu com a restauração mais recente de Iracemápolis. Observou-se a ocorrência de estruturação genética local nas áreas naturais e na área de restauração mais antiga e indícios de fluxo gênico entre os áreas nativas e restauradas. Um estudo adicional do efeito de amostragem sobre as freqüências alélicas demonstrou o fenômeno de perda de alelos com baixa freqüência em eventos de amostragem. O mesmo trabalho indicou que uma amostra de cerca de 30 indivíduos é capaz de representar adequadamente alelos com freqüências acima de 0,05; sendo este um bom número a se considerar na seleção de matrizes para fornecimento de mudas para restauração florestal / Abstract: Ecological degradation and deforestation are processes that started long ago and whose history is intertwined with that of agriculture. Atlantic Forest is the second largest rainforest in occurrence and importance in South America, having great biological diversity and high levels of endemism. Disordered occupation of Atlantic Forest caused its reduction to 11.26% of the original area, with distribution in forest fragments poorly conected across the Brazilian territory. Destruction of the Atlantic Forest has resulted in the elimination of many populations and potentially the erosion of genetic diversity of several species. This combination of high endemism and strong threat of extinction causes the Atlantic Forest to be considered a hotspot for conservation. In the last decades recovery of degraded ecosystems has received attention from the scientific community giving birth to an new area of knowledge called the Restoration Ecology. The study and monitoring of areas of forest restoration is essential to improve restoration techniques in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. For a given species to perpetuate itself in an area undergoing a restoration process, it needs to develop its whole life cycle and generates progeny capable of developing to the point of replacing mothers trees when they die. Therefore there is a need to study the genetic variability of tree populations within areas of restored forest, as well as the occurrence and effectiveness of gene flow between these areas and surrounding fragments. We studied the genetic variability of Myroxylon peruiferum L. f., in two different areas of forest restoration and in two areas of natural remnants of semideciduous forest. Our results indicates that restorations in Cosmopolis and Iracemápolis conserve genetic and allelic diversity HE similar to that of natural remnants. The main difference between natural and restored areas was the lowest richness of endemic alleles which is the result of a sampling effect that favors the loss of rare alleles. The area of older forest restoration in Cosmopolis presented a spatial genetic structure consistent with natural areas. This did not occur with the newer restoration in Iracemápolis. We observed the occurrence of local genetic structure in natural areas and in the area of older restoration and evidence of gene flow between native and restored areas. An additional study about the effect of sampling size on allele frequencies showed the phenomenon of loss of low frequency alleles in sampling events. The same study found that a sample of about 30 individuals are able to adequately represent alleles with frequencies above 0.05; this is a good number to consider in selecting matrix trees to supply seedlings for forest restoration / Doutorado / Genetica Vegetal e Melhoramento / Doutor em Genetica e Biologia Molecular

<p>Predmet ovog istraživanja je varijabilnost taksona&nbsp; <em>Ornithogalum umbellatum</em>&nbsp; L. 1753. (Hyacinthaceae) na području Srbije i Mađarske. Ovaj najpoznatiji i najrasprostranjeniji predstavnik roda&nbsp;<em> Ornithogalum&nbsp;</em> L. izučava se dugi niz godina sa različitih aspekata: kao gajena ba&scaron;tenska vrsta i kao invazivni korov; kao otrovna biljka i potencijalno lekovita. Sa ekolo&scaron;kog aspekta&nbsp; ove biljke su značajne kao&nbsp; domaćini insektima polinatorima koji su vi&scaron;estruko i u različitim fazama razvića vezani za ove lukovičaste geofite. Veliki areal&nbsp; i prilagođenost različitim tipovima stani&scaron;ta uzrokuju značajnu varijabilnost, koja rezultuje taksonomskom konfuzijom.&nbsp; Jedan od razloga za&nbsp; istorijski prepoznatljive taksonomski i filogenetski nerazja&scaron;njene relacije&nbsp; su&nbsp; područja sa prirodnim stani&scaron;tima populacija&nbsp;<em> O.&nbsp; umbellatum</em>&nbsp; čijem izučavanju nije posvećeno dovoljno pažnje. Jedno od takvih je i ovde istraživano područje. Kako je u Flori Srbije kao podvrsta&nbsp;<em> O. umbellatum&nbsp;</em> opisan i&nbsp; <em>O. umbellatum&nbsp; subsp.&nbsp; divergens</em>&nbsp; (Boreau), analizama su obuhvaćene i populacije ovog taksona.</p><p>RAPD-PCR metodom ustanovljen je vi&scaron;i nivo genetičkog diverziteta između nego u<br />okviru populacija, bez jasnog geografskog trenda dispozicije ove varijabilnosti. Ovi su<br />rezultati očekivani za poliploidne taksone sa velikim udelom vegetativnog razmnožavanja u reproduktivnoj strategiji biljke, koji su pritom &scaron;iroko rasprostranjeni<br />a u istraživanom području predstavljeni uglavnom relativno udaljenim te izolovanim<br />populacijama.&nbsp; Determinacija genetičke struktuiranosti među ispitivanim&nbsp; genotipovima ukazala je na razdvajanje populacija dva taksona u dva klastera. Rezultate u saglasnosti sa ovim dala&nbsp; je i analiza parametara poprečnih preseka lista, skapusa i plodnika, a ustanovljeni su i diskriminativni anatomski karakteri koji su razdvojili populacije dva taksona. Izdvojeni su pojedini kvantitativni karakteri, kako anatomski tako i morfolo&scaron;ki, koji su&nbsp; najvi&scaron;e doprineli varijabilnosti na interpopulacionom nivou. Pokazana je velika raznolikost morfolo&scaron;kih karaktera i heterogenost populacija&nbsp;<em> O. umbellatum</em>, &scaron;to je u skladu sa podacima u postojećoj litaraturi. Poznato je i da&nbsp; habitus ovih&nbsp; biljaka&nbsp; veoma&nbsp; zavisi&nbsp; od&nbsp; uslova&nbsp; sredine,&nbsp; kao&nbsp; i&nbsp; stadijuma&nbsp; razvića&nbsp; biljke,&nbsp; dok&nbsp; na molekularne&nbsp; markere&nbsp; ovi&nbsp; faktori&nbsp; ne&nbsp; utiču.&nbsp; Sa&nbsp; druge&nbsp; strane,&nbsp; iako&nbsp; primenjena&nbsp; RAPD metoda&nbsp; nije&nbsp; dovoljna&nbsp; za&nbsp; determinaciju&nbsp; filogenetski&nbsp; blisko&nbsp; srodnih&nbsp; taksona&nbsp; poput&nbsp; ovih, pokazala&nbsp; se&nbsp; pouzdanom&nbsp; i&nbsp; efikasnom&nbsp; za&nbsp; ispitivanje&nbsp; diverziteta&nbsp; na&nbsp; populaciono-genetičkom&nbsp; nivou.&nbsp; Stoga&nbsp; je&nbsp; u&nbsp; cilju&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; sveobuhvatnije&nbsp; procene&nbsp; stanja&nbsp; kori&scaron;ćena kombinacija&nbsp; različitih&nbsp; pristupa,&nbsp; koji&nbsp; su&nbsp; dali&nbsp; usagla&scaron;ene&nbsp; rezultate,&nbsp; istovremeno&nbsp; dajući uvid&nbsp; u&nbsp; nivo&nbsp; polimorfnosti&nbsp; i&nbsp; struktuiranosti&nbsp; populacija&nbsp; i&nbsp; ukazujući&nbsp; na&nbsp; jedinstvene&nbsp; oblike<br />varijabilnosti morfo-anatomskih karakteristika</p><p>Sa&nbsp; jedne&nbsp; strane&nbsp; ovo&nbsp; je&nbsp; važno&nbsp; zbog&nbsp; razja&scaron;njenja&nbsp; komplikovane&nbsp; taksonomije,&nbsp; a&nbsp; sa&nbsp; druge zbog&nbsp; značaja&nbsp; ovih&nbsp; biljaka&nbsp; sa&nbsp; aspekta&nbsp; potencijalne&nbsp; koristi&nbsp; odnosno&nbsp; &scaron;tete&nbsp; za&nbsp; čoveka,&nbsp; ali&nbsp; i iz&nbsp; ugla&nbsp; za&scaron;tite&nbsp; biodiverziteta.&nbsp; Uvid&nbsp; u&nbsp; nivo&nbsp; varijabilnosti&nbsp; populacija&nbsp; doprineće adekvatnim&nbsp; strategijama&nbsp; konzervacije&nbsp; i&nbsp; menadžmenta&nbsp; kako&nbsp; ovih&nbsp; biljnih&nbsp; vrsta,&nbsp; tako&nbsp; i insekatskih sa kojima su povezane.</p> / <p>Variability of&nbsp; <em>Ornithogalum umbellatum&nbsp;</em> L. 1753. (Hyacinthaceae) in&nbsp; Serbia and Hungary&nbsp; was analyzed in this research. This most famous and the most&nbsp; widespread taxon in genus <em>Ornithogalum</em> L. has been a research subject for many years for various reasons: as garden plant and invasive weed; for its toxic and pharmaceutical properties. From an ecological point of view those bulbous geophytes&nbsp; are the important host-plants for insect pollinators associated with them in different life stages.&nbsp; Large distribution area and adaptation to diverse habitat types result in significant variability of these plants which is followed by&nbsp; taxonomic confusion. Persisting taxonomic problems arise also from the fact that there are under-investigated regions with native populations of <em>O.</em>&nbsp;<em>umbellatum, </em>such as&nbsp; localities&nbsp; in Serbia and neighbouring countries. Since published floras of these countries&nbsp; include&nbsp; <em>O. umbellatum&nbsp;</em> subsp.&nbsp; <em>divergens</em> (Boreau), analyses involve populations of this taxon as&nbsp; well.</p><p>RAPD-PCR method revealed higher levels of genetic diversity among than within populations, without distinct geographical trend in the disposition of the variability. These results have been expected for polyploid taxa with high levels of vegetative reproduction, widespread and represented mostly with relatively distant and isolated populations in the given region. Genetic structure analyses have separated&nbsp; populations of the two investigated taxa into two clusters. Analyses of the anatomical characteristics of the leaf, scapus and ovary cross-sections have shown results in accordance with those. Discriminative characters which divided populations of the two&nbsp; taxa were determined. Distinctive quantitative characters, both anatomical and morphological, which have contributed the most to the interpopulation variability, were&nbsp; singled out. Great diversity of morphological characters and population heterogeneity&nbsp; of&nbsp; <em>O.&nbsp; umbellatum&nbsp;</em> has been&nbsp; shown, which&nbsp; was&nbsp; already described in literature dealing with the subject. Additionally, the high diversity is explained by the fact that habitus of those plants with very plastic phenotypes is influenced by environmental conditions and life stage of the plant. Those factors do not affect molecular markers; however techniques like RAPD-PCR could not be used independently for&nbsp; characterization&nbsp; of phylogenetically close taxa such as these. Nevertheless, RAPDs proved to be a reliable and efficient method suitable for distinguishing genetic differentiation on population level. Therefore, combination of different approaches was used in order to give comprehensive assessment of the situation. The results were consistent, revealing the levels of populations&rsquo;&nbsp; polymorphism and structure, as well as certain variations of morpho-anatomical features.</p><p>This is important in the light of complicated&nbsp; taxonomy clarification, and on the other hand from the aspect of potential value or harm of these plants to humans. In terms of&nbsp; biodiversity conservation, insight into population variability levels might contribute to adequate management strategies for both plants and insects related to them.</p>

L'essor des marqueurs moléculaires (SNPs) a révolutionné les méthodes de génétique quantitative en permettant l'identification de régions impliquées dans le déterminisme génétique des caractères (QTLs) via la génétique d'association (GWAS), ou encore la prédiction des performances d'individus sur la base de leur information génomique (GS). La stratification des populations en groupes génétiques est courante en sélection animale et végétale. Cette structure peut impacter les méthodes de GWAS et de GS via des différences de fréquence et d'effets des allèles des QTL, ainsi que par des différences de déséquilibre de liaison (LD) entre SNP et QTL selon les groupes.Pendant cette thèse, deux panels de diversité de maïs ont été utilisés, présentant des niveaux différents de structuration: le panel “Amaizing Dent” représentant les lignées dentées utilisées en Europe et le panel “Flint-Dent” incluant des lignées dentées, cornées européennes, ainsi que des lignées admixées entre ces deux groupes.En GS, l'impact de la structure génétique sur la qualité des prédictions a été évalué au sein du premier panel pour des caractères de productivité et de phénologie. Cette étude a mis en évidence l'intérêt d'une population d'entraînement (TS) dont la constitution en matière de groupes génétiques est similaire à celle de la population à prédire. Assembler les différents groupes au sein d'un TS multi-groupe apparaît comme une solution efficace pour prédire un large spectre de diversité génétique. Des indicateurs a priori de la précision des prédictions génomiques, basés sur le coefficient de détermination, ont également été évalués, mettant en évidence une efficacité variable selon le groupe et le caractère étudié.Une nouvelle méthodologie GWAS a ensuite été développée pour étudier l'hétérogénéité des effets capturés par les SNPs selon les groupes. L'intégration des individus admixés à l'analyse permet de séparer les effets des facteurs responsables de l'hétérogénéité des effets alléliques: différence génomique locale (liée au LD ou à une mutation spécifique d'un groupe) ou interactions épistatiques entre le QTL et le fonds génétique. Cette méthodologie a été appliquée au panel “Flint-Dent” pour la précocité de floraison. Des QTL ont été détéctés comme présentant des effets groupe-spécifiques interagissant ou non avec le fonds génétique. De nombreux QTL présentant un profil original ont pu être mis en évidence, incluant des locus connus tels que Vgt1, Vgt2 ou Vgt3. Une importante épistasie directionnelle a aussi été mise en évidence grâce aux individus admixés, confortant l'existence d'interactions épistatiques avec le fonds génétique pour ce caractère.Sachant l'existence de cette hétérogénéité d’effets alléliques, nous avons développé deux modèles de prédictions génomiques nommées Multi-group Admixed GBLUP (MAGBLUP). Ceux-ci modélisent des effets groupe-spécifiques aux QTLs et sont adaptés à la prédiction d'individus admixés. Le premier permet d'identifier la variance génétique additionnelle créée par l'admixture (variance de ségrégation), alors que le second permet d'évaluer le degré de conservation des effets alléliques entre groupes. Ces deux modèles ont montré un intérêt certain par rapport à des modèles standards pour prédire des caractères simulés, mais plus limité sur des caractères réels.Enfin, l'intérêt des individus admixés dans la constitution de TS multi-groupes a été évalué à l'aide du second panel. Si leur intérêt a clairement été mis en évidence pour des caractères simulés, des résultats plus variables ont été observés avec les caractères réels, pouvant s'expliquer par la présence d'interactions avec le fonds génétique.Les nouvelles méthodes et l'utilisation d'individus admixés ouvrent des pistes de recherches intéressantes pour les études de génétique quantitative en population structurée. / The advent of molecular markers (SNPs) has revolutionized quantitative genetics methods by enabling the identification of regions involved in the genetic determinism of traits (QTLs) thanks to association studies (GWAS), or the prediction of the performance of individuals using genomic information (GS). The stratification of populations into genetic groups is common in animal and plant breeding. This structure can impact GWAS and GS methods through group differences in QTL allele frequencies and effects, as well as in linkage disequilibrium (LD) between SNP and QTL.During this thesis, two maize diversity panels were used, presenting different levels of structuration: the "Amaizing Dent" panel representing the diversity of dent lines used in Europe and the "Flint-Dent" panel including dent, flint and admixed lines between these two groups.In GS, the impact of genetic structure on genomic prediction accuracy was evaluated in the first panel for productivity and phenology traits. This study highlighted the interest of a training population (TS) whose constitution in terms of genetic groups is similar to that of the population to be predicted. Assembling the different groups within a multi-group TS appears as an effective solution to predict a broad spectrum of genetic diversity. A priori indicators of genomic prediction accuracy, based on the coefficient of determination, were also evaluated and highlighted a variable efficiency depending on the group and the trait.A new GWAS methodology was then developed to study the heterogeneity of the allele effects captured by SNPs depending on the group. The integration of admixed individuals to such analyses allows to disentangle the factors causing the heterogeneity of allele effects across groups: local genomic difference (related to LD or group-specific mutation) or epistatic interactions between the QTL and the genetic background. This methodology was applied to the "Flint-Dent" panel for flowering time. QTLs have been detected as presenting group-specific effects interacting or not with the genetic background. QTLs with an original profile have been highlighted, including known loci such as Vgt1, Vgt2 or Vgt3. Significant directional epistasis has also been demonstrated using admixed individuals and supported the existence of epistatic interactions with the genetic background for this trait.Based on the existence of such heterogeneity of allele effects, we have developed two genomic prediction models named Multi-group Admixed GBLUP (MAGBLUP). Both model group-specific QTL effects and are suited to the prediction of admixed individuals. The first allows the identification the additional genetic variance created by the admixture (segregation variance), while the second allows the evaluations of the degree of conservation of SNP allele effects across groups. These two models showed a certain interest compared to standard models to predict simulated traits, but it was more limited on real traits.Finally, the interest of admixed individuals in multi-group TS was evaluated using the second panel. Although their interest has been clearly demonstrated for simulated traits, more variable results have been observed with the real traits, which can be explained by the presence of interactions with the genetic background.The new methods and the use of admixed individuals open interesting lines of research for quantitative genetics studies in structured population.

Many sharks have life history characteristics (e.g., slow growth, late age at maturity, low fecundity, and long gestation periods) that make their populations vulnerable to collapse due to overfishing. The porbeagle (Lamna nasus), bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran), and smooth hammerhead (S. zygaena), are all commercially exploited. The population genetic structure of these species was assessed based on globally distributed sample sets using mitochondrial control region (mtCR) sequences and/or nuclear markers. Complex patterns of evolutionary and demographic history were inferred using coalescent and statistical moment-based methods. All four species showed statistically significant genetic partitioning on large scales, i.e., between hemispheres (L. nasus mtCR φST = 0.8273) or oceanic basins (C. leucas nuclear FST = 0.1564; S. mokarran mtCR φST = 0.8745, nuclear FST = 0.1113; S. zygaena mtCR φST = 0.8159, nuclear FST = 0.0495). Furthermore, S. zygaena mtCR sequences indicated statistically significant matrilineal genetic structuring within oceanic basins, but no intrabasin structure was detected with nuclear microsatellites. S. mokarran showed statistically significant genetic structure between oceanic basins with both nuclear and mitochondrial data, albeit with some differences between the two marker types in fine scale patterns involving northern Indian Ocean samples. A microsatellite assessment of C. leucas demonstrated no population structuring within the Atlantic or Indo-Pacific, with the exception that samples from Fiji were differentiated from the remaining Indo- Pacific Ocean locations. In contrast, the L. nasus mitochondrial and nuclear ITS2 sequences revealed strong northern vs. southern hemispheric population differentiation, but no differentiation within these hemispheres. These geographic patterns of genetic structure were used to determine the source of fins obtained from the international fin trade and to develop forensic tools for conservation.

No description available.

The field of conservation genetics, in combination with non-invasive sampling, provides a powerful set of tools for investigating the conservation status and natural history of rare species that are otherwise difficult to study. A systematic literature review demonstrated that this is certainly the case for many forest associated antelope species, which are poorly studied and yet constitute some of the most heavily hunted wildlife in Africa. The aim of the present study was to use non-invasive sampling to investigate genetic patterns in forest antelope populations in the high-biodiversity Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, within the context of the conservation of these species and the wider ecosystem. Genetic information was derived from faecal samples collected across the Udzungwa landscape and assigned to five antelope species (N = 618, collected 2006-09). Faecal pellet length was measured for a subset of samples but statistical assignment to species by this method proved unreliable. Phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial control region sequences unexpectedly revealed that Harvey’s duiker within the Udzungwas are paraphyletic with respect to sequences from a putative sister species from southern Africa. However, there was no corresponding pattern in the microsatellite dataset suggesting that these mitochondrial lineages do not represent contemporary genetic isolation. Instead, Harvey’s duiker nuclear variation is shaped both by isolation by distance, due to positive spatial autocorrelation at short distances, and clustering of distinct genotypes from western outlying forests. These forests also harbour the endangered Abbott’s duiker and therefore require effective conservation management. Despite being detected throughout the Udzungwas, genetic diversity in Abbott’s duiker was very low in comparison to other species. These results suggest several promising research directions but also have significant conservation implications that will be disseminated to the Tanzanian wildlife authorities and the wider conservation community.

La dispersion est un processus clef dans la dynamique et l'évolution des populations naturelles. En plus de son rôle primordial dans les processus de colonisation, la dispersion influence également les processus d'adaptation des organismes. Chez les pathogènes, une meilleure compréhension des processus de dispersion apparaît de ce fait être un enjeu majeur pour mieux les contrôler. Durant cette thèse, nous avons étudié les processus de dispersion et quantifié les flux de gènes qui en découlent chez le champignon parasite du bananier Mycosphaerella fijiensis. Cette étude a été réalisée à l'échelle locale d'un bassin de production du Cameroun (la région dite du Moungo) et nous avons combiné plusieurs approches complémentaires considérant différentes échelles spatio-temporelles. Dans un premier temps, nous avons décrit, à l'aide de marqueurs génétiques neutres, la structuration spatiale des populations de M. fijiensis dans la région du Moungo qui présente différentes barrières potentielles à la dispersion. Nous n'avons décelé aucun effet du paysage ni de la distance géographique sur la structuration génétique. Cependant, une rupture spatiale dans les fréquences alléliques, vraisemblablement de nature historique a été mise en évidence. Ces résultats suggèrent l'existence de grandes populations de M. fijiensis s'écartant de l'équilibre mutation-dérive. Dans un second temps, nous avons utilisé la théorie des clines génétiques pour étudier les forces à l'origine de la mise en en place et de l'évolution de gradients spatiaux de fréquences alléliques. En particulier, l'analyse de la variation spatio-temporelle de la discontinuité génétique précédemment détectée par un modèle de clines neutres nous a permis d'estimer l'intensité des flux géniques ( =1175 m/génération). Finalement, nous avons mesuré la distribution des distances de dispersion des deux types de spores produites par M. fijiensis à partir d'une source d'inoculum primaire. Cette expérimentation nous a permis de confirmer que les ascospores participent à une dispersion à grande distance alors que les conidies sont impliquées dans une dispersion à très courte distance. Nous avons estimé une distance moyenne de dispersion de 3,12 et de 283 mètres/génération respectivement pour les conidies et les ascospores et montré que le noyau de dispersion des ascospores est caractérisé par une queue lourde. Cette thèse a permis de préciser comment M. fijiensis se disperse et les estimations réalisées pourront être intégrées dans des modèles théoriques afin de mieux comprendre l'évolution des résistances aux fongicides et de définir des stratégies durables d'utilisation raisonnée des traitements chimiques. / Dispersal is a key process for both the dynamics and evolution of natural populations. In addition to being crucial for colonization, dispersal also influences the processes occurring during adaptation. For pathogens, a better understanding of dispersal processes may improve our capacity to control the diseases that they cause. In this thesis, we studied dispersal processes and quantified gene flow in the banana plant pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis at the local scale of a production area in South-West Cameroon (named Moungo). For this purpose, several approaches differing in the spatio-temporal scale to which they refer were combined. First, neutral markers were used to describe the spatial genetic structure of this pathogen in the Moungo area, which includes several potential ecological barriers to dispersal. No effects on genetic structure of landscape elements or geographical distance were found. However, we detected a spatial break in allelic frequencies that appeared to be explained by an historical event. This result suggests the existence of large M. fijiensis populations out of the mutation-migration-drift genetic equilibrium. Second, genetic cline theory was applied to study the evolutionary forces implicated in the installation and evolution of spatial gradients in allelic frequencies. More specifically, we analysed the spatio-temporal variation of the genetic discontinuity previously detected through a neutral cline model to estimate the intensity of gene flow in this area ( =1175 m/generation). Lastly, we measured the distribution of dispersal distances of M. fijiensis spores from a primary source of inoculum was. Such an experiment allowed us to confirm that conidia are implicated in short-distance dispersal whereas ascospores are responsible for spread of the disease over longer distances. The estimated mean dispersal distance travelled by spores was 3.12 and 283 metres/generation for conidia and ascospores, respectively, and the ascospore dispersal kernel was shown to be fat-tailed. This thesis adds to global knowledge of M. fijiensis dispersal and the measures of dispersal estimated in this work will be useful in parameterizing models aimed at a better understanding of the spatial patterns of fungicide resistance evolution under different management strategies.

Depuis les années 1950, l’intensification des pratiques agricoles concourt à une augmentation de la pression anthropique entraînant une raréfaction des espèces spécialistes des parcelles cultivées, ce qui contribue à l’érosion de la diversité biologique des agroécosystèmes. Parmi les espèces en déclin, on compte de nombreuses messicoles dont le bleuet (Centaurea cyanus L.), fleur emblématique des moissons. Or, cette espèce peut rendre des services écosystémiques comme hôte de prédateurs de ravageurs des cultures et ressource privilégiée de certains pollinisateurs qui justifieraient son maintien dans les champs. Nous étudions ici des facteurs biologiques qui pourraient potentiellement contribuer à son déclin : distribution spatiale, potentialité de croissance, diversité génétique des populations, survie des semences, système de reproduction. Nous avons montré, par deux campagnes de relevés, que C. cyanus n’est pas une espèce indicatrice de diversité floristique dans la parcelle cultivée. Toutefois, lorsque que le bleuet est rare dans une région, il est associé à d’autres messicoles peu fréquentes. Par contre, s’il est commun, il est associé aux zones ayant la plus forte diversité végétale. Une expérience de semis dans différents compartiments de l’agrosystème, en absence de traitements herbicides, a mis en évidence que la potentialité de croissance des bleuets est plus élevée dans le plein champ du blé que dans la moutarde et les interfaces blé/bordure. Cette croissance est limitée de manière variable par les communautés adventices présentes dans les compartiments hors champs (bordures). L’analyse de la diversité génétique à l’aide de marqueurs microsatellites de bleuets dans une petite zone agricole montre que les populations sont connectées par des flux de gènes importants. Les barrières écologiques telles que les chemins, semblent être des facteurs de structuration plus importants que la distance géographique séparant les populations. La répartition du bleuet dans le paysage agricole n’est donc pas aléatoire et apparaît dépendante de la fréquence de l’espèce dans la région ainsi que des différents éléments du paysage. Les caractéristiques du cycle biologique du bleuet ont été étudiées grâce à des expériences au champ et en serre. Nous avons montré que la longévité des akènes enfouis dans le sol chute rapidement après deux ans. Le cycle saisonnier de la dormance permet deux cohortes de levées (automne et printemps). L’étude du système de reproduction a permis de mettre en évidence que les pollinisateurs sont nécessaires pour la fécondation et que les populations sont majoritairement auto-incompatibles. Il existe cependant des individus pseudo auto-incompatibles mais leur fréquence n’est pas liée à la taille des populations ou à leur niveau d’isolement spatial. Par ailleurs, dès que le coefficient de consanguinité augmente dans les populations, la valeur phénotypique des individus baisse. La dépression de consanguinité s’exprime alors principalement pendant la phase de la germination. L’ensemble de ces caractéristiques biologiques peuvent s’avérer défavorables au bleuet dans les agroécosystèmes simplifiés actuels et ont pu entraîner son déclin dans certaines régions / Agroecosystems are currently experiencing high biodiversity loss, in particular among the plant species specifically adapted to this habitat. This decline results from cropping systems that have been intensified in Western Europe since the 1950s. The cornflower (Centaurea cyanus L.), considered as emblem of the flora associated with traditional cereals, appears as a species that may be at risk and should be monitored. Indeed, cornflower can serve as a host to predators of crop pests and is strongly attractive for the pollinators. This study examines the biological factors that could potentially cause the decline of this species: spatial distribution, potential for growth, population’s genetic diversity, seeds survival and mating system.We have shown that C. cyanus is not a biological indicator of the weed diversity of a field. However, when it is not frequent in a region, cornflower is associated with other rare segetal species. When it is common in a region, C. cyanus is present in areas with higher weed diversity. Sowing seeds in different components of the agrosystem, without herbicide application, shows that the growth of cornflower was higher in the centre of a wheat field than in mustard and the crop edge. Growth success in field margins was variably limited according to the weed communities in the field boundaries. The analysis of the genetic diversity using microarrays has shown that populations in a small agricultural area are connected by important genes flow. The ecological barriers as country road seem to be factors more determinant than geographical distance to structure and divide populations. Therefore, the cornflower distribution in the agricultural landscape is not random and appears to be linked to species frequency in the area and to landscape elements.The cornflower life cycle characteristics were studied through field and greenhouse experiments. We have shown that the longevity of achenes buried in the soil falls rapidly after two years. There is a seasonal dormancy cycle that allows the emergence of two seedling cohorts (fall and spring). Our study of the mating system highlights the fact that pollinators are required for fertilization and that cornflower is strongly self-incompatible. However, there are pseudo self-incompatible individuals, but their frequency is not related to the population size or the spatial isolation level. Individual fitness decreases as the inbreeding coefficient increases in a population. Inbreeding depression is mainly expressed during the germination stage. All these biological characteristics can be detrimental to the cornflower in current simplified agroecosystems and may have led to cornflower decline in some areas