Le chevreuil met bas chaque année en mai. À chaque évènement de reproduction, une femelle peut être dans différents états : reproducteur ou non reproducteur et elle peut élever un nombre variable de jeunes. La succession des transitions entre ces différents états constitue la trajectoire de reproduction d’un individu tout au long de sa vie. Chaque trajectoire est donc individuelle et la valeur de cette trajectoire une fois terminée est appréciée par sa valeur sélective qui peut être estimée comme le nombre de petits élevés au cours de la vie d’un individu. Différentes trajectoires individuelles peuvent exister au sein d’une même population et conduire à des valeurs sélectives similaires ou différentes montrant que différentes stratégies sont possibles pour atteindre la même valeur sélective mais aussi que certains individus de meilleure qualité peuvent atteindre une valeur sélective plus élevée que des individus de moins bonne qualité. L’étude d’une population de chevreuil située dans le Nord-Est de la France a permis d’étudier les sources et les conséquences de cette hétérogénéité individuelle sur les trajectoires d’histoire de vie individuelles et sur la dynamique de cette population. Ce travail de thèse a montré que chez le chevreuil, une trajectoire reproductive individuelle est en partie homogène et que les femelles de bonne qualité ont un succès annuel constant et plus marqué que les femelles de mauvaise qualité. La qualité de ces femelles est influencée par les conditions à la naissance comme la date de naissance et les conditions environnementales au cours de leur développement. Les trajectoires individuelles varient également aléatoirement en fonction des conditions environnementales annuelles. Ces dernières décennies, le changement climatique a donné naissance à un mismatch grandissant entre la période des mise-bas du chevreuil et la disponibilité en ressources qui a provoqué une diminution du succès reproducteur et de la croissance de la population. Ce travail a permis de discuter comment l’hétérogénéité individuelle est générée chez une espèce longévive et comment elle influence les stratégies démographiques et la dynamique de cette population / Roe deer give birth each year in May. At each reproductive event, a female can be in different reproductive statuses: breeder or non breeder and can wean a variable number of offspring. The successive transitions between the different statuses of a given female give its individual reproductive trajectory. The performance of a given trajectory is assessed by its fitness which can be approximated by the total number of offspring weaned during the trajectory. Different individual life-history trajectories can exist in a same population and these different trajectories can reach similar or different fitness. This suggests that different strategies can be chosen by different individuals to reach the same fitness but also that individuals of high quality can reach higher fitness than individuals of low quality. The study of a roe deer population located in North-Eastern France allowed analyzing the sources and the consequences of individual heterogeneity on individual life-history trajectories and on population dynamics. This work showed that roe deer individual reproductive trajectories are consistent for a given female such as high quality females have an annual reproductive success higher than low-quality females. Female quality is partly generated by birth condition such as birth date and environmental conditions at birth. Individual life-history trajectories vary also randomly in relation to annual environmental conditions. In particular, climate change led to a decline in annual mean reproductive success and a decrease of the population growth rate in the last decades in relation to an increase of the mismatch between vegetation phenology and roe deer birth period. This work discussed how individual heterogeneity is generated in a long-lived species and how it influences individual life-history strategies and population dynamics

Surveys and vegetation analyses were used to determine the known distribution and the characteristics of the habitat utilised by Anolis sagrei in Taiwan. Sampled lizards were used for morphological comparisons, and to investigate the reproductive biology of this species in Taiwan. The results of this study indicate that the distribution of A. sagrei in Taiwan is extensive (≥237 ha) in Chiayi City and County (southwestern study site) and scattered (≥8 ha) in Hualien City and County (eastern study site). These lizards were mostly found in open sunny degraded man-made habitats. Although some variations were noted in the comparisons between the A. sagrei collected from the two study sites, it was concluded that the two populations likely have the same founder population. The reproductive biology study indicated that photoperiod and the associated temperatures determine the reproductive cycles in A. sagrei. It also demonstrated that reproduction in this species is energetically demanding. / Nature Conservation / MSc.(Nature Conservation)

為了瞭解影響演化性神經網路（ENT）預測表現的四項重要的機制：輸入資料性質、訓練樣本大小、網路搜尋密度以及控制模型複雜度，進而找出能使ENT充分發揮效果的組合。在本論文中首先設計ENT在模擬資料上的實驗，探討上述四項機制個別對預測表現的影響，再依照實驗結果的建議，設計能讓ENT發揮功效的組合，並以實際金融高頻率資料：香港恆生指數在一九九八年十二月報酬率為標的，探討模擬資料的結果在實際金融資料需要調整的部份。實驗結果顯示，當輸入資料經過線性過濾後，搭配大樣本訓練、高搜尋強度與適當地模型複雜度控制，會是能讓神經網路提高預測能力的組合。在實際金融資料的實驗當中同時發現，資料中偶而出現特別高或特別低的變化，會對ENT的預測表現有相當程度的影響。 / In this thesis, Evolutionary Neural Trees (ENTs) are applied to forecast the artificial data generated by financial and chaos models — iid random, linear process (Auto Regressive-Moving Average；ARMA), nonlinear processes (AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity；ARCH, General AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity；GARCH, Bilinear), mixed linear and nonlinear process (AR and GARCH). Experiments of the artificial data were conducted to understand the characteristics of ENTs mechanism. – data pre-processing procedures, search intensity, sample size and complexity regularization. From the experiment results of artificial data, the combination of pure linear or nonlinear time series, large sample size, intensive search and simple neural trees are suggested for the parameters setting of ENTs. And for the sake of computational burden, we have a trade-off between search intensity and sample size. Ten experiments are designed for ENTs modeling on the high-frequency stock returns of Heng Sheng stock index on December, 1998, in order to have an efficient combination of the factors of ENTs. The results show that ENTs would perform more efficiently if data are pre-processed by a linear filter, for ENTs will concentrate on searching in the space of nonlinear signals. Also, as is well demonstrated in this study, the infrequent bursts (outliers) appearing in the data set can be very disturbing for the ENTs modeling.

Les organismes font face à des compromis entre leur reproduction, leur maintenance et leur survie, dont découlent des stratégies adaptatives énergétiques, comportementales et écologiques.Ce travail de thèse propose de préciser les stratégies de reproduction chez la tortue luth Dermochelys coriacea nidifiant en Guyane. Nous avons étudié les caractéristiques maternelles, les performances de reproduction et les potentiels liens existants entre la migration et la reproduction chez une population d’individus d’identité connue, suivis grâce à un suivi longitudinal original combinant biométrie, physiologie et biologie moléculaire.Premièrement nous montrons que les tortues luth opèrent comme des reproducteurs sur capital, i.e., leur reproduction repose sur les ressources stockées sous forme de réserves corporelles pendant la migration précédant la saison de ponte. D’autre part, nous suggérons que les femelles ajustent la durée de leur migration en fonction des conditions océanographiques rencontrées pendant la migration. Ceci leur permettrait, à l’échelle de la vie, de répondre au compromis entre la reproduction en cours et les reproductions futures. Enfin, notre démarche souligne l’importance de prendre en compte les caractéristiques individuelles dans la compréhension des stratégies de reproduction, et de manière ultime pour l’établissement de modèles réalistes de la dynamique des populations, notamment dans le cas d’espèces emblématiques telles que les tortues marines. / Organisms face trade-offs between their reproduction, maintenance and survival, from which result adaptative strategies at the energetics, behavioural and ecological levels.This PhD work investigates the reproductive strategies used by leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, nesting in French Guiana. We investigated maternal characteristics, reproductive output, and the possible links between migration and reproduction in a population of known identity, studied through a unique longitudinal monitoring, based on complementary approaches combining biometry, physiology and molecular biology.First, we found that leatherback turtles are capital breeders, i.e. females’ reproductive output displayed during their nesting season relies on body reserves previously stored during their migration. Second, we suggested that leatherback females adjust the duration of the migration according to the oceanographic conditions they experienced during migration. At a lifetime scale, this may allow females to face the trade-off between current and future reproductions. Finally, our approach highlights the importance to take into account individual characteristics in order to better understand reproductive strategies, and further assess realistic models of population dynamics, particularly when considering emblematic species such as sea turtles.

Surveys and vegetation analyses were used to determine the known distribution and the characteristics of the habitat utilised by Anolis sagrei in Taiwan. Sampled lizards were used for morphological comparisons, and to investigate the reproductive biology of this species in Taiwan. The results of this study indicate that the distribution of A. sagrei in Taiwan is extensive (≥237 ha) in Chiayi City and County (southwestern study site) and scattered (≥8 ha) in Hualien City and County (eastern study site). These lizards were mostly found in open sunny degraded man-made habitats. Although some variations were noted in the comparisons between the A. sagrei collected from the two study sites, it was concluded that the two populations likely have the same founder population. The reproductive biology study indicated that photoperiod and the associated temperatures determine the reproductive cycles in A. sagrei. It also demonstrated that reproduction in this species is energetically demanding. / Nature Conservation / MSc.(Nature Conservation)

A dog owner does not only have rights, but also (and mainly) a lot of obligations. One of the aims of this work was to look at different areas concerning the ownership (holding) of a dog in relation to the actual public law regulations. Particular chapters reflect possible life situations, which have (especially from a point of view of public law) an effect on coexistence with a dog and (often negative) the impact (penalties) for a dog holder. Thematic areas are addressed, for example, purchasing a dog, his vaccination and other health and life conditions, the possibility of shortening a tail or ears, the admissible conditions and methods that permit the killing of a dog or the conditions and ways to bury a dog. Further mention is made of the possibilities of travelling with a dog (and also abroad), also described are the law regulations of dog fees and the generally binding ordinances of municipalities. Deeper consideration was essential in respect of the areas concerning misdemeanours and criminal offences, which can be commited both on a dog and by a dog (incl. veterinarian demands or animal cruelty). There are follow-up chapters concerning liability for damage and compensation for damage. A part of the work is dedicated to breed specific legislation concerning breeding some (so called "fighting" or...