North American populations of white-winged scoters (<i>Melanitta fusca deglandi</i>) have declined markedly over the past several decades. The causes for decline are uncertain, but likely involve a complexity of events occurring on wintering and breeding areas. To gain insight into potential cross-seasonal effects, I delineated Atlantic and Pacific wintering scoter populations and linked them to a shared breeding area using stable isotope analysis of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) ratios in feathers. By applying this methodology to a marked breeding population at Redberry Lake, Saskatchewan, I assigned females to putative wintering areas and determined: (1) population structure; (2) the extent of winter site philopatry; and, (3) differences in vital rates and other variates in relation to winter origin. Discriminant function analysis of isotopic ratios in feather samples from known wintering locations resulted in classification probabilities of 96% (<i>n</i> = 149) for Pacific and 78% (<i>n</i> = 32) for Atlantic wintering scoters. Using this methodology, I determined that the Redberry Lake breeding population is comprised of approximately 75% Pacific and 25% Atlantic wintering birds, and its members exhibit high degrees of winter region philopatry based on the classification of successive recaptures over three field seasons. Annual variations in population structure, as well as differences in nest initiation dates and blood contaminant loads in relation to winter area suggest seasonal interactions may influence survival and reproductive success of this population. To gain insight into potential seasonal interactions, I examined nest success and female survival in relation to winter area. No significant differences in nest success in relation to winter area were found, but nests that failed before mid-incubation were not sampled. Adult female survival rate for 2000-2004 was estimated as 0.85, with no significant difference detected between wintering areas. This study demonstrated that it is important to link breeding and wintering areas to better understand the factors influencing population dynamics and to effectively address conservation issues.

Cette thèse porte sur deux espèces de grands requins, le requin bouledogue Carcharhinus leucas et le requin tigre Galeocerdo cuvier. Les objectifs sont d'étudier la structure génétique de leurs populations, la taille efficace des populations identifiées et les modes de reproduction de ces deux espèces. Une différenciation génétique importante a été identifiée entre les populations de requin bouledogue de l'Ouest de l'océan Indien et de l'Ouest du Pacifique, reflétant soit une absence de flux de gènes contemporains, soit des flux de gènes uniquement assurés par les mâles. À l'inverse, les populations de requin tigre de ces deux régions sont homogènes génétiquement. Une plus faible diversité génétique a été identifiée chez le requin tigre que chez le requin bouledogue, peut-être liée à une diminution forte des effectifs datant de moins de 3 000 ans. Autour de La Réunion, les populations des requins bouledogue et tigre suivent des dynamiques différentes, liées à leurs modes de reproduction. Chez le requin bouledogue, les individus semblent fidèles à des zones côtières particulières (philopatrie) pour s'accoupler et/ou mettre bas, et les portées sont fréquemment issues de plusieurs pères (polyandrie). À l'inverse, les zones d'accouplement et de mise bas du requin tigre restent mal connues, et cette espèce semble exclusivement monoandre, caractéristiques liées à sa nature semi-océanique. Ces travaux montrent les capacités de dispersion importantes de ces deux espèces. Leurs populations présentent des dynamiques différentes induisant une vulnérabilité différente aux pressions anthropiques. / This PhD thesis focuses on two large shark species, the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas and the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier. The aims are to study the genetic structuring of their populations, the effective population size of the delimited populations and the reproductive modes of both species. A strong genetic differentiation was highlighted between bull shark populations from the Western Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, due to either an absence of contemporary gene flow or to an absence of female gene flow only. On the opposite, tiger shark populations seem genetically homogenous, with important genetic connectivity between both regions. Within each region, no genetic differentiation among localities was highlighted for both species. A weaker genetic diversity was identified for the tiger shark, probably linked to the occurrence of a recent bottleneck occurring less than 3,000 years ago. Around Reunion Island, bull and tiger shark populations present different dynamics, linked to their reproductive modes. Bull shark individuals from both sexes seem to exhibit some fidelity to specific coastal sites (philopatry) to mate and/or deliver embryos, and litters are frequently issued from several fathers (polyandry). On the opposite, mating and pupping areas of the tiger shark remain poorly known, and this species seems exclusively monoandrous, probably linked to its semi-oceanic nature.This work highlights the high dispersal abilities of both species. Their populations present different dynamics, leading to different sensitivities to anthropogenic pressures. These results point out the need to adopt management plans specific to each species

Le petit rhinolophe Rhinolophus hipposideros autrefois largement répandu dans le nord-ouest de l’Europe a connu une réduction drastique de ses effectifs au cours de la seconde moitié du XX ème siècle. La destruction et la fragmentation des habitats favorables à cette espèce font partie des principales causes de ce déclin. Une des hypothèses testées ici est que la connectivité de ces habitats influencerait la distribution spatiale des gîtes de maternité. Dans un premier temps nous avons estimé la connectivité fonctionnelle de l’habitat de l’espèce et modélisé la distribution des colonies de maternité en Franche-Comté. La méthode des graphes paysagers a été appliquée afin d’extraire plusieurs métriques représentant la connectivité fonctionnelle paysagère à différentes échelles spatiales. Ces métriques ont été retenues dans un modèle prédictif de la présence de gîte de maternité en fonction du contexte paysager, ce qui confirme l’hypothèse du rôle de la connectivité dans la distribution de l’espèce. Les résultats montrent qu’à l’échelle locale de la colonie, la présence de gîte dépend de la disponibilité en forêt à proximité de petites surfaces de bâti. À un niveau régional, la présence de gîte dépend de leur intégration à un réseau de connectivité à large échelle permettant les échanges d’individus entre gîtes. La deuxième hypothèse testée est que la réduction des flux de gènes entre colonies due à des variations de connectivité fonctionnelle entre gites pourrait conduire à la différentiation génétique des colonies distantes. Pour la tester, nous avons analysé à partir de l’échantillonnage de guano et à l’aide de huit microsatellites la différentiation et la structure génétique des colonies de maternité en relation avec la structure paysagère dans l’ensemble de la région. Malgré l’importante philo patrie des femelles, nos résultats révèlent une faible différentiation génétique entre les colonies cependant structurée. Cette structure génétique n’est ni expliquée par un isolement par la distance ni corrélée aux distances paysagères. Nous pouvons donc conclure que l’habitat du petit rhinolophe est bien connecté en Franche-Comté. Nos résultats suggèrent également que les échanges génétiques se produisent entre colonies proches possiblement via la dispersion des mâles. Ces flux de gènes interviendraient alors en automne juste avant que les mâles et femelles se rejoignent dans le gîte d’hivernage. / The lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros was formerly widespread and quite common in north-westernEurope, but has undergone a dramatic decline from the 1960s. Habitat reduction and fragmentation have beensuggested as main factors explaining the decline of this species. Following this assumption, we expected habitatconnectivity to influence the spatial distribution of the maternity roosts. We firstly estimated the functionalconnectivity of the bat’s habitat and modeled the distribution of its colonies in Franche-Comté region (France). Weapplied a landscape graph-based approach to extract several patch-level metrics representing the functionalconnectivity of the landscape at different spatial scales. Those metrics were integrated in a predictive model of thematernity roosts presence according to the landscape context which confirms the role of landscape connectivity in thespecies distribution. Results showed that, at the colony local scale, roost’s presence depends on the availability ofwooded elements near small built areas. At the regional scale, roost’s presence depends on their spatial integration intoa connected network allowing exchanges of individuals among them. The second assumption is that restricted geneflows among colonies due to variations of functional connectivity among maternity roosts may lead to geneticdifferentiation between distant colonies. Based on bat droppings sampling and using eight microsatellite loci, wetested this hypothesis by examining the genetic differentiation of maternity colony at regional scale according tolandscape structure. Despite strong female philopatry our results emphasized a weak but structured geneticdifferentiation within maternity colonies. This genetic structure was neither related to isolation by distance nor tolandscape measures. We could conclude that the Franche-Comté region presents a good overall connectivity for thelesser horseshoe bat. Our results also suggest that genetic exchanges occurred between geographically closed colonies,probably due to male dispersal events. Inter-colony gene flows might occur during mating in the fall, just before malesand females gathering in winter roosts.

No description available.

Black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) is a bird species with a lek mating system found in the Palearctic boreal taiga. It is assumed that it has a continuous distribution along Scandinavia and Siberia, whereas in Central Europe it has declined during the last decades. The primary objective of this thesis was to obtain a deeper understanding of the history, systematic classification and the genetic structure of black grouse on different geographical scales using microsatellites and control region mtDNA sequences (CR). I determined how much the mating system, habitat fragmentation and historical population processes have influenced the partitioning of genetic diversity in this species. Phylogeographical results are consistent with a demographic population expansion, and the patterns of postglacial dispersal suggest that a glacial refugium was located somewhere in central Asia, and from there black grouse spread out to Europe following the retreat of glacial ice sheets. I suggest that the two European black grouse subspecies, T. t. Tetrix and T. t. britannicus correspond to only one subspecies: T. t. tetrix, and that this lineage has diverged from T.t. viridanus, a subspecies found in Kazakhstan. The British population is significantly divergent from the remaining Eurasian samples for microsatellites but it is not for mtDNA. Therefore, they should regard as a separate Management Unit and not as a subspecies. Furthermore, British black grouse occur in three independent genetic units, corresponding to Wales, northern England/southern Scotland and northern Scotland. There was also genetic structure within Sweden. Habitat fragmentation is the main cause of population genetic structure in southern Swedish black grouse. In contrast, low levels of genetic differentiation and high connectivity were found in northern Sweden due to female-biased dispersal. On a finer geographical scale, I found genetic differences between leks due to a mixture of related and unrelated individuals within leks. However, mean relatedness values hardly differed from zero. Some leks were similar to one another and I interpret this as a result of variation in local reproductive success and philopatry. These factors would cause genetic structuring but this by itself would not reveal that kin selection is operating within black grouse leks.

No description available.

Studies of mating systems and social organisation have been central to understanding of the evolution of social behaviour. The European badger Meles meles is a good species in which to study these processes, as its complex social system provides an opportunity to investigate how both natural and kin selection shape the evolution of mating systems and social structure. In this thesis, I use behavioural and genetic data to describe the mating system and social organisation of a high-density badger population and examine the occurrence of cooperative breeding. I genotyped 915 (85%) badgers trapped in Wytham Woods (1987–2005), 630 of which were cubs, and assigned both parents to 331 cubs with 95% confidence. This revealed a polygynandrous mating system, with up to five mothers and five fathers per social group. Mounting behaviour was also polygynandrous and I show the strongest evidence to date for multiple-paternity litters. I demonstrate, for the first time, that groups consisted of close and distant kin: approximately one third of group members were first-order kin, and overall group members had slightly lower relatedness levels than half-siblings. Within groups, adult and yearling females had higher pairwise relatedness than males, and neighbouring groups contained relatives. These findings result from the high level (42%) of extra-group paternities, 86% of which were assigned to neighbouring males. For the first time I show that females avoided inbreeding by mating with extra-group males; however, incestuous matings did occur. Promiscuous and repeated mountings were observed, which may reduce male–male aggression and infanticide, but may also promote sperm competition, genetic diversity, and / or genetic compatibility. Just under a third of adult males and females were assigned parentage each year and I quantify, for the first time, reproductive skew within badger groups. Correlations between relatedness, group productivity, and reproductive skew were not consistent with the predictions of incomplete-control models; rather, resource availability may play a role. Older and younger badgers displayed reduced annual breeding success, with male success increasing initially with experience. The Restraint, Constraint, and Selection Hypotheses did not explain the age-related breeding pattern in females. Variance in lifetime breeding success (LBS) was greater for males. Males that only bred within or only outside of their groups had half the LBS of males that did both. Females that were assigned maternity probably bred cooperatively and allonursed non-offspring, which has not been demonstrated previously. No benefit was established, however, in terms of litter size, probability of offspring breeding, or offspring lifetime breeding success, with more mothers in a group. In conclusion, badger social groups are fostered through kinship ties. Polygynandry and repeated mounting may have evolved originally to reduce male–male aggression and infanticide by males, through paternity masking. Although plural breeding occurs, group living appears to be costly. Motivation to disperse may be reduced through high-levels of extra-group paternities, which may also reduce inbreeding. Cooperative breeding among mothers may represent a low-cost behaviour with indirect benefits due to high levels of relatedness between female group-members. Badger sociality therefore represents an early stage in the evolution of social behaviour.