Agricultural intensification reliant on monocrops could change soil health in a way that does not support maximum crop productivity. Twenty-nine-year-old no-till field plots at the University of Kentucky Spindletop research farm showed a significant reduction in corn yields from continuous corn plots compared to those from plots in various types of rotation. The objective of this study was to determine what role soil microbes might play in yield reduction and how management and time effects microbial community structure. Samples were collected from the following treatments: continuous corn (CC), continuous soybean (SS), a 2-year corn/soybean rotation (CCSS), Corn in rotation with soybean with winter wheat cover (C/W/S), and sod controls (SOD). Soil health-related parameters were determined along with microbial community structure using phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA). Results show that there is a strong seasonal dynamic in microbial communities with May, July and September showing the greatest differentiation between treatments. Nonparametric multidimensional analysis (NMDS) shows that microbial communities under SS, CC treatments were significantly different from the CS and CWS treatments across all four years of the study. My findings will prove useful for assessing the contribution of biological indicators to agroecosystem function and will aid in making recommendations of when and how to manage these parameters to improve soil health and maximize yield.

Understanding complex Earth systems is challenging for scientists and students alike, because of the characteristics (e.g. bifurcations, self-organization, chaotic response) that are associated with these systems. This research integrates two research strands which contribute to the scientific and pedagogical understanding of complex Earth systems. In the first strand, a method that characterizes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as ecological proxies of soil microbial ecosystems was validated. Unlike other measures of microbial community structure (e.g. Biolog and FAME), VOCs are advantageous because they are non-destructive and can provide temporal and spatial data. Additionally they are rich sources of information that describe the microbial metabolism, community structure, and organic carbon substrates utilized by soil microorganisms. Statistical results indicate that the detected and identified VOCs were significant (p < 0.05) indicators of microbial community composition shift in soil microcosm studies. Geographical information systems (GIS) illustrates that VOCs varied with space and time in south Texas soils. The second strand focuses on a geoscience education study exploring student conceptual model development of complex Earth systems. The efficacy of multiple representations and inquiry was tested as the pedagogical strategy in upper and lower level undergraduate courses to support students’ conceptual model development of complex Earth systems. Comparisons in student performance were based on prior knowledge (low and high) and on exposure to the implemented pedagogy (control and experimental groups). Results indicate that an inquiry-based learning model coupled with the use of multiple representations had significant positive performance impacts on students’ conceptual model development and content knowledge. This dissertation model integrates science and education research and is particularly useful for graduate students who intend to pursue a career in academia and envision teaching as part of their professional duties. It allows for synergy between teaching and research to be achieved where the classroom becomes a laboratory for research. Ultimately, the research conducted in the classroom informs pedagogy and enhances scholarship. Graduates learn to bridge the gap between education and science departments where they become leaders in science who conduct cutting-edge scientific research and also value making a broader impact on society through enhancing public education.

Achieving optimization of IMTA sites and modeling the efficiency of such a system requires knowledge of the spatiotemporal distribution and variability of TPM surrounding the finfish farms. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of finfish farms on the surrounding particle field. Platforms equipped with transmissometers, fluorometers and CTD’s were towed around the sites while undulating through the water column in a high-resolution 3D spatial survey approach. In addition, combination turbidity and chlorophyll a sensors were moored at a variety of locations and depths. Surveys were conducted concurrently with the deployment of current meters. Farms surveyed were found to have little impact on the surrounding suspended particle field (mean effect < 1 mg L-1). Results provided evidence of minimal enhancement from fish farm wastes, primarily in surficial waters (0.5- 2 m depth) immediately adjacent to the cages, and evidence of predominantly tidal driven (M2) TPM dynamics.

Many agricultural landscapes in India are irrigated with wastewater, and it is a common livelihood practice particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. Farmers around urban agglomerations continuously depend on the wastewater released from nearby urban centres. While providing opportunities with respect to water and nutrient supply, irrigating with wastewater has adverse environmental impacts, particularly on the local aquifer systems. Therefore, addressing the wastewater irrigation influence on local aquifer systems is crucial for sustainable groundwater management. The present research demonstrates the impacts of wastewater irrigation, seasonality and spatio-temporal variations in the groundwater quality and its geochemical evolution and mixing processes in different land use and crop settings. The doctoral research aims at understanding the aquifer heterogeneity, land use conditions, groundwater dynamics and contaminant fate and transport in the long-term wastewater irrigation system to develop sustainable and suitable groundwater management strategies. The selected study watershed is located on the banks of Musi River in a peri-urban catchment of the Musi River basin in India. Statistical techniques, land use change modelling and solute flow and transport modelling tools are employed to identify and quantify the linkages between contaminants, agricultural use and environmental variables, particularly those characterizing the groundwater qualities. The research results suggest that concentrations of the major ionic substances increase after the monsoon season, especially in wastewater irrigated areas and the major polluted groundwaters to come from the wastewater irrigated parts of the watershed. Clusters of chemical variables identified indicate that groundwater pollution is highly impacted by mineral interactions and long-term wastewater irrigation. The groundwater geochemistry of the watershed is largely controlled by long-term wastewater irrigation, local rainfall patterns and water-rock interactions. The detected land use changes in the watershed indicate that, as a consequence of urban pressures, agricultural landscapes are being converted into built-up areas and, at the same time, former barren land is converted to agricultural plots. The mapped land use data are used in modelling the aquifer conditions and to observe the groundwater dynamics in the peri-urban environment. The study results provide the basis for sustainable agriculture and groundwater development using the efficient scenarios identified for wastewater irrigation management. The resulting strategies for integrated management of water and waste will contribute to the water security and achieve the respective Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2, 3, 6, 11 and 15).

La capacité à exprimer autre chose sur le visage que l’expression faciale associée à l’émotion qui est ressentie n’est apparue que relativement tard dans la grande histoire de l’être humain. Alors que cette concordance était directe à l’aube de l’évolution humaine, elle aurait par la suite évolué en raison des bénéfices sociaux qu’elle procure à celui qui émet l’expression faciale. Encore aujourd’hui, la littérature nous donne un portrait nuancé sur le lien qui existe entre l’émotion ressentie et son expression faciale. D’un côté, plusieurs études nous indiquent qu’il existe une concordance entre ces deux processus (Gosselin, Kirouac, & Dore, 1995; Rosenberg & Ekman, 1994; Ruch, 1995) alors que de l’autre nous savons aussi que l’expression faciale peut très bien être contrôlée et trompeuse (O’Sullivan et al., 1988, Ekman, 1993; 2003). Il existe différents indices qui nous permettent de distinguer entre une expression faciale authentique et une expression faciale fausse. Parmi ceux-ci figurent les unités d’action faciale qui sont activées sur le visage lors de l’expression faciale, leur symétrie et leur dynamique temporelle, toutes mesurées à l'aide du Facial Action Coding System (Ekman & Friesen, 1978; Ekman, Friesen & Hager, 2002). L’objectif principal de cette thèse sera d’évaluer la sensibilité de l’être humain à la dynamique temporelle du sourire, ainsi que son effet sur le jugement d’authenticité. Les résultats des études 1 à 3 indiquent que les participants sont bien sensibles à la dynamique temporelle, et qu’ils l’utilisent pour juger correctement l’authenticité du sourire, du moins lorsque la durée des phases de relâchement, ou les phases d’amorce et de relâchement simultanément varie. Nos participants ne semblent pas utiliser la dynamique temporelle pour juger de l’authenticité du sourire même s’ils sont en mesure de bien juger les différences temporelles dans la phase d’amorce. L’étude 4 a été réalisée afin de valider la méthode de fabrication des stimuli utilisée dans les études précédente, et confirme que celle-ci n’a pas eu d’effet sur les résultats. Enfin, l’étude 5 a été réalisée dans le but d’examiner davantage le lien unissant la dynamique temporelle au jugement d’authenticité grâce à deux tâches de jugement; La première voulant examiner le jugement de la durée de sourires, alors que la seconde examine le jugement de l’authenticité. Plutôt que d’utiliser une échelle de type Likert telle que dans les études 1 et 4, nous avons opté pour une méthode d’estimation de la magnitude, dans le but d’examiner les habiletés de manière intra individuelles de nos participants. Celle-ci montre qu’au niveau individuel, les participants qui arrivent à mieux juger les changements dans la durée des phases du sourire n’arrivent pas nécessairement à mieux juger l’authenticité du sourire. Dans leur ensemble, nos résultats contribuent à la compréhension que nous avons du lien unissant la dynamique temporelle et le jugement de l’authenticité du sourire, et permettent de solidifier la fondation empirique sur lequel pourront construire les études futures du domaine.

Estudos sobre a dinâmica de comunidades florestais que avaliam a interação de fatores bióticos e abióticos num determinado intervalo de tempo, expresso pelas diferenças nos valores de mortalidade, recrutamento e crescimento dos indivíduos amostrados, podem fornecer informações sobre a estrutura, mudanças temporais e espaciais, além de fornecer informações sobre a capacidade de regeneração e a ocorrência de perturbações em determinado local. No entanto, pouco se conhece sobre a dinâmica das comunidades Florestais Paludosas, apesar da crescente preocupação na preservação dessas formações ciliares para garantir a manutenção dos recursos hídricos. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo re-amostrar uma comunidade Florestal Paludosa de maneira a descrever a dinâmica temporal, de curto prazo, que pode estar afetando a composição e estrutura local. De forma complementar, estudos sobre o crescimento de plântulas, sobre a fenologia e germinação das principais espécies dessa comunidade foram realizados de maneira a contribuir para que se chegue a um primeiro modelo de dinâmica para esse tipo de floresta. A Floresta Paludosa estudada está localizada na região centro-oeste do estado de São Paulo, próximo das coordenadas 22º 20S e 49º 01W e possui 2,3 ha. Está encravada entre áreas de Floresta Estacional Semidecídua, Campo úmido e Cerradão, no município de Bauru/SP. Os resultados indicam que a estrutura e composição da floresta estudada pouco se alteraram ao longo dos cinco anos e que a dinâmica desta floresta é lenta quando comparada com outras formações vegetais. A relação da ocorrência de espécies e variáveis ambientais foi pequena indicando que as espécies estudadas que ocorrem nestas florestas estão adaptadas as condições abióticas mesmo com algumas variações. O pico de dispersão das principais espécies dessa floresta foi na estação seca e o pico de germinação foi nos primeiros dois meses após serem semeadas, independente da umidade a que estavam submetidas. A rápida germinação e o estabelecimento das plântulas antes dos meses mais chuvosos aumentam as chances de sobrevivência dessas espécies, pois a maior mortalidade entre indivíduos adultos e jovens acontece na época chuvosa. As espécies típicas de formações permanentemente encharcadas Calophyllum brasiliense, Magnolia ovata, Protium spruceanum, Dendropanax cuneatus e Xylopia emarginata, são espécies responsáveis pela formação do dossel, pela manutenção da fisionomia florestal e pela manutenção da fauna dispersora de algumas Florestas Paludosas. Essas já são características suficientes para classificá-las como estruturadores. Podemos acrescentar a esse grupo as espécies Ardisia ambigua e Geonoma brevispatha que apesar de não estarem incluídas em todas as análises realizadas aqui por serem de sub-bosque e uma palmeira com crescimento muito diferente das demais espécies, são comuns a esta formação. Já as espécies Cedrela odorata, Rapanea gardneriana, Styrax pohlii e Tapirira guianensis foram consideradas espécies complementares. Os dois grupos de espécies devem estar presentes em projetos de restauração dessas florestas. As espécies estruturadoras aparentemente tem maior potencial de reconstrução e manutenção do dossel e conseqüentemente do habitat florestal à longo prazo, dando assim condições ao estabelecimento de outras espécies e formas de vida característicos da Floresta Paludosa. / Studies about forest communities dynamics that evaluate the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors during a specific period, expressed by the differences in mortality, recruitment and growth rates of sampled individuals, may provide information about community structure, spatial and temporal changes, in addition to information about forest regeneration capacity and the occurrence of disturbance. Despite the increasing concern about the preservation of these forest formations, in order to ensure the maintenance of water resources, the dynamic of Swampy Forests communities are not well understood. This research aimed to re-sample a swampy forest community, in order to describe its short-term dynamic, which may be affecting local structure and composition. We also carried out a study of seedling growth, phenology and germination of the main species of the community, in attempt to propose a pioneer dynamic model to this type of forest formation. The studied area is located on mid-west region of São Paulo state (22º 20S e 49º 01W), and it has 2.3 ha. The remnant is surrounded by Tropical Semideciduous Forest, wet grasslands and Cerradão, in Bauru city, São Paulo. The results indicate that forest structure and composition have not suffered much alteration along five years of observations, and also that this forest dynamics can be considered slow, when compared to other forest formations. There is a weak relationship between species occurrence and environmental variables, what indicates that the species occurring in the area are adapted to abiotic conditions, even though there are variations. The highest dispersion rate of the main species occurred during the dry season, and the highest germination rate occurred during the first two months after seeding, despite the humidity the seedlings were submitted to. Seedlings fast germination and establishment before the rainy months increased their chances of surviving, because higher mortality rates among young and adult individuals occur during rainy season. Calophyllum brasiliense, Magnolia ovata, Protium spruceanum, Dendropanax cuneatus and Xylopia emarginata, which are typical species of permanently wet forest formations, are responsible for canopy structuring, forest physiognomy maintenance, and maintenance of dispersal fauna of other swampy forest remnants. These characteristics are enough to classify them as framework species. Ardisia ambigua and Geonoma brevispatha can also be included in this classification, although their different growth rates in relation to the other species studied here, because they are understorey specie and a palm, respectively. For this reason, these species were not included in all the analysis we realized. Cedrela odorata, Rapanea gardneriana, Styrax pohlii and Tapirira guianensis were considered complementary species. The two groups of species should be present in these forest restoration projects. Framework species apparently has greater potential for reconstruction and maintenance of forest canopy, and therefore the long term persistence of forest habitats, what will provide conditions for the establishment of other species and life forms characteristic of swamp forests.

Nas últimas décadas, testemunhou-se um crescente interesse no estudo de sistemas complexos. Tais sistemas são compostos por pelo menos dois componentes fundamentais: elementos dinâmicos individuais e uma estrutura de organização definindo a forma de interação entre estes. Devido a dinâmica de cada elemento e a complexidade de acoplamento, uma grande variedade de fenômenos espaço-temporais podem ser observados. Esta tese tem como objetivo principal explorar o uso da dinâmica espaço-temporal em redes visando a solução de alguns problemas computacionais. Com relação aos mecanismos dinâmicos, a sincronização entre osciladores acoplados, a caminhada aleatória-determinística e a competição entre elementos na rede foram considerados. Referente à parte estrutural da rede, tanto estruturas regulares baseadas em reticulados quanto redes com estruturas mais gerais, denominadas redes complexas, foram abordadas. Este estudo é concretizado com o desenvolvimento de modelos aplicados a dois domínios específicos. O primeiro refere-se à utilização de redes de osciladores acoplados para construção de modelos de atenção visual. Dentre as principais características desses modelos estão: a seleção baseada em objetos, a utilização da sincronização/ dessincronização entre osciladores neurais como forma de organização perceptual, a competição entre objetos para aquisição da atenção. Além disso, ao comparar com outros modelos de seleção de objetos baseados em redes osciladores, um número maior de atributos visuais é utilizado para definir a saliência dos objetos. O segundo domínio está relacionado ao desenvolvimento de modelos para detecção de comunidades em redes complexas. Os dois modelos desenvolvidos, um baseado em competição de partículas e outro baseado em sincronização de osciladores, apresentam alta precisão de detecção e ao mesmo tempo uma baixa complexidade computacional. Além disso, o modelo baseado em competição de partículas não só oferece uma nova técnica de detecção de comunidades, mas também apresenta uma abordagem alternativa para realização de aprendizado competitivo. Os estudos realizados nesta tese mostram que a abordagem unificada de dinâmica e estrutura é uma ferramenta promissora para resolver diversos problemas computacionais / In the last decades, an increasing interest in complex system study has been witnessed. Such systems have at least two integrated fundamental components: individual dynamical elements and an organizational structure which defines the form of interaction among those elements. Due to the dynamics of each element and the coupling complexity, various spatial-temporal phenomena can be observed. The main objective of this thesis is to explore spatial-temporal dynamics in networks for solving some computational problems. Regarding the dynamical mechanisms, the synchronization among coupled oscillators, deterministic-random walk and competition between dynamical elements are taken into consideration. Referring to the organizational structure, both regular network based on lattice and more general network, called complex networks, are studied. The study of coupled dynamical elements is concretized by developing computational models applied to two specific domains. The first refers to the using of coupled neural oscillators for visual attention. The main features of the developed models in this thesis are: object-based visual selection, realization of visual perceptual organization by using synchronization / desynchronization among neural oscillators, competition among objects to achieve attention. Moreover, in comparison to other object-based selection models, more visual attributes are employed to define salience of objects. The second domain is related to the development of computational models applied to community detection in complex networks. Two developed models, one based on particle competition and another based on synchronization of Integrate-Fire oscillators, present high detection rate and at the same time low computational complexity. Moreover, the model based on particle competition not only offers a new community detection technique, but also presents an alternative way to realize artificial competitive learning. The study realized in this thesis shows that the unified scheme of dynamics and structure is a powerful tool to solve various computational problems

A l’image du bassin du Congo, la République Démocratique du Congo (République Démocratique du Congo) fait face à une réduction de la qualité et de la superficie de son couvert forestier. La présente étude avait pour objectif d’étudier l’effet de l’anthropisation, à travers la présence et les activités humaines sur la dynamique des paysages forestiers en République Démocratique du Congo. L’écologie du paysage, en tant que science pluridisciplinaire offre une très bonne approche à travers les indices et une méthodologie alliant la structure et la composition du paysage pour mettre en évidence les causes et les conséquences des processus écologiques. Ces approches sont basées sur le fait que en analysant la structure du paysage, des déductions utiles au sujet des processus écologiques fondamentaux peuvent être faites et vice versa. Les résultats ont montré, en quantifiant la dynamique spatio-temporelle de l’occupation du sol et par l’analyse et la caractérisation de la structure spatiale, que l’anthropisation est le moteur de la dynamique dans ces milieux forestiers. L’impact humain se traduit par une déstabilisation ou un dysfonctionnement des écosystèmes forestiers entraînant la dégradation, la fragmentation et la déforestation. Ainsi il a été montré que la proximité des villes est fortement corrélée à la dégradation et la perte d’habitats forestiers. Cela est fonction de l’importance socio-économique de ces villes car plus la ville est importante, plus elle attire la population ; que la densité de la population influence la fragmentation et l’incursion dans la forêt se fait en suivant les pistes et les routes mises en place généralement par les sociétés d’exploitation forestière. Le tout amplifié par la situation socio-économique difficile des populations et le manque de politiques de gestion appropriées de la part des gestionnaires publiques. Cette dynamique régressive du paysage forestier en République Démocratique du Congo aura une incidence négative sur les cycles climatiques globaux vu que le bassin du Congo est le plus grand bloc forestier après le bloc de l’Amazonie. La présente étude est donc un argument supplémentaire qui milite en faveur de la nécessité de prendre en compte les caractéristiques des populations locales dans les programmes de gestion de la forêt du bassin du Congo pour un meilleur équilibre écologique de la planète. / Like Congo basin, Democratic Republic of Congo’s forest covers are facing their reduction in quality and size. This study aimed to investigate the effect of human impact on forest landscape dynamics in DR Congo, through the human presence and its activities. Landscape ecology as a multidisciplinary science offers a very good approach through the index and a methodology combining the structure and the composition of the landscape to highlight the causes and the consequences of ecological processes. These approaches are based on the fact that by analyzing the structure of landscape, useful deductions about the underlying ecological processes can be made and vice versa. By quantifying the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use and by analysis and characterization of spatial structure, our results showed that anthropization is the driver of the dynamics in these forest environments. Human impact results in a destabilization or a dysfunction of the forest ecosystems involving degradation, fragmentation and deforestation. Thus it was shown that proximity to cities is strongly correlated to the degradation and loss of forest habitats. This depends on the socioeconomic importance of these cities because more the city is important, more it attracts people. Population density influences the fragmentation and the incursion into the forest is done by following the tracks and roads generally implemented by the logging companies. All amplified by socio-economic problems of population and lack of appropriate management policies on the part of public managers.This regressive dynamic forest landscape in République Démocratique du Congo will have a negative impact on global climate cycles because the Congo Basin is the largest forest block after Amazonia block. This study is another argument which advocates the need to take into account the characteristics of local population in forest management programs in the Congo Basin for a better ecological balance of planet.

L’évolution des mises en liens en réponse aux changements globaux et à la globalisation contemporaine précipite le risque d’émergence infectieuse. Dans cette recherche, nous dressons une géographie des vulnérabilités territoriales face à l’émergence des risques zoonotiques. Notre cas d’étude est celui des dynamiques d’invasion d’un hôte commensal, le rat noir (Rattus rattus), dans les marges orientales du Sénégal, périphérie rurale ouest-africaine en mutation. Nous défendons l’idée que les sociétés façonnent des systèmes territoriaux inégalement vulnérables à la diffusion spatiale de l’hôte.Nous montrons que les espaces du Sénégal Oriental et leurs mises en liens se transforment sous l’action des multiples acteurs territoriaux. Les dynamiques d’invasion du rat noir reflètent ces évolutions. Pourtant, les facteurs spatiaux de diffusion des lieux, des foyers, et des chemins d’invasion sont inopérants pour expliquer les dynamiques spatio-temporelles de l’hôte. En outre, la distribution spatiale du rongeur apparaît en contradiction avec les modèles classiques de diffusion fondés sur la hiérarchie ou la distance spatiale des lieux. La diffusion de l’hôte s’inscrit dans des systèmes complexes et multiscalaires tissés dans la rencontre des espaces, des lieux, et des liens construits par les sociétés. Nous proposons une grille de lecture où les formes de la diffusion dans l’espace et le temps répondent des degrés de stabilité et d’instabilité de ces systèmes socio-spatiaux, façonnant ainsi des territoires inégalement vulnérables au risque d’émergence infectieuse. / The evolution of spatial relationships in the contemporary context of global changes and globalization promote disease emergence. In this study, we draw a geography of territorial vulnerabilities to the emergence of zoonotic risks. In southeastern Senegal, a changing rural periphery of West Africa, we address the issue of the spread of an invasive species and host of pathogens, the black rat (Rattus rattus). We argue that societies produce territorial systems that are unequally vulnerable to the spatial diffusion of the host.We evidence that the spaces of Southeastern Senegal and the spatial relationships among them are transformed under the action of multiple social actors. The spread of the black rat reflects these changes. Yet, the spatial characteristics of the invaded places (such as connectivity or centrality) as well as the spatial relationships among them are insufficient in understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of the rodent invasion. Moreover, the spatial distribution of the black rat contradicts conventional models of hierarchical or contagious diffusion. The spatial diffusion of the host responds to spaces, places, and spatial links intimately woven by societies into complex and multiscale systems. We propose to understand the many forms of spatial diffusion as the response to the stability or instability of these socio-spatial systems, which then form territories unevenly vulnerable to the risk of disease emergence.

Les sources hydrothermales sont localisées le long des dorsales médio-océaniques et des bassins arrière-arcs. Elles abritent une faune spécialisée dont le développement repose sur la chimiosynthèse microbienne, possible grâce aux éléments réduits présents dans le fluide hydrothermal. Alors que les liens entre les assemblages fauniques et les habitats ont relativement bien été décrits autour du globe, notre connaissance de la dynamique temporelle de ces écosystèmes demeure encore limitée, et particulièrement sur ces échelles de temps cohérentes avec la biologie des organismes (de quelques minutes à plusieurs années). Sur l’exemple des communautés hydrothermales inféodées à la dorsale Juan de Fuca, située dans le nord-est de l'océan Pacifique, ce mémoire vise à comprendre le fonctionnement et la dynamique temporelle des communautés de macrofaunes hydrothermales associées aux assemblages de vers Siboglinidae Ridgeia piscesae à travers le couplage de l'échantillonnage et d'une approche observatoire fond de mer. Cette étude a d’abord permis la description quantitative (composition, diversité et biomasse) de six assemblages de siboglinidés sur l’édifice hydrothermal Grotto (champ Main Endeavour, dorsale Juan de Fuca) et d’évaluer la structure trophique de ces communautés à l’aide des isotopes stables. Les résultats obtenus ont permis d’identifier 36 taxons, caractérisés par une importante diversité de polychètes et une forte densité de gastéropodes. Les assemblages de R. piscesae les plus développés présentaient des diversités plus importantes et des réseaux trophiques plus complexes. La coexistence des espèces au sein des structures biogéniques formées par R. piscesae s’expliquerait par un fort partitionnement des niches écologiques et des ressources nutritionnelles. L'analyse des images vidéo recueillies par le module écologique d’observationTEMPO-mini, déployé sur l’édifice Grotto au sein de l’observatoire câblé Ocean Networks Canada, a permis d’étudier la dynamique temporelle de ces espèces en suivant les variations de l'abondance de la macrofaune hydrothermale quotidiennement pendant une année, et toutes les 4 heures pendant un mois d’été et deux mois d’hiver. Les résultats ont permis de mettre en évidence une influence significative du cycle semi-diurne de la marée et des tempêtes de surface hivernale sur la distribution de deux espèces mobiles et non-symbiotiques (pycnogonides Sericosura sp. et polychètes Polynoidae). La dynamique locale des courants océaniques semble affecter périodiquement le mélange entre les émissions de fluides hydrothermaux et l'eau de mer environnante, modifiant les conditions environnementales au sein de l’habitat.Cette étude suggère que les espèces hydrothermales répondent à ces modifications de l'habitat en ajustant leur comportement. Finalement, dans un contexte où l’observation et l’imagerie prennent une place importante dans l’étude des écosystèmes profonds, cette thèse a permis d'optimiser les techniques d'imagerie vidéo dans l'extraction des données écologiques et dans la recherche des cycles naturels. Dans l’ensemble, ces résultats apportent des informations nouvelles et précieuses dans notre compréhension du fonctionnement et de la dynamique des communautés hydrothermales profondes et ouvre de nouvelles voies de recherches pour l'écologie des écosystèmes marins profonds en général. / Hydrothermal vents are distributed along mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basins. These ecosystems harbour a specialized fauna supported by a local chemosynthetic microbial production, made possible through the oxidation of reduced elements present in the hydrothermal fluid. While the relationships between faunal assemblages and habitats have been relatively well described around the globe, our knowledge on the temporal dynamics of these environments is still limited, particularly at time scale relevant to organisms (from few minutes to several years). Based on hydrothermal vent communities occurring on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, located in the northeast Pacific Ocean, this thesis aims at understanding the functioning and temporal dynamics of macrofaunal communities associated with the Siboglinidae Ridgeia piscesae tubeworm assemblages through the coupling of sampling and seafloor observatory approach. This study first allowed the quantitative description (composition, diversity and biomass) of six siboglinid species assemblages on the Grotto hydrothermal edifice (Main Endeavour, Juan de Fuca Ridge) and the assessment of the trophic structure of these communities using stable isotopes. The results enabled the identification of 36 taxa. An elevated polychaete diversities and high densities of gastropods characterized all assemblages. The most developed R. piscesae assemblages exhibited greater diversity and more complex food webs. The species coexistence within the biogenic structures created by R. piscesae could be explained by a strong partitioning of ecological niches and nutritional resources. The analysis of video images gathered by the ecological observatory module TEMPO-mini, deployed on the Grotto edifice on the cabled observatory OceanNetworks Canada, provided information on the temporal dynamics of the assemblage. The abundance variations of four macrofaunal species were tracked at a daily frequency during one year and every 4 hours during one summer and two winter months. Our results highlighted a significant influence of the semi-diurnal tidal cycle and winter surface storms on the distribution of two mobile and non-symbiotic taxa (Sericosura sp. pycnogonids and Polynoidae polychaetes). The local ocean dynamics seemed to periodically affect the mixing between hydrothermal fluid inputs and surrounding seawater, therefore modifying environmental conditions in vent habitats. This study suggests that hydrothermal species respond to these habitat modifications by adjusting their behaviour. Finally, considering the increased importance of observational and imagery approaches in the study of deep-sea ecosystems, this thesis proposes a guideline and methodology in order to optimise video imagery methods both for the extraction of ecological data and the search of natural cycles. Overall, these results bring novel and valuable information to help understand the functioning and dynamics of deep-sea hydrothermal communities and opens new research avenues for deep-sea ecology in general.