Les sédiments fins qui s’accumulent naturellement en amont des ouvrages hydroélectriques sont parfois amenées à être gérés à terre, pour des raisons techniques ou environnementales. L’une des voies de valorisation envisagée pour les gérer est la construction de sols fertiles pour l’aménagement d’espaces végétalisés ou encore pour la réhabilitation de zones dégradées. Cet usage des sédiments en tant que matériaux alternatifs pour construire des sols contribue à préserver la ressource en terre végétale et nécessite de prouver la valeur agronomique et l’innocuité environnementale des sédiments. Une approche expérimentale (essai sous serre de 3 mois et essai in situ en bacs lysimétriques de 24 mois) a permis d’évaluer les composantes physiques, chimiques et biologiques de la fertilité de sols construits à partir de 6 sédiments, seuls ou mélangés avec 40 % (v:v) de compost de déchets verts.Les résultats de l’étude ont mis en évidence que la capacité d’agrégation des sédiments est un facteur clé de leur fertilité. Le suivi du développement de la couverture végétale des sols construits a démontré la capacité de tous les sédiments étudiés à être support de végétation. Les sédiments riches en matière organique (MO) (>30 g kg-1) sont adaptés aux végétaux des espaces végétalisés ayant potentiellement des exigences hydriques et trophiques élevées. Les sédiments pauvres en MO (<30 g kg-1), semblent davantage adaptés à une utilisation pour des opérations de restauration où les exigences des végétaux sont généralement moindres. Ce travail aboutit à la proposition de critères environneme / Fine sediments naturally accumulate upstream of hydropower facilities. For technical or environmental reasons, they occasionally have to be dredged and land managed. Using dredged sediment to construct fertile soils and set up green spaces or rehabilitate degraded land is one the ways dredged sediment can be valorized. This use of sediment as an alternative soil-building material helps preserve the topsoil resource, but its agronomical value and environmental safety first has to be demonstrated. We used an experimental approach (a 3-month greenhouse trial and a 24-month in situ lysimeter test) to assess the physical, chemical, and biological parameters of soil fertility from 6 sediments that were either pure or mixed with 40 % (v:v) of green waste compost.The results showed that sediment aggregation capacity is a key factor of their fertility. The monitoring of vegetation cover development on the constructed soil demonstrated that all six sediments could support vegetation. High organic matter (OM) content sediments (> 30 g kg-1) are suitable to grow plants with potentially high water and nutrient requirements. Low OM content sediments (< 30 g kg-1) appear to be more suitable for use in restoration operations where plant requirements are generally lower. This work leads to the proposal of environmental and agronomical criteria for directing sediments towards soil construction and propose adapted uses.

A major argument for incorporating deciduous tree species in coniferous forest stands is their role in the amelioration and stabilisation of biogeochemical cycles. Current forest management strategies in central Europe aim to increase the area of mixed stands. In order to formulate statements about the ecological effects of mixtures, studies at the stand level are necessary. In a mixed stand of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) in the Ore Mountains (Saxony, Germany), the effects of these two tree species on chemical and microbial parameters in the topsoil were studied at one site in the form of a case study. Samples were taken from the O layer and A horizon in areas of the stand influenced by either birch, spruce or a mixture of birch and spruce. The microbial biomass, basal respiration, metabolic quotient, pH-value and the C and N contents and stocks were analysed in the horizons Of, Oh and A. Significantly higher contents of microbial N were observed in the Of and Oh horizons in the birch and in the spruce-birch strata than in the stratum containing only spruce. The same was found with respect to pH-values in the Of horizon and basal respiration in the Oh horizon. Compared to the spruce stratum, in the birch and spruce-birch strata, significantly lower values were found for the contents of organic C and total N in the A horizon. The findings of the case study indicated that single birch trees have significant effects on the chemical and microbial topsoil properties in spruce-dominated stands. Therefore, the admixture of birch in spruce stands may distinctly affect nutrient cycling and may also be relevant for soil carbon sequestration. Further studies of these functional aspects are recommended.

A four year experimental study of initial stages of succession on different substrata (sand, peat and gray clay overburden from brown coal mining) was carried out. The substrata were transplanted into two different landscape types in the Czech Republic. Control plots were filled with autochthonous topsoil treated with high temperature vapor. Plots with un-treated autochthonous topsoil were also established. Plant species cover and several soil-biological parameters (soil microbial biomass, basal soil respiration, exchangeable pH(KCl), organic-C extractable by potassium sulfate solution, and nitrate-N content) were measured once a year. Obtained data were mainly processed by unimodal (plant cover data) and liner (soil-biological data) ordination methods. Biological species traits (life span, seed dispersal vector, seed bank type, ecological strategy type following Grime, life form following Raunkiaer) were used to characterize early stages of plant succession. Vegetation and measured soil-biological parameters, except pH(KCl), were significantly changing during four growing seasons. Variance partitioning analysis based on plant species cover data indicated the landscape type to be the main governing factor and physico-chemical characteristics of substrate to be less important during the studied initial stages of succession. The same analysis based on soil-biological parameters showed the reverse result. Great variability of plant species ecological traits was noticed during four growing seasons. The earliest plant colonizers were mainly ruderal, anemochorous terophytes with persistent seed bank. The number of species with C-strategy type increased during the study. The relationship between the average plant species cover and measured soil-biological parameters was also examined during the experimental study of early succession. Direct and indirect ordination revealed the average sum of plant species cover to be weakly positively correlated with soil microbial biomass, basal soil respiration, nitrate-N, potassium sulfate extractable organic-C, metabolic quocient (qCO2) and negatively correlated to exchangeable pH(KCl). The relationship was significant only in the case of microbial biomass and potassium sulfate extractable organic-C. More detailed studies of the relationship between aboveground plant species biomass and soil microbial communities in initial stages of succession are required. Comparability of presented study is limited because not many experimental investigations of similar kind have been presented until now.

La restauration écologique a été identifiée comme une approche permettant notamment de ralentir la perte de biodiversité et de maintenir tous les biens et services issus de cette biodiversité desquels dépend le bien être de notre civilisation actuelle. Cette restauration des écosystèmes se base sur des connaissances provenant à la fois de l'écologie des communautés et de l’écologie de la restauration. Les objectifs de la thèse sont donc de comprendre la dynamique d’une steppe méditerranéenne après changements d’usage ainsi que la mise en oeuvre de techniques qui pourraient être appliquées à la restauration de cet écosystème après une perturbation anthropique sévère. La thèse a pour objet d'étude la steppe méditerranéenne de la plaine de Crau, et notamment d’anciennes cultures pour étudier la recolonisation spontanée après perturbation et le projet de réhabilitation à grande échelle de Cossure pour les expérimentations sur les techniques de restauration. En ce qui concerne la dynamique après une perturbation anthropique exogène sévère, nous avons confirmé la faible résilience de la communauté végétale steppique à la fois à moyen (30-40 ans) et long terme (150 ans), tandis que les paramètres du sol et le taux d'infestation des mycorhizes sont résilients sur le long terme. En outre, nous avons confirmé le rôle joué par les trois filtres dans la recolonisation des communautés végétales. En ce qui concerne la steppe de la Crau, la recolonisation est déterminée en premier par le filtre abiotique, puis par le filtre de dispersion et enfin par le filtre biotique. Compte tenu de la faible résilience de la communauté, nous avons testé plusieurs techniques de restauration appliquées à grande échelle au sein du projet de réhabilitation de Cossure: le semis d’espèces nurses, l'étrépage de sol, le transfert de foin et le transfert de sol. Afin d'évaluer l'efficacité des techniques de restauration, nous avons développé des indices pour mesurer « l 'intégrité » de la structure de la communauté permettant de distinguer les abondances inférieures des abondances supérieures par rapport à la communauté de référence. Les meilleurs résultats ont été obtenus avec le transfert du sol, suivi par l’étrépage de sol, puis le semis d’espèces nurses et enfin le transfert de foin. Ces résultats ont toutefois confirmé la difficulté de restaurer totalement la communauté végétale steppique. Les recherches menées au sein de cette thèse montrent que les connaissances actuelles en matière de restauration écologique permettent de restaurer au moins partiellement certaines composantes de cet écosystème, mais suggèrent de mettre un maximum de moyens pour la conservation in situ des habitats naturels plutôt que de devoir les restaurer après qu'ils aient été détruits / Ecosystem restoration has been identified as one approach to slow down the loss of biodiversity and to protect all the biodiversity-based goods and services from which humankind benefits. Restoration feeds from knowledge coming from both community ecology and restoration ecology. The objectives of the thesis are to provide insights on both the dynamics of a mediterranean steppe after changes in land-use and the implementation of techniques which could be applied to restore this ecosystem after severe anthropogenic disturbances. The thesis takes as a study object the La Crau Mediterranean steppe, and especially former cultivated fields to study the recovery after cultivation and the Cossure large scale rehabilitation project to experiment rehabilitation and restoration techniques. Concerning dynamics after severe exogenous anthropogenic disturbances, we confirmed the low resilience of the steppe plant community both at mid- (30-40 years) and long-term (150 years) while the resilience of soil parameters and mycorrhizal infestation rate are effective on the long-term. Moreover we confirmed the role played by the three filters in the plant community recovery and found that for the La Crau steppe, this is firstly driven by the abiotic filter, then by the dispersion filter and finally by the biotic filter. Given this low resilience, we tested several restoration techniques applied at large-scale within the Cossure rehabilitation project: nurse species seeding, topsoil removal, hay transfer and soil transfer. In order to assess the efficiency of restoration techniques we developed indices to measure the community structure integrity, disentangling lower and higher abundances compared to the reference. The best results were obtained with soil transfer, followed by topsoil removal, then nurse species seeding and finally hay transfer. The research conducted for this thesis shows that current knowledge in ecological restoration makes it possible to restore at least partially some La Crau ecosystem components, but ought to lead us to understand the importance of in situ conservation of natural habitats as a better alternative to restore them after they were destroyed

From the Proceedings of the 1974 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 19-20, 1974, Flagstaff, Arizona / Reliable information on soil-water status is required in order to make accurate water balance studies of watersheds, to determine the survival probabilities of various types of vegetation between rainfalls in low rainfall areas, and to determine the susceptibility of the uppermost soil to wind erosion. Simple solarimeters may help to accomplish this objective. Bare soil albedo was a linear function of the water content of a very thin surface layer of soil, and albedo correlated well with water contents of thicker soil layers. In addition, albedo measurements could be used to delineate the 3 classical stages of soil drying. Albedo may also be used to differentiate between the initial potential rate phase of evaporation following an application of water, and the succeeding falling rate phase. Results of applying this technique to a field of Avondale clay loam indicate that 20% to 25% of the water applied by either irrigation or rain will be lost by stage 1 potential evaporation, independent of seasonal variations in evaporative demand. Presently the techniques developed are applicable only to bare soil surfaces.

A major argument for incorporating deciduous tree species in coniferous forest stands is their role in the amelioration and stabilisation of biogeochemical cycles. Current forest management strategies in central Europe aim to increase the area of mixed stands. In order to formulate statements about the ecological effects of mixtures, studies at the stand level are necessary. In a mixed stand of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) in the Ore Mountains (Saxony, Germany), the effects of these two tree species on chemical and microbial parameters in the topsoil were studied at one site in the form of a case study. Samples were taken from the O layer and A horizon in areas of the stand influenced by either birch, spruce or a mixture of birch and spruce. The microbial biomass, basal respiration, metabolic quotient, pH-value and the C and N contents and stocks were analysed in the horizons Of, Oh and A. Significantly higher contents of microbial N were observed in the Of and Oh horizons in the birch and in the spruce-birch strata than in the stratum containing only spruce. The same was found with respect to pH-values in the Of horizon and basal respiration in the Oh horizon. Compared to the spruce stratum, in the birch and spruce-birch strata, significantly lower values were found for the contents of organic C and total N in the A horizon. The findings of the case study indicated that single birch trees have significant effects on the chemical and microbial topsoil properties in spruce-dominated stands. Therefore, the admixture of birch in spruce stands may distinctly affect nutrient cycling and may also be relevant for soil carbon sequestration. Further studies of these functional aspects are recommended.

The thesis deals with Komenského Street sports hall construction in Lysá nad Labem. Although partially dealing with construction of all parts, in detail it studies gym construction, focusing on time management, technology and resources of implementation. The thesis is divided into the drawing and text parts. The former includes site facilities design and building situation. The latter consists of the main part construction project implementation study, itemized budget, time schedule, technological regulations, inspection and testing plan for the implementation of the main construction part 1st floor reinforced concrete columns and walls, construction machines and mechanisms design as well as time and financial schedule.