L’avancée des forêts au Moyen Age confinait à une proximité inquiétante avec des animaux sauvages qui échappaient à notre volonté de maîtrise et de contrôle, engendrant d’inévitables conflits de territoire. Ces conflits sont à l’origine du classement de certaines espèces dans la catégorie des « nuisibles ». Les plus étudiés d’entre eux demeurent les grands prédateurs, loup et ours notamment. Les mustélidés (la belette (Mustela nivalis), la fouine (Martes foina), la martre (Martes martes), le putois (Mustela putorius) et le vison d’Amérique (Mustela vison)) ont beau être des prédateurs plus discrets en taille comme en popularité, ils n’en demeurent pas moins étroitement dépendants des « respirations » de l’imaginaire humain. Leurs mœurs nocturnes et leurs comportements furtifs sont le terreau sur lequel poussent et se nourrissent les perceptions humaines. Brossant le portrait de cette insaisissable engeance, regroupée par les piégeurs sous le vocable collectif de « sauvagine », nous engageons une réflexion pluridisciplinaire réconciliant sciences naturelles et humaines et mêlant plusieurs approches capables de s’éclairer et de se répondre : géographie, anthropologie, écologie et symbolisme. L’étude des écrits naturalistes anciens, associée à un travail d’enquête auprès de naturalistes et de piégeurs dans les campagnes de moyenne montagne du sud-ouest du Massif central (Aveyron, Tarn et Tarn-et-Garonne), permet de mieux appréhender l’évolution de la notion d’animal « nuisible » et sa perception par les acteurs de terrain. Éternels « hors-la-loi », les mustélidés déjouent nos tentatives de les cerner, de les identifier et de leur assigner un territoire parfaitement distinct du nôtre. Le partage des territoires échoue, l’homme échouant à tenir ces petits animaux ondoyants en respect, à leur place, de leur côté de la barrière. Les « nuisibles » offrent une illustration exemplaire de l’homme confronté au sauvage et permettent une analyse de l’hésitation permanente entre ordre et désordre, partage et partage, altérité et identité. / The advance of forests in the Middle Ages bordered on a disturbing nearness with wild animals which escaped our will of control, engendering inevitable conflicts of territory. These conflicts are at the origin of the classification of certain animal species in the category of “pests”. The most studied of them remain the big predators, wolf and bear in particular. Mustelids (weasel (Mustela nivalis), stone marten (Martes foina), marten (Martes martes), polecat (Mustela putorius) and American mink (Mustela mink)) may be more discreet predators in size as in popularity, they remain not less strictly dependent on “breaths” of the human imagination there. Their night-customs and their furtive behavior are the compost on which the human perceptions grow and feed. Painting a portrait of this imperceptible scum, grouped by trappers under the collective word of “Sauvagine”, we commit a multidisciplinary reflection reconciling natural and human sciences and mixing several approaches : geography, anthropology, ecology and symbolism.The study of natural histories, associated with investigations with naturalists and with trappers in the countrysides of low mountain range of the southwest of Massif Central (Aveyron, Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne), allows to comprehend better the evolution of the notion of “pests” and its perception by rural actors. Eternal “outlaws”, weasels frustrate our attempts to encircle them, to identify them and to assign them a territory perfectly different from ours. The sharing of territories fails, the man failing to hold these small undulate animals in respect, on their place, from their part for the barrier. “Pests” offer an exemplary illustration of the man confronted with the savage and allow an analysis of the permanent hesitation between order and disorder, sharing and sharing, otherness and identity.

<p>The abundance of predators and their impact on ecosystem dynamics is a vividly discussed topic in current ecology. In my studies, incorporating field observations, field experiments and theoretical modeling, I explored the importance of predators and predation in a low arctic tundra ecosystem in northern Norway. This involved observing the abundance and spatial activity of predators (raptors and small mustelids); manipulating the abundance of predators (spiders and birds) in an arthropod community; and exploring the theoretical consequences of intraguild predation on the coexistence among predators.</p><p>The results show that predation is important both in the arthropod assemblage and, depending on the productivity of the community, in the vertebrate assemblage. In arthropod communities predators are at least as abundant as their prey, whereas in the vertebrate part of ecosystem, predators are substantially less abundant than their prey. Still, in both cases predators had strong impact on their prey, influencing the abundance of prey and the species composition of prey assemblages. The impact of predation cascaded to the plant community both in the reticulate and complex arthropod food web and in the linear food chain-like vertebrate community. In the vertebrate-based community we could even observe the long time scale effect on plant community composition.</p><p>Within the predator community, exploitation competition and intraguild predation were the structuring forces. As the arthropod communities consist of predators with different sizes, intraguild predation is an energetically important interaction for top predators. As a consequence, they reduce the abundance of intermediate predators and the impact of intermediate predators on other prey groups. Moreover, being supported by intermediate predators, top predators can have stronger impact themselves on other prey groups.</p><p>In vertebrate communities, intraguild predation seems to be unimportant as energetic link, instead it manifests as an extreme version of interference competition. Therefore intraguild predation reduces the likelihood of coexistence, as it is due limited prey diversity and intense exploitative competition already precarious in the low arctic tundra.</p><p>In conclusion, predators have strong impact on their prey, especially in the more productive parts of the low arctic tundra. This applies even to the food webs with complex and reticulate structure, and these effects carry through the community both in the short time scale of population growth and on the long time scale of population generations.</p>

The abundance of predators and their impact on ecosystem dynamics is a vividly discussed topic in current ecology. In my studies, incorporating field observations, field experiments and theoretical modeling, I explored the importance of predators and predation in a low arctic tundra ecosystem in northern Norway. This involved observing the abundance and spatial activity of predators (raptors and small mustelids); manipulating the abundance of predators (spiders and birds) in an arthropod community; and exploring the theoretical consequences of intraguild predation on the coexistence among predators. The results show that predation is important both in the arthropod assemblage and, depending on the productivity of the community, in the vertebrate assemblage. In arthropod communities predators are at least as abundant as their prey, whereas in the vertebrate part of ecosystem, predators are substantially less abundant than their prey. Still, in both cases predators had strong impact on their prey, influencing the abundance of prey and the species composition of prey assemblages. The impact of predation cascaded to the plant community both in the reticulate and complex arthropod food web and in the linear food chain-like vertebrate community. In the vertebrate-based community we could even observe the long time scale effect on plant community composition. Within the predator community, exploitation competition and intraguild predation were the structuring forces. As the arthropod communities consist of predators with different sizes, intraguild predation is an energetically important interaction for top predators. As a consequence, they reduce the abundance of intermediate predators and the impact of intermediate predators on other prey groups. Moreover, being supported by intermediate predators, top predators can have stronger impact themselves on other prey groups. In vertebrate communities, intraguild predation seems to be unimportant as energetic link, instead it manifests as an extreme version of interference competition. Therefore intraguild predation reduces the likelihood of coexistence, as it is due limited prey diversity and intense exploitative competition already precarious in the low arctic tundra. In conclusion, predators have strong impact on their prey, especially in the more productive parts of the low arctic tundra. This applies even to the food webs with complex and reticulate structure, and these effects carry through the community both in the short time scale of population growth and on the long time scale of population generations.

Ph.D. thesis is focused on different aspects of ecology of several mustelid species in the Central European landscape. Particularly, nest predation, habitat and resting sites selection, predator-prey interactions as well as impact of fragmentation and urbanization on mustelids were described in 8 published papers or manuscripts.

Data derived largely from ecclesiastical (mostly churchwardens¿) accounts, foxhunting statistics, local scientific society records and 19th and 20th century literature sources from a wide range of published material, have provided detailed evidence of the status and changes in distribution over the past four centuries in Yorkshire for fox (Vulpes vulpes), badger (Meles meles), otter (Lutra lutra), pine marten (Martes martes), stoat (Mustela erminea), weasel (M. nivalis), polecat (M. putorius), American mink (M. vison), wildcat (Felis silvestris) and domestic cat (Felis catus). In the case of the domestic cat, questionnaire surveys quantified population sizes and predatory activity in rural, suburban and urban situations. Evidence of the former distribution of all the carnivores studied provides a credible historical basis for biodiversity action planning and the substantial archived database and bibliography provide further research opportunities.

The American mink is considered to be an invasive, alien species across Europe, North Asia and also in South America and now it is perceived as a permanently growing treat for native biodiversity. Mink is an extremely adaptable predator, which achieves to adapt to almost any conditions and different food niches. The aim of this study was to contribute to cognition of biology of this species in Czechomoravian highlands condition. A telemetry study was run between 2004 and 2012 during which in total six individuals (3 males and 3 females) were being monitored on the Sázava River near Havlíčkův Brod. This study was supplemented by usage of photo traps. A couple of finding can be drawn from this study. Mainly, the records show the significant differences between sexes. Males and females differ in home range size, in day/night activity and in length of day movements. The second part of this study was focused on distinguishing tracks of three different species of mustelids: American mink, European mink and Western polecat. In total, 211 tracks obtained from these three species were measured. Seven points on a track has been identified, and the computer program Measuring tracks automatically created 131 parameters. These parameters were processed with canonical discriminant analysis. The results showed...