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Introduction
Publications
Publications (185)
Humans and other large-brained hominins have been proposed to increase energy turnover during their evolutionary history. Such increased energy turnover is plausible, given the evolution of energy-rich diets, but requires empirical confirmation. Framing human energetics in a phylogenetic context, our meta-analysis of 17 wild non-human primate speci...
Background and aims – Forest-savanna mosaics are some of the very diverse habitat types of the Congo Basin; multiple factors influence their dynamics such as climatic and edaphic conditions, animal dispersion, and anthropogenic activities. Presently, few studies have described this type of habitat, despite their important role in biodiversity conse...
Plant phenology was studied in the dry semi-deciduous forest of Badrala (northwestern Madagascar). All categories of litterfall collected bi-weekly in 20 traps from the beginning of one year’s to the end of the next year’s dry season were separated, identified and weighed. The quantitative database on leaf litter production by different tree, shrub...
H I G H L I G H T S • Primates have lower field metabolic rate than other similar-sized eutherian mammals. • Hominins and other primates may share a thrifty energy strategy. • Norms for obesity reduction should take into account low primate energy throughput. Keywords: Energy balance Metabolic allometry Field metabolic rate Physical activity Doubly...
Reçu le 3 mars 2014 ; accepté le 24 avril 2013 © Société d'anthropologie de Paris et Springer-Verlag France 2014 Résumé La perception gustative permet d'orienter les choix alimentaires des primates dans les différentes niches écolo-giques où ils ont évolué. Les possibilités de choix sont cependant limitées par le poids corporel des différentes espè...
Folivorous primate biomass has been shown to positively correlate with the average protein-to-fiber ratio in mature leaves of tropical forests. However, studies have failed to explain the mismatch between dietary selection and the role of the protein-to-fiber ratio on primate biomass; why do not folivores always favor mature leaves or leaves with t...
Résumé La perception gustative permet d'orienter les choix alimentaires des primates dans les différentes niches écologiques où ils ont évolué. Les possibilités de choix sont cependant limitées par le poids corporel des différentes espèces, selon des relations allométriques dont nous présentons les caractéristiques chez les lémuriens et les primate...
Understanding the links between taste perception and obesity would help authorities cope with obesity, which diminishes the health of human populations. This has been highlighted by a study of the impact of programs intended to educate obese adolescents about healthy diets (Pasquet et al., 2007)1. We present and discuss the results of this study in...
We report above-ground biomass (AGB), basal area, stem density and wood mass density estimates from 260 sample plots (mean size: 1.2 ha) in intact closed-canopy tropical forests across 12 African countries. Mean AGB is 395.7 Mg dry mass ha(-1) (95% CI: 14.3), substantially higher than Amazonian values, with the Congo Basin and contiguous forest reg...
Tropical tree height-diameter ( H:D ) relationships may vary by forest type and region making large-scale estimates of above-ground biomass subject to bias if they ignore these differences in stem allometry. We have therefore developed a new global tropical forest database consisting of 39 955 concurrent H and D measurements encompassing 283 sites...
Tropical tree height-diameter (H:D) relationships may vary by forest type and region making large-scale estimates of above-ground biomass subject to bias if they ignore these differences in stem allometry. We have therefore developed a new global tropical forest database consisting of 39 955 concurrent H and D measurements encompassing 283 sites in...
Résumé: La perception gustative permet d’orienter les choix alimentaires des primates dans les différentes niches écolo-giques où ils ont évolué. Les possibilités de choix sont cependant limitées par le poids corporel des différentes espèces, selon des relations allométriques dont nous présentons les caractéristiques chez les primates strepsirrhini...
Aim
To test the extent to which the vertical structure of tropical forests is determined by environment, forest structure or biogeographical history.
Location
Pan‐tropical.
Methods
Using height and diameter data from 20,497 trees in 112 non‐contiguous plots, asymptotic maximum height ( H AM ) and height–diameter relationships were computed with n...
The correlation between the biomass of forest primates and a chemical index of the average nutritional quality of leaves in tropical forests has been repeatedly documented since 1990. We tested the role played by protein : fibre on lemur biomass in a gallery forest in southern Madagascar. Plant species abundance was determined based on transect cen...
Tropical tree height-diameter ( H:D ) relationships may vary by forest type and region making large-scale estimates of above-ground biomass subject to bias if they ignore these differences in stem allometry. We have therefore developed a new global tropical forest database consisting of 39 955 concurrent H and D measurements encompassing 283 sites...
L'aptitude à discriminer les goûts est apparue chez les vertébres avant l'émergence des formes terrestres. La co-évolution avec les plantes angiospermes a vraisemblablement joué un rôle essentiel, notamment chez les primates, pour la discrimination des sucres. Mais ces réponses gustatives à la base des comportements alimentaires sont fortement infl...
Les ignames comestibles menacés du complexe Dioscorea sambiranensis R.Knuth (Dioscoreaceae): une nouvelle espèce et une nouvelle sous-espèce. Le complexe de l'espèce Dioscorea sambiranensis est endémique de la région nord-nord-ouest de Madagascar. Les taxons qui le composent présentent de larges feuilles cordées dont la longueur du pétiole est sens...
Measuring food intake has been a major issue in our multidisciplinary research team, where anthropologists and primatologists worked together aiming at the objective of a better understanding of food preferences and choices in various contexts, especially in environmental settings where indigenous, spontaneous, species can cover most of the nutriti...
L’homme est-il le seul animal à prendre du plaisir à manger ? Sans doute pas. Des études menées chez les primates révèlent une étonnante proximité entre nos percep-tions gustatives et celles de nos cousins.• L’homme et les autres primates distinguent vraisemblablement les mêmes types de saveurs ; toutefois l’homme est davantage influencé dans ses c...
Les apports énergétiques et nutritionnels du régime alimentaire des primates non humains proviennent d'une large diversité d'espèces végétales et parfois animales. L'exemple des chimpanzés observés dans les forêts tropicales africaines nous a permis de recenser plus de 300 aliments dont les valeurs caloriques peuvent parfois être très faibles. Cert...
This is a preliminary presentation of the results obtained on forest composition, sifaka population density and group composition, and the diet and activity pattern of Propithecus coronatus in the dry forest of Madagascar.
A new species of yam (Dioscorea orangeana Wilkin) is described and illustrated. It differs from D. comorensis R.Knuth by having undulate leaf margins and a broader torus and tepals in both the male and female flowers. In female flowers
of D. orangeana the floral stipe between the ovary and the torus is shorter than in D. comorensis. The tuber morph...
The response of terrestrial vegetation to a globally changing environment is central to predictions of future levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The role of tropical forests is critical because they are carbon-dense and highly productive. Inventory plots across Amazonia show that old-growth forests have increased in carbon storage over recent de...
This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the
full-text PDF file published in Nature (2009)
A revision of the Malagasy endemic species complex of yams (Dioscorea L.) which possesses flowers with campanulate tori is presented with keys and full descriptions. It comprises six species
that were placed in Dioscorea sect. Seriflorae Burkill & H. Perrier and D. sect. Campanuliflorae Burkill & H. Perrier in the Flore de Madagascar et des Comores...
The regional variability in the uses of wild yams is assessed according to their availability in relation with land-use and
climatic conditions from the South to the North sudanian sectors in Western Burkina Faso. The study involves field studies
and modelling of the geographical distribution of yams and seeks correlations between environmental and...
A new species of Dioscorea from Morondava prefecture in Western Madagascar is described. Dioscorea bako Wilkin differs from D. alatipes Burkill & H. Perr. by its usually shallowly and irregularly lobed leaf margins, broader leaf blade (grey-green below), longer
petiole and the broadly cuneate area where the petiole is inserted onto the leaf blade i...
We investigated the feeding ecology of Eulemur macaco macaco in an old coastal secondary forest of northwestern Madagascar. We analyzed whether the local combination of introduced and
native plant species could provide viable anthropic conditions for sustaining the black lemurs. Fruits (79 spp.) dominated
the annual diet (>104 species from 50 famil...
The purpose is to determine whether taste functions are different in massively obese adolescents as compared with non-obese adolescents, and to what extent metabolic disorders may interfere with taste perception, as suggested by the results of recent animal studies. RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURES: We compared taste sensitivity and hedonic responses...
Feeding strategy and social dominance in female sifakas (Propithecus v. verreauxi) living
in a Didiereaceae forest in southern Madagascar. We addressed the issue of female social dominance as
an adaptive response to seasonal energy stress in white sifakas living in a fragment of Didiereaceae forest of
southern Madagascar. We tested whether female a...
Dès le début de son premier voyage sur la côte et dans le nord-ouest du Gabon, Du Chaillu a eu l'occasion d'observer quelles étaient les plantes cultivées introduites pour l'alimentation, les animaux domestiques et ce qu'étaient les ressources du milieu naturel à usage alimentaire. Parmi les ressources alimentaires que procurent les milieux naturel...
We compare selected aspects of the biotas of long-isolated islands ranging in size from Réunion to early Pliocene South America, focusing on Madagascar, New Zealand, New Caledonia and the Hawaiian Islands. Although Madagascar and New Zealand were joined to larger land masses less than 90 million years ago, their biotas are overwhelmingly dominated...
The yams (Dioscorea spp.) of Madagascar : wild endemic and cultivated species ; diversity, perception, nutritional value, and sustainable management. — Endemic and introduced species of Malagasy yams (Dioscorea spp.) have been studied in the dry western area (Menabe central, near Morondava) where diversity is high, taking into account the occurrenc...
The yams (Dioscorea spp.) of Madagascar: wild endemic and cultivated species; diversity, perception, nutritional vlaue, and sustainable management.- Endemic and introduced species of Malagasy yams (Dioscorea spp.) have been studied in the dry western area (Menabe central, near Morondava) where diversity is high, taking into account the occurrence o...
Biodiversity and sustainable development : the farmers of coastal Guinea
Biodiversity is not a matter cut off from the social sphere. Reflection on biodiversity should be based on a dynamic representation of ecosystems, of technical systems and of resource utilisation strategies, it should be clear that there are no borders between « natural » mili...
Biodiversity is not a matter cut off from the social sphere. Reflection on biodiversity should be based on a dynamic representation of ecosystems, of technical systems and of resource utilisation strategies, it should be clear that there are no borders between « natural » milieus and development spaces. In Guinea coastland, concomitant roles played...
In this paper, we provide an overview of the feeding trends of Lemur catta, the ringtailed lemur, including a checklist of all plant species and plant items known to be ingested by this prosimian species in three different forests of southwestern and southern Madagascar. Ringtailed lemurs have been mainly studied in gallery forests including riveri...
Wild chimpanzees eat several plant species claimed by traditional healers to cure diseases. However, the behaviour leading apes to ingest these peculiar species is not clearly understood. Some of the items consumed by chimpanzees have low nutritional value, and there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that health might be improved or regulate...
Is the utilization of the heart of the traveler’s tree (Ravenala madagascariensis) compatible with natural regeneration ? — The heart (meristem) of the traveler’s tree (Ravenala madagascariensis Sonn.) can be eaten as a cooked legume, which nutritional value is discussed after the results of analyses. In the eastern coastal area of Madagascar, wher...
The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), occurring with a remarkably high density in the northwestern coastal area of Guinea, provides a key resource to the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), including food and nesting sites. However no evidence of nut cracking has been observed, although potential tools are available and are occasionally used by humans....
Secondary metabolite contents in the forests of Mayotte and Madagascar, and their incidence on two leaf-eating lemur species (Eulemur spp.). — We measured concentrations of total phenolics (TP), condensed tannins (CT), and total alkaloids, as well as bovine serum albumin precipitation (BSAp), in leaves of lianas, trees, and palms from six tropical...
Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C. B. Rob., l’avocat marron, est un arbre dioïque d’Australasie qui a été introduit à Mayotte et multiplié à l’époque de la canne à sucre (1841-1880). Disséminée efficacement par les lémuriens (Eulemur fulvus) et par de nombreux oiseaux, cette Lauraceae s’est étendue sur toute la zone humide et est présente dans les dernièr...
The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and the cores of high biodiversity in gallery forests of Guinea in relation to human and chimpanzee commensalism. — The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), occurring with a remarkably high density in the northwestern coastal area of Guinea, provides a key resource to the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), including food...
We measured concentrations of total phenolics (TP), condensed tannins (CT), and total alkaloids, as well as bovine serum albumin precipitation (BSAp), in leaves of lianas, trees, and palms from six tropical forests (four rainforests plus one dry forest in Mayotte Island, and one anthropogenic rainforest in Madagascar). We established chemical profi...
Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B. Rob, the Indian laurel, is a dioecious tree from Australasia which has been introduced on Mayotte and has proliferated during the era of sugar cane plantations (1841-1880). Efficiently dispersed by the Brown Lemur (Eulemur fulvus) and by numerous birds, this Lauraceae species now spreads into the humid area and it is p...
The heart (meristem) of the traveler's tree (Ravenala madagascariensis Sonn.) can be eaten as a cooked legume, which nutritional value is discussed after the results of analyses. In the eastern coastal area of Madagascar, where the local variant of the Ravenala, the 'horonorona', is naturally occurring with a remarkably high density, and can regene...
The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and the cores of high biodiversity in gallery forests of Guinea in relation to human and chimpanzee commensalism. - The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), occurring with a remarkably high density in the northwestern coastal area of Guinea, provides a key resource to the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), including food...
Although studies of humans in a state of hunger or satiety show variations in hedonic responsiveness (preference/aversion) to sugar, the taste recognition thresholds for different substances appear to be stable individual characteristics, as Pangborn, beginning in 1959, observed on a small sample of human subjects. However, a recent study suggests...
La présence des métabolites secondaires dans les plantes influence la sélection des aliments chez de nombreuses espèces de primates non-humains. Le rôle des substances potentiellement toxiques des végétaux dans la sélection alimentaire par les jeunes primates est en revanche méconnu. Dans cette étude, nous avons effectué des observations en forêt s...
Aquí consideramos la percepción gustativa en poblaciones humanas bajo el punto de vista evolutivo, usando información comparativa derivada de primates no- humanos. El sabor dulce de los azúcares, así como los sabores amargos y particularmente astringentes de los alkaloides y taninos, son el resultado de las sucesivas adaptaciones de nuestros antepa...
Nous avons mis en évidence, sur un échantillon de 412 sujets humains volontaires, une dichotomie des réponses gustatives à partir des co-variations des seuils de perception pour différentes substances. Les enregistrements des potentiels évoqués sur les fibres des nerfs de la gustation (d'après les données de Hellekant et al.) ont montré que le syst...
Two hundred and fifty two stool samples from 38 chimpanzees in a natural population in western Uganda were examined. Almost all individuals were infected but the number of parasites detected by the two techniques used was low. Significant seasonal differences were observed in prevalences.
This paper presents a parallel analysis of the results of recent studies of taste responses of humans and phylogenetically different non-human primates, in order to provide evidence of the evolutionary history of taste perception, and to discuss its present significance.A cluster analysis of the signals recorded on isolated nerve fibres of the vari...
The introduction of Eulemur fulvus in 1975 into the Berenty Reserve and their recent attainment of population densities comparable to those of Lemur catta led us to analyze food partitioning among the 3 large prosimian species in the gallery forest. We assessed the diets of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus) and sifakas...
Répartition et description des différentes formes de l'arbre du voyageur
The toxicity of the bamboo shoots of Cephalostachium viguieri, eaten by Hapalemur aureus has been tested before and after mixing the crushed plant material with the soil which is also consumed by the animal. Although in most instances, geophagy allows primates to detoxify plant secondary compounds such as tannins or glycoalkaloids, in the present c...
The toxicity of the bamboo shoots of Cephalostachium viguieri, eaten by Hapalemur aureus, has been tested before and after mixing the crushed plant material with the soil which is also consumed by the animal. Although in most instances, geophagy allows primates to detoxify plant secondary compounds such as tannins or glycoalkaloids, in the present...
Les forêts tropicales, dont le rôle écologique est unanimement reconnu, subissent actuellement une dégradation massive et un bouleversement radical des modes de vie de leurs habitants. Ces milieux tropicaux ont été l’objet d’occupations humaines parfois très anciennes, donnant lieu en plusieurs régions du globe à des développements socioculturels c...