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Familles monoparentales face à la précarité énergétique
No full textInternational audienceFuel poverty is a category of public action that refers to situations where a household is unable to heat – or cool – its home sufficiently, or to access the energy required for cooking, domestic hot water, etc. It is a situation that affects single-parent households disproportionately. We analyze the data available on this problem in France and present the experience of a not profit organization working with these families.La « précarité énergétique » est une catégorie de l’action publique qui désigne la situation où un ménage ne parvient pas à suffisamment chauffer – ou rafraîchir – son logement, ni à disposer de l’énergie nécessaire pour la cuisson, l‘eau chaude sanitaire, etc. Cette situation frappe de manière disproportionnée les ménages monoparentaux. Nous analysons les données disponibles sur ce problème en France ainsi que l’expérience d’acteurs associatifs qui les accompagnent
Thinning enhances hydraulic safety but not growth resistance to drought in Atlas cedar on the long-term
No full textInternational audienceReducing forest stand density through thinning has the potential to improve tree vigor and mitigate hydraulic risk as it reduces competition for water, thereby improving soil water availability at the tree level. However, these positive effects might be compensated over time by the growth of the remaining trees and understory, an aspect that remains understudied. We investigated the long-term effects of thinning on vegetation regrowth, growth resistance to drought and hydraulic risk in a 1968 Cedrus atlantica plantation in southeastern France where contrasting thinning intensities were applied in 1992, resulting in stand densities of 1200 (unthinned control), 800, 600 and 400 trees.ha-1. Field measurements were conducted in 2017, 25 years after thinning, during the most severe drought since the trial's establishment. To explore underlying mechanisms, they were complemented by a modeling test using SurEau within the cohort-based model MEDFATE. Our results show that 25 years after thinning, despite similar stand leaf area index across all thinning treatments, trees in thinned stands exhibited significantly higher growth and reduced hydraulic risk (i.e., higher water potential, wider hydraulic safety margins, lower native embolism) than in the unthinned control. Model simulations suggest that this long-term reduction of hydraulic risk by thinning may result from niche partitioning between the overstory and the understory, either spatially (due to differences in rooting depth) or temporally (due to differences in ecophysiological properties). Interestingly, growth resistance to drought did not differ significantly among thinning treatments. Our results emphasize the potential long-lasting role of thinning in reducing hydraulic risk despite vegetation regrowth. Moreover, this study shows that ecophysiological indicators provide a more accurate understanding of tree drought responses during a specific drought event than the commonly used growth-based indicators
Flanking letter effects are orthographic effects and not visual effects: evidence from same-different matching
No full textInternational audienceRelated flanking letters (e.g., RO ROCK CK) are known to facilitate processing of a central target word compared with unrelated flankers (e.g., PA ROCK TH) in the flanking letters lexical decision task. According to one account, these effects are driven by pre-orthographic visual features rather than orthographic information per se. Here we tested this preorthographic account, by comparing flanker effects with letter stimuli and flanker effects with symbol stimuli using the same-different matching task. We found significant flanker effects for letter strings in RTs and accuracy rates to "same" responses, as well as in discriminability indices (d') in a signal detection analysis. Crucially, we failed to find any significant impact of flanker symbols for responses to symbol targets, in all our dependent measures. The results contradict a low-level feature integration account of flanking letter effects and support the conclusion that they reflect the spatial integration of orthographic information
BDRest, une base de données française des opérations de restauration en milieux terrestres
No full textNational audienceThe Nature Restoration Regulation, which came into force on August 18, 2024, combines an overall long-term nature restoration goal for the EU's land and sea areas with binding restoration targets for specific habitats and species. What is the current status? How much land has been restored? Which ecosystems have been restored? What restoration targets have been set? What techniques have been used? It is currently impossible to answer these questions (in France and in most other countries). This is because there is no inventory of restoration operations that takes into account the characteristics of the areas that have undergone ecological restoration. However, this is essential not only for evaluating the achievement of national objectives, but also for informing government agencies, practitioners, students, and researchers about the occurrence of restoration operations in their areas of expertise or geographical zones. The long-term goal of the BDRest database is to list all ecological restoration operations and their metadata. The test filling phase ended in 2025. We will present the possible uses of the database, a preliminary summary of the operations already entered in the database, and discuss possible developments for the database. This will involve identifying as many restoration projects as possible while establishing links with France's national restoration plan and the various stakeholders involved in ecological restoration.Le Règlement pour la Restauration de la Nature, entré en vigueur le 18 août 2024, combine un objectif global de restauration de la nature à long terme dans les zones terrestres et maritimes de l’UE avec des objectifs contraignants de restauration pour des habitats et des espèces spécifiques. Où en est-on actuellement ? Quelle surface a fait l’objet d’une opération de restauration écologique ? Quels écosystèmes ont été restaurés ? Quels objectifs de restauration ont été fixés ? Quelles techniques ont été utilisées ? Il est actuellement impossible de répondre à ces questions (en France, et dans la plupart des autres pays). En effet, il n’existe pas de recensement des opérations de restauration prenant en compte les caractéristiques des espaces ayant fait l’objet d’opérations de restauration écologique. C’est pourtant primordial pour non seulement évaluer l’atteinte d’objectifs nationaux, mais aussi pour informer services de l’état, praticiens, étudiants ou chercheurs de l’occurrence d’opération de restauration dans leurs domaines d’expertise ou leurs zones géographiques. La base de données BDRest a pour objectif, à long terme, de répertorier l’ensemble des opérations de restauration écologique et leurs métadonnées. La phase de remplissage test s'est terminé en 2025. Nous présenterons les usages qui peuvent être faits de la base de données, une synthèse préliminaire des opérations déjà entrées dans la base et discuterons des évolutions possibles de la base de données. Il s’agira notamment de recenser un maximum d’opérations de restauration tout en créant du lien avec le plan national de restauration français et les différents acteurs de la restauration écologique
Beyond phonemic awareness: The alphabetic principle predicts reading acquisition in a nationwide longitudinal study
No full textInternational audiencePhoneme awareness (PA) is undoubtably the most important and well-studied predictor of reading development. Yet, 20 years ago, Castles and Coltheart made the provocative claim that there was no convincing evidence for the causal role of PA in learning-to-read because previous studies typically failed to control for pre-reading skills. In the present study, we leveraged a unique opportunity to analyze data from a large-scale longitudinal investigation of reading development conducted nation-wide among all first graders in France (i.e., N = 810,328 children). We estimated not only the direct effect of PA on reading fluency measured one year later, but also its interaction effects with letter-knowledge (LK), knowledge of the alphabetic principle (KAP), and oral comprehension (OC). Our results show that the direct effects of PA on later reading fluency are moderated by OC, LK and KAP. Specifically, PA contributes to later reading outcomes only among children with strong KAP, and good LK and OC. We highlight the central role of KAP as a key predictor that has often been acknowledged in theory but rarely measured in empirical research. These findings indicate that phoneme awareness supports reading development only in the context of sufficient alphabetic knowledge, challenging strong causal accounts of PA in early reading acquisition
Evaluation of pectin and fiber in Cambodian mango peel and pulp from young to ripe maturity stages - a tool for industry
No full textSource Agritrop Cirad (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/616285/) * Autres projets (id;sigle;titre): ;SWM Programme;(EU) Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme//International audienceIn tropical countries, the mango sector generates high volumes of byproducts (peel, seeds, rejects, etc.) that need to be valorized. This research carried out on Cambodian Keo Romeat mango waste, was undertaken to support the mango industry. The aim was to better understand how ripening stage and processing method impact the final quality of the products, e.g., animal feed, especially as regards to soluble pectin and fiber content. Mangoes were selected from four ripening stages from young (i.e., green) to over-ripe mango, and processed using blanching and drying, drying or freeze-drying. The characterization of macronutrient (pectin, fiber, ash, lipid, carbohydrate and moisture) content was achieved in pulp and peel for each ripening stage and process treatment. Results showed that both processing and ripening had a significant impact on fiber and soluble pectin content even if ripening always had a greater effect. Maximizing both pectin and fiber contents in the mango pulp or peel was not possible, since the anti-correlation between their concentrations during ripening presented an R² of >0.7. Indeed, when fiber content decreased, the pectin content increased in mango peel and pulp. A simple 4-dimensional data representation was helpful for industrial growers and processors, enabling them to make suitable and appropriate choices between ripening and the processing needs according to the desired product quality without requiring specialized knowledge in food science
Landscapes of uncertainty: Mangrove rice farmers' perceptions of rainfall variability and climate change adaptation in three coastal regions of Guinea-Bissau, West Africa
No full textInternational audienceRainfall variability poses growing challenges to mangrove rice farming in Guinea-Bissau, threatening both local livelihoods and food security. This study investigates how farmers in the coastal regions of Cacheu, Oio, and Tombali perceive changing rainfall patterns and adapt their cropping calendars accordingly. Using a companion modelling approach, we co-designed a serious game with 45 mangrove rice farmers from 13 villages, complemented by group interviews and participant observation. The results reveal that farmers possess detailed, experience-based knowledge of rainfall variability-particularly regarding the delayed onset, mid-season dry spells, and early cessation of rains-which directly influences key agricultural decisions such as nursery establishment, transplanting, and harvesting. Through the serious game, participants collectively identified and validated four main adaptation strategies: (1) flexible adjustments to cropping systems (e.g., shifting to direct seeding in erratic years), (2) strategic use of short-and medium-cycle rice varieties, (3) enhanced water management through reinforced dykes and drainage innovations, and (4) diversification into complementary livelihood activities such as cashew cultivation and fishing. The serious game proved to be an effective tool for facilitating dialogue, sharing local knowledge, and collectively refining context-specific adaptation pathways. These findings underscore the value of integrating farmers' ecological knowledge with participatory methodologies to support resilient agricultural planning under climate uncertainty.</div
The amount of reachable habitat determines population fate
No full textInternational audienceThe scientific community remains divided on the most effective way to design landscapes for biodiversity conservation or restoration. Although there is a consensus that habitat loss is the main cause of biodiversity decline worldwide, the extent to which fragmentation (i.e. the division of remaining habitats into smaller areas) contributes to this decline is a subject of ongoing debate. The spatial arrangement of remaining patches and the nature and permeability of the intermediate matrix (i.e. how easily animals can move through it) are other elements related to habitat loss that are little considered. A better understanding of the effects of these factors on populations could help the community move forward. Here, we conducted a multigenerational, landscape‐scale experiment with the microarthropod Folsomia candida and quantified the respective effects of matrix resistance and inter‐patch distance on colonization rate, population size and extinction, at fixed habitat amount. We found that the amount of reachable habitat in the landscape, encompassing both the quantity of habitat and the matrix resistance, is a good predictor of population size and extinction rate. Survival of individuals while crossing different matrix types was the key underlying mechanism, as it determined both colonization rate and demography, preventing individuals from reaching and using remote or difficult‐to‐access patches. Our study shows that an explicit consideration of matrix resistance considerably improves both our understanding and our predictive ability of populations fate at landscape‐scale. It also opens new avenues for landscape ecology theory as well as long‐awaited perspectives for applied conservation
Décolonisation et nickel en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Nationaliser plutôt qu’écologiser durant les Accords de 1988 et 1998
No full textInternational audienc
Digging deeper: deep joint species distribution modeling reveals environmental drivers of Earthworm Communities
No full textInternational audienceEarthworms are key drivers of soil function, influencing organic matter turnover, nutrient cycling, and soil structure. Understanding the environmental controls on their distribution is essential for predicting the impacts of land use and climate change on soil ecosystems. While local studies have identified abiotic drivers of earthworm communities, broad-scale spatial patterns remain underexplored. We developed a multi-species, multi-task deep learning model to jointly predict the distribution of 77 earthworm species across metropolitan France, using historical (1960–1970) and contemporary (1990–2020) records. The model integrates climate, soil, and land cover variables to estimate habitat suitability. We applied SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to identify key environmental drivers and used species clustering to reveal ecological response groups. The joint model achieved high predictive performance (TSS >0.7) and improved predictions for rare species compared to traditional species distribution models. Shared feature extraction across species allowed for more robust identification of common and contrasting environmental responses. Precipitation variability, temperature seasonality, and land cover emerged as dominant predictors of earthworm distribution but differed in ranking across species and functional groups. Species clustering into response groups to climatic, land use and soil revealed distinct ecological strategies including a gradient of sensitivity to precipitation seasonality, differential habitat preferences in terms of vegetation cover and wetness and trade-offs between soil acidity and organic matter quality. Our study advances both the methodological and ecological understanding of soil biodiversity. We demonstrate the utility of interpretable deep learning approaches for large-scale soil fauna modeling and provide new insights into earthworm habitat specialization. These findings highlight land cover and seasonal climate variability as efficient proxies for soil biodiversity, providing actionable indicators for global monitoring initiatives and helping to identify habitat requirements of earthworm species to guide emerging earthworm conservation strategies in the face of global environmental change