Neanderthal hunting grounds: The case of Teixoneres Cave (Spain) and Pié Lombard rockshelter (France)
The study of Neanderthal-Environment interactions very often lacks precise data that match the chronogeographical frame of human activities. Here, we reconstruct Neanderthals' hunting grounds within three distinct habitats using dental microwear analysis combined with zooarchaeological data. The predation patterns toward ungulates are discussed in term of frequency (NISP/MNI) and potential meat intake (MAM). Unit IIIa of Teixoneres Cave (MIS 3, NE Spain) corresponds to a mosaic landscape, Unit IIIb was more forested, and, in the "Ensemble" II of Pié Lombard (MIS 4, SE France), forest cover dominated. At Pié Lombard, Neanderthals rely on a high diversity of taxa from closed and semi-open hunting grounds, mostly two ungulate species as well as rabbits and several bird taxa. At Teixoneres Cave, mainly open areas are exploited in summer with a predation mostly focused on large gregarious ungulates. The larger size of ungulate herds in open spaces may have allowed Neanderthals to restrict their subsistence behaviour only to very few species, in specific hunting strategies. In Unit IIIa, they do not appear to have made any selection within the most abundant species, while in Unit IIIb, they focused on aurochs and also opportunistically and heavily on newborn red deer. Neanderthal subsistence strategies seem, therefore, only partially linked to the hunting grounds they had access to. While it impacted the diversity of the prey they selected, Neanderthal groups were able to develop distinct hunting strategies within similar environments.
(Journal of Archaeological Science. vol. 168, n° 0305-4403, pp. 106007, 29/05/2024)
ArScAn, UP1, UP8, UPN, MCC, CNRS, IPHES-CERCA, URV, LAMPEA, AMU, CNRS, MC, EPHE, PSL, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UNIROMA, ASM, UPVM, CNRS, MC, ICArEHB, PACEA, UB, CNRS, ICREA
Impacts des néonicotinoïdes sur la biodiversité
(22/05/2024)
ECOSYS, INRAE, RiverLy, INRAE, IFREMER, UMR BAGAP, ESA, INRAE, Institut Agro, ICE, VAS, SEBIO, INERIS, URCA, ULH, NU, URCA, CNRS, UCBL, LBBE, UCBL, VAS, CNRS, LBBE, UCBL, VAS, CNRS, LCE, CNRS, UFC, UBFC, DECOD, IFREMER, INRAE, Institut Agro, Institut Agro, OFB Service Santé Agri, OFB - DRAS, OFB, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UMR Eco&Sols, Cirad, IRD, INRAE, Institut Agro, UMR Marbec - Station Sète, UMR MARBEC, IRD, IFREMER, CNRS, UM, EMMAH, AU, INRAE, IMBE, AU, AMU, CNRS, CUFR, URAFPA, UL, INRAE, UR HYCAR, INRAE, DEPE, INRAE
Etude des réponses embryonnaires d’un poisson migrateur à la qualité de l’eau des frayères dans un contexte de déclin de population.
(22/05/2024)
UR EABX, INRAE, RiverLy, INRAE, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, MFP, UB, CNRS
Study of the isotopic response of coccolithophorids to changes in pCO2 in culture for Pliocene paleoclimatic applications
The study of climate and the interactions among the Earth system components involved in its operation (hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere) represents a major challenge. Additionally, reconstructing paleoenvironments supports numerical modelling of future climate. Several biogeochemical proxies enable the reconstruction of paleo-sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and paleo-pCO2 levels (e.g., UK'37, δ18O, εp alk, and δ11B). In order to complement and refine the reconstructions based on these markers, a new pCO2 proxy has been developed and utilized in recent years: the difference between carbon isotopic ratios (Δδ13C) of coccoliths - calcareous plates produced by coccolithophores - of different sizes. The isotopic difference between coccoliths of different sizes is governed by carbon fluxes across cell membranes and the photosynthesis versus calcification ratio. When pCO2 decreases and pH increases, indicating reduced ambient carbon availability, the δ13Ccoccolith of larger cells decreases while that of smaller cells remains constant. Thus, Δδ13C is greater with lower pCO2 levels, forming the basis of the new paleo-barometer being developed. This thesis work employs a dual biogeochemical approach involving culture experiments and sediment analyses with the aim of improving the precision of the calibration between Δδ13C and pCO2 for paleoclimatic applications, particularly targeting the Pliocene epoch.To achieve this, we conducted a coccolithophore culture campaign under pCO2 from 200 to 1400 ppmv and pH from 8.3 to 7.6 (characteristic pCO2 and pH spectra of the Cenozoic). The four strains studied (RCC1256 Emiliania huxleyi, RCC1314 Gephyrocapsa oceanica, RCC1323 Helicosphaera carteri, and RCC1200 Coccolithus braarudii) produced coccoliths of various sizes and belong to diverse taxa representative of those whose coccoliths are found in Cenozoic carbonate archives. These culture studies enabled us to propose new transfer equations between Δδ13C and pCO2 (δ13C of small coccoliths - Noelaerhabdaceae - remaining stable, and δ13C of large coccoliths - C. braarudii - increasing with rising pCO2 and decreasing pH). Furthermore, the combined study of δ13C of organic matter and δ13C of coccolith demonstrated that variations in C. braarudii δ13Ccoccolith, that drive Δδ13C variations, result from changes in the fractionation rate between aqueous CO2 in the environment and organic matter produced by algae between 200 and 500 ppmv.We employed our transfer equations derived from coccolithophore culture studies on Pliocene sediments (5.3 - 2.6 Ma, analogous to the SSP2-4.5 scenario of the IPCC) from the South Atlantic (site 516) and equatorial (site 999A) regions. The Δδ13C-pCO2 transfer equations enable the reconstruction of absolute pCO2 similar with those published by other studies, notably indicating a decrease in CO2 concentrations between the middle and the end of the Pliocene. Additionally, the analysis of coccolith δ18O in sediments allowed us to downwardly revise previously reconstructed SSTs for site 516 to values consistent with those proposed by climate numerical models, and to discuss Pliocene paleoceanography in the Atlantic Ocean based on data from sites 516 and 999A. The increase in SSTs between 4.8 and 3.8 Ma at site 999A marks the end of the closure of the Central American Seaway (CAS), while the decrease in pCO2 from 3.3 Ma onwards is linked to the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation.
(21/05/2024)
iSTeP, INSU - CNRS, SU, CNRS
First glance of french soil contamination by pesticide residues and the need for broad-scale monitoring
The intensive use of pesticides in modern agriculture raised concerns about their environmental fate and impacts on the ecosystems. If the monitoring of those substances in water bodies has been established in Europe since the 2000’s, knowledge of soil contamination by such residues is scarce. However, the few studies addressing this issue pointed out the widespread occurrence of pesticides in soils and the risk they can pose for soil biodiversity. This study investigated 111 currently used pesticides in 47 soils sampled across France, mostly from arable lands but also from forest and grasslands theoretically exempted of pesticides applications. The sampling strategy was based on the French Soil Quality Monitoring Network to evaluate the feasibility of using an existing network for pesticides monitoring in soils. The results demonstrated the widespread contamination of almost all soils samples by residues, including untreated areas such as forests and permanent grasslands. Up to 33 different substances in one soil sample were detected, at concentrations leading to a medium to high ecotoxicological risk for earthworms in arable lands. Several frequently detected residues have never been reported in the literature so far or were found at much lower detection rates. Finally, the comparison with pesticide application records provided by the farmers revealed the unexpected presence of some substance in sites where they were not applied and a longer than expected persistence of several compounds. These findings question the fate of currently used pesticides in the environment under current agricultural practices and advocate for the monitoring of pesticides in soils at broad scales. Filling the knowledge gap of pesticide presence in soil is necessary to understand the contamination of other environmental compartments and prevent their contamination. Therefore, there is a clear need to integrate pesticide analysis in national soil monitoring programs to evaluate contamination levels, which will be conducted in France. This monitoring will include both target and non-target analyses to identify all the potential molecules in soil.
(19/05/2024)
Info&Sols, INRAE, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LAS, INRAE
Monitoring the mineralogical and porosity transformations in ceramics due to salt whitening agent in modern Hebron ceramics: the contribution of non-invasive methods
Valentine Roux's observations of working potters in Hebron, in the West Bank, were the starting point for our study. This field survey revealed that salt was introduced to the fabric (?) in the form of table salt, with the aim of producing white ceramics. An initial study (Teodorescu et al., 2022) was conducted to understand and explain this phenomenon through the characterisation of the available material: clay raw materials and ceramics from the chaînes opératoires. Beyond the apparent whiteness, the potters also seemed to emphasise other properties, such as porosity. We therefore looked at how salt affects the properties of the material to meet the potters' aesthetic and functional criteria. For that, a selection of raw materials up to the finished product, particularly at the Hebron site were sampled. A second set of data from materials manufactured in the laboratory, from the source clays used by Hebron potters, was produced by controlling the salt concentration on the one hand, and the firing temperature on the other. The aim of this study was both to develop non-destructive tools for data acquisition in ceramology and to explore possible applications. Thus, we sought to estimate firing temperatures from the spectral response obtained in the near-infrared (900-2500 nm) and visible range (400-800 nm). The measurements were carried out using a hyperspectral camera - SPECIM equipment (HSI VNIR). Simultaneously, the porosity of the material was explored in the least invasive way possible using X-ray micro-tomography. The aim was to monitor the role of the temperature and salt concentration parameters on the development of the pore system and to correlate the responses obtained with the functional properties of the object. In addition, the results suggest that hyperspectral imaging is a promising tool for studying ancient ceramics, particularly in the construction of firing references.
(15/05/2024)
UB, UBM, CNRS, CEALEX, CNRS, PACEA, UB, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, TEMPS, UP1, UPN, CNRS
Evolution long-terme des communautés planctoniques autotrophes dans les façades maritimes françaises : premiers résultats du Bassin d’Arcachon
Bien que les écosystèmes côtiers ne représentent que 8,5 % de leur surface totale, ils produisent près de 60 % de la valeur économique générée par les océans. Une partie des services rendus par ces écosystèmes dépend de la structure du réseau trophique planctonique. La diversité taxonomique et morphologique de ce compartiment et sa sensibilité aux conditions environnementales lui permettent d’évoluer rapidement face aux fluctuations générées par les changements globaux. Les modifications long-terme des conditions environnementales ont des effets sur la structure, la phénologie et la biogéographie de ces communautés et donc sur le fonctionnement des écosystèmes. Cette étude s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un travail de thèse dont un des objectifs est d’étudier les modifications phénologiques, structurelles et spatiales des communautés planctoniques photoautotrophes (du pico- au micro-phytoplancton) du littoral français en lien avec des facteurs abiotiques. Elle s’appuie sur le réseau des parcs naturels marins, catégorie d’aires marines protégées réparties sur le littoral français, afin de préfigurer un observatoire du changement climatique. Cette étude mobilisera les données acquises par des services nationaux d’observation et de surveillance SOMLIT, PHYTOBS et le réseau REPHY. Des séries temporelles d’au moins 15 ans seront analysées au moyen d’outils statistiques et d’analyse de données afin de détecter les variations pluriannuelles de la structure de ces communautés et de leurs dynamiques spatiale et phénologique. Les premiers résultats obtenus pour le Bassin d’Arcachon seront présentés lors de ces journées scientifiques.
(13/05/2024)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, OFB Service EcoAqua, OFB - DRAS, OFB
Identification of instrumental artifacts in terpene detection: field studies and follow-up chamber campaign ACROSS-HECTIC
(13/05/2024)
ICARE, UO, CNRS, INSIS - CNRS, CERI EE - IMT Nord Europe, IMT Nord Europe, IMT, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LISA (UMR_7583), INSU - CNRS, UPEC UP12, CNRS, UPCité, MIA Paris-Saclay, INRAE, LPC2E, INSU - CNRS, UO, CNRS, CNES, ICOA, CEA, UO, INSERM, INC-CNRS, CNRS
Identification of instrumental artifacts in terpene detection: field studies and follow-up chamber campaign ACROSS-HECTIC
(13/05/2024)
ICARE, UO, CNRS, INSIS - CNRS, CERI EE - IMT Nord Europe, IMT Nord Europe, IMT, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LISA (UMR_7583), INSU - CNRS, UPEC UP12, CNRS, UPCité, MIA Paris-Saclay, INRAE, LPC2E, INSU - CNRS, UO, CNRS, CNES, ICOA, CEA, UO, INSERM, INC-CNRS, CNRS
Aerosol spectral complex refractive index in the Paris urban area and its suburban and forested surroundings during the ACROSS field campaign: variability and constraint for direct radiative effect estimation in regional models
(13/05/2024)
LISA (UMR_7583), INSU - CNRS, UPEC UP12, CNRS, UPCité, LCE, AMU, INC-CNRS, CNRS, CERI EE - IMT Nord Europe, IMT Nord Europe, IMT, USD, INERIS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, TROPOS, ATOC