French Island Research Articles

Assisted colonisation trial of the eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) to a fox-free island

Context Assisted colonisation has the potential to protect species from intractable threats within their historical ranges. The Australian mainland subspecies of the eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) is extinct in the wild, with surviving populations restricted to small sites protected by predator–barrier fences. PVA modelling shows that a self-sustaining bandicoot population would require an area free of the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) of at least 2500ha. French Island is outside the historic range of the species, but is fox-free and contains around 9000ha of potentially suitable habitat. Aims This study will assess the suitability of French Island as a potential site for a self-sustaining eastern barred bandicoot population by conducting a 1-year assisted colonisation trial to assess habitat use, body condition and survival. Methods Between July and September 2012, 18 adult bandicoots were released. We radio-tracked bandicoots using intraperitoneal radio-transmitters for up to 122 days and trapped fortnightly. Key results The release group met the three measures of success: (1) appropriate habitat use; (2) recovery of post-release bodyweight; and (3) founder survival exceeding 100 days. Habitat use and body condition throughout the trial reflected that of mainland populations, and seven bandicoots survived longer than 100 days. Mortality was greatest in the first month, with veterinary investigations confirming two deaths due to cat predation, two deaths from toxoplasmosis and one unknown cause of death. Bandicoots that survived longer than 100 days occupied higher, drier ground than those that did not. Toxoplasmosis cases were associated with lower topographic position on the site. Conclusions Our results suggest that French Island provides suitable habitat for the establishment of a population of eastern barred bandicoots. On French Island, toxoplasmosis was identified as an important source of mortality in addition to cat predation, and warrants further investigation. Implications Given the costs and challenges of predator control and the maintenance of predator exclusion fences, assisted colonisation to one or more fox-free islands remains the most viable option to establish self-sustaining bandicoot populations. Our results highlight the value in conducting trial releases ahead of major translocations.

Who's in charge here anyway? Polycentric governance configurations and the development of policy on invasive alien species in the semisovereign Caribbean

Vaas, J., P. P. J. Driessen, M. Giezen, F. van Laerhoven, and M. J. Wassen. 2017. Who's in charge here anyway? Polycentric governance configurations and the development of policy on invasive alien species in the semisovereign Caribbean. Ecology and Society 22(4):1. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09487-220401

Dual Infection with Bluetongue Virus Serotypes and First-Time Isolation of Serotype 5 in India

Bluetongue is endemic in India and has been reported from most Indian states. Of late, the clinical disease is most frequently seen in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana (erstwhile Andhra Pradesh state), Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Our analysis of diagnostic samples from bluetongue outbreaks during 2010-2011 from the state of Karnataka identified bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 5 (BTV-5) for the first time in India. One of the diagnostic samples (CH1) and subsequent virus isolate (IND2010/02) contained both BTV-2 and BTV-5. Segment 2 (seg-2) sequence data (400bp: nucleotides 2538-2921) for IND2010/02-BTV5, showed 94.3% nucleotide identity to BTV-5 from South Africa (Accession no. AJ585126), confirming the virus serotype and also indicating that Seg-2 was derived from a Western topotype, which is in contrast to serotype 2, that belongs to an Eastern topotype. BTV-5 has been recently reported from Africa, China, French islands and the Americas. Although the exact source of the Indian BTV-5 isolate is still to be confirmed, recent identification of additional exotic serotypes in India is of real concern and might add to the severity of the disease seen in these outbreaks.

The effect of Chlamydia on translocated Chlamydia-naïve koalas: a case study

Thirty Chlamydia-free koalas, Phascolarctos cinereus, were moved from French Island National Park to three forests near Ballarat (Victoria). Chlamydial exposure and infection were monitored by antibody Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Direct Immunofluorescence (DIF) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of swabs; its impact evaluated by clinical examination. Chlamydia was not detected on French Island. At the end of the study, 16 out of 17 koalas were Chlamydia antibody positive, and 11 out of 16 were also positive for the presence of Chlamydia in the uro-genital tract. C. pecorum infected seven out of nine koalas, one out of nine were infected by C. pecorum and C. pneumoniae and one out of nine by C. pneumoniae alone. This translocation trial shows a high incidence of infection of the translocated koalas, suggesting that the movement of Chlamydia-free animals to areas where the status of the disease is unknown, or the movement of infected animals to other sites where koalas are present, should no...

First serological evidence of West Nile virus in horses and dogs from Corsica Island, France

Abstract West Nile virus (WNV) is widely distributed over the world, including Europe, Africa, and Asia and spread over the past two decades to North and South America. In the south of France, sporadic cases are frequently described and the virus is endemic in Italy with frequent cases and outbreaks. The aim of this study was to identify a possible WNV circulation in Corsica (French island in the Mediterranean Sea) in sheep, horses, and dogs as sentinel animals for the virus surveillance. In 2014, 386 blood samples were collected from 219 sheep, 96 horses, and 71 dogs, in 12 localities in Corsica, in the oriental coast of Corsica. Each sample was systematically tested for WNV immunoglobulin G using an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with inactivated WNV as antigen. The result of the ELISA for the WNV antibody test on the sheep sera was all negative, whereas 9 of 96 horses (9.4%) and 6 of 71 dogs (8.4%) presented WNV antibodies. All the positive samples from horses and dogs were confirme...

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting cattle and some other domestic and wild hosts on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica.

BackgroundCorsica is a mountainous French island in the north-western Mediterranean presenting a large diversity of natural environments where many interactions between domestic animals and wild fauna occur. Despite a favourable context for ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs), the tick fauna of Corsica has not systematically been investigated.MethodsFor one year (May 2014-May 2015), a survey of ticks infesting cattle was performed in the three Corsican cattle slaughterhouses. Two of these were visited monthly and one quarterly; the ticks were manually collected, just after flaying. Ticks were identified on their morphology; when necessary, some specimens were also molecularly identified by sequencing mitochondrial cox1 (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) and 16S ribosomal RNA genes and ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer 2). During the same period, ticks from other domestic animals (small ruminants, horses, domestic carnivores) and wild animals (wild boars, mouflons, deer) were occasionally collected.ResultsA total of 1,938 ticks was collected from 264 of 418 cattle examined, reared in 86 different localities. Eight tick species were found infesting cattle: Rhipicephalus bursa (56.1 %), Hyalomma marginatum (21.5 %), Hy. scupense (8.7 %), Ixodes ricinus (5.7 %), Haemaphysalis punctata (4.8 %), Rh. sanguineus (sensu lato) (2.3 %), Rh. (Boophilus) annulatus (0.7 %) and Dermacentor marginatus (0.2 %). The cattle infestation rate remained high all year (more than 50 %). Several tick species showed seasonal variation of their activity. From other Corsican animals 1,196 ticks were collected. Comparing ticks collected from cattle with those found on other animals, several host preferences were shown. A noteworthy record is that of a few Ha. sulcata on mouflons which were mainly infested by Rh. bursa.ConclusionThe Corsican tick fauna is characterized by typical Mediterranean species (Rh. bursa and Hy. marginatum), but the mild climate and diversified environment provide satisfactory habitats both for species usually found in dry areas (Hy. scupense) and species usually collected in humid areas (I. ricinus).

Simuling a Compressed Air Energy Storage For a Net Zero Energy Building in Tropics

Facing the demand in electricity for houses or buildings provided by mean of photovoltaic panels is relatively tricky, especially because of the stochastic character of the solar radiation. There exists some solutions in terms of storage and among them, the one consisting in converting electricity in high-pressure compressed air seems promising. This option is under investigation in a building of teaching classes at Reunion University (a French island situated in the Indian Ocean, at the east of Madagascar. The aim in terms of consumption is 25 kWhPE.m-2.year-1 leading, if possible to a NetZEB (Zero Energy Building). So, it has been envisaged to produce the electricity by mean of PV panels, to consume the major and to store the extra production in order to be used at night and during lower shinning periods. The solution that has been investigated consists in compressing air in high pressure storage tanks and to produce electricity later thanks to a turbine. A dynamic numerical model has been built, considering a specific given load profile and local climatic data in order to estimate the production. The whole system depends mainly on the PV panel area, the storage tank volume and the pressure range. The objective is to reduce the amount of energy provided by the external network to the minimum leading to the maximum autonomy of this system. First results have been obtained and are explained in a last part, in terms of pressure and power evolution.

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) From Queensland Are Genetically Distinct From 2 Populations in Victoria.

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) suffered population declines and local extirpation due to hunting in the early 20th century, especially in southern Australia. Koalas were subsequently reintroduced to the Brisbane Ranges (BR) and Stony Rises (SR) by translocating individuals from a population on French Island descended from a small number of founders. To examine genetic diversity and north-south differentiation, we genotyped 13 microsatellite markers in 46 wild koalas from the BR and SR, and 27 Queensland koalas kept at the US zoos. The Queensland koalas displayed much higher heterozygosity (H O = 0.73) than the 2 southern Australian koala populations examined: H O = 0.49 in the BR, whereas H O = 0.41 in the SR. This is consistent with the historical accounts of bottlenecks and founder events affecting the southern populations and contrasts with reports of high genetic diversity in some southern populations. The 2 southern Australian koala populations were genetically similar (F ST = 0.018, P = 0.052). By contrast, northern and southern Australian koalas were highly differentiated (F ST = 0.27, P < 0.001), thereby suggesting that geographic structuring should be considered in the conservation management of koalas. Sequencing of 648bp of the mtDNA control region in Queensland koalas found 8 distinct haplotypes, one of which had not been previously detected among koalas. Queensland koalas displayed high mitochondrial haplotype diversity (H = 0.753) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.0072), indicating along with the microsatellite data that North American zoos have maintained high levels of genetic diversity among their Queensland koalas.

Grey Zone in Caribbean Islands: Socio-Racial Struggles around the Martinican Carnival

Few researchers have attempted to show that colonialism was associated with an on-going task of division between slaves. This article intends to highlight the functioning logic of the colonial plantation world. In the Caribbean area, whether that of English, Dutch, Spanish or French colonialisms, the morphological existence of a minority of Whites and an&lt;br /&gt;overwhelming majority of Blacks in a permanent state of rebellion, as Patterson’s (1982) work demonstrated, was the basis for the creation of intermediate groups as “buffers”. These auxiliary people (domestics, hunters of fugitives, executioners, free people in militias; but also, by mimicry, the Black owners of slaves) are only part of a larger system requiring a strong dependency between the free people of color, that is of mixed heritage - Mulâtres in French colonies, Mulattos in English colonies1- and White masters. This model of the tripartition between the rich White class, the free middle class of mixed heritage, and the proletarian Black people, can define itself as a society in which the “colortocracy” (Anderson, 2000) became a “grey zone” in the sense of Primo Lévi's (1989) analysis of Nazi concentration camps. Neither subaltern studies nor the social science of creolization really bind this social stratification to long-lasting effects of domination between Blacks themselves. Nowadays, the political power is detained by this brown upper class. Thereby, this type of socio-racial structure has been maintained long after the official demise of&lt;br /&gt;colonialism and it continues to affect the political and economic organization of Caribbean islands. In this rigid framework, in which individuals and people are increasingly dominated (structural joblessness, migration to the metropole, racism and whitening, lack of economic&lt;br /&gt;independence etc.), the Black proletarians have developed a counter-culture among which the best known forms are carnival and a daily Maroon behavior, namely many protean resistances against the White world and colortocracy. This paper discusses the situation of the Martinican carnaval taking place on the French island of Martinique.

Seroprevalence of Toscana virus in dogs from Corsica, France.

BackgroundToscana virus (TOSV) is an arbovirus belonging to the Bunyaviridae, a family of negative-stranded, enveloped RNA viruses. The virus can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female sand fly of the genus Phlebotomus. Infections are usually asymptomatic but the virus is known to cause aseptic meningitis and/or meningo-encephalitis in the Mediterranean countries. Dogs are good sentinels for detection of viral circulation and are more easily accessible than wild animals.FindingsIn 2013 and 2014, we collected sera from 231 adult dogs living in 26 counties in two departments in Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean. The virus microneutralization-based seroprevalence assay revealed a seropositivity of 3.9 % dogs on the eastern coast of Corsica.ConclusionsOur study confirms the circulation of TOSV in Corsica. Accordingly, in geographical areas where dogs possess TOSV neutralizing antibodies, direct and indirect TOSV diagnosis should be implemented in patients presenting with febrile illnesses and central nervous system infections such as meningitis and encephalitis.

French Island – Orchids and Wildlife Chris Chandler

French Island – Orchids and Wildlife Chris Chandler

Evaluation of nutritional and antioxidant properties of the tropical fruits banana, litchi, mango, papaya, passion fruit and pineapple cultivated in Réunion French Island

Much attention is paid to the beneficial action of fruits against obesity-related oxidative stress. This study evaluated nutritional and antioxidant properties of banana, litchi, mango, papaya, passion fruit and pineapple from Réunion French Island. Results showed that total amounts of carbohydrates, vitamin C and carotenoids were 7.7–67.3g glucose equivalent, 4.7–84.9mg ascorbic acid equivalent and 26.6–3829.2μg β-carotene equivalent/100g fresh weight, respectively. Polyphenols were detected as the most abundant antioxidants (33.0–286.6mg gallic acid equivalent/100g fresh weight) with the highest content from passion fruit. UPLC-MS analysis led to identify epigallocatechin and quercetin derivatives from banana and litchi, ferulic, sinapic, syringic and gallic acids from pineapple and mango, and piceatannol from passion fruit. Polyphenol-rich extracts protected red blood cells and preadipose cells against oxidative stress. Altogether, these findings highlight nutritional benefits of French tropical fruits and their possible interest to improve antioxidant capacities of the body during obesity.

Incidence and Mortality of Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Martinique.

BackgroundIncidence of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAH) varies wildly across the world and seems to be low in Central and South America (4.2 per 100 000 person-years; CI 95%; 3.1–5.7). The objective of our study was to describe the characteristics of SAH and to estimate its incidence and severity in Martinique, a small French island located in the Caribbean Sea.MethodsDue to its insular nature and small captive population, Martinique is ideal for the setting up of population-based epidemiological studies with good exhaustiveness. Our study, spanning a 7 year period (2007–2013), consisted of retrospective case ascertainment with multiple overlapping methods. Crude incidence and 30 day case-fatality rates for SAH among the Martinican population were computed for the study period. Incidence and disease severity was also analyzed according to age, gender and aneurysm presence. World age-standardized incidence rates were also calculated.ResultsA total of 121 patients had a SAH during the study period, with a higher frequency of female cases (71.1% versus 28.9%, p<0.001). Patient mean age was 57.1 years (median = 55 [46–66]). An aneurysmal origin was found in 96 SAH cases (79.3%). Crude annual incidence was 4.36 per 100 000 person-years (CI 95% 2.30–6.42). World age-standardized incidence was 3.29 per 100 000 person-years (CI 95% 1.74–4.84). During the 30 days following SAH diagnosis, 29 patients died (case fatality rate: 24% (CI 95% 16.4–31.6)).ConclusionsThe incidence of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage in Martinique is much lower than in other parts of the world and similar to countries in Central and South America. These results are possibly related to environmental factors and most particularly to a low rate of smoking in the Martinican population. Thirty-day case-fatality rate is similar to what is observed in developed countries.

Prevalence, treatment and control of hypertension in La Réunion: the RÉDIA population-based cohort study

A better knowledge of prevalence, management and determinants of hypertension is needed in regions in epidemiological transition to adapt the strategies of public health screening and prevention, and to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases. We conducted a prospective cohort study including 4610 participants aged between 18 and 69 years and representative of the general population of La Réunion, a French overseas island located in the western Indian Ocean. The median time between inclusion and follow-up was 7.4 years. Blood pressure data at baseline and follow-up of 3087 participants were analyzed. We found a high prevalence of hypertension, especially in women (36.7% [34.5–39.0]) and in men (40.3% [37.6–43.0]) and in the under 30s (17.1% [14.0–20.5]), with an increase of 10% at follow-up. Treatment rates were very low in men (19.5% versus 39.1% in women) as was awareness of their condition (25.7% versus 44.6%). Blood pressure control rates were similar (18% at baseline and 34% at follow-up for both sexes). Diagnosis of hypertension at follow-up among subjects normotensive at baseline was independently associated with obesity at baseline (relative risk (RR) = 1.40 [1.12–1.75] for BMI between 27 and 30 kg/m2 and 1.72 [1.33–2.25] for BMI ≥30 kg/m2 as compared with BMI <27 kg/m2) and HbA1C (RR =1.12 [1.05–1.19] per %), suggesting a prominent role of insulin resistance in our population. Our study provides original data that cannot be assimilated to any existing model and should guide the implementation of original community-based programs in such countries.

Detection of Hepatitis E Virus in Sewage After an Outbreak on a French Island.

A hepatitis E outbreak, which occurred on a small isolated island, provided an opportunity to evaluate the association between the number of hepatitis E cases in the community and the concentration of virus detected in sewage. Samples were collected from the different sewage treatment plants from the island and analyzed for the presence of hepatitis E (HEV)virus using real-time RT-PCR. We demonstrated that if 1-4% of inhabitants connected to a WWTP were infected with HEV, raw sewage contained HEV at detectable levels. The finding that such a small number of infected people can contaminate municipal sewage works raises the potential of the further distribution of the virus. Indeed, investigating the routes of transmission of HEV, including the potential for sewage effluent to contain infectious HEV, may help us to better understand the epidemiology of this pathogen, which is considered to be an emerging concern in Europe.

“Odonata Community Index – Corsica” (OCIC): A new biological index based on adult odonate populations for assessment of the ecological status of watercourses in Corsica

Corsica is a French island in the western Mediterranean with numerous distinct geomorphological, landscape, and biological characteristics. These specific attributes, mostly related to insularity, are hardly taken into account by the biological indices currently recommended in the framework of the European Union Water Framework Directive “WFD” for assessing the ecological status of watercourses. Thus, this work has focused on developing an innovative biological index adapted to the specific context of territories such as Corsica, based on the Odonata group. In this context, imago sampling of Odonata was performed at 40 representative stations to assess the 33 major permanent rivers of the island. In parallel, various biological, hydrological, and physicochemical parameters affecting the ecological status of these organisms were recorded. The data collected on nearly 30 species of Odonata allowed for the accurate description of the typical populations of Corsican watercourses, highlighting this group's potential as a biological indicator. An indicator value was assigned to the 12 species identified as the most representative of these environments. The results were used to develop 5 biological indices based on simple statistical descriptors. The index that was found to be the best for assessing the ecological status of the watercourses, as indicated by correlation tests, was named “Odonata Community Index – Corsica” (OCIC), and was finally confronted with the 5 biological indices recommended by the WFD and currently used in Corsica. The results of this study confirm the significant potential of the OCIC index compared to other “official” indicators, that are limited in they do not accurately assess all territories. The results of our tests indicate that this new index using Odonata group appears to be a credible method that could potentially improve the evaluation system currently used for monitoring the ecological quality of watercourses in Corsica.

White-bellied Sea-Eagle breeding in the Western Port area, Victoria

The number of known active breeding sites for White-bellied Sea-Eagles Haliaeetus leucogaster in the Western Port area of Victoria has increased from one in the early 1980s to either six or seven in 2014. Three sites are located on French Island, two on Phillip Island, one at Devilbend Natural Features Reserve, Mornington Peninsula, and possibly one on Quail Island. A key factor in the increase in population is the creation and expansion of habitat reserves, especially French Island National Park, and subsequent change in management. All but one of the nests were built in tall trees. Surrounding habitats include forest, woodland, pines, farm trees and a swamp. Nest-site fidelity at several sites was low, owing to nest abandonment and collapse, with rebuilding of nests usually occurring nearby. In addition to the breeding pairs on French Island, other unpaired adult and immature Sea-Eagles are regularly observed there.

Pirates, Merchants, Settlers, and Slaves: Colonial America and the Indo-Atlantic world by Kevin P. McDonald

Reviewed by: Pirates, Merchants, Settlers, and Slaves: Colonial America and the Indo-Atlantic world by Kevin P. McDonald Arne Bialuschewski Pirates, Merchants, Settlers, and Slaves: Colonial America and the Indo-Atlantic world By Kevin P. McDonald. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2015 (California World History Library 21). Kevin McDonald’s revised UC Santa Cruz dissertation focuses on the networks that were formed in the late seventeenth century by pirates and traders who sailed halfway around the globe and connected the English colonies in North America, particularly New York, with Madagascar. This book deals with American-based merchants, Atlantic sailors and East African slaves, but rather than treating these groups separately, the author ties their stories together and develops the concept of an Indo-Atlantic World. The chapter of history that McDonald presents is fascinating. After the suppression of buccaneering in the Caribbean in the 1680s several crews left the region and sought new targets, which they eventually found in the Arabian Sea. Madagascar emerged as an entrepôt for loot that was exchanged for supplies and liquor. Within the span of a few years in the 1690s about 1,500 pirates sailed to this island at the periphery of imperial expansion and participated in raids. However, only a few managed to strike it rich. Many soon sought alternative sources of income and became involved in the slave trade as well as auxiliary businesses. McDonald illustrates how this complex trade and exchange network at the fringe of the then-known world evolved and how participants did their best to thrive and survive, including a free African sailor. The examples of people operating at the intersection of piracy and long-distance trade give the reader an insight into the different faces of merchant capitalism in the first age of globalization. Madagascar and its overseas connections certainly present interesting stories, but some scholars working in this field may ask themselves why this book was actually published. Almost everything that McDonald writes about has been dealt with by other historians. Robert C. Ritchie’s book about Captain Kidd covers by and large the same ground and leaves little else to be desired. René Barendse’s work on the Arabian Sea is exhaustive, Alison Games has established connections between Barbados and English colonizing schemes in Madagascar, Richard Allen has examined the Indian Ocean slave trade, and Jeffrey Bolster as well as Michael Jarvis have recovered the stories of Black sailors in the age of sail. Furthermore, there is an enormous body of French publications on Madagascar as well as the larger oceanic region that the author has not used. Then there is the problem of sources. Most pirates and traders who sailed to Madagascar in the late seventeenth century may have been from the English colonial empire, but they operated in an environment that was profoundly international. Nearly all merchants based in New York were of Dutch origin, their ship crews included Germans and Frenchmen as well as sailors from other nations, and in Madagascar they dealt with a variety of different ethnic groups. The nearest imperial outposts were the French island Bourbon, modern La Réunion, the Dutch Cape Colony, and the Portuguese ports in Mozambique and Mombasa. All these colonies, along with the Arabs on the Swahili Coast, generated an impressive body of sources that survives in various archives. Can’t the readership of an academic book that claims to contribute to global history expect to make use of at least some of these records? For the professional historian McDonald’s work may have little new to offer, but for the general audience this account of the Indo-Atlantic World certainly provides interesting perspectives. The book is well written and tells a captivating story without alienating non-academic readers with specialized jargon and theoretical considerations. One hopes that it will attract a large readership. Arne Bialuschewski Trent University Copyright © 2016 [Arne Bialuschewski] and The Johns Hopkins University Press

Australia: An Australian Hybrid: The Gardiner house, French Island

Australia: An Australian Hybrid: The Gardiner house, French Island

Ocean of trade: South Asian merchants, Africa and the Indian Ocean, c. 1750-1850

Ocean of Trade offers an innovative study of trade, production and consumption across the Indian Ocean between the years 1750 and 1850. Focusing on the Vāniyā merchants of Diu and Daman, Pedro Machado explores the region's entangled histories of exchange, including the African demand for large-scale textile production among weavers in Gujarat, the distribution of ivory to consumers in Western India, and the African slave trade in the Mozambique channel that took captives to the French islands of the Mascarenes, Brazil and the Rio de la Plata, and the Arabian peninsula and India. In highlighting the critical role of particular South Asian merchant networks, the book reveals how local African and Indian consumption was central to the development of commerce across the Indian Ocean, giving rise to a wealth of regional and global exchange in a period commonly perceived to be increasingly dominated by European company and private capital.