Agriculture and voles: what are their impacts on the “Franguignon” ecosystems?

• Main Authors: Giraudoux, Patrick, Couval, Geoffroy, Coeurdassier, Michael, Villette, Petra
• Other Authors: Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.), Laboratoire Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249) (LCE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC), Fédération Régionale de Défense contre les Organismes Nuisibles de Franche-Comté (FREDON Franche-Comté)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: French
• Published: HAL CCSD 2017
• Subjects: montane water vole; common vole; grassland; predator; conservation agriculture; campagnol terrestre; campagnol des champs; prairie; prédateur; agriculture de conservation; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; [SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment; Jura; Les Prairies; Ora; Common vole
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01567110

National audience The population outbreaks of the montane water vole and the common vole, two rodent species living mainly in grassland, are of periodic concern to farmers. Both species are the main prey of a rich community of predators which contributes to regional biodiversity and to the regulation of small mammal prey population dynamics. However, prey switching can locally affect species of hunting or heritage interest. These complex systems also modulate the transmission of a number of zoonotic diseases affecting public and veterinary health. They have been studied for about thirty years in the Zone atelier Arc Jurassien (http://zaaj.univ-fcomte.fr). Together these relationships constitute a system within which points of convergence must be found between ecosystem services which may appear contradictory a priori: the protection of crops and the quality of food products, the protection of species of conservation value, game management, health and even tourism. These questions concern not only the mountain areas of the Jura massif, but also the Morvan and the low-altitude fi eld crops where simplifi ed cultivation techniques and direct seeding are becoming more popular. The aim of this paper is to show the main processes involved and their long-term dynamics, which in several ways affect the regional fauna and fl ora of the so-called “natural” areas of Bourgogne Franche-Comté. They are in fact virtually all anthropogenic, i.e. the transient result of adaptive agricultural and forestry economies, in a given biogeographical context. Les pullulations de campagnol terrestre et de campagnol des champs, deux espèces de rongeurs vivant principalement dans les prairies, sont périodiquement d’une actualité préoccupante pour les exploitations agricoles. Les deux espèces sont les proies principales d’un riche cortège de prédateurs qui contribue à la biodiversité régionale et à leur régulation, mais dont les reports de prédation peuvent impacter localement des espèces d’intérêt cynégétique ou patrimonial. Ces ...