Background: Fire is important for the maintenance of African savanna ecosystems, particularly humid savanna. Despite the importance of fire behavior to our understanding of fire's ecological effects, few studies have documented fire behavior and its determinants in humid West African savannas and, in particular, whether fire behavior depends on season of the year. We analyzed fire behavior in the Guinean savanna of Lamto (Ivory Coast) during a 4-year field experiment. The fire regimes tested consisted of three different burning seasons: early-season fire, mid-season fire, and late-season fire. Nine 0.5 ha plots were burned annually to determine the rate of spread and fire intensity. Fuel characteristics and weather conditions were measured to assess their impact on fire behavior. Results: Understory grass height, total fresh fuel load, and moisture content had greater values in early-season fire than in mid-season and late-season fire. The rate of spread and intensity of both mid-season fire (0.14 ± 0.03 m s −1 and 3920 ± 740 kW m −1 , respectively) and of late-season fire (0.12 ± 0.02 m s −1 and 3134 ± 482 kW m −1 , respectively) were significantly greater than those of early-season fire (0.04 ± 0.01 m s −1 and 1416 ± 252 kW m −1 , respectively). The best predictors of fire behavior were fuel moisture content and air humidity; these two explanatory variables were the sole significant predictors for fire intensity, rate of fire spread, and flame height. Conclusions: Given that there is no difference between intensity of mid-season and late-season fire, we suggest that the generally reported higher impact of late-season fire on trees in the West African humid savannas is due not to fire intensity per se, but rather to a more sensitive phenological stage of trees (e.g., leafless in mid-season), and to a longer time of exposure to lethal temperatures (> 60°C) in the late dry season. These data provide important insights into fire behavior in the Guinean savanna−forest mosaic ecoregion, informing fire management.

Nous remercions l'IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) d'avoir financé cette étude à travers le programme JEAI (Jeune Equipe Associée). RESUME La mesure directe de l'intensité du feu n'étant pas toujours possible car fastidieuse et coûteuse, les indices post-feu substituent celle-ci et permettent de mieux comprendre les caractéristiques du feu et son impact sur la végétation. Cette étude a été menée dans la réserve de Lamto (Côte d'Ivoire) dans le but d'identifier les indices post-feu qui sont de bons indicateurs de l'intensité du feu. Trois régimes de feu ont été expérimentés de 2013 à 2017: le feu précoce, le feu de mi-saison, et le feu tardif. L'intensité du feu a été déterminée durant chaque feu. Ensuite, les indices post-feux que sont : la hauteur des flammes, l'efficacité de combustion, le volume d'eau évaporée, et les fractions de cendre fine et grossière ont été mesurés, et la surface couverte par le feu estimée. La hauteur des flammes est le meilleur indicateur de l'intensité du feu. Plus le feu est intense plus la zone d'action des flammes est haute, et plus il est susceptible de réduire le recrutement des jeunes ligneux. Cette étude propose en savane Guinéenne un indice facile à mesurer, qui permettrait aux gestionnaires des aires protégées en savane de mieux évaluer l'intensité du feu et son impact sur la végétation.

Lionfishes are conspicuous and disruptive predators once introduced outside of their native range. Here we provide a revision of the occurrences of the common lionfish Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) in the Mediterranean Sea, showing its rapid geographical expansion since 2012. A single lionfish was photographed in September 2016 during a scientific survey off the Vendicari coast, Southern Sicily, Italy. This is the first record of this notorious invasive species from Italian waters. Given its large size, conspicuous appearance, and venomous spines, it is critical to involve informed citizen scientists in tracking the spread of this species and to develop means to manage or adapt to its presence in the Mediterranean Basin.

West African savanna ecosystems and biodiversity are severely threatened by intensified land use and increasing degradation of natural habitats. Despite the importance of bees for pollinating crops and native plant species little information is available regarding the importance of savanna woody plant species to provide bees with food resources. Flora inventories were carried out on 48 subplots laid out across three land use types. The number of bee morphospecies and their abundance as flower visitors were recorded from inflorescences of plants during the different flowering periods. Out of a total diversity of 82 woody plant species, 53 species (64.63%) from 38 genera and 21 families were melliferous. These plants were visited by bees for foraging nectar and/or pollen. Species of the Combretaceae family were the most visited by bees in terms of individuals (53.85%). Combretum glutinosum alone accounted for 36% of visits. More than half of the melliferous plants (50.94%) were visited for both nectar and pollen. About 32.08% of plants were visited for nectar only (32.08%), while 16.98% were visited for pollen only (16.98%). The majority of savanna plants are flowering in the dry season, but few flowering species can be found throughout the whole year. Savanna woody plant species constitute important food resources for bees, therefore providing a wide range of applications for the development of beekeeping activities in the Sudanian region of West Africa.

Conclusion et application des résultats : La présente étude indique qu'An. gambiae s.l. se développe aussi dans des gîtes atypiques, tels que les jarres, les abreuvoirs d'animaux, les eaux des fosses septiques, les eaux résiduelles de beurre de karité, initialement propices à la reproduction d'Aedes aegypti et de Culex quinquefasciatus. Au regard de nos résultats, la lutte antivectorielle contre les vecteurs du paludisme doit prendre en compte tous les points d'eau sans exclusive en raison de l'ubiquité d'An. gambiae s.l. Mots-clefs : An. gambiae s.l., production larvaire, type de gîtes, milieu rural, milieu urbain, Oussou-yaokro, Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire Study of Anopheles gambiae s.l. (Diptera culicidae) larval production level in different types of breeding sites in Oussou-yaokro, West-Central and in Korhogo, Northern (Côte d'Ivoire) ABSTRACT Objective: Malaria is a public health problem in Côte d'Ivoire. The control of the vectors requires knowledge of their breeding sites. This study aims to identify the usual and the possibly unusual (or atypical) breeding sites of An. gambiae s.l. in rural and urban areas. Methods and Results: Larval surveys in various water points and measurement of physicochemical parameters were carried during 4 months in Oussou-yaokro (rural area) and by cross-sectional study in Korhogo (urban area). Forty one (41) and 44 sites were identified in Oussou-yaokro and Korhogo respectively and divided into classic and atypical (not usual) breeding sites of An. gambiae s.l. Atypical breeding habitats were in order of importance, tanks or jars for domestic water conservation, drinking troughs for animals, waste water due to shea butter manufacturing, septic tanks and used tires. Most of positive breeding sites were in the immediate environment of local populations. In Oussou-yaokro, the abundance of larvae in atypical breeding sites and in usual breeding sites was similar while in Korhogo usual breeding sites were more productive. The dynamics of the larvae habitats showed that, in rural area, jars have a regular larval production throughout dry and rainy season. The number of larvae habitats in both localities was related to rainfall during the rainy season, but also to practices of population and period of water retention in the containers. Conclusion and application of results: The present study indicates that An. gambiae sl. can also breed in unusual habitats, such as jars, animal drinking troughs, septic tanks, wastewater of shea butter, initially suitable for breeding of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. In light of these results, vector control against malaria vectors must consider all water points without exception because of the ubiquity of An. gambiae s.l.