Dispersal Modelling: Integrating Landscape Features, Behaviour and Metapopulations

Christophe et tous les autres… Je tiens à remercier plus particulièrement Indira, Muriel, Céline et ma soeur Stéphanie, qui ont toujours été là pour me soutenir, tout comme l'équipe « de la ferme » et plus particulièrement Cathy. Je suis très reconnaissante de l'appui de mes parents, ma famille et mes amis. Enfin, j'aimerais te remercier, Yvan, pour toute l'attention que tu m'as portée pour cette fin de thèse. Merci pour tes encouragements et ta patience. Cette recherche a été soutenue en partie par l'Office Fédérale de l'Environnement, des Forêts et du Paysage (OFEFP) et par Le Service des Forêts, de la Faune et de la Nature-Centre de Conservation de la faune et de la nature, le Service des Améliorations Foncières et Le Service de l'Agriculture du canton de Vaud, dans le cadre du projet AGICE (Agriculture et Gestion intégrée du Contexte Environnemental). Les données génétiques pour l'application du modèle développé ont été mises à disposition par l' Abstract Abstract In human-dominated landscapes, populations and species extinctions are directly related to habitat destruction and fragmentation. To provide genetic diversity as well as population viability, individual exchanges among isolated populations must be maintained. Therefore, animal dispersal processes in fragmented landscape become an important topic for ecologists, and ecological networks planning has become one of the major challenges for landscape planners. Identification of habitat patches as well as assessment of the effect of ecological networks is badly needed. Since little information on the effect of landscape heterogeneities on animal dispersal is available, simulation models are being developed. As dispersal pattern and success strongly depend on the spatial context, species' interactions with landscapes, species behaviour and species ability to disperse, these models must be able to simulate them explicitly. This research work therefore aims first at developing methods and models that allow realistic animal dispersal simulations in fragmented landscapes. Second it aims at evaluating the effect of landscape heterogeneities and animal behaviour on dispersal and on species persistence. Additionally, the ability of such a model to estimate gene flow is analysed. To carry on this research, the following fields have been explored: landscape ecology, metapopulation dynamic, animal behaviour, genetics, Geographical Information Systems, modelling approaches and programming. A method, based on properties provided by Geographical Information Systems software, is first proposed to generate ecological networks by simulating animal dispersal according to animal movement constraints induced by human infrastructures. The resulting maps provide a spatial …