Lynx evolution and history south-western France by Henri Cap
Bulletin de la Société d'histoire naturelle de Toulouse, 2019
La présence du Lynx boréal, Lynx lynx, dans le sud-ouest de la France a toujours fait l'objet de ... more La présence du Lynx boréal, Lynx lynx, dans le sud-ouest de la France a toujours fait l'objet de controverses. La première interrogation concerne la date de sa disparition, puisque des indices de présence récents posent la question de sa survivance. La seconde question concerne l'espèce qui aurait disparu (ou qui serait encore présente) dans les Pyrénées. En effet, en plus du Lynx boréal dont la présence est attestée depuis près de 40 000 ans, il existe deux autres taxa qui auraient également vécu dans la région : le Lynx pardelle, Lynx pardinus, actuellement endémique du sud de l'Espagne, mais qui était présent dans la région jusqu'à l'âge des métaux, et peut-être même jusqu'à très récemment et son ancêtre le Lynx des cavernes, Lynx spelaeus, dont les derniers fossiles remonteraient localement à 30 000 ans. Une dernière espèce, le Lynx d'Issoire, Lynx issiodorensis, considéré comme l'ancêtre des quatre espèces actuelles de lynx a également été présent dans la région, il y a plus de 2,5 Ma. Afin d'établir un scénario évolutif régional pour ces espèces, un bilan des données anatomiques, éthologiques, paléontologiques et historiques a été réalisé, qui sera complété ultérieurement par une série de datations, d'études anatomiques et génétiques du matériel conservé dans divers muséums d'Aquitaine et d'Occitanie. Enfin la question de la survivance de lynx dans les Pyrénées sera également discutée à partir de l'analyse des indices de présence les plus récents qui pourraient indiquer l'existence possible d'hybrides entre les deux espèces actuelles.
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Atlas des mammifères sauvages de Midi-Pyrénées -Livret 3 -Carnivores. Atlas naturalistes de Midi-Pyrénées. Edition Nature Midi-Pyrénées, Jacquot E. (coord), 2011
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Bulletin Société Histoire naturelle de Toulouse 01/2012; 148(2012):83-92. , 2012
The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art an... more The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art and its rich archaeological filling. This site was excavated between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. A new research program started in 2004, the main aim of which is to establish a precise chronological and cultural frame for the Gravettian levels of the cave. New excavations were made
from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in
order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentation about discoveries of Lynx lynx remains within the Pyrenean region is also mentioned.
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Brown bear by Henri Cap
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23rd international Conference on Bear Research and Management Thessaloniki, Greece , 2014
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Bovids phylogeny by Henri Cap
Zitteliana, 2014
In this article, we examine the possible contribution of behavioural studies to the determination... more In this article, we examine the possible contribution of behavioural studies to the determination of phylogenetic relationships within the Bovidae. First, we revisit the general arguments concerning the use of behavioural traits as phylogenetic characters; then we present our first attempt at reconstructing the phylogeny of Bovidae based on behavioural data taken from the literature. Despite the limited number of characters used, several clades of low hierarchical levels are supported by this phylogenetic analysis, in much the same manner as by morphological and molecular ones. Several characters linked to male sexual behaviour appear to be among the more informative ones.
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Natural history museum Toulouse zoology collection by Henri Cap
Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse, 2010
Après plus d'un siècle d'ouverture quasiment ininterrompue, le Muséum de Toulouse a fermé ses por... more Après plus d'un siècle d'ouverture quasiment ininterrompue, le Muséum de Toulouse a fermé ses portes durant dix années pour ouvrir à nouveau au public en 2008. Autrefois exposées dans leur intégralité, les collections de zoologie du Muséum présentées au public ne représentent plus qu'une infime part de ce qui est conservé en réserve. Le présent article a pour but de faire un état des lieux à la fois qualitatif, quantitatif et historique de ces collections invisibles pour le visiteur à la fibre naturaliste.
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Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse, 2011
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Biosystema 27, 2010
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Behaviour and evolution by Henri Cap
Les mondes darwiniens, 2009
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Handbook of Evolutionary Thinking in the Sciences, , 2015
Ethology was founded successively by the naturalist, psychological and neurophysiological trends.... more Ethology was founded successively by the naturalist, psychological and neurophysiological trends. After the classic opposition between the environmentalist and the objectivist view on behavior, and then the constructivist currents of the naturalist ethology, a fi rst synthesis was proposed by Tinbergen's four questions, integrating several scientifi c disciplines, and including the evolutionary question of ultimate causalities. In order to analyse what the theory of evolution brought to ethology and conversely, we collected and commented the opinions of several ethologists of different currents, in the context of the naturalist thought in ethology and the recent development of phylogenetics. Compared to the other data, the use of behavior in systematics raised some methodological problems concerning its ephemeral nature, the supposed diffi culty to identify homology and the pretended lack of reliability of behavioral data compared to morphological and molecular ones. As a matter of fact, behavioral characters mapped on a tree or integrated into the phylogenetic data matrix have great potential, even though they remain controversial in systematics. As a source of heritable characters for phylogeny inference, behavior embodies both a product of evolution and one of the evolutionary factors. Hence behavioral studies can bring complementary explanations to evolutionary processes of speciation involving behavioral factors. A further and promising interest of the combined study of behavior and evolution concerns the epigenetic perspective of the infl uence of behavior on the rate of DNA methylation, which confi rms that numerous behavioral adaptations appear before corresponding genetic modifi cations or mutations.
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Cervids phylogeny by Henri Cap
Arvicola, 2003
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Ethology Ecology and Evolution, 2002
The phylogenetic relationships of Cervidae within the family and within the infra-order Pecora ar... more The phylogenetic relationships of Cervidae within the family and within the infra-order Pecora are still uncertain. Traditionally based on morphological data, phylogenetic trees have increasingly relied on molecular data for the last 15 years, without reaching a satisfying consensus solution. This study intends to explore behaviour, between the rutting and nursing periods, as a new data set for the establishment of phylogenetic relationships between the several species of Cervidae, and also between Cervidae and other living Pecora families (Antilocapridae, Bovidae, Giraffidae and Moschidae). Separate analysis of behavioural data was performed, followed by combined analysis of behavioural characters together with morphological and cytological ones. Simultaneous analysis of all characters showed that Cervidae form a monophyletic group made up of two lineages: plesiometacarpalians or Cervinae (Muntiacus (Dama, Cervus)), and telemetacarpalian cervids including Hydropotinae and Capreolinae (Hydropotes (Capreolus (Alces (Odocoileus, Rangifer)))). Moschidae appear as the sister group of Cervidae, and Bovidae seem more closely related to Cervoidea than are Giraffidae. An Eurasiatic origin for Cervidae is suggested. Our results also indicate that Hydropotes is secondarily antlerless. Ancestral ethotypes were reconstructed for several clades. On the basis of this case study, the relevance of behavioural characters for phylogenetic systematics is discussed.
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Cladistics, 2008
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Biosystema, 2010
Behavioural characters are still insufficiently used for
inferring phylogenetic relationships
... more Behavioural characters are still insufficiently used for
inferring phylogenetic relationships
in systematics. This study is aimed at analysing the
possible interest of behavioural studies for resolving
relationships in Cervids, a topic hotly debated for decades.
Recent molecular studies seemed to be reaching
a consensus, but these results are in contradiction with
morphology-based phylogenies. A preliminary study of
the behavioural repertoire in females of 9 Cervid species
showed some congruence with other approaches,
but with insufficient clade support, hence we performed
a complementary study of male vocal behaviour in
11 species. We used 18 characters, including types of
calls (barks and roars) and their acoustic characteristics
(composition, fundamental frequencies and formants).
The resulting topology and phylogenetic consistency
of behavioural characters were compared with those of
molecular phylogenies, and a simultaneous parsimony
analysis of behavioural and other data was performed.
Our results show that vocalizations constitute relevant
phylogenetic characters for this taxonomic group and
allow for inferring plausible evolutionary scenarios in
association with other behavioural characters.
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Drafts by Henri Cap
Plus d'un an après son apparition, le virus SARS-CoV-2 s'est répandu sur notre planète. Responsab... more Plus d'un an après son apparition, le virus SARS-CoV-2 s'est répandu sur notre planète. Responsable des symptômes associés à la maladie appelée Covid-19, ce virus a bouleversé nos vies et nos sociétés. Après plusieurs confinements et déconfinements de la population, et malgré les efforts déployés pour sauver des vies en limitant la propagation du virus, la connaissance que nous en avons reste encore partielle. Au moment où la vaccination se généralise dans les pays du monde entier, il subsiste de nombreuses incertitudes concernant l'évolution du virus, les moyens de le traiter et son origine. Nous présentons ici une synthèse des données génétiques, phylogénétiques, cytologiques, médicales, et épidémiologiques et abordons la question de l'origine de ce virus si particulier qui reste à ce jour mystérieuse.
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More than one year after its appearance, SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread on our planet. Responsible f... more More than one year after its appearance, SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread on our planet. Responsible for the symptoms associated with the disease called Covid-19, this virus has completely changed our lives and our societies. After several lockdowns and de-confinements of the population, and despite efforts to save lives by limiting its spread, our knowledge of this virus is still partial. As vaccination becomes widespread in countries around the world, many uncertainties remain concerning the evolution of the virus, the means to treat it and its origin. We present here a synthesis of genetic, phylogenetic, cytological, medical and epidemiological data and we discuss the question of the origin of this very special virus which still remains a mystery.
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Papers by Henri Cap
International audienceThe use of behavioural characters in phylogenetics has a long and controver... more International audienceThe use of behavioural characters in phylogenetics has a long and controversial history. Early approaches were clearly behaviour-based phylogenetic inferences, or mere self-contained macro-evolutionary scenarios. Decisive conceptual and methodological improvements in phylogeny inference led to a renewed interest in behavioural phylogenetics. Modern phylogenetics are best construed as a historical science, both for ‘phylogeny making’ and for ‘phylogeny use’ in comparative studies. Very contrasting views have emerged regarding the use of behaviour in such approaches. Is behaviour generally too plastic to carry reliable phylogenetic information? Should behavioural traits be used to establish phylogenetic relation-ships, or just mapped on an already made phylogeny based on supposedly more reliable grounds?Such problems invite analyses of the requirements for characters to be used in phylogenetics. Both phylogenetic inference and testing of evolutionary scenarios on...
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Understanding how the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged and spread to humans is an essential foundation fo... more Understanding how the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged and spread to humans is an essential foundation for prioritizing future pandemic prevention and response strategies. Yet well over a year after the initial outbreak, no robust process for examining the origins of the pandemic has been established and critical records and biological samples that could provide essential insights into pandemic origins remain inaccessible. These shortcomings pose a significant threat to everyone and future generations. As scientists, social scientists, and science communicators, including signatories of the March 4, 2021 open letter on COVID-19 origins, we believe there is a better way forward.
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Uploads
Lynx evolution and history south-western France by Henri Cap
from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in
order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentation about discoveries of Lynx lynx remains within the Pyrenean region is also mentioned.
Brown bear by Henri Cap
Bovids phylogeny by Henri Cap
Natural history museum Toulouse zoology collection by Henri Cap
Behaviour and evolution by Henri Cap
Cervids phylogeny by Henri Cap
inferring phylogenetic relationships
in systematics. This study is aimed at analysing the
possible interest of behavioural studies for resolving
relationships in Cervids, a topic hotly debated for decades.
Recent molecular studies seemed to be reaching
a consensus, but these results are in contradiction with
morphology-based phylogenies. A preliminary study of
the behavioural repertoire in females of 9 Cervid species
showed some congruence with other approaches,
but with insufficient clade support, hence we performed
a complementary study of male vocal behaviour in
11 species. We used 18 characters, including types of
calls (barks and roars) and their acoustic characteristics
(composition, fundamental frequencies and formants).
The resulting topology and phylogenetic consistency
of behavioural characters were compared with those of
molecular phylogenies, and a simultaneous parsimony
analysis of behavioural and other data was performed.
Our results show that vocalizations constitute relevant
phylogenetic characters for this taxonomic group and
allow for inferring plausible evolutionary scenarios in
association with other behavioural characters.
Drafts by Henri Cap
Papers by Henri Cap
from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in
order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentation about discoveries of Lynx lynx remains within the Pyrenean region is also mentioned.
inferring phylogenetic relationships
in systematics. This study is aimed at analysing the
possible interest of behavioural studies for resolving
relationships in Cervids, a topic hotly debated for decades.
Recent molecular studies seemed to be reaching
a consensus, but these results are in contradiction with
morphology-based phylogenies. A preliminary study of
the behavioural repertoire in females of 9 Cervid species
showed some congruence with other approaches,
but with insufficient clade support, hence we performed
a complementary study of male vocal behaviour in
11 species. We used 18 characters, including types of
calls (barks and roars) and their acoustic characteristics
(composition, fundamental frequencies and formants).
The resulting topology and phylogenetic consistency
of behavioural characters were compared with those of
molecular phylogenies, and a simultaneous parsimony
analysis of behavioural and other data was performed.
Our results show that vocalizations constitute relevant
phylogenetic characters for this taxonomic group and
allow for inferring plausible evolutionary scenarios in
association with other behavioural characters.