T.
Daufresne
INRA-CEFS |
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Main Research Topics |
The
Gardouch Project |
The
Gardouch Research Station |
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The
Gardouch Research Station |
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An
overview of the location, the climate and the natural vegetation
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The
Gardouch
Research station is a 14 ha enclosure owned and managed by
the French Institute for
Agricultural Research (Institut de la Recherche Agronomique), INRA.
The station is
mostly devoted to research on the behavioural ecology of the European
roe deer (Capreolus
capreolus), and on the study of roe deer -
vegetation interactions. Some captive roe deer (some of them
are tame),
are kept in small enclosures, and are used for research on behavior,
including cafeteria-type experiments. In addition, a small population
of 5-10 roe deer freely roams in the large enclosure.
The
station is located 1° 40' east and 43° 22'
north, in
south-western France, about 100 km north of the foothills of the
Pyrénées mountains. The landscape is hilly, and
mostly
cultivated, with patches of woods. The station is located on the slopes
of a hill, around 230 meters above sea level. The climate is
of
the "aquitain" Atlantic
type, although subject to a strong Mediterranean influence,
especially in summer. |
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Average rainfall and temperatures
at Gardouch (2003-2007)
rainfall 558 mm
temperature (year) 13.7 °C
temperature (January) 5.7 °C
temperature (july)
22.3 °C |
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natural vegetation on hill slopes in the region of Gardouch
is a
thermophilous deciduous broadleaved forest, referred to as "south-west
European, sub-Mediterranean downy oak forest" (Bohn et al. (2003) Map
of the natural vegetation of Europe, Federal Agency for Nature
Conservation, Germany). The upper tree layer is dominated by mixed
downy oaks (Quercus
pubescens *
petraea * robur). The lower tree layer is
dominated by Sorbus
torminalis.
The shrub layer is dense, with the dominance of thermophilous
species (Ligustrum
vulgare, Viburnum
lantana, Ruscus
aculeatus, Lonicera
xylosteum, Daphne laureola...), and brambles (Rubus
fructicosus).
Thermophilous lianas are abundant, especially Tamus
communis
and Rubia
peregrina.
Within the herb layer, Arum italicum and Pulmonaria
affinis are
particularly abundant. Some typical Mediterranean species sparsely
occur in the tree (Quercus hilex) and shrub (Viburnum
tinus) layers. |
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| Pulmonaria affinis |
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| The understory
in March |
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| Quercus
pubescens |
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The understory
in May, with a dense Tamus
communis thicket |
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Last updated
01/01/2009 |
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