Cystic echinococcosis (CE) of humans and animals is caused by various species of Echinococcus gra... more Cystic echinococcosis (CE) of humans and animals is caused by various species of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. Of these, E. granulosus sensu stricto has the widest geographical distribution and is the most important agent of human cystic echinococcosis. Previous molecular studies showed that E. granulosus s.s. isolates from the Middle East and western Asia exhibit higher intraspecific diversity than those from other parts of the world, which led to hypotheses on the origin of the species in that region. However, various high-endemicity regions have not been sufficiently covered by such studies, including northern Africa as a well-known focus of this parasite. Here, we report data on the mitochondrial cox1 gene (1609bp) sequence diversity of E. granulosus s.s. from Algerian livestock. An abattoir survey of 1278 animals from the Algerian steppe region (Djelfa) resulted in CE prevalence of 13.9% in cattle (n = 266), 5.7% in sheep (n = 975), and 0% in goats (n = 37). All of 125 molecularly examined cyst isolates belonged to E. granulosus s.s. In total, 73 haplotypes were found, only five of which have been previously reported (from the Middle East and Australia). One haplotype sequence (EgAlg01X) was found to contain an insertion of three bases at the end of the gene. To the best of our knowledge, this has not been reported before for Echinococcus spp. Diversity values of our panel of Algerian samples were in the range of those that have been previously reported from the Middle East and far higher than those from elsewhere. This, together with the low number of shared haplotypes, indicates a more complex biogeographical history of this parasite than hitherto assumed.
Aretemisia herba alba Asso (A.herba alba) (Asteraceae) is widely used in herbal medicine it has a... more Aretemisia herba alba Asso (A.herba alba) (Asteraceae) is widely used in herbal medicine it has a real mine of natural molecules like davanone which is a very interesting product on the international market. The present research proposes a method for controlling the pre-imaginary stages of Culex pipiens (L4 and pupae) based on essential oil of Artemisia herba alba. The aerial part of this plant was extracted by hydrodistillation which gave a yield of 1.5. Then it was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometry (CPG / SM) for the determination of its chemical composition. The results of the analysis showed that the oil of A.herba alba is a davanone chemotype which consists mainly of davanone (48.8%). Three concentrations (1µl/ml, 5µl/ml and 10µl/ml) are prepared and directly tested on larvae (L4) and pupae. The results show that the essential oils have an important larvicidal and pupicidal activity. This efficiency is expressed by the calculated toxicological para...
Background & objectives: In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin in... more Background & objectives: In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticide, this study was undertaken to assess the larvicidal potential of the essential oil from the seeds of Zanthoxylum armatum DC [syn. Z. alatum Roxb](Rutaceae) against three medically important species of mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus.
In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternat... more In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticide, this study was undertaken to assess the larvicidal potential of the essential oil from the seeds of Zanthoxylum armatum DC [syn. Z. alatum Roxb] (Rutaceae) against three medically important species of mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus. Essential oil was hydro distilled in the laboratory from the seeds obtained from the market and the chemical constituents of the oil were determined using GC/GC-MS. Bioefficacy of the essential oil was evaluated under laboratory conditions using III instar mosquito larvae. Among the three mosquito species tested, Cx. quinquefasciatus was the most sensitive (LC50 = 49 ppm) followed by Ae. aegypti (LC50 = 54 ppm) and An. stephensi (LC50 = 58 ppm). GC-MS analysis of the oil revealed at least 28 compounds, consisting mainly of oxygenated monoterpenes (75%) and monoterpenes (22%). Linalool though constituted a major part (57%), failed to produce any appreciable mortality when tested alone. From the results it can be concluded that the larvae of the three mosquito species were susceptible to the essential oil composition. Such findings would be useful in promoting research aiming at the development of new agent for mosquito control based on bioactive chemical compounds from indigenous plant sources as an alternative to chemical larvicides.
The counting of birds was conducted in a forest area of Aleppo Pine and Holm Oak Trees. A total o... more The counting of birds was conducted in a forest area of Aleppo Pine and Holm Oak Trees. A total of 35 species of birdswas recorded in this forest area. These species are distributed over 6 orders and 15 families. The Order Passeriformes was the most represented with 25 species and 9 families. The red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra wasthe most observed by means of progressive frequential sampling method with a percentage of 54.1% and the Greenfinch Fringilla coelebs wasthe most counted by the point count abundance indices with an IPA of 4.43.
The Barn Owl, Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), is a nocturnal raptor species. Their diet includes small... more The Barn Owl, Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), is a nocturnal raptor species. Their diet includes small vertebrates, mainly rodents, and birds. To study their feeding in the desert area of Touggourt, we collected 153 pellets at the Ranou palm grove. We found 468 specimens belonging to 62 species. In terms of abundance, the item more consumed was Rodents (35.9%) followed by Insects (35.2%) and Birds (10.7%). In terms of absolute abundance, the prey more consumed was Brachytrypes megacephalus (21.4 %), followed by an undetermined Lacertidae species (9.2%) and Gerbillus nanus (8.8%). In terms of biomass, rodents contributed more to the diet of Tyto alba (44.66%) than birds (34.3%) and reptiles (12.06%). The highest value of biomass corresponded to Streptopelia sp. (15.7%), followed by Rattus rattus (14.1%) and an undetermined Lacertidae species (11.8%). To our knowledge, this is the first assess- ment of the diet composition of Tyto alba in the Saharan Touggourt area.
Knowledge and study of breeding birds’ biology is essential to understand the dynamic, assess pro... more Knowledge and study of breeding birds’ biology is essential to understand the dynamic, assess productivity and identify threats. The population of booted eagles (Hieraaetus pennatus) was studied during three consecutive breeding seasons (2013−2015) in the Chettabah forest. Each year, arrivals of Booted eagles are recorded during March (15 individuals in 2013, 12 in 2014 and 11 in 2015). For the three years of study, the mean breeding pair’s density was 1.23 ± 0.153/km2, incubation period ranged from 33 to 38 days, whilst the frequency distribution of clutch size was 67.6% for 2 eggs, 27% for 1 and 5.4% for 3. Amongst the 63 eggs monitored, 55 hatched. No significant variation in hatching rate was observed during the 3 years (90% in 2013, 76.19% in 2014 and 84% in 2015). The comparison of breeding parameters with those reported in Spain showed a noticeable similarity. Further investigations should be conducted to improve the provision of information to support sound management interv...
Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis
Study on Common Raven’s diet is conducted in two regions in Algeria, region of Djelfa in the midd... more Study on Common Raven’s diet is conducted in two regions in Algeria, region of Djelfa in the middle part of Algerian Highlands and region of Laghouat occupying a large part of Northern Algerian Sahara. Analysis of Corvus corax’s regurgitation allowed us to count 2.726 individual-preys spread into 7 classes, 89 families, 26 orders and 232 preys-species. In term of F insects are the most ingested by Corvus corax. Rate of this class is of 81.1 % at level of El Guelta to reach 95.6 % in station of Sidi Mekhlouf. In term of biomass, Meriones shawii is the species the most profitable in weight in station of Sidi Mekhlouf (44.4 %), of Rocher des Pigeons (Pigeons Rock) (35.6 %) and even in station of El Guelta (14.3 %). However, in station of Dayet Zoujten, the highest biomass is presented by Gallus domesticus (42.1). This same observation is noted for species Gallus sp. (B % = 42.0 %) at level of El Mesrane.
In this taphonomic study we examine bone modifications to small mammal remains in regurgitated pe... more In this taphonomic study we examine bone modifications to small mammal remains in regurgitated pellets from Algerian Black-shouldered Kites, Elanus caeruleus. This is the first paper to examine the diet and taphonomic alterations of this species. It is shown here that the majority of prey remains appearing in the diet of E. caeruleus come from small mammals (93%) and that the modifications on the small mammal bones by this predator are consistent with the "strong" predator modification category
La comparaison entre les disponibilités alimentaires du milieu et le régime alimentaire de Corvus... more La comparaison entre les disponibilités alimentaires du milieu et le régime alimentaire de Corvus corax (Linné, 1758) dans la région de Guelt-es-Stel montre qu'en fonction de la présence de l'espèce dans le régime alimentaire et sur le terrain, les valeurs de l'indice d'Ivlev (Ii) varient entre -1 et +1. Les espèces qui ont une valeur de Ii = +1 sont recherchées par le prédateur. Ils sont au nombre de 116 sur 167 espèces. Les espèces-proies les plus sélectionnées par le Grand Corbeau appartiennent surtout à la classe des Insecta (AR % = 80,8 %). Ces espèces semblent influencer le comportement du prédateur grâce à certains de leurs caractères particuliers. Les couleurs contrastées noir et blanc des élytres du coléoptère Anthia (Thermophilium) sexmaculata (Fabricius 1787) ou vert noir et blanc de Cicindela (Lophyra) flexuosa (Fabricius 1787), la teinte blanche de l'escargot Sphincterochila candidissima (Draparaud 1758), la brillance de la cuticule de Chrysomela bicolor (Linné 1758), de Messor structor (Latreille 1798) et de Messor barbara (Linné 1767), ainsi que la grande taille comme celles du criquet Euryparyphes quadridentatus (Brisout 1852) attirent l'attention du Grand Corbeau (Corvus corax). Par contre, les espèces qui ont une valeur de Ii = -1 sont présentes sur le terrain mais ne font pas partie du menu trophique de Grand Corbeau. C'est le cas de 27 espèces notamment Tetramorium sp. Mayr 1855 (Ouvrières) et Tapinoma nigerrimum (Nyl., 1886) (Ouvrières) qui se caractérisent par la petitesse de leurs tailles (2 à 5 mm). Bien plus, les espèces qui font partie du régime alimentaire du Grand Corbeau et qui sont absentes sur le terrain, en apparence du moins, ou peu représentées dans la nature, correspondent à des valeurs positives comme Messor arenarius (Fabricius 1787) (Ii = +0,66) ou Tetramorium biskrensis kahenae (Menozzi 1934) (Ii = +0,49).
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) of humans and animals is caused by various species of Echinococcus gra... more Cystic echinococcosis (CE) of humans and animals is caused by various species of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. Of these, E. granulosus sensu stricto has the widest geographical distribution and is the most important agent of human cystic echinococcosis. Previous molecular studies showed that E. granulosus s.s. isolates from the Middle East and western Asia exhibit higher intraspecific diversity than those from other parts of the world, which led to hypotheses on the origin of the species in that region. However, various high-endemicity regions have not been sufficiently covered by such studies, including northern Africa as a well-known focus of this parasite. Here, we report data on the mitochondrial cox1 gene (1609bp) sequence diversity of E. granulosus s.s. from Algerian livestock. An abattoir survey of 1278 animals from the Algerian steppe region (Djelfa) resulted in CE prevalence of 13.9% in cattle (n = 266), 5.7% in sheep (n = 975), and 0% in goats (n = 37). All of 125 molecularly examined cyst isolates belonged to E. granulosus s.s. In total, 73 haplotypes were found, only five of which have been previously reported (from the Middle East and Australia). One haplotype sequence (EgAlg01X) was found to contain an insertion of three bases at the end of the gene. To the best of our knowledge, this has not been reported before for Echinococcus spp. Diversity values of our panel of Algerian samples were in the range of those that have been previously reported from the Middle East and far higher than those from elsewhere. This, together with the low number of shared haplotypes, indicates a more complex biogeographical history of this parasite than hitherto assumed.
Aretemisia herba alba Asso (A.herba alba) (Asteraceae) is widely used in herbal medicine it has a... more Aretemisia herba alba Asso (A.herba alba) (Asteraceae) is widely used in herbal medicine it has a real mine of natural molecules like davanone which is a very interesting product on the international market. The present research proposes a method for controlling the pre-imaginary stages of Culex pipiens (L4 and pupae) based on essential oil of Artemisia herba alba. The aerial part of this plant was extracted by hydrodistillation which gave a yield of 1.5. Then it was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometry (CPG / SM) for the determination of its chemical composition. The results of the analysis showed that the oil of A.herba alba is a davanone chemotype which consists mainly of davanone (48.8%). Three concentrations (1µl/ml, 5µl/ml and 10µl/ml) are prepared and directly tested on larvae (L4) and pupae. The results show that the essential oils have an important larvicidal and pupicidal activity. This efficiency is expressed by the calculated toxicological para...
Background & objectives: In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin in... more Background & objectives: In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticide, this study was undertaken to assess the larvicidal potential of the essential oil from the seeds of Zanthoxylum armatum DC [syn. Z. alatum Roxb](Rutaceae) against three medically important species of mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus.
In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternat... more In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticide, this study was undertaken to assess the larvicidal potential of the essential oil from the seeds of Zanthoxylum armatum DC [syn. Z. alatum Roxb] (Rutaceae) against three medically important species of mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus. Essential oil was hydro distilled in the laboratory from the seeds obtained from the market and the chemical constituents of the oil were determined using GC/GC-MS. Bioefficacy of the essential oil was evaluated under laboratory conditions using III instar mosquito larvae. Among the three mosquito species tested, Cx. quinquefasciatus was the most sensitive (LC50 = 49 ppm) followed by Ae. aegypti (LC50 = 54 ppm) and An. stephensi (LC50 = 58 ppm). GC-MS analysis of the oil revealed at least 28 compounds, consisting mainly of oxygenated monoterpenes (75%) and monoterpenes (22%). Linalool though constituted a major part (57%), failed to produce any appreciable mortality when tested alone. From the results it can be concluded that the larvae of the three mosquito species were susceptible to the essential oil composition. Such findings would be useful in promoting research aiming at the development of new agent for mosquito control based on bioactive chemical compounds from indigenous plant sources as an alternative to chemical larvicides.
The counting of birds was conducted in a forest area of Aleppo Pine and Holm Oak Trees. A total o... more The counting of birds was conducted in a forest area of Aleppo Pine and Holm Oak Trees. A total of 35 species of birdswas recorded in this forest area. These species are distributed over 6 orders and 15 families. The Order Passeriformes was the most represented with 25 species and 9 families. The red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra wasthe most observed by means of progressive frequential sampling method with a percentage of 54.1% and the Greenfinch Fringilla coelebs wasthe most counted by the point count abundance indices with an IPA of 4.43.
The Barn Owl, Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), is a nocturnal raptor species. Their diet includes small... more The Barn Owl, Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), is a nocturnal raptor species. Their diet includes small vertebrates, mainly rodents, and birds. To study their feeding in the desert area of Touggourt, we collected 153 pellets at the Ranou palm grove. We found 468 specimens belonging to 62 species. In terms of abundance, the item more consumed was Rodents (35.9%) followed by Insects (35.2%) and Birds (10.7%). In terms of absolute abundance, the prey more consumed was Brachytrypes megacephalus (21.4 %), followed by an undetermined Lacertidae species (9.2%) and Gerbillus nanus (8.8%). In terms of biomass, rodents contributed more to the diet of Tyto alba (44.66%) than birds (34.3%) and reptiles (12.06%). The highest value of biomass corresponded to Streptopelia sp. (15.7%), followed by Rattus rattus (14.1%) and an undetermined Lacertidae species (11.8%). To our knowledge, this is the first assess- ment of the diet composition of Tyto alba in the Saharan Touggourt area.
Knowledge and study of breeding birds’ biology is essential to understand the dynamic, assess pro... more Knowledge and study of breeding birds’ biology is essential to understand the dynamic, assess productivity and identify threats. The population of booted eagles (Hieraaetus pennatus) was studied during three consecutive breeding seasons (2013−2015) in the Chettabah forest. Each year, arrivals of Booted eagles are recorded during March (15 individuals in 2013, 12 in 2014 and 11 in 2015). For the three years of study, the mean breeding pair’s density was 1.23 ± 0.153/km2, incubation period ranged from 33 to 38 days, whilst the frequency distribution of clutch size was 67.6% for 2 eggs, 27% for 1 and 5.4% for 3. Amongst the 63 eggs monitored, 55 hatched. No significant variation in hatching rate was observed during the 3 years (90% in 2013, 76.19% in 2014 and 84% in 2015). The comparison of breeding parameters with those reported in Spain showed a noticeable similarity. Further investigations should be conducted to improve the provision of information to support sound management interv...
Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis
Study on Common Raven’s diet is conducted in two regions in Algeria, region of Djelfa in the midd... more Study on Common Raven’s diet is conducted in two regions in Algeria, region of Djelfa in the middle part of Algerian Highlands and region of Laghouat occupying a large part of Northern Algerian Sahara. Analysis of Corvus corax’s regurgitation allowed us to count 2.726 individual-preys spread into 7 classes, 89 families, 26 orders and 232 preys-species. In term of F insects are the most ingested by Corvus corax. Rate of this class is of 81.1 % at level of El Guelta to reach 95.6 % in station of Sidi Mekhlouf. In term of biomass, Meriones shawii is the species the most profitable in weight in station of Sidi Mekhlouf (44.4 %), of Rocher des Pigeons (Pigeons Rock) (35.6 %) and even in station of El Guelta (14.3 %). However, in station of Dayet Zoujten, the highest biomass is presented by Gallus domesticus (42.1). This same observation is noted for species Gallus sp. (B % = 42.0 %) at level of El Mesrane.
In this taphonomic study we examine bone modifications to small mammal remains in regurgitated pe... more In this taphonomic study we examine bone modifications to small mammal remains in regurgitated pellets from Algerian Black-shouldered Kites, Elanus caeruleus. This is the first paper to examine the diet and taphonomic alterations of this species. It is shown here that the majority of prey remains appearing in the diet of E. caeruleus come from small mammals (93%) and that the modifications on the small mammal bones by this predator are consistent with the "strong" predator modification category
La comparaison entre les disponibilités alimentaires du milieu et le régime alimentaire de Corvus... more La comparaison entre les disponibilités alimentaires du milieu et le régime alimentaire de Corvus corax (Linné, 1758) dans la région de Guelt-es-Stel montre qu'en fonction de la présence de l'espèce dans le régime alimentaire et sur le terrain, les valeurs de l'indice d'Ivlev (Ii) varient entre -1 et +1. Les espèces qui ont une valeur de Ii = +1 sont recherchées par le prédateur. Ils sont au nombre de 116 sur 167 espèces. Les espèces-proies les plus sélectionnées par le Grand Corbeau appartiennent surtout à la classe des Insecta (AR % = 80,8 %). Ces espèces semblent influencer le comportement du prédateur grâce à certains de leurs caractères particuliers. Les couleurs contrastées noir et blanc des élytres du coléoptère Anthia (Thermophilium) sexmaculata (Fabricius 1787) ou vert noir et blanc de Cicindela (Lophyra) flexuosa (Fabricius 1787), la teinte blanche de l'escargot Sphincterochila candidissima (Draparaud 1758), la brillance de la cuticule de Chrysomela bicolor (Linné 1758), de Messor structor (Latreille 1798) et de Messor barbara (Linné 1767), ainsi que la grande taille comme celles du criquet Euryparyphes quadridentatus (Brisout 1852) attirent l'attention du Grand Corbeau (Corvus corax). Par contre, les espèces qui ont une valeur de Ii = -1 sont présentes sur le terrain mais ne font pas partie du menu trophique de Grand Corbeau. C'est le cas de 27 espèces notamment Tetramorium sp. Mayr 1855 (Ouvrières) et Tapinoma nigerrimum (Nyl., 1886) (Ouvrières) qui se caractérisent par la petitesse de leurs tailles (2 à 5 mm). Bien plus, les espèces qui font partie du régime alimentaire du Grand Corbeau et qui sont absentes sur le terrain, en apparence du moins, ou peu représentées dans la nature, correspondent à des valeurs positives comme Messor arenarius (Fabricius 1787) (Ii = +0,66) ou Tetramorium biskrensis kahenae (Menozzi 1934) (Ii = +0,49).
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Papers by Karim Souttou