Browsing by Author "Ismahan Halassi"

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    LAND APPLICATION OF SEWAGE SLUDGE: PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL RESPONSE OF THE RIO GRANDE TOMATO
    (journal of bioresource management, 2020) ALI ELAFRI; Ismahan Halassi
    Treated wastewater produces sewage sludge as a by-product that may have beneficial implications on agricultural practices. The effects of sludge amendments on growth, morphological and biochemical characteristics of the agro-industrial Tomato cultivar Rio Grande were observed. A pot culture experiment was carried out during 4 months (16 February 2019 to 18 June 2019), at an experimental green house in the locality of Salah Soufi, Guelma, north-eastern Algeria. There were significant differences between soil and sewage sludge samples. Total nitrogen (20.58 mg/kg) was more available in sewage sludge than in soil (N = 2.09 ± 0.3 mg/kg). In contrast, sludge contained less phosphorus and organic matter than soil. The observation of the morphological characteristics of the plants showed significant variations between the treatments. The germination rates for treated soils decreased significantly to reach 50%, compared to the control. Growth patterns (dry and fresh weight of leaves and roots) changed significantly (P <0.05) between the treatments. Chlorophyll contents of plants in treated soils were more than twice as high as those of the control, but started decreasing at 75% amendment rates.
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    Monitoring human disturbance: Factors affecting escape behaviour of waterbirds in North African wetlands
    (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2021-11-25) Ismahan Halassi; Ali Elafri
    nderstanding the factors affecting escape behaviour in waterbirds can be useful in the management of human disturbances. A common measure of escape response is flight initiation distance (FID), the distance at which an approaching intruder disturbs an individual bird enough to make it move away. Here, we analyse the escape behaviour of a set of waterbirds for the first time within a North African context. We tested (one- way ANOVA and general linear model) how FID varied with the area where waterbirds were temporal scale, distance at which the observer start approaching to the sampled birds, body size, flock size, species composition of the flock and foraging activity of the sampled birds. We collected 866 individual FIDs for 19 waterbird species wintering at two north Algerian wetlands (the Mekhada marsh, RAMSAR site, El- taref District and the Sebkhet El- Mahmel, unprotected wetland, Khenchela District). The obtained FIDs ranged from 32.6 m in smaller species as the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrines to 167 m in larger ones as the ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea. The obtained models stated that differences in the absolute levels of FIDs were mostly related to starting distance (Effect size = 0.62), to which is added a relatively little effect of wetland status, taxonomic differences, temporal scale, body size, flock size, species composition of the flock and bird activity. More specifically, FID was lower in smaller and homospecific groups at early winter in the protected wetland. Reserve managers in North Africa could use species and context- specific FIDs in delineating appropriate buffer areas and in the design of management initiatives aimed at minimising eventual potential threat due to human disturbance and guaranteeing animal welfare and wildlife.
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    PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY AND PARENTAL EFFECT ON REARING OF TWO DIVERSE HABITAT ENVIRONMENT FOR LABORATORY REARED SYMPETRUM MERIDIONALE
    (Journal of Bioresource Management, 2021-05-26) ALI ELAFRI; Ismahan Halassi
    Laboratory observations on rearing experiment of Odonata serve to answer many evolutionary and ecological questions. In order to evidences the role of species parental habitat provenience in the development behaviour of their offspring, we surveyed several life history traits of two rearing populations of Sympetrum meridionale (Anisoptera: Sympetrinae), coming from two different habitats across north-eastern Algeria. The first one is a RAMSAR wetland called ‘Mekhada’ (a perennial water body), and the second one is a temporary pond located at “Maouna” Mountain (1400 m altitude). Overall, the development patterns of the two populations of dragonflies vary with the type of habitat the parental generation of the species occupy (Factorial ANCOVA: all p < 0.05). Firstly, egg mortality was very low in dragonfly population inhabiting the RAMSAR wetland compared of those belonging to Maouna Mountain. Secondly new-borne larvae stemming from females inhabiting the Mekhada wetland develop more slowly than did those coming from the “Maouna” Mountain pond. Finally, larvae of Sympetrum meridionale stemming from females inhabiting the temporary wetland were heavier than those inhabiting the perennial wetland. Such studies will ads considerably to our understanding of the mechanisms that are responsible for possible effects of environmental changes on life history traits of dragonflies across the southern part of their distribution range.
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    RÉPARTITION ET ABONDANCE DE L'ÉRISMATURE À TÊTE BLANCHE Oxyura leucocephala DANS LES ZONES HUMIDES DU NORD-EST ALGÉRIEN
    (A lauda, 2016) Ismahan Halassi; Ali Elafri
    The globally threatened White-headed Duck is one the most rare duck species in the Western Palearctic. Its distribution in Algeria is mainly restricted to the northeastern part of the country and the Hauts-Plateaux. In 2013 and 2014, 694 individuals were counted. The studied sites harboured distinct numbers in winter and in summer of the two years. The p-values (KRUSKALWALLIS test) were lower than 0.05. The Lake Tonga showed the highest numbers in winter and the Boussedra wetland in summer. The results indicated a stable occurrence in the studied areas without any difference between the two years. The PCA analysis showed a significant correlation between the distribution of this species and three following main factors: vegetation, surface area and water depth at the Boussedra wetland, Lake Tonga and Garaet Hadj-Taher. The lower occurrence in other parts of the studied areas, particularly on the HautsPlateaux, is mainly the consequence of drying out process and habitat degradation.
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    Responses of Shorebirds to Human Disturbance at Exposed Sandy Beaches of North-Eastern Algeria
    (International Journal of Ecology & Development, 2022) Ali Elafri; Ismahan Halassi
    Throughout this study we present the results of an expert opinion survey on flight initiation distance (FID) estimates for the three beachiest shorebirds species (Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus, Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus, Audouin's Gull Ichthyaetus audouinii) when overwintering at exposed sandy beaches Annaba Bay, north-eastern Algeria. Our final data set contained 336 flushing events of the three shorebird species, FIDs for both species ranged from 11m up to 151m. The univariate analysis of variance indicates that the studied Gulls behave similarly against human disturbance, since that mean FIDs were not varied significantly between species (F2= 0.24, P = 0.78). In contrast, change in escape behavior of our sampled species was found to be significant (F2-20.54, P<0.05) across the three coastal sites that were under varying human pressures (High, moderate, and low). In fact, individuals reduced their FIDS when anthropogenic levels increased. Additionally, using a regression analysis, the relationship between starting distance (SD), flock size and FIDs was confirmed (SD: r=0.9, F-176.52, P<0.005; Flock size: r=0.68, df=1, F-30.9, P<0.005), the obtained positive correlations (indicate that escape behavior of our birds increases with the starting approaching humans distance, and with flock size. Producing information of the extent and circumstances under which birds may habituate to stresses are an evidence-base which can be used by regulatory authorities to start appropriate site-specific assessments for anthropogenic marine activities with regard to the sensitivity or habituation of seabirds to such activities.
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    Traditional Orchards and Drivers of Reproductive Performance in a Northern Algerian Population of Laughing Doves (Spilopelia senegalensis)
    (J. BIOL. ENVIRON. SCI.,, 2020-06-26) ALI ELAFRI; Ismahan Halassi
    As a good example of species which have adapted in specific anthropogenic habitats as traditional orchards, we studied the breeding ecology of a northern Algerian population of Laughing Doves. We built multifactorial models for three components of Laughing Dove reproductive performance *clutch size, number of hatchlings, and number of fledglings* using generalized linear models (GLM). None of the studied factors: orchard type, laying period, nest location or nest size was affecting clutch size. Number of chicks hatched per nest was affected by orchards type and laying period. Based on model averaged estimates, the hatching success of Laughing Dove was negatively related to “olive orchards and early timing of breeding” ( β = −0.53; z = −2.16; p = 0.3). Whereas the number of chicks fledged per nest only differed with orchard type, and model averaged estimates showed a negative relation to olive orchards (β = −0.30 ± 0.17; z = −1.72, p = 0.28). No other variables, horizontal and vertical location or nest size, were related to the variation in breeding performance. So, we suggest that the main drivers of nest failures and reproductive performance of Laughing Doves were egg predation and other variables which are not investigated.