In 1790, the Revolutionary government expropriated most property owned by the Church and its entities, and sold it by auction. This effectively ended the centuries-old participation of the Church in wine production in France. Focusing on Burgundy, this article sketches the contours of the sale of vineyards and other wine-related property owned by the Church. It shows that auctions fetched prices well above the assessed value of the properties that were sold and speculates on the reasons.

Carnivores play an important role in ecosystem functioning as apex predators. However, most carnivore species are threatened or have been extirpated in human-dominated landscapes. The Mediterranean region of central Chile is a biodiversity hotspot, but expansion of agricultural areas such as vineyards is degrading wildlife habitat. We estimated the species richness and composition of carnivore communities in remnant fragments of sclerophyllous forest-shrubland in the vineyard landscapes of central Chile to evaluate the effects of human disturbance at different spatial scales. We tested two hypotheses: (1) vineyard landscapes with higher levels of human disturbance support a lower diversity of native carnivores in fragments of remnant native vegetation compared to landscapes with larger areas of natural habitat, and (2) habitat specialists and generalists respond differentially to human influence at the habitat vs landscape spatial scale. We used camera traps at 12 sites across the study area and evaluated the impact of human disturbance indicators on the richness and detection frequency of carnivore species. We found that human population density negatively affected carnivore richness and was associated with a lower detection frequency of the Vulnerable guiña Leopardus guigna. The presence of domestic dogs also had a negative effect on the detection frequency of the guiña and the two native species of foxes, the culpeo Lycalopex culpaeus and South American grey fox Lycalopex griseus. We conclude that protecting remnants of native forest in vineyard landscapes is crucial for carnivore conservation in central Chile.

Phenological and aerobiological research into major crops is of great value in adapting traditional processes to the new conditions prompted by global climate change. Data on flowering phenology and airborne pollen have also proved useful for harvest forecasting purposes. The current paper reports on an agrometeorological study carried out in the Montilla-Moriles Protected Designation of Origin area (Córdoba, southern Spain) in 2015 and 2016. The study focused on four grape cultivars produced at seven local vineyards (Pedro Ximénez, the most widely grown in the area; Verdejo; Muscat blanc à petits grains; and Chardonnay, which has been recently introduced). Phenological observations were performed on a weekly basis using the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie scale adapted for grapevine. Airborne pollen concentrations were monitored using one Hirst-type volumetric sampler and seven passive samplers. Airborne pollen was mainly detected in vineyards during inflorescence emergence and flowering. Year-on-year differences in climatic conditions led to differences in airborne pollen levels. The main variables affecting pollen concentrations were dew point and temperature. The life-cycles recorded here were shorter than in temperate climates but longer than in tropical climates. In terms of flowering period, the cultivars studied here were classed as ‘early cultivars’. Data obtained using local passive samplers located directly in the vineyard confirmed that the airborne pollen concentrations recorded by the volumetric sampler were representative of the study area.

Vineyards are a dominant feature of many landscapes in Mediterranean-climate regions. We examined the effects of streamflow declines, associated with vineyard water-withdrawals for frost protection, on benthic-macroinvertebrate communities at three sites along three small streams in the Mediterranean-climate region of Northern California. One site was heavily affected by water withdrawals for frost protection, the other two were not. In addition, we examined relationships between vineyard coverage and benthic-macroinvertebrate community response using data from 59 sampling events at 39 sites along 35 small streams in Napa County, California. We tested three a priori hypotheses in terms of the response of biological traits of benthic macroinvertebrates to high vineyard coverage: (1) proportion of individuals with semi-voltine (i.e., one generation every 2 years) life cycles would be lower compared to those with uni- and multi-voltine cycles, (2) proportion of individuals able to undergo diapause would be higher, and (3) proportion of individuals with the ability to burrow into the substrate would be higher. In the three-site study, we found that vineyard water-withdrawals for frost protection coincided with consistently lower values in both the benthic-macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity (B-IBI) developed for Northern California streams and the ratio of Ephemeroptera–Plecoptera–Trichoptera to Odonata–Coleoptera–Hemiptera individuals (EPT/OCH), a metric developed for European Mediterranean streams. In the broader-scale study, we observed that vineyard-coverage levels above about 20% coincided with lower values of the B-IBI. The semi-voltine life-cycle trait was lower above this level, whereas the diapause and burrowing traits were not affected.

Kampimodromus aberrans is a predatory mite species present in vineyards of South of France and also in uncultivated areas, from where great densities disperse into the neighbouring vine fields, mainly by aerial means. In order to determine the origin of migrants in an experimental vine plot, a molecular study using RAPD markers was performed. It was found that there exists genetic differentiation of populations collected in the experimental vineyard, and those collected, both from surrounding cultivated and uncultivated areas. No correlation between genetic and geographic distances was found. Thus, despite the dispersal of great densities of mites into the plot, selection pressures may affect their settlement. To determine the impact of pesticide application on mite settlement, we studied the insecticide resistance of K. aberrans populations collected in the vine field and on an oak located in a neighbouring uncultivated area. The insecticide tested, quinalphos, is the most frequently applied pesticide in the plot. High resistance levels were observed in both populations. However, at the recommended concentration, mortality rates (80 and 87 %) were quite the same for the two populations. Thus, the application of this pesticide seems not to be the major explanation of the poor settlement of migrants coming from woody areas into the plot, and other studies have to be conducted to determine other factors involved.

Little is known of how vertebrate pest and beneficial species respond to cover crops in vineyards and orchards. During spring 19941 interviewed 22 people who work with cover crops in California and searched for vertebrates and their signs in 36 field plots where cover crops were grown. Farmers usually relaxed concern for vertebrate pests after planting cover crops. But cover crops were thought to increase venebrate damage to trees and vines when planted continuously across the rows or grown in orchards and vineyards less than three years old. Vertebrates usually were not abundant or harmful to the commercial crops and cover crops I examined. Gophers were most abundant in older, uneven, scrappy, or weedy cover crops. They preferred beneficial and insectary blends and Cahaba white vetch, and were least abundant in grasses, subclover mixes, and bur medic. Voles preferred nontillage clover mixes, but avoided bare ground under vine and tree rows. All small mammals were more numerous near streams and recently tilled fields. Cover crops attracted many predatory vertebrates, which improve the aesthetic quality of the farm and might keep animal damage to economically acceptable levels. Cover crops can contribute to wildlife conservation in California, especially if the area in cover crops continues to increase.