Seasonality in coastal macrobenthic biomass and its implications for estimating secondary production using empirical models

Macrobenthic secondary production is widely used to assess the trophic capacity, health, and functioning of marine and freshwater ecosystems. Annual production estimates are often calculated using empirical models and based on data collected during a single period of the year. Yet, many ecosystems show seasonal variations. Although ignoring seasonality may lead to biased and inaccurate estimates of annual secondary production, it has never been tested at the community level. Using time series of macrobenthic data collected seasonally at three temperate marine coastal soft-bottom sites, we assessed seasonal variations in biomass of macrobenthic invertebrates at both population and community levels. We then investigated how these seasonal variations affect the accuracy of annual benthic production when assessed using an empirical model and data from a single sampling event. Significant and consistent seasonal variations in biomass at the three study sites were highlighted. Macrobenthic biomass was significantly lower in late winter and higher in summer/early fall for 18 of the 30 populations analyzed and for all three communities studied. Seasonality led to inaccurate and often biased estimates of annual secondary production at the community level when based on data from a single sampling event. Bias varied by site and sampling period, but reached similar to 50% if biomass was sampled at its annual minimum or maximum. Since monthly sampling is rarely possible, we suggest that ecologists account for uncertainty in annual production estimates caused by seasonality.Agência financiadora EDF French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation French Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition through the Marine Strategy Framework Directive Agreement French Biodiversity Agency (Agence francaise pour la biodiversite) as part of the CAPANOUR projectinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ampelisca lusitanica (Crustacea: Amphipoda): new species for the Atlantic coast of Morocco

Background This study reports for the first time the presence of the Lusitanian ampeliscid amphipod Ampelisca lusitanica Bellan-Santini & Marques, 1986 in the northwestern Atlantic coast of Morocco. Methods Specimens were collected in January 2015 from intertidal rock pools along the El Jadida shoreline associated with the brown algae Bifurcaria bifurcata and Sargassum muticum. Results Systematic description of the species is presented, as well as a discussion of its ecological and geographical distribution. Conclusion This new finding extends the geographical distribution from the Lusitanian (Europe) to the Mauritanian (Africa) region and increases knowledge of the ecology and the global distribution of A. lusitanica found, previously, only on Portuguese and Spanish coasts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rotifers in the Schelde estuary (Belgium): a test of taxonomic relevance

To investigate the reaction of the zooplankton community to improving water quality in the Schelde estuary, we studied the relationship between rotifer species distribution and environmental factors, and the feasibility of using a coarser level of taxonomic resolution. Fifty-two taxa, belonging to 26 genera, were identified, including 22 taxa new for the Schelde. Brachionus calyciflorus, Keratella cochlearis and B. angularis were the most abundant species. The highest diversity and abundances were observed in the freshwater reach. Redundancy analyses (RDA) showed that the main environmental factors explaining rotifer distribution were chlorinity and seasonal factors (discharge levels, cyclopoid abundance). Analysis carried out with data at the species and the genus level gave similar ordination plots, but the positioning of a genus relative to environmental factors did not always adequately represent the associations between the various species within the genus and environmental factors. Similar patterns in space and time were observed using taxonomic richness and diversity indices for analyses at species or genus level. Thus, in the context of the restoration of the Schelde estuary, the identification of rotifer species is very informative, but not essential for detecting important ecological associations

La préservation du patrimoine naturel littoral dans le processus de la gestion intégrée des zones côtières : éléments de réflexion pour l'élaboration d'un projet et perspectives

The coastal zone is an area of conflicting processes reflecting its position at the interface between the terrestrial and marine environments. This area needs further study and an enforcement of co-ordinated conservation policy for the implementation of effective protection. A multidisciplinary team (law, ecology, biology, and geography) has published a book, which assembles the elements of current politics involved with the preservation of the natural heritage of the coasts of mainland France. Part 1 deals on the definition of the coastal zone, the dispositions for the preservation of the natural heritage, the institutions concerned with its knowledge about and management and the objective criteria and methods for the choice or separation of zones to be protected. Part 2 gives the characteristic heritage aspects of the three coastal chosen regions. Part 3 gives perspectives to set up a more management model for the preservation of the natural heritage. It is necessary to have a clarification of current expertise resulting in a harmonization and institutional co-ordination of organisms linked to the coastal zone. The reform of the status of the CELRL increases its intervention in the maritime public domain. It offers prospects to consolidate this organization in its role in the protection of the littoral natural patrimonyInterface entre le milieu terrestre et le milieu marin, le littoral est une zone conflictuelle où les usages sont contradictoires, et un espace où il existe des besoins de connaissances et où il faut mettre en place une politique coordonnée de protection. Un ouvrage vient d'être réalisé par une équipe pluridisciplinaire (droit, écologie, biologie, géographie) en réponse au programme LITEAU du MATE. Il recense les éléments de la politique de préservation du patrimoine naturel de la France métropolitaine. Il prend pour exemples trois littoraux. Le Temps 1 s'ordonne autour des définitions du littoral, des institutions impliquées dans sa connaissance et sa gestion, des critères et méthodes objectives pour choisir ou délimiter des zones à préserver. Le Temps 2 traite des particularités patrimoniales des trois régions choisies. Le Temps 3 donne des perspectives pour construire un modèle de gestion satisfaisant du patrimoine naturel littoral à partir de l'analyse de l'existant. Les nombreuses interactions entre les intervenants multiples sur le littoral imposent une clarification des compétences, une harmonisation et une coordination institutionnelle. La réforme du statut du CELRL prévoit son intervention au domaine public maritime ; elle offre des perspectives pour le conforter dans son rôle d'acteur de la protection du patrimoine naturel littoral

Spearfishing Regulation Benefits Artisanal Fisheries: The ReGS Indicator and Its Application to a Multiple-Use Mediterranean Marine Protected Area

The development of fishing efficiency coupled with an increase of fishing effort led to the overexploitation of numerous natural marine resources. In addition to this commercial pressure, the impact of recreational activities on fish assemblages remains barely known. Here we examined the impact of spearfishing limitation on resources in a marine protected area (MPA) and the benefit it provides for the local artisanal fishery through the use of a novel indicator. We analysed trends in the fish assemblage composition using artisanal fisheries data collected in the Bonifacio Strait Natural Reserve (BSNR), a Mediterranean MPA where the spearfishing activity has been forbidden over 15% of its area. Fish species were pooled into three response groups according to their target level by spearfishing. We developed the new flexible ReGS indicator reflecting shifts in species assemblages according to the relative abundance of each response group facing external pressure. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) increased by ca. 60% in the BSNR between 2000 and 2007, while the MPA was established in 1999. The gain of CPUE strongly depended on the considered response group: for the highly targeted group, the CPUE doubled while the CPUE of the untargeted group increased by only 15.5%. The ReGS value significantly increased from 0.31 to 0.45 (on a scale between 0 and 1) in the general perimeter of this MPA while it has reached a threshold of 0.43, considered as a reference point, in the area protected from spearfishing since 1982. Our results demonstrated that limiting recreational fishing by appropriate zoning in multiple-use MPAs represents a real benefit for artisanal fisheries. More generally we showed how our new indicator may reveal a wide range of impacts on coastal ecosystems such as global change or habitat degradation

Ecological impacts of non-native Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and management measures for protected areas in Europe

Pacific oysters are now one of the most ‘globalised’ marine invertebrates. They dominate bivalve aquaculture production in many regions and wild populations are increasingly becoming established, with potential to displace native species and modify habitats and ecosystems. While some fishing communities may benefit from wild populations, there is now a tension between the continued production of Pacific oysters and risk to biodiversity, which is of particular concern within protected sites. The issue of the Pacific oyster therefore locates at the intersection between two policy areas: one concerning the conservation of protected habitats, the other relating to livelihoods and the socio-economics of coastal aquaculture and fishing communities. To help provide an informed basis for management decisions, we first summarise evidence for ecological impacts of wild Pacific oysters in representative coastal habitats. At local scales, it is clear that establishment of Pacific oysters can significantly alter diversity, community structure and ecosystem processes, with effects varying among habitats and locations and with the density of oysters. Less evidence is available to evaluate regional-scale impacts. A range of management measures have been applied to mitigate negative impacts of wild Pacific oysters and we develop recommendations which are consistent with the scientific evidence and believe compatible with multiple interests. We conclude that all stakeholders must engage in regional decision making to help minimise negative environmental impacts, and promote sustainable industry development

Contrasting patterns of population structure and gene flow facilitate exploration of connectivity in two widely distributed temperate octocorals

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Nature via the DOI in this record.Connectivity is an important component of metapopulation dynamics in marine systems and can influence population persistence, migration rates and conservation decisions associated with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In this study, we compared the genetic diversity, gene flow and population structure of two octocoral species, Eunicella verrucosa and Alcyonium digitatum, in the northeast Atlantic (ranging from the northwest of Ireland and the southern North Sea, to southern Portugal), using two panels of thirteen and eight microsatellite loci, respectively. Our results identified regional genetic structure in E. verrucosa partitioned between populations from southern Portugal, northwest Ireland, and Britain/France; subsequent hierarchical analysis of population structure also indicated reduced gene flow between southwest Britain and northwest France. However, over a similar geographical area, A. digitatum showed little evidence of population structure, suggesting high gene flow and/or a large effective population size; indeed, the only significant genetic differentiation detected in A. digitatum occurred between North Sea samples and those from the English Channel/northeast Atlantic. In both species the vast majority of gene flow originated from sample sites within regions, with populations in southwest Britain being the predominant source of contemporary exogenous genetic variants for the populations studied. Unsurprisingly, historical patterns of gene flow appeared more complex, though again southwest Britain appeared an important source of genetic variation for both species. Our findings have major conservation implications, particularly for E. verrucosa, a protected species in UK waters and listed by the IUCN as ‘Vulnerable’, and for the designation and management of European MPAs.We thank Natural England (project No. RP0286, contract No. SAE 03-02-146), the NERC (grant No. NE/L002434/1) and the University of Exeter for funding this research. Additional funding for sample collection, travel and microsatellite development was provided by the EU Framework 7 ASSEMBLE programme, agreement no. 227799, and NERC grant No. NBAF-362