Inter-species differences in polychlorinated biphenyls patterns from five sympatric species of odontocetes : Can PCBs be used as tracers of feeding ecology?

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of volunteers from the Galician (CEMMA) and Portuguese (SPVS) stranding networks. The authors would like to thank R. Gallois and C. Trichet for their participation on total lipid content analysis. P. Méndez-Fernandez was supported during the research period through a PhD grant from the Fundação do Ministério de Ciência e Tecnologia de Portugal and ANIMATE project (SFRH/BD/36766/2007) and through a Science Without Borders (CSF) young talent postdoctoral grant of the Brazilian government. G. J. Pierce acknowledges support from the EU ANIMATE project (MEXC-CT-2006-042337), University of Aveiro and Caixa Geral de Depósitos (Portugal).Peer reviewedPostprin

New insights from metallic tracers on the ffeding ecology of common dolphins in European waters

19th Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society and associated workshop, April 2-7, 2005, La Rochelle, FranceThe common dolphin, Delphinus delphis, is the most abundant small cetacean inhabiting the temperate waters of the northeastern Atlantic. Although its distribution can be correlated to oceanographic features, it is likely that prey abundance is the major factor in determining its occurrence and movementN

Let's go beyond taxonomy in diet description: testing a trait-based approach to prey-predator relationships

1. Understanding ‘Why a prey is a prey for a given predator?’ can be facilitated through trait-based approaches that identify linkages between prey and predator morphological and ecological characteristics and highlight key functions involved in prey selection. 2. Enhanced understanding of the functional relationships between predators and their prey is now essential to go beyond the traditional taxonomic framework of dietary studies and to improve our knowledge of ecosystem functioning for wildlife conservation and management. 3. We test the relevance of a three-matrix approach in foraging ecology among a marine mammal community in the northeast Atlantic to identify the key functional traits shaping prey selection processes regardless of the taxonomy of both the predators and prey. 4. Our study reveals that prey found in the diet of marine mammals possess functional traits which are directly and significantly linked to predator characteristics, allowing the establishment of a functional typology of marine mammal–prey relationships. We found prey selection of marine mammals was primarily shaped by physiological and morphological traits of both predators and prey, confirming that energetic costs of foraging strategies and muscular performance are major drivers of prey selection in marine mammals. 5. We demonstrate that trait-based approaches can provide a new definition of the resource needs of predators. This framework can be used to anticipate bottom-up effects on marine predator population dynamics and to identify predators which are sensitive to the loss of key prey functional traits when prey availability is reduced

Faune française de l’Atlantique. Requins .1. Hexanchiformes & Lamniformes (Craniata : Elasmobranchii)

French Atlantic fauna. Sharks .1. Hexanchiformes & Lamniformes (Craniata : Elasmobranchii). The fauna of cow sharks (2 species), frilled sharks (1 species) and mackerel sharks (7 species) from the French Atlantic fauna is given.Un état de la faune marine des eaux françaises de l’Atlantique est poursuivi avec les requins de l’ordre des hexanchiformes (3 espèces) et des lamniformes (7 espèces)

Controlled distribution of active sites in ziegler-natta catalyst systems

US Patent 8,138,112International audienc

Faune française de l'Atlantique. Chimères (Craniata : Chondrichthyes : Holocephali)

French Atlantic fauna. Rabbit fish (Craniata: Chondrichthyes: Holocephali). The fauna of rabbit fish from the French Atlantic is given : 2 species of Rhinochimaeridae and 4 of Chimaeridae.Un état de la faune marine des eaux françaises de l’Atlantique est poursuivi avec les chimères : 2 espèces de Rhinochimaeridés et 4 de Chimaeridés y sont signalées

Controlled Distribution of Active Sites in Ziegler-Natta Catalyst Systems

US Patent App. 13/404,757International audienc

Faune française de l’Atlantique. Requins .2. Carcharhiniformes (Craniata : Elasmobranchii)

The fauna of ground sharks (15 species) from the French Atlantic fauna is given. Galeorhinus galeus which in the past was common in the Bay of Biscay is now endangered. The extension towards the North of the distribution area of Mustelus mustelus, the increase of the records of Sphyrna zygaena and the catches of 3 Carcharhinus and 1 Galeocerdo cuvier probably result from ocean warming.Un état de la faune marine des eaux françaises est poursuivi avec les requins de l’ordre des carcharhiniformes (15 espèces). Le requin hâ Galeorhinus galeus, autrefois commun dans le golfe de Gascogne est en voie de disparition. L’extension vers le nord de l’aire de répartition de l’émissole lisse Mustelus mustelus, l’accroissement des signalements de requins-marteau Sphyrna zygaena et les captures de trois Carcharhinus et d’un Galeocerdo cuvier sont probablement liés au réchauffement de la planète

Prey preferences of adult sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax in the northeastern Atlantic: implications for bycatch of common dolphin Delphinus delphis

In the northeastern Atlantic, adult sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is one of largest fish living on the shelf, and this species has important commercial value. However, pelagic trawl fisheries that target sea bass have negative operational interactions with common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). Our goal was to determine the diet of adult sea bass in the Bay of Biscay from stomachcontent and stable-isotope analyses, and explore the dietary overlap between sea bass and common dolphins. We found that sea bass primarily target small pelagic fish, most notably mackerel (Scomber scombrus), scads (Trachurus spp.), anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), and sardine (Sardina pilchardus). These four species also dominated the diets of common dolphins. This overlap in feeding preferences could increase the risk of dolphins being caught by trawl fisheries while feeding among sea bass, and may be an underlying mechanism to explain the high rate of common dolphin bycatch observed in the pelagic trawl fishery for sea bass in the Bay of Biscay. Understanding the foraging ecology and trophic interactions of predator species is an essential step for identifying and resolving management issues in the northeastern Atlantic and other marine ecosystems