Isotopic niches of diadromous fishes inform on interspecific competition in an obstructed catchment

Competition arises when species share a limited resource, but this can be avoided through niche partitioning. Despite the large body of literature on diadromous fishes, very few studies have focused on niche partitioning when competing for resources. Diadromous fishes are suffering a global decline throughout their range in part due to their peculiar life history traits as they migrate from the sea to freshwater to spawn or the reverse. They are particularly sensitive to river fragmentation induced by barriers. Dams for instance are expected to alter the spatial distribution and resource exploitation of diadromous fishes as well as other organisms. Here, we studied the ecological niche of six taxa of diadromous fishes, temporally co-occurring in the same land–sea continuum obstructed by two river dams. We used Bayesian mixing models run on C and N isotopes to infer the various habitats used and the origin of the trophic carbon in muscle and scale tissues of diadromous fishes. Results showed that the sub-adults of Anguilla anguilla, juveniles of Petromyzon marinus, and Salmo trutta exploit mainly the freshwater, or marine part for adults of Lampetra fluviatilis, whereas juveniles of Platichthys flesus and Mugilidae use all the habitats of the land–sea continuum. In the freshwater habitat, the microphytobenthos and biofilm are the main sources of carbon used, while in the marine habitat, the basal carbon sources are more diverse. The analyses of niche overlaps between diadromous fishes demonstrate that the widest isotopic niches, observed for A. anguilla and P. flesus, also have more impact within the community. Results are discussed in terms of intra- and interspecific competition between these diadromous fishes and their generalist/specialist strategies in an obstructed catchment

Variability of life history traits of two amphidromous Gobiidae (Sicydiinae) in Reunion Island : Sicyopterus lagocephalus (Pallas, 1770) and Cotylopus acutipinnis (Guichenot, 1863)

Les Sicydiinae amphidromes constituent une part importante des peuplements piscicoles insulaires de la région Indo-Pacifique et sont vulnérables à de nombreuses pressions anthropiques (i.e. pêcherie, dégradation et fragmentation des habitats). La reproduction a lieu en eau douce, puis les jeunes dévalent en mer où ils débutent leur croissance pendant quelques mois avant de coloniser les rivières. L’objectif est d’acquérir des connaissances sur les traits de vie de S. lagocephalus (cosmopolite) et de C. acutipinnis (endémique). Les travaux de terrain démontrent que le choix de l’habitat quotidien est fortement lié aux interactions sociales, alors que l’habitat de fraie montre une forte sélection pour des conditions morphodynamiques favorisant l’oxygénation des oeufs. Les mâles sélectionnent des sites de ponte et gardent les oeufs. L’étude expérimentale de la survie en eau douce confirme que tous les embryons libres possèdent la capacité à rejoindre la mer. L’analyse des traits de vie marins à partir des otolithes des post-larves révèle des variations saisonnières d’âge et de taille au recrutement, en lien avec la croissance et la température marine. L’examen histologique des ovaires permet de décrire les variations spatiales et temporelles de l’activité de reproduction chez les femelles en rivière et de déterminer la fécondité et la taille de première reproduction. Les variations inter et intra-spécifiques des traits de vie sontcomparées en lien avec la répartition géographique des deux espèces. Ces travaux permettent d’identifier des perspectives concrètes dans le domaine de la gestion et de la conservation sur la base des caractéristiques de la stratégie amphidrome.Amphidromous Sicydiinae are particularly widespread among fish freshwater assemblages of the Indo-Pacific region and are vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures (i.e. fishery, degradation and fragmentation of habitats). Spawning and hatching happen in freshwater, then offspring drift downstream to the sea where they begin their growth for a few months before recruiting in the rivers. This study aims at acquire knowledge about life traits of S. lagocephalus (cosmopolite) and C. acutipinnis (endemic). Field sampling shows that the usual habitat choice is related to social interactions, whereasspawning habitat shows a strong selection for morphodynamic conditions which favor eggs oxygenation. Males select spawning sites and care for the eggs. The experimental study of freshwater survival confirms that free embryos survival and swimming capacities are enough to drift to the ocean. Marine life history analysis, based on postlarvae otoliths examination, reveals a seasonal variation of both age and size-atrecruitment related to the larval growth rate and the sea temperature. Histological examination of ovaries is used to describe the spatial and temporal variation of reproductive activity of mature females in the rivers, and to determine fecundity and size at first reproduction. Inter and intra-specific variations of life history traits are compared in relation to the respective geographical distribution of both species. This study identifies concrete prospects for management and conservation based on the features of amphidromous life history strategy

Au-delà de l'évaluation écologique classique : l'utilisation d'indices fonctionnels pour indiquer la sensibilité des assemblages de poissons aux perturbations anthropiques dans les estuaires

International audienceAssessing ecological health of aquatic ecosystems is crucial in the current context of biodiversity loss to guide and prioritize management actions. Although several fish-based indices were developed to assess the ecological status of estuarine ecosystems, they do not provide guidance on the causal responses of communities to disturbances. The functional trait-based approach provides an understanding of how human disturbance affects the composition of biological and ecological traits in assemblages, as well as their consequences for ecosystem functioning. Here, we evaluate the responses of fish assemblages to human disturbance in 30 French estuaries using several taxonomic and functional indices (e.g. diversity, evenness or redundancy). We tested whether these indices can provide additional information on the human impacts and health of assemblages that are not reflected by the ecological indicator (fish-based index ELFI). Results indicated that high values of local human disturbances were associated to a decrease in fish abundance, decrease in species richness and reduced functional redundancy, whereas taxonomic and functional evenness increased. In contrast, the functional richness remained stable suggesting that the functional traits of species removed by stressors were maintained by more tolerant species. Indeed, we found that the local disturbances mainly resulted in a decrease in the proportions of small benthic species feeding on macro-invertebrates, which were dominant in the studied estuaries. Some functional alterations were detected by the fish-based index, but the decline of functional redundancy was not reflected, highlighting a serious concern for management. Indeed, the abrupt collapse of functional redundancy in response to local disturbances can decrease the ability of assemblages to maintain certain species traits in the face of future environmental disturbance, including climate change. From a management perspective, the application of such functional redundancy measure in monitoring programs can help stakeholders identify sensitive areas where conservation efforts need to be planned

Facteurs environnementaux impactant la diversité taxonomique, fonctionnelle et phylogénétique (composantes alpha, bêta et gamma) dans les communautés de poissons estuariens.

International audienceWe applied a diversity partitioning approach to identify the influence of multiple environmental factors on taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of estuarine fish assemblages at different spatial scales. Our aim was to determine (1) how variation in γ-diversity (estuary scale) is supported by changes in α- (local scale) and β-components (dissimilarity between these two scales) for the three diversity facets and (2) how these diversity measures are related to biogeographic, hydroclimatic, marine, estuarine and land cover conditions. Fish assemblages were sampled using standardized beam trawl surveys in 32 estuaries during spring and autumn (period 200

Structure of small tropical island freshwater fish and crustacean communities: A niche‐or dispersal‐based process?

International audienceDetermining the relative importance of niche‐ and dispersal‐based processes in the structuring of animal communities is central in ecology. Freshwater fish and crustacean communities of small tropical islands can bring new insights for understanding these processes as all their species present a pelagic larval stage which gives them important dispersal capacities. Consequently, we hypothesized that dispersal‐based process may be preponderant for structuring these communities from the regional to the local, that is, survey site, scales. Gradient forest analyses allowed us to model the effect of 12 environmental variables on freshwater taxa abundances in two southwestern Indian Ocean islands: Mayotte (26 taxa) and Reunion (21). A total of 153 surveys in Mayotte and 266 in Reunion were used for building the models. Despite the strong heterogeneity of environmental conditions between the two islands, the main factors structuring freshwater fish and crustacean communities in both islands were the elevation and the slope of the sites. The observed structure appeared more pronounced for predatory species than for primary consumers and omnivores. As predators generally have limited locomotor capacities, it is concluded that dispersal‐based process structures these communities not only at large geographical scales but also at the intra‐watershed scale, by limiting the inland penetration (or dispersion) of species in relation to their locomotor capacities. However, more knowledge concerning ecological traits and taxonomic status of many species is needed to confirm this assumption.Une des questions centrales en écologie consiste à déterminer l'importance des processus de niche et de dispersion dans la structuration des peuplements faunistiques. L’étude des peuplements de poissons et de crustacés d'eau douce des petites îles tropicales peut apporter de nouveaux éclairages pour comprendre ces processus. En effet, ces espèces présentent toutes une phase de développement larvaire en milieu marin qui augmente fortement leurs capacités de dispersion. Nous avons donc émis l'hypothèse que les processus de dispersion ont un effet majeur sur la structure des peuplements à l’échelle régionale, mais également à l’échelle locale, c'est‐à‐dire celle du site d’étude. Des analyses de type « gradient forest» nous ont permis de modéliser l'influence de 12 variables environnementales sur les fluctuations d'abondance des taxons d'eau douce de deux îles du sud‐ouest de l'océan Indien: Mayotte (26 taxons) et la Réunion (21 taxons). Au total, 153 inventaires à Mayotte et 266 à La Réunion ont été pris en compte dans les modèles. Malgré l'hétérogénéité marquée des conditions environnementales entre les deux îles, les principaux facteurs structurant les peuplements de poissons et de crustacés étaient similaires, à savoir la pente du site d'inventaire et son altitude. De plus, la structuration des peuplements de prédateurs était plus marquée que celle des consommateurs primaires et des omnivores. Comme la plupart des prédateurs ont des capacités locomotrices limitées, nous avons conclu que les processus de dispersion jouent un rôle prépondérant dans la structuration de ces peuplements que ce soit à large échelle ou à l'intérieur des bassins versants. En effet, les faibles performances locomotrices des prédateurs peuvent limiter leur capacité à coloniser (ou se disperser vers) les zones amont des cours d'eau. Cependant, des connaissances plus approfondies concernant le statut taxinomique et l’écologie de plusieurs de ces espèces seraient nécessaires pour confirmer cette hypothèse

Variabilité spatial et temporelle de la migration vers l'aval des embryons libres de gobies amphidromes

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BichiCAM, un système automatique de traking vidéo sub-aquatique pour l'étude de la dynamique migratoire des espèces benthiques diadromes en rivière

International audienceConventional methods for surveying diadromous fish migration from marine coastal waters to freshwater habitats are mainly based on electrofishing, a non-optimal technique for the study of fish migrations in rivers, and fishermen catch data. Underwater video has been recognized for a long time as a good alternative, but those approaches usually require intensive labour for retrieving the information from the video sequences. To overcome these problems, an underwater video system specifically designed for field work (low-weight, low-cost and autonomous) named BichiCAM has been developed for automatically counting, measuring and tracking fish observed in video sequences. The efficiency and precision of the BichiCAM system were tested by filming Sicyopterus lagocephalus juveniles passing through the camera field of vision in the Saint-Etienne River, Reunion Island, Western Indian Ocean. The BichiCAM system accurately measured fish length of the observed individuals when lens distortion of the camera was corrected, and the error percentages on the measurements presented a standard deviation of 5.1% of the total length. The BichiCAM system provides a powerful tool that will not only facilitate research on migrating fishes and invertebrates' communities but also allow studies of the effectiveness of fishways associated to dams or the impacts of fishery activities

Reproduction and marine life history of an endemic amphidromous gobiid fish of Reunion Island

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Variabilité de l'histoire de vie pélagique de deux Gobiidae amphidromes de l'île de la Réunion : Sicyopterus lagocephalus et Cotylopus acutipinnis

Session 1 : Migrateurs et migrationsNational audienc