@article {5406, title = {Adhesive gland transcriptomics uncovers a diversity of genes involved in glue formation in marine tube-building polychaetes}, journal = {Acta Biomaterialia}, year = {2018}, abstract = {
Tube-building sabellariid polychaetes are hermatypic organisms capable of forming vast reefs in highly turbulent marine habitats. Sabellariid worms assemble their tube by gluing together siliceous and calcareous clastic particles using a polyelectrolytic biocement. Here, we performed transcriptomic analyses to investigate the genes that are differentially expressed in the parathorax region, which contains the adhesive gland and tissues, from the rest of the body. We found a large number of candidate genes to be involved in the composition and formation of biocement in two species: Sabellaria alveolata and Phragmatopoma caudata. Our results indicate that the glue is likely to be composed by a large diversity of cement-related proteins, including Poly(S), GY-rich, H-repeat and miscellaneous categories. However, sequences divergence and differences in expression profiles between S. alveolata and P. caudata, of cement-related proteins may reflect adaptation to the type of substratum used to build their tube, and/or to their habitat (temperate vs tropical, amplitude of pH, salinity ...). Related to the L-DOPA metabolic pathways and linked with the genes that were differentially expressed in the parathorax region, we found that tyrosinase and peroxidase gene families may have undergone independent expansion in the two Sabellariidae species investigated. Our data also reinforce the importance of protein modifications in cement formation. Altogether these new genomic resources help to identify novel transcripts encoding for cement-related proteins, but also important enzymes putatively involved in the chemistry of the adhesion process, such as kinases, and may correspond to new targets to develop biomimetic approaches.
}, doi = {doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2018.03.037}, author = {Jean-Philippe Buffet and Erwan Corre and Evelyne Duvernois-Berthet and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Pascal Jean Lopez} } @inbook {5497, title = {De la nuisibilit{\'e} {\`a} la patrimonialit{\'e} en milieu marin. L{\textquoteright}histoire d{\textquoteright}une ambigu{\"\i}t{\'e} entretenue}, booktitle = {Sales b{\^e}tes, mauvaises herbes}, volume = {1}, year = {2018}, publisher = {Presses Universitaires de Rennes}, organization = {Presses Universitaires de Rennes}, address = {Rennes}, author = {Patrick, Le Mao and Nicolas Desroy and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Laurent Godet and Eric Thi{\'e}baut} } @article {5363, title = {Differences in home-range sizes of a bird species in its original, refuge and substitution habitats: challenges to conservation in anthropogenic habitats}, journal = {Biodiversity and Conservation}, volume = {27}, year = {2018}, pages = {719-732}, abstract = {In the current context of the anthropocene, the original habitats of many species have been modified or destroyed. Animals may be forced to move from their original habitats, either to refuge habitats that are suboptimal natural habitats, or to substitution habitats that are anthropogenic. The quality of refuge habitats may be lower than that of the original ones, whereas substitution habitats may be of a similar or even better quality. Here, we test this hypothesis empirically, using the example of coastal populations of the bluethroat, Luscinina svecica namnetum. In a radio-tracking survey, we compared the home-range sizes (considered here a proxy of habitat quality) of the breeding males in their original (coastal saltmarshes), refuge (inland reedbeds) and substitution (coastal salinas) habitats. We found that home ranges are up to 15 times larger in the substitution habitat than in the original one, and intermediate in the refuge habitat, suggesting that substitution habitats have the lowest quality and original habitats the highest. To date, most studies and
conservation programs related to this species have focused on its substitution habitats. This result challenges the interest of focusing on anthropogenic habitats when studying and conserving such a species, because such habitats may only be low-quality substitutes.
Artificial structures in ports are commonly colonized by non-indigenous epifauna that tolerate high pollution levels. Bioconstructions built by alien species may offer sheltered microhabitats for motile (vagile) animals but biofouling often becomes detrimental to human activities. In this context, the present study provides an inventory of 1) the extent of biofouling related to the alien Polychaeta Ficopomatus enigmaticus on hard structures of marinas in Normandy, France, and 2) the biodiversity of sessile (attached) or vagile (motile) fauna associated with these {\textquotedblleft}reefs{\textquotedblright}, including both native and alien species. Reefs built by F. enigmaticus were found in 6 out of 12 marinas with oligohaline-mesohaline waters. Significant differences in the total volume of biofouling were found among sites, with maximum values observed in Honfleur{\textquoteright}s old basin (459.52 mL per 0.04 m2). Ficopomatus enigmaticus greatly dominated the sessile invertebrate community both in volume (74{\textendash}100\%) and weight (70{\textendash}100\%) in 5 out of 6 marinas. The fouling formed by 5 alien species was colonized by 15 motile invertebrate taxa, including 3 cryptogenic or alien species. The alien crab Rhithropanopeus harrisi displayed the highest frequency of occurrence (\>80\%) and mean density (\>300 ind m-2), and the global densities of sessile (except F. enigmaticus) and motile fauna were significantly correlated (r = 0.824; p \< 0.05). While motile fauna density was also significantly correlated with the biovolume of B. improvisus and M. leucophaeata, it was not with F. enigmaticus (r = 0.421; p \> 0.05). In line with previous studies, these results suggest that F. enigmaticus acts as an engineer offering shelter for reef-associated organisms. In addition, results suggest that at the regional scale, inter-site differences in motile fauna may reflect differences in environmental parameters such as salinity. The presence of F. enigmaticus at low salinity levels led to assess its potential distribution at the scale of the European coasts, suggesting that in the context of climate change, favorable conditions for spawning (\>18 {\textdegree}C) will likely expand towards the North, and particularly in the eastern and northern Baltic Sea.
}, keywords = {Alien species, Benthic communities, Biofouling, Ficopomatus enigmaticus, Marinas, Normandy}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2018.07.007}, author = {Maud Charles and Robin Faillettaz and Nicolas Desroy and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Katherine Costil} } @article {5176, title = {Interplay between abiotic factors and species assemblages mediated by the ecosystem engineer Sabellaria alveolata (Annelida: Polychaeta)}, journal = {Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science}, volume = {200}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Sabellaria alveolata is a gregarious polychaete that uses sand particles to build three-dimensional structures known as reefs, fixed atop rocks or built on soft sediments. These structures are known to modify the local grain-size distribution and to host a highly diversified macrofauna, altered when the reef undergoes disturbances.
The goal of this study was to investigate the different sedimentary and biological changes associated with the presence of a S. alveolata reef over two contrasting seasons (late winter and late summer), and how these changes were linked. Three different sediments were considered: the engineered sediment (the actual reef), the associated sediment (the soft sediment surrounding the reef structures) and a control soft sediment (i.e. no reef structures in close proximity). Univariate and multivariate comparisons of grain-size distribution, soft sediment characteristics (organic matter content, chlorophyll a, pheopigments and carbohydrate concentrations) and macrofauna were conducted between the different sediment types at both seasons and between the two seasons for each sediment type. A distance-based redundancy analyses (dbRDA) was used to investigate the link between the different environmental parameters and the macrofauna assemblages. Finally, we focused on a disturbance continuum of the engineered sediments proxied by an increase in the mud present in these sediments. The effects of a continuous and increasing disturbance on the associated fauna were investigated using pairwise beta diversity indices (S{\o}rensen and Bray-Curtis dissimilarities and their decomposition into turnover and nestedness). Results showed a significant effect of the reef on the local sediment distribution (coarser sediments compared to the control) and on the benthic primary production (higher in the associated sediments). At both seasons, S. alveolata biomass and sediment principal mode were the environmental parameters which best differentiated the engineered, associated and control sediment assemblages. These two parameters are under the ecosystem engineer{\textquoteright}s influence stressing its importance in structuring benthic macrofauna. Furthermore, in late summer but not in late winter, presence/absence and abundance based beta diversity were positively correlated to our disturbance proxy (mud content) a tendency driven by a species replacement and a rise in the associated fauna density.
Our first set of results highlight the importance of S. alveolata reefs as benthic primary production enhancers via their physical structure and their biological activity. The results obtained using beta diversity indices emphasize the importance of recruitment in structuring the reef{\textquoteright}s macrofauna and {\textendash} paradoxically {\textendash} the ecological value of S. alveolata degraded forms as biodiversity and recruitment promoters.
Seagrass meadows form highly productive and valuable ecosystems in the marine environment. Throughout the year, seagrass meadows are exposed to abiotic and biotic variations linked to (i) seasonal fluctuations, (ii) short-term stress events such as, e.g., local nutrient enrichment, and (iii) small-scale disturbances such as, e.g., biomass removal by grazing. We hypothesized that short-term stress events and smallscale disturbances may affect seagrass chance for survival in temperate latitudes. To test this hypothesis we focused on seagrass carbon reserves in the form of starch stored seasonally in rhizomes, as these have been defined as a good indicator for winter survival. Twelve Zostera noltei meadows were monitored along a latitudinal
gradient in Western Europe to firstly assess the seasonal change of their rhizomal starch content. Secondly, we tested the effects of nutrient enrichment and/or biomass removal on the corresponding starch content by using a short-term manipulative field experiment at a single latitude in the Netherlands. At the end of the growing season, we observed a weak but significant linear increase of starch content along the latitudinal gradient from south to north. This agrees with the contention that such reserves are essential for regrowth after winter, which is more severe in the north. In addition, we also observed a weak but significant positive relationship between starch content at the beginning of the growing season and past winter temperatures. This implies a lower regrowth potential after severe winters, due to diminished starch content at the beginning of the growing season. Short-term stress and disturbances
may intensify these patterns, because our manipulative experiments show that when nutrient enrichment and biomass loss co-occurred at the end of the growing season, Z. noltei starch content declined. In temperate zones, the capacity of seagrasses to accumulate carbon reserves is expected to determine carbon-based regrowth after winter. Therefore, processes affecting those reserves might affect seagrass resilience. With increasing human pressure on coastal systems, short- and small-scale stress events are expected to become more frequent, threatening the resilience of seagrass ecosystems, particularly at higher latitudes, where populations tend to have an annual cycle highly dependent on their storage capacity.
Species ranges are shifting globally to track temperature changes in response to climate warming, with substantial variability among taxa. In
the English Channel, a biogeographical transition zone between the cold temperate and warm temperate provinces of the North-East Atlantic, distribution shifts have been relatively well documented for plankton, fish and intertidal benthic organisms, but little information is available on sublittoral benthos. Following a description of the magnitude of the sea bottom temperature (SBT) rise, the changes in the distribution and occupancy of 65 benthic invertebrate species were analysed by comparing data collected throughout the English Channel at more
than 200 stations sampled during a cool period in the 1960s{\textendash}1970s and at present in 2012{\textendash}2014. A non-uniform rise in SBT for the last three
decades was observed at the regional scale, varying from 0.07 to 0.54C per decade. This rise differs from that reported for sea surface temperature
(SST) in stratified areas suggesting that SBT should be used rather than SST to analyse responses of subtidal organisms to climate change. Despite shifts in both minimum and maximum sea bottom isotherms (2.5 and 3.2 km.year1, respectively), the distribution centroid shift of most species remained \<1.0 km.year1, regardless of the average temperatures they usually experience. Conversely, decreases were observed in the occurrence of most cold-water species and increases were found in the occurrence of most warm-water species. These results suggest that ongoing climate change could lead to a decrease in benthic biodiversity at range limits, especially where connection routes are lacking for new migrants.
The aim of this paper is to quantify and map the impact of the post-LIA climate change on the coastal evolution on three glacier catchments in the Kongsfjorden area in Svalbard. Climatic data of the meteorological station of Ny-{\r A}lesund indicate an increase in the annual mean air temperature of +4{\textdegree}C from 1969 to 2016 and an increase in precipitation. On the northern coast of the Br{\o}gger Peninsula, the Austre Lov{\'e}nbreen, Midtre Lov{\'e}nbreen and Vestre Lov{\'e}nbreen glaciers have experienced a net retreat in response to changing meteorological conditions. As a consequence of this retreat, the glaciers have disclosed a large area of 7 km{\texttwosuperior} composed of terrigenous sediments which is reworked by runoff and forms coastal sandur deltas. Channel network behavior has been studied using the computation of the active floodplain width by photo-interpretation, which decreased in average from 1966 to 2010. This demonstrated a contraction of the active braided belt and a decrease in the amount of braided channels. A photo-interpretation analysis combined with acquisition of dGPS data during field work shows a mean shoreline progradation of + 0.16 m/y from 1966 to 2016, with a maximal advance of + 82 m seaward. Since 1966 coastal progradation has decreased in time with higher mean values at the beginning of the studied period and an erosional trend from 1990. The sublittoral area was studied using analog side scan sonar in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Three pro-deltas were identified and underwent an extension of 30,000 m{\texttwosuperior} from 2009 to 2012. In the light of this knowledge, our main conclusion is that, by retreating, glaciers have an impact on the sediment availability and on the capacity of the fluvial system to effectively transport sediment to the shoreline. These two factors control the overall coastal evolution by regulating the sediment supply to the coastal area. The coastal zones that were fed with sediments by runoff have experienced a coastal progradation and those that lost this supply have undergone a coastal recession. Due to the contraction of proglacial floodplains, current progradation concerns restricted coastal areas.
}, doi = {10.1002/ldr.3149}, author = {Marine Bourriquen and Agn{\`e}s Baltzer and Denis Mercier and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and St{\'e}phane Costa and Erwan Roussel} } @article {5365, title = {Le cas des r{\'e}cifs d{\textquoteright}hermelles Nuisible ou patrimonial : l{\textquoteright}{\'e}volution des perceptions en milieu marin}, journal = {Le Courrier de la Nature}, volume = {306}, year = {2017}, pages = {46-49}, issn = {0011-047}, author = {Patrick Le Mao and Nicolas Desroy and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Laurent Godet and Eric Thi{\'e}baut} } @article {4687, title = {Phylogeography of the reef-building polychaetes of the genus Phragmatopoma in the western Atlantic Region}, journal = {Journal of Biogeography}, volume = {44}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, pages = {1612-1625}, abstract = {Aim
To verify the synonymy of the reef-building polychaete Phragmatopoma caudata (described for the Caribbean) and Phragmatopoma lapidosa (described for Brazil) using molecular data. To evaluate the patterns of genetic diversity and connectivity among populations from Florida to South Brazil.
Location
Intertidal zone in the western Atlantic biogeographical Region: Brazil, eastern Caribbean and Florida (USA).
Methods
DNA sequence data from one mitochondrial (cox-1) and one nuclear ribosomal (ITS-1) loci were obtained from 11 populations of P. caudata spanning the coasts of Brazil, eastern Caribbean and Florida. Phylogenetic relationships among populations of P. caudata and other members of the genus were inferred by Bayesian methods. Population differentiation was evaluated by Bayesian analysis of population structure (baps), AMOVA and pairwise φst. Demographic history was inferred by Bayesian skyline plots.
Results
Phylogenetic inference supported the interpretation of a single species of Phragmatopoma spanning the Brazilian and Caribbean Provinces of the western Atlantic Region. Little population structure was observed across the species distribution, with the exception of the Florida population. The baps analysis supported a 2-population model, with population differentiation being strong and significant between Florida and all other Atlantic populations for cox-1, and significant between Florida and most populations for ITS-1. Differences in genetic diversity were not significant between Caribbean and Brazilian populations, although several populations in Brazil had low values for diversity indices. Bayesian skyline plots indicate population expansion starting at c.\ 200\ ka.
Main conclusions
Phragmatopoma caudata is able to maintain genetic connectivity across most of its geographical range, with population differentiation being observed only between Florida and all other localities, possibly due to ecological speciation in the transition zone between tropical and subtropical environments. Long-distance connectivity across much of the species range is likely the result of long-lived larvae that are tolerant to a wide range of environmental conditions.
}, doi = {10.1111/jbi.12938}, author = {Flavia Nunes and Alain Van Wormhoudt and Larisse Faroni Perez and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier} } @article {5000, title = {Seasonal and latitudinal variation in seagrass mechanical traits across Europe: The influence of local nutrient status and morphometric plasticity}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Seagrasses are marine flowering plants distributed worldwide. They are however threatened, mostly due to the increase of human activities. Seagrasses have the capacity to adapt their morphological, physiological, and mechanical traits to their local conditions. Mechanical traits have been identified as a good tool to investigate a plant-species capacity to withstand physical forces or disturbances but are still sparsely studied in seagrasses. With this study, we aimed to assess how the mechanical traits of a broadly spread seagrass species vary along a latitudinal gradient in relation to its morphometric plasticity and nutrient status. We found that seagrasses acclimate their mechanical traits in relation to their physiological or morphological traits, both over the growing season and across a latitudinal range: leaves were weaker and thinner in northern areas, particularly at the end of the growing season. Besides the influence of the latitudinal gradient, leaf mechanical strength and stiffness were both strongly affected by their morphometric plasticity. Moreover, we showed that leaves mechanical traits change depending on their nutrient status: leaves were stronger and stiffer in oligotrophic conditions as compared to more eutrophic conditions. Thus, our results imply that, under eutrophication, leaves become weaker and thus more vulnerable to physical forces. This vulnerability is higher in the north at the end of the growing season. The latter is consistent with the more ephemeral character of northern seagrass meadows, in contrast to the more evergreen southern meadows.
}, doi = {10.1002/lno.10611}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lno.10611/full}, author = {L.M. Soissons and M.M. van Katwijk and G. Peralta and F.G. Brun and P.G. Cardoso and T.F. Grilo and B. Ondiviela and M. Recio and M. Valle and J.M. Garmendia and F. Ganthy and I. Auby and L. Rigouin and Laurent Godet and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Nicolas Desroy and L. Barill{\'e} and P. Kadel and R. Asmus and P.M.J. Herman and T.J. Bouma} } @article {5027, title = {Space-time evolution of a large field of pockmarks in the Bay of Concarneau (NW Brittany)}, journal = {Bulletin de la Soci{\'e}t{\'e} G{\'e}ologique de France}, year = {2017}, abstract = {About a decade ago, a large field of pockmarks, covering an overall area of 36 km2 was discovered in water depths of \<30m in the central part of the Bay of Concarneau (Southern Brittany, France). This field, composed of features from 5m to 35m in diameter and \<1m in depth, is characterized by unusual high densities of pockmarks, up to 5840 per square kilometre. Geophysical data correlated with sedimentary samples acquired in 2005 and 2009 show that pockmarks and their immediate surroundings are associated with dense tubes benches cover, built by a filter-feeding amphipod: Haploops nirae, forming original benthic communities. Two complementary surveys were carried out in April 2011 (Pock and Ploops) and April 2014 (Pock and Tide), on the Oceanographic Vedette (O/V) Haliotis (Ifremer/Genavir), to map the limit of the pockmarks and Haploops fields with the maximum accuracy. The link between the presence of the Haploops nirae communities and the occurrence of pockmarks /gas was then established and the proposed hypothesis was that tidal cycles may provide a good candidate for a short-term (monthly) triggering mechanism of fluid expulsion (Baltzer A, Ehrohold A, Rigolet C, Souron A, Cordier C, Clouet H. 2014. Geophysical exploration of an active pockmark field in the Bay of Concarneau, southern Brittany, and implications for resident suspension feeders. Geo-Marine Letters, 34, 215{\textendash}230). Due to the high-level precision (50 cm) of the positioning system (Magellan Aquarius Ixsea Hydrins) coupled with the RTK attitude system, these new bathymetric and imagery maps together with the sub-bottom Chirp profiles, allow us to compare the data sets from April 2011 and April 2014. The superimposition of the two data sets shows that the distribution of the pockmarks remains similar between these 2 dates (i.e. for 3 years), for the group of large, widely scattered pockmarks, which are deeply rooted in the Holocene palaeo-valley infills and for the group of pockmarks identified as the trawl-scour pockmarks, initiated by trawling action. Most of the pockmarks present very recent shapes without any infilling but sonar imagery reveals that some of them have been covered by a thin muddy layer, thereby reflecting, at least, a temporary cessation of expulsion or a different activity. Chirp profiles indicate some acoustic flares above the pockmarks, revealing gas/fluid expulsion. Different gas clues within the sedimentary column, such as acoustic turbidity, enhanced gas reflectors (EGR), chimneys pipes, occur at exactly the same places on the chirp seismic profiles from 2011 and 2014. Therefore, contrary to most examples described in the\ literature, this pockmarks field is still active.
}, doi = {10.1051/bsgf/2017191}, author = {Agn{\`e}s Baltzer and Marine Reynaud and Axel Ehrhold and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and C{\'e}line Cordier and H{\'e}l{\`e}ne Clouet} } @article {4265, title = {Coastal evolution and sedimentary mobility of Br{\o}gger Peninsula, northwest Spitsbergen}, journal = {Polar Biology}, year = {2016}, month = {03/2016}, pages = {1-10}, abstract = {Since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA), Svalbard glaciers have undergone a net retreat in response to changing meteorological conditions. Located between 76{\textdegree}N and 80{\textdegree}N, western Spitsbergen has seen a climatic transition from a glacial to a paraglacial system. On the northern shore of the Br{\o}gger Peninsula (northwest Spitsbergen), the average temperature increased by 3\ {\textdegree}C between 1965 and 2015, and cold-based valley glaciers have retreated more than 1\ km from their LIA limits. This rapid deglaciation has exposed large areas of glacigenic sediments being easily reworked by runoff. This has led to the formation of extensive glacier-river delta systems and coastal progradation. Post-LIA coastal progradation and formation of new landforms in Kongsfjorden have been controlled predominantly by substantial availability of glacial sediment. A combination of aerial photographic and field data has been employed to estimate the post-LIA evolution of coastal sandur deltas and their submarine parts (named here {\textquotedblleft}prodeltas{\textquotedblright}). The data set reveals that delta shoreline advance could have reached around 5\ m/year. between 1966 and 1990 for the most energetic delta of Austre Lovenbreen, and around 4\ m/year between 2011 and 2014 for the most energetic delta of Midtre Lovenbreen. The prodeltas registered a net growth from 2009 to 2012: the biggest, located in the prolongation of deltas of Austre Lovenbreen, measured 1033\ m in length in 2009 and 1180\ m in length in 2012. This substantial amount of sediment supplied in the fjord has an impact on the fjord ecology, especially on the benthic ecosystem.
}, keywords = {High Arctic, Paraglacial, Sedimentary flux, Submarine and aerial coastal evolution, Svalbard}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-016-1930-1}, author = {Marine Bourriquen and Agn{\`e}s Baltzer and Denis Mercier and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Laurent Perez and Sylvain Haquin and Eric Bernard and Maria Ansine Jensen} } @article {4412, title = {Extreme landscapes decrease taxonomic and functional bird diversity but promote the presence of rare species}, journal = {Acta Ornithologica}, volume = {51}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Human activities may generate geometrical landscape (i.e. composed of rectilinear and repetitive landscape units) structures that can significantly influence the spatial distribution of birds. While bird distribution in various landscape types has been extensively studied, the role played by landscape configuration and composition in different facets of bird diversity remains unclear. Here, these two main components of landscape characteristics (i.e. configuration and composition) are disentangled and their relative influence on three different facets of bird assemblages: taxonomic and functional characteristics, and the presence of rare species, is tested. We chose four large coastal salinas of Western France as a relevant model of geometrical and human-dominated landscapes where each landscape unit can be easily identified and mapped. The landscape characteristics of these sites were mapped and quantified. Then, terrestrial breeding birds were sampled in 172 point-counts using a standardized protocol. 69 diurnal terrestrial bird species were detected and considered in analyses (waterbirds and owls excluded). Landscape composition was found to have a higher influence on bird communities than landscape configuration, which fits with the {\textquotedblleft}landscape composition hypothesis{\textquotedblright}. More specifically, the most {\textquotedblleft}extreme{\textquotedblright} landscapes {\textemdash} those with low terrestrial surface areas, low landscape richness and diversity, low cohesion, and very patchy landscapes with complex geometrical shapes {\textemdash} host the lowest bird taxonomic abundance, richness and diversity and functional richness, but are characterized by the presence of rare species (mainly wetland specialist species, e.g. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus and species with restricted ranges e.g. Bluethroat Luscinia svecica namnetum). Our results suggest that conservation plans in such geometrical and human-dominated habitats should not only focus on one aspect of landscape characteristics or one aspect of biological diversity but also consider the adverse effects of landscape characteristics on these different facets.
\
The relationship between foraging shorebirds, macrobenthos and sedimentary parameters has been widely studied across Western Europe. Megatidal areas have large zones uncovered when the water retreats. Consequently, in such cases, the tide also influences foraging activities. This paper examines the use of an intertidal space by waders to define how macrobenthic resource concentrates foraging activity of birds in a large megatidal sandflat. This approach combines accurate spatial distribution of waders (Oystercatcher, Eurasian curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and Redknot) according to their activity with ecological/biological parameters. A differential exploitation of the flat is clearly shown, with macrobenthic biomass appearing as one of the main explanatory factor for the four species considered on the western part of the bay and altitude (shore elevation) in the eastern part. The novelty of this study relates to the large area, also presumed to be a functional unit, while considering at the same time the singularities of the different parts of the flat. This multi-scale approach identifies important factors influencing the differential distribution patterns observed. The different selected parameters present an important variability in their contribution, underlining the complexity of explaining the distribution of foraging birds. Consequently, the study of such complex phenomena needs to consider additional variables to improve the relevance of explanatory models.
}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecss.2016.05.023}, author = {Ponsero, Alain and Sturbois, Anthony and Nicolas Desroy and Patrick Le Mao and Jones, Auriane and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier} } @article {3859, title = {Morpho-sedimentology of coastal natural sites colonized by Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)}, journal = {Revue d{\textquoteright}Ecologie (Terre et Vie)}, volume = {71}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Morpho-sedimentology of coastal natural sites colonized by Sand Martin (Riparia riparia). {\textemdash} The Sand Martin or Bank Swallow Riparia riparia returns annually to a same site to establish a colony. These sites are natural or anthropogenic origin but are still subject to permanent changes. The species is characterized by its ability to dig tunnels in which it carries out its reproductive cycle. Several authors have attempted to identify the criteria used by the swallows to choose a favourable site to the installation of a colony. Among the many parameters that can help explain the location of colonies, morpho-sedimentary settings have been poorly documented. Among abiotic factors, the composition of the soil particles seems to play an important role in the depth of the tunnels which is directly proportional to the reproductive success. The aim of this article is to contribute to explore the morpho-sedimentary parameters of two colonies localized in coastal area. We investigated the supposed effect of morpho-sedimentary parameters on the presence and layout of tunnels, their depth and if the colonized sites have different characteristics from nearby favourable but not colonized sites. We took into consideration several morphological parameters of the colonies and sampled sediments, which were analysed and compared using statistical tests and linear regression. We show that, in the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel, Bank Swallows do not choose their nesting site depending on the nature of the sediment unlike what was proposed in a previous study on a continental site. For each site, we were only able to find tenuous differences between colonized and no colonized sites. The swallows have all chosen the same sedimentary strata regardless of the site. The choice of this stratum is linked mainly to the limitation of the risk of flooding but also to the fact that the uppermost stratum that supports vegetation is more difficult to be excavated due to the presence of roots and rhizomes. The characteristics of sedimentary material are however structuring in the depth of the tunnels.
}, author = {J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Alexandre Corbeau and Patrick Le Mao} } @article {4372, title = {Pollen limitation may be a common Allee effect in marine hydrophilous plants: implications for decline and recovery in seagrasses}, journal = {Oecologia}, year = {2016}, pages = {1-15}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-016-3665-7}, author = {B.I. Van Tussenbroek and L.M. Soissons and T.J. Bouma and R. Asmus and I. Auby and F.G. Brun and P.G. Cardoso and Nicolas Desroy and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and F. Ganthy and J.M. Garmendia and Laurent Godet and T.F. Grilo and P. Kadel and B. Ondiviela and G. Peralta and M. Recio and M. Valle and T. Van der Heide and van Katwijk, M M} } @article {4448, title = {Unexpectedmovements of male Bluethroats Luscinia svecica namnetum during the breeding period}, journal = {Alauda}, volume = {84}, year = {2016}, pages = {195-202}, abstract = {During a radiotracking survey on 61 different males of Bluethroat Luscinia svecica namnetum from 2012 to 2015 in three different sites, we found that 8 males joined remote areas, at 300 to 900meters fromtheir regular territory and home range. Thesemovements occurred at dawn and dusk, but also at day. Such movements are not recorded in the literature and we propose four different hypotheses to explain them: the existence of {\textquotedblleft}hidden leks{\textquotedblright}, a male poly-territoriality, the look for food or for a shelter from predators.
}, author = {Cl{\'e}ment Harmange and Laurent Godet and Matthieu Marquet and Julie Dietrich and Sarah Monnet and Elisa Gr{\'e}goire and Marie-Christine Eybert and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier} } @article {3325, title = {Biogenic reefs affect multiple components of intertidal soft-bottom benthic assemblages: the Lanice conchilega case study}, journal = {Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science}, volume = {152}, year = {2015}, month = {01/2015}, pages = {44-55}, abstract = {Biogenic reefs composed of the tube-building polychaete Lanice conchilega are important from a conservation point of view because they noticeably increase the biodiversity in otherwise species poor
environments. However, up to now, little or no attention has been paid to the intertidal epi- and hyperbenthic communities associated with the reefs. Therefore, this is the first study which focuses on
the effect of L. conchilega reefs on the entire bentho-pelagic community at two different locations. Environmental variables were measured and macro-, epi- and hyperbenthic communities were sampled
within a L. conchilega reef and a control area at two locations in France: the bay of the Mont Saint-Michel (BMSM) and Boulogne-sur-Mer (Boulogne). The effect of the reef presence on the benthic community
was studied with a 3-factor (Reef, Location and Period) Permanova. In addition, the relationship between the benthic community and the environmental variables was investigated using Distance-based linear
models (DistLM). Most collected organisms were sampled in the reef area (macrobenthos: 91\%, epibenthos: 81\% and hyperbenthos: 78.5\%) indicating that, independent of the location, the L. conchilega
reefs positively affect all three associated benthic communities. However, the extent of the effect seems to be most pronounced for the macrobenthos and less distinct in case of the hyperbenthos. The macro-,
and epibenthos are mainly structured by biotic variables (L. conchilega density and macrobenthic food availability respectively), while the hyperbenthos is rather structured by environmental variables. In
general, L. conchilega reefs do not only affect abundances and diversity but they substantially steer the structure of the intertidal benthic sandy beach ecosystem.
The highly fragmented landscape structures of coastal salinas are known to result in decreased terrestrial bird abundance, species richness and diversity but to promote original assemblages dominated by specialist species, such as the Bluethroat Luscinia svecica namnetum. This species is mainly found at the core of these salinas, where the landscape characteristics are a priori the most hostile for terrestrial birds. The aim of this study was to test whether individuals of a specialized species like the Bluethroat may offset such landscape constraints by expanding their home ranges. We therefore radio-tracked 21 males in 2013 and 2014 in the salinas of the Marais du Mes (Parc Naturel R{\'e}gional de Bri{\`e}re, Western France). The data of the 18 best-monitored males were used to carry out a hierarchical partitioning of variance to test the relative influence of landscape characteristics, individual characteristics\ and distance to other males on their home-range sizes. We found that landscape characteristics were the factors that best explained home range sizes. Home-range sizes were significantly smaller in diversified landscapes composed of tidal creeks and salt-marsh patches and tended to be larger in landscapes dominated by the aquatic matrix consisting of water ponds. The results of this study demonstrate that although a few bird species are able to
select a priori hostile landscapes, they can offset such constraints by expanding their home-range size.
In this study we investigated the phylogenetics of the Eurasian treecreeper (Certhia familiaris), a forest passerine with a wide Palaearctic range including Corsica, using three mitochondrial genes and three nuclear introns, and
its phylogeographic history using the COI gene. Our phylogenetic results, including eight of the ten sub-species currently recognized, support the monophyly of C. familiaris with respect to its Indo-Asian sister species
C. hodgsoni. C. familiaris comprises two lineages that diverged during the mid-Pleistocene (c. 1 Myr): one palaeoendemic lineage has an allopatric range nowadays restricted to the Corsica island and the Caucasus region
whereas the second one, more recent and widespread, is distributed over most of Eurasia and in northern China. The most likely scenario that may explain such a pattern is a double colonization of the western Palaearctic from
the eastern range of the species. During the middle Pleistocene period, a first lineage expanded its range up into Europe but did not persist through glacial cycles except in Corsica and the Caucasus region. Later, during the
upper Pleistocene, a second lineage began to diversify around 0.09 Myr, spreading towards the western Palaearctic from a unique refuge likely located in the eastern Palaearctic [correction added on 6 March 2015 after first online
publication: 0.9 Myr amended to 0.09 Myr]. Apart from C. f. corsa, our results do not suggest any distinct evolutionary history for other sub-species previously described on morphological grounds in Europe. Our study
highlights the important conservation value of the Corsican treecreeper and emphasizes the major role of mature pine forests in the evolution of endemic bird taxa in Corsica.
The potential of ecosystem engineers to modify the structure and dynamics of food webs has recently been hypothesised from a conceptual point of view. Empirical data on the integration of ecosystem engineers and food webs is however largely lacking. This paper investigates the hypothesised link based on a field sampling approach of intertidal biogenic aggregations created by the ecosystem engineer Lanice conchilega (Polychaeta, Terebellidae). The aggregations are known to have a considerable impact on the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of their environment and subsequently on the abundance and biomass of primary food sources and the macrofaunal (i.e. the macro-, hyper- and epibenthos) community. Therefore, we hypothesise that L. conchilega aggregations affect the structure, stability and isotopic niche of the consumer assemblage of a soft-bottom intertidal food web. Primary food sources and the bentho-pelagic consumer assemblage of a L. conchilega aggregation and a control area were sampled on two soft-bottom intertidal areas along the French coast and analysed for their stable isotopes. Despite the structural impacts of the ecosystem engineer on the associated macrofaunal community, the presence of L. conchilega aggregations only has a minor effect on the food web structure of soft-bottom intertidal areas. The isotopic niche width of the consumer communities of the L. conchilega aggregations and control areas are highly similar, implying that consumer taxa do not shift their diet when feeding in a L. conchilega aggregation. Besides, species packing and hence trophic redundancy were not affected, pointing to an unaltered stability of the food web in the presence of L. conchilega.
}, author = {De Smet, Bart and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and De Troch, Marleen and Vincx, Magda and Vanaverbeke, Jan} } @inbook {4008, title = {Invert{\'e}br{\'e}s marins introduits dans le Golfe Normand-Breton depuis 1920}, booktitle = {Atlas Permanent de la mer et du littoral}, volume = {7}, number = {51-53}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Universit{\'e} de Nantes}, organization = {Universit{\'e} de Nantes}, address = {Nantes}, author = {Laurent Godet and Patrick Le Mao and Eric Thi{\'e}baut and Christian Reti{\`e}re and Louis Cabioc{\textquoteright}h and Franck Gentil and Nicolas Desroy and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier} } @inbook {4009, title = {Milieux de vie des mammif{\`e}res de Bretagne}, booktitle = {Atlas des mammif{\`e}res de Bretagne}, year = {2015}, pages = {16-29}, publisher = {Locus Solus}, organization = {Locus Solus}, edition = {GMB}, address = {Loperec}, author = {J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Patrick Le Mao and Franck Simmonet} } @inbook {3555, title = {The "Turritella Layer": a potential proxy of a drastic Holocene environmental change on the North-East Atlantic coast}, booktitle = {Sediment Fluxex in Coastal Areas}, year = {2015}, pages = {3-21}, publisher = {Springer Science}, organization = {Springer Science}, edition = {Coastal Research Library}, address = {Dordrecht}, author = {Agn{\`e}s Baltzer and Zohra Mokeddem and Evelyne Goubert and Franck Lartaud and Nathalie Labourdette and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and Jean-Fran{\c c}ois Bourillet} } @article {3736, title = {G2Sd: a new R package for the statistical analysis of unconsolidated sediments}, journal = {G{\'e}omorphologie: relief, processus, environnement}, year = {2014}, month = {06/2014}, pages = {73-78}, abstract = {Modern depositional environment are mainly investigated in terms of internal sedimentary structures and associated grain-size characteristics. The latter are an intrinsic feature of sediments and hence essential for quantitative descriptions. It is therefore useful to have a tool available which allows direct and rapid calculation of numerous statistical parameters for a large number of samples. The G2Sd package gives full descriptive statistics and a physical description of sediments based on grain-size distributions derived from sieve analyses using a decadic log-transformation of the millimeter scale. Statistics are calculated either by using arithmetic and geometric methods of moments, or the graphic procedure of R.L. Folk and W.C. Ward (1957) to calculate mean grain-size, standard-deviation, skewness, and kurtosis based on the binary log-transformation of the mm scale. Numerical results are thus provided both in metric and phi units. The mode can be determined graphically by the user. Several percentiles and two common indices are calculated: D10, D50, D90, D90/D10, D90-D10, D75/D25, D75-D25, Trask Index (So) and Krumbein Index (Qd). A physical description of texture, sorting, skewness and kurtosis parameters is provided, based on the sediment nomenclature described in R.L. Folk (1966). The weight percentage of particles falling into each predefined size fraction is also included in the results. This package runs within the CRAN R-project.
}, author = {J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fournier and R{\'e}gis K. Gallon and Raphael Paris} } @article {3737, title = {Optimisation du marquage d{\textquoteright}oiseaux par la pose de bagues couleurs}, journal = {Alauda}, volume = {82}, year = {2014}, month = {06/2014}, pages = {161-170}, abstract = {How to optimize the number of coloured rings on birds? Coloured rings are commonly used to individualize birds. A combination of colour rings enables to find the unique number registered on the metal ring. These colour rings allow to remotely control birds instead of capturing them again. These rings designed to minimize any potential perturbation for the individuals in their movements, but several papers showed considerable effects on the mate choice, the reproduction or the predation. It is often not necessary or not possible to capture hundreds or thousands of individuals to study the biology or the ecology of birds. To study a small bird population, it is possible to get a big number of colour ring combinations without putting a big number of rings. To put fewer rings is more comfortable for the bird and less time consuming during its manipulation. This article proposes solutions to ringers who wish to optimize the number of colour rings. The mathematical propositions show that it is better to systematically use the metal ring as being a part of the combination. It enables to increase very significantly the number of combinations while reducing the number of rings. To put only two colour rings in addition to the metal ring offers enough
combinations for most of the field ornithological surveys.