@article {7088,
	title = {Quantitative food web modeling unravels the importance of the microphytobenthos-meiofauna pathway for a high trophic transfer by meiofauna in soft-bottom intertidal food webs.},
	journal = {Ecological Modelling},
	volume = {430},
	year = {2020},
	abstract = {Meiofauna are known to have an important role on many ecological processes, although, their role in food web dynamics is often poorly understood, partially as they have been an overlooked and under sampled organism group. Here, we used quantitative food web modeling to evaluate the trophic relationship between meiofauna and their food sources and how meiofauna can mediate the carbon flow to higher trophic levels in five contrasting soft-bottom intertidal habitats (including seagrass beds, mudflats and sandflats). Carbon flow networks were constructed using the linear inverse model-Markov chain Monte Carlo technique, with increased resolution of the meiofauna compartments (i.e. biomass and feeding ecology of the different trophic groups of meiofauna) compared to most previous modeling studies. These models highlighted that the flows between the highly productive microphytobenthos and the meiofauna compartments play an important role in transferring carbon to the higher trophic levels, typically more efficiently so than macrofauna. The pathway from microphytobenthos to meiofauna represented the largest flow in all habitats and resulted in high production of meiofauna independent of habitat. All trophic groups of meiofauna, except for selective deposit feeders, had a very high dependency on microphytobenthos. Selective deposit feeders relied instead on a wider range of food sources, with varying contributions of bacteria, microphytobenthos and sediment organic matter. Ecological network analyses (e.g. cycling, throughput and ascendency) of the modeled systems highlighted the close positive relationship between the food web efficiency and the assimilation of high-quality food sources by primary consumers, e.g. meiofauna and macrofauna. Large proportions of these flows can be attributed to trophic groups of meiofauna. The sensitivity of the network properties to the representation of meiofauna in the models leads to recommending a greater attention in ecological data monitoring and integrating meiofauna into food web models. {\textcopyright} 2020 Elsevier B.V.},
	keywords = {Carbon, Carbon flow networks, deposit feeder, Deposits, Ecological network analysis, Ecological process, Ecosystems, Feeding, Feeding ecology, food web, Food web model, intertidal community, intertidal habitats, Inverse problems, linear inverse model, Linear inverse models, Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques, Markov chains, Meiofauna, Microphytobenthos, Monte Carlo methods, Phytobenthos, quantitative analysis, Sediment organic matters, soft-bottom environment, stable isotope mixing models, trophic level, Trophic relationships, Trophic structure},
	issn = {03043800 (ISSN)},
	doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109129},
	author = {van der Heijden, L.H. and Nathalie Niquil and Haraldsson, M. and Asmus, R.M. and Pacella, S.R. and Graeve, M. and Rzeznik-Orignac, J. and Asmus, H. and Saint-B{\'e}at, B. and Lebreton, B.}
}
@article {Meddeb201967,
	title = {A new type of plankton food web functioning in coastal waters revealed by coupling Monte Carlo Markov chain linear inverse method and ecological network analysis},
	journal = {Ecological Indicators},
	volume = {104},
	year = {2019},
	note = {cited By 0},
	pages = {67-85},
	publisher = {Elsevier B.V.},
	abstract = {Plankton food webs (PFW) typology is based on different categories of functioning, according to the dominant processes and the role played by heterotrophic bacteria, small vs large phytoplankton, and small vs large zooplankton. Investigating the structure and the function of planktonic food webs in two SW Mediterranean waters (inshore and marine sites) at four seasons, using inverse (LIM-MCMC) and ecological network (ENA) analyses, we identified a new type of food web, called the {\textquotedblleft}bacterial multivorous food web{\textquotedblright}. This food web adds to the conventional trophic continuum as previously reported. The {\textquotedblleft}bacterial multivorous food web{\textquotedblright} present in winter showed the lowest primary production among seasons, but highest bacterial production. Several food web ratios characterized this new typology e.g. picophytoplankton net primary production to total primary production varied from 0.20 to 0.28; bacterial to primary production ratio is higher than values reported in global scale (≅1); bacterial net production to the potential protozoan prey net production was high (\&gt;0.2). In this special food web, carbon was mostly recycled, with a moderate fraction channeled to deep waters, which lead to a higher retention of carbon inside the ecosystem. This winter PFW also seemed to be the most organized, specialized, stable and mature, as related to common interpretations of ENA. The spring was characterized by herbivorous food web, with highest activity coinciding with low stability. Although less usual, the herbivorous pathway was also observed during summer, in inshore waters. The autumn food webs, which functioned as multivorous or microbial food webs, appeared to be stable and mature. Finally, our study demonstrates the usefulness of food web models derived ratios combined with ecological network analysis indices to conduct evaluation of the structure and functioning of ecosystems and potentially to support management decisions in marine environment. {\textcopyright} 2019},
	keywords = {Bacteria (microorganisms), bacterium, Carbon, Chemical contamination, coastal water, Coastal waters, ecological modeling, Ecology, ecosystem function, Ecosystems, Electric network analysis, Food microbiology, food web, Food web model, Food webs, inverse analysis, Inverse problems, Markov chain, Markov processes, Mediterranean sea, Monte Carlo analysis, Monte Carlo methods, net primary production, network analysis, Phytoplankton, picoplankton, Plankton, Protozoa, protozoan, Seasonal variation, trophic status, Trophic structure},
	issn = {1470160X},
	doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.04.077},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1470160X19303243},
	author = {Meddeb, M. and Nathalie Niquil and Grami, B. and Mejri, K. and Haraldsson, M. and Chaalali, A. and Pringault, O. and Hlaili, A.S.}
}
@article {vanderHeijden201950,
	title = {Trophic importance of microphytobenthos and bacteria to meiofauna in soft-bottom intertidal habitats: A combined trophic marker approach},
	journal = {Marine Environmental Research},
	volume = {149},
	year = {2019},
	note = {cited By 2},
	pages = {50-66},
	publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},
	abstract = {Meiofauna can play an important role in the carbon fluxes of soft-bottom coastal habitats. Investigation of their feeding behavior and trophic position remains challenging due to their small size. In this study, we determine and compare the food sources used by nematodes and benthic copepods by using stable isotope compositions, fatty acid profiles and compound specific isotope analyses of fatty acids in the mudflats, seagrass beds and a sandflat of the Marennes-Ol{\'e}ron Bay, France, and the Sylt-R{\o}m{\o} Bight, Germany. Suspended particulate organic matter was much more 13C-depleted than other food sources and meiofauna, highlighting its poor role in the different studied habitats. The very low proportions of vascular plant fatty acid markers in meiofauna demonstrated that these consumers did not rely on this food source, either fresh or detrital, even in seagrass beds. The combined use of stable isotopes and fatty acids emphasized microphytobenthos and benthic bacteria as the major food sources of nematodes and benthic copepods. Compound specific analyses of a bacteria marker confirmed that bacteria mostly used microphytobenthos as a substrate. {\textcopyright} 2019 Elsevier Ltd},
	keywords = {Article, Bacillariophyta, bacteria, bacterium, Benthic copepods, Benthic diatoms, Biological materials, biomarker, Biomass, carbon 13, coastal zone, controlled study, Copepoda, delta carbon 13, delta nitrogen 15, Diatom, Ecosystems, fatty acids, Feeding Behavior, food supply, France, Free livings, Freeze Drying, Frisian Islands, Germany, high performance liquid chromatography, intertidal environment, isotope analysis, Isotopes, lipid composition, Marennes-Oleron Bay, Meiofauna, microbial activity, Microphytobenthos, mudflat, Mudflats, Nematoda, nitrogen 15, nonhuman, North Frisian Islands, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Organic matter, Phytobenthos, Plants (botany), Sandflats, seagrass, Seagrass beds, Sediment, soft-bottom environment, species habitat, substrate, suspended particulate organic matter, Sylt-Romo Bight, trophic environment, Trophic markers, Trophic structure, unclassified drug},
	issn = {01411136},
	doi = {10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.05.014},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0141113618304744},
	author = {van der Heijden, L.H. and Graeve, M. and R. Asmus and Rzeznik-Orignac, J. and Nathalie Niquil and Bernier, Q. and Guillou, G. and H Asmus and Lebreton, B.}
}
