%0 Journal Article %J Journal of Sea Research %D 2017 %T Regional and latitudinal patterns of soft-bottom macrobenthic invertebrates along French coasts: Results from the RESOMAR database %A Régis K. Gallon %A Nicolas Lavesque %A Jacques Grall %A Céline Labrune %A Antoine Grémare %A Guy Bachelet %A Hugues Blanchet %A Paulo Bonifácio %A Vincent M.P. Bouchet %A Jean-Claude Dauvin %A Nicolas Desroy %A Franck Gentil %A Laurent Guerin %A Céline Houbin %A Jérôme Jourde %A Sandrine Laurand %A Michel Le Duff %A Vincent Le Garrec %A Xavier de Montaudouin %A Frédéric Olivier %A Francis Orvain %A Pierre-Guy Sauriau %A Eric Thiébaut %A Olivier Gauthier %K France %K Latitudinal pattern %K Regional pattern %K Soft-bottom %K Species richness %K Zoobenthos %X

This study aims to describe the patterns of soft bottom macrozoobenthic richness along French coasts. It is based on a collaborative database developed by the “Réseau des Stations et Observatoires Marins” (RESOMAR). We investigated patterns of species richness in sublittoral soft bottom habitats (EUNIS level 3) at two different spatial scales: 1) seaboards: English Channel, Bay of Biscay and Mediterranean Sea and 2) 0.5° latitudinal and longitudinal grid. Total observed richness, rarefaction curves and three incidence-based richness estimators (Chao2, ICE and Jacknife1) were used to compare soft bottom habitats species richness in each seaboard. Overall, the Mediterranean Sea has the highest richness and despite higher sampling effort, the English Channel hosts the lowest number of species. The distribution of species occurrence within and between seaboards was assessed for each major phylum using constrained rarefaction curves. The Mediterranean Sea hosts the highest number of exclusive species. In pairwise comparisons, it also shares a lower proportion of taxa with the Bay of Biscay (34.1%) or the English Channel (27.6%) than that shared between these two seaboards (49.7%). Latitudinal species richness patterns along the Atlantic and English Channel coasts were investigated for each major phylum using partial LOESS regression controlling for sampling effort. This showed the existence of a bell-shaped latitudinal pattern, highlighting Brittany as a hotspot for macrobenthic richness at the confluence of two biogeographic provinces.

%B Journal of Sea Research %V 130 %P 96 - 106 %G eng %U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385110116302660 %R https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2017.03.011 %0 Journal Article %J Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Science in Assessing the Health Status of Marine Ecosystems %D 2017 %T What Is Marine Biodiversity? Towards Common Concepts and Their Implications for Assessing Biodiversity Status. Front %A Cochrane, SKJ %A Andersen, JH %A Berg, T %A Hugues Blanchet %A Borja, A %A Carstensen, J %A Elliott, M %A Hummel, H %A Nathalie Niquil %A Renaud, PE %B Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Science in Assessing the Health Status of Marine Ecosystems %V 3 %P 377 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Sea Research %D 2014 %T Multiscale patterns in the diversity and organization of benthic intertidal fauna among French Atlantic estuaries %A Hugues Blanchet %A Benoît Gouillieux %A Sandrine Alizier %A Jean-Michel Amouroux %A Guy Bachelet %A Anne-Laure Barillé %A Jean-Claude Dauvin %A Xavier de Montaudouin %A Valérie Derolez %A Nicolas Desroy %A Jacques Grall %A Antoine Grémare %A Pascal Hacquebart %A Jérôme Jourde %A Céline Labrune %A Nicolas Lavesque %A Antoine Meirland %A Thiebaut Nebout %A Frédéric Olivier %A Corine Pelaprat %A Thierry Ruellet %A Pierre-Guy Sauriau %A Sébastien Thorin %K Diversity %K Estuaries %K Macrozoobenthos %K Structuring Factors %K WFD %X

Based on a parallel sampling conducted during autumn 2008, a comparative study of the intertidal benthic macrofauna among 10 estuarine systems located along the Channel and Atlantic coasts of France was performed in order to assess the level of fauna similarity among these sites and to identify possible environmental factors involved in the observed pattern at both large (among sites) and smaller (benthic assemblages) scales. More precisely this study focused on unraveling the observed pattern of intertidal benthic fauna composition and diversity observed at among-site scale by exploring both biotic and abiotic factors acting at the among- and within-site scales. Results showed a limited level of similarity at the among-site level in terms of intertidal benthic fauna composition and diversity. The observed pattern did not fit with existing transitional water classification methods based on fish or benthic assemblages developed in the frame of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). More particularly, the coastal plain estuaries displayed higher among-site similarity compared to ria systems. These coastal plain estuaries were characterized by higher influence of river discharge, lower communication with the ocean and high suspended particulate matter levels. On the other hand, the ria-type systems were more dissimilar and different from the coastal plain estuaries. The level of similarity among estuaries was mainly linked to the relative extent of the intertidal “Scrobicularia plana–Cerastoderma edule” and “Tellina tenuis” or “Venus” communities as a possible consequence of salinity regime, suspended matter concentrations and fine particles supply with consequences on the trophic functioning, structure and organization of benthic fauna. Despite biogeographical patterns, the results also suggest that, in the context of the WFD, these estuaries should only be compared on the basis of the most common intertidal habitat occurring throughout all estuarine systems and that the \{EUNIS\} biotope classification might be used for this purpose. In addition, an original inverse relation between γ-diversity and area was shown; however, its relevance might be questioned.

%B Journal of Sea Research %V 90 %P 95 - 110 %8 07/2014 %G eng %U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385110114000495 %R http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2014.02.014