Species splitting increases estimates of evolutionary history at risk - Robuchon, Marine; Faith, Daniel P.; Julliard, Romain; Leroy, Boris; Pellens, Roseli; Robert, Alexandre; Thévenin, Charles; Véron, Simon; Pavoine, Sandrine (Biological Conservation, 2019)

Spontaneous recovery of functional diversity and rarity of ground-living spiders shed light on the conservation importance of recent woodlands - Morel, Loïs; Dujol, Benoît; Courtial, Cyril; Vasseur, Manon; Leroy, Boris; Frédéric Ysnel (Biodiversity and Conservation, 2019)

Teeth of extant Polypteridae and Amiidae have plicidentine organization - Germain, D; François J Meunier (Acta Zoologica, 2019)
Abstract The study of teeth of the lower jaws of Amia calva and Polypterus senegalus, with non -destructive X-ray tomography, has revealed that there are dentine folds in the tooth pulp cavity in both species. These folds are simple and present only in the base of the pulp cavity where they strengthen the fixation of teeth on the jaw. So the teeth of these two basal actinopterygian taxa have a simplexodont type of plicidentine like the extinct †Cheirolepis and various extant teleostean predators, whereas the extant Lepisosteids, the sister group of Amiidae, have polyplocodont plicidentine. The phylogenetic/adaptive significance of this simplexodont plicidentine is discussed.
Keywords: 3D tomography; Amia; plicidentine; Polypterus; tooth; virtual histology

Temperature patterns and mechanisms influencing coral bleaching during the 2016 El Niño - McClanahan, T.R.; Darling, E.S.; Maina, J.M.; Muthiga, N.A.; D’agata, S.; Jupiter, S.D.; Arthur, R.; Wilson, S.K.; Mangubhai, S.; Nand, Y.; Ussi, A.M.; Humphries, A.T.; et al. (Nature Climate Change, 2019)
Under extreme heat stress, corals expel their symbiotic algae and colour (that is, ‘bleaching’), which often leads to widespread mortality. Predicting the large-scale environmental conditions that reinforce or mitigate coral bleaching remains unresolved and limits strategic conservation actions1,2. Here we assessed coral bleaching at 226 sites and 26 environmental variables that represent different mechanisms of stress responses from East Africa to Fiji through a coordinated effort to evaluate the coral response to the 2014–2016 El Niño/Southern Oscillation thermal anomaly. We applied common time-series methods to study the temporal patterning of acute thermal stress and evaluated the effectiveness of conventional and new sea surface temperature metrics and mechanisms in predicting bleaching severity. The best models indicated the importance of peak hot temperatures, the duration of cool temperatures and temperature bimodality, which explained 50% of the variance, compared to the common degree-heating week temperature index that explained only 9%. Our findings suggest that the threshold concept as a mechanism to explain bleaching alone was not as powerful as the multidimensional interactions of stresses, which include the duration and temporal patterning of hot and cold temperature extremes relative to average local conditions. © 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
Keywords: Algae; Anthozoa

Testing methods in species distribution modelling using virtual species: what have we learnt and what are we missing? - Meynard, Christine N.; Leroy, Boris; Kaplan, David M. (Ecography, 2019)

A third European species of grayling (Actinopterygii, Salmonidae), endemic to the Loire River basin (France), Thymallus ligericus n. sp. - Persat, Henri; Weiss, Steven J.; Froufe, Elsa; Secci-Petretto, Giulia; Denys, Gaël (Cybium, 2019)
Loire grayling was already known to belong to a distinct lineage, compared to other European population, according to molecular data (enzymatic polymorphism, mtDNA sequencing and microsatellites). In this paper, we consider this lineage as a new species, Thymallus ligericus n. sp., which is endemic to the Loire drainage (France). Compared with the other species, T. ligericus n. sp. is characterized by a more elongated body, the presence of a pointed snout and a strait or convex snout profile, a more inferior mouth with a transversal aperture and a fleshier upper lip, usually more than 50 to several hundreds black dots on the flanks, a shorter head (20.0-23.7% SL), smaller occipital and orbital depths of the head (54.8-71.7% HL and 43.5-53.4% HL, respectively) and a shorter horizontal eye diameter (22.6-26.3% HL).

Threatened fish: Lentipes rubrofasciatus Maugé, Marquet and Laboute, 1992 (Gobiidae) - Philippe Keith; Marion Mennesson (Cybium, 2019)

Three-dimensional structural evolution of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis shell from embryo to adult stages - Le Pabic, Charles; Derr, Julien; Luquet, Gilles; Pascal Jean Lopez; Laure Bonnaud-Ponticelli (Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2019)

Tissue-Specific Biomarker Responses in the Blue Mussel Mytilus spp. Exposed to a Mixture of Microplastics at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations - Revel, Messika; Lagarde, Fabienne; Perrein-Ettajani, Hanane; Bruneau, Mélanie; Akcha, Farida; Sussarellu, Rossana; Rouxel, Julien; Katherine Costil; Decottignies, Priscilla; Cognie, Bruno; Châtel, Amélie; Mouneyrac, Catherine (Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2019)
The impact of a microplastic (MP) mixture composed of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plastic particles, prepared from commercially available products, was evaluated in blue mussels Mytilus spp. exposed to three environmentally relevant concentrations: 0.008 μg L−1 (low), 10 μg L−1 (medium), and 100 μg L−1 (high). Organisms were exposed for 10 days followed by 10 days of depuration in clean seawater under controlled laboratory conditions. The evaluation of MP effects on mussel clearance rate, tissue structure, antioxidant defenses, immune and digestive parameters, and DNA integrity were investigated while the identification of plastic particles in mussel tissues (gills, digestive gland, and remaining tissues), and biodeposits (feces and pseudofaeces) was performed using infrared microscopy (μFT-IR). Results showed the presence of MPs only in the digestive gland of mussels exposed to the highest tested concentration of MPs with a mean of 0.75 particle/mussel (after the 10 days of exposure). In biodeposits, PE and PP particles were detected following exposure to all tested concentrations confirming the ingestion of MPs by the organisms. A differential response of antioxidant enzyme activities between digestive gland and gills was observed. Significant increases in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were measured in the digestive gland of mussels exposed to the low (0.008 μg L−1) and medium (10 μg L−1) concentrations ofMPs and in the gills frommussels exposed to the highest concentration (100 μg L−1) of MPs that could be indicative of a change in the redox balance. Moreover, an increase in acid phosphatase activity was measured in hemolymph of mussels exposed to 0.008 and 10 μg L−1 concentrations. No significant difference was observed in the clearance rate, and histopathological parameters between control and exposed mussels. This study brings new insights on the potential sublethal impacts of MPs at environmentally relevant concentrations in marine bivalves.
Keywords: biomarkers; microplastics; Mytilus; oxidative stress; polyethylene; polypropylene

Towards coherent GES assessments at sub-regional level: Signs of fisheries expansion processes in the Bay of Biscay using an OSPAR food web indicator, the mean trophic level - Arroyo, N.-L.; Safi, Georges; Vouriot, P.; López-López, L.; Nathalie Niquil; Le Loc'h, Francois; Hattab, Tarek; Preciado, I; Coll, M. (ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2019)
Using the Bay of Biscay (BoB) as a case study, we conducted a transnational assessment of the mean trophic level (MTL, Ospar FW4) indicator at sub-regional level, over the last three decades. Our results confirm the apparent recovery of BoB's bentho-demersal system, as shown by trends in the MTL indicator based on survey data. However, they also point at a concomitant "fishing through" process where the apparent stability revealed by the MTL indicator based on landed catch data may be masking the expansion of demersal fisheries to deeper waters, and an over-exploitation of resources (particularly abundant pelagic species). Moreover, they show how the combined examination of independent surveys and fishery landings allows the identification of ecological trends in ecosystem studies. In addition, our results confirm that analysing MTL at various threshold levels helps discerning the causality of trends in this indicator, especially if analyses for pelagic and demersal species are run independently. Further studies, at smaller (i.e. local) spatial scales, need to be conducted to ascertain our results and suggest appropriate management strategies aimed at regulating fisheries expansions in the area. © 2019 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea 2019. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Atlantic Ocean; Bay of Biscay; catch statistics; demersal fishery; food web; pelagic fishery; range expansion; trophic level; trophic status

The transformation of macrophyte-derived organic matter to methane relates to plant water and nutrient contents - Charlotte Grasset; Gwenaël Abril; Raquel Mendonça; Fabio Roland; Sebastian Sobek (Limnology and Oceanography, 2019)

Trophic importance of microphytobenthos and bacteria to meiofauna in soft-bottom intertidal habitats: A combined trophic marker approach - van der Heijden, L.H.; Graeve, M.; R. Asmus; Rzeznik-Orignac, J.; Nathalie Niquil; Bernier, Q.; Guillou, G.; H Asmus; Lebreton, B. (Marine Environmental Research, 2019)
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-Oléron Bay, France, and the Sylt-Rømø 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. © 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

Trophic relationships and basal resource utilisation in the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve (Southern Vietnam) - Frank David; Cyril Marchand; Nguyen, Thanh-Nho; Pierre Taillardat; Tarik Meziane (Journal of Sea Research, 2019)
Abstract Fatty acid biomarkers and dual stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) were used to identify the preferred food sources of consumers in a mangrove tidal creek and nearby unforested (mud bank) and forested areas located in the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve (Southern Vietnam). We analysed 15 macro-invertebrates and 1 fish species representing primary consumers and their immediate predators in this area. Specific groups of fatty acids were used to trace the fate of various food sources (i.e., suspended particulate organic matter, mangrove litter and sedimentary organic matter). The δ13C and δ15N of consumers ranged from −26.9 to −18.8‰ and from 1.1 to 9.9‰, respectively. The trophic pathway based on mangrove litter, characteristic of mangrove ecosystems, is nutritionally sustaining various crab and snail species. In contrast, it appears that the most mobile species (fish and shrimps), living in the water column and possibly migrating with tides, are mostly feeding on suspended particulate organic matter, suggesting that this trophic pathway is of great importance for connectivity among tropical coastal ecosystems. Our study suggests that snails and crabs mainly act as mineralisers, processing high quantities of detrital material to meet their nutritional needs and thus releasing nutrients through the production of faeces, that are further mineralised by microorganisms, while locally grown phytoplankton reintegrates these compounds into its biomass and feeds migrating species. We highlight here a possible link between mangrove litter and coastal food webs.

Une nouvelle espèce de poisson en Bourgogne-Franche-Comté : le goujon occitan (Gobio occitaniae) - Denys, Gaël; Besson, Sylvain (Revue scientifique Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Nature, 2019)

Vitamine ENA: A framework for the development of ecosystem-based indicators for decision makers - Safi, Georges; Giebels, D.; Arroyo, N.-L.; Heymans, J.J.; Preciado, I; Raoux, Aurore; Schückel, U.; Samuele Tecchio; de Jonge, V.N.; Nathalie Niquil (Ocean and Coastal Management, 2019)
The Water Framework Directive (article 2, paragraph 21) as well as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, Descriptor 4) stress the need for assessing the quality of the structure and the functioning of ecosystems. The MSFD also underlines the urgent need for development, testing, and validation of ecosystem state indicators. Holistic function-based criteria and indicators as provided by Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) could be used to define and assess the ‘Good Environmental Status’ of marine ecosystems. This approach also feeds Ecosystem Based Management (EBM). ENA generally analyses the fluxes’ quality of a single medium such as here the carbon fluxes in a food web and produces a number of useful metrics that indicate, inter alia, the total carbon flow through the system, the quality of the functioning of the system or the trophic efficiency of system. A short list of indices [i.e. Detritivory over Herbivory ratio (D/H), Connectance Index (CI), Transfer Efficiency (TE) over trophic levels, System Omnivory Index (SOI), Finn's Cycling Index (FCI), relative Redundancy (R/DC), Average Mutual Information (AMI) and Interaction Strength (IS)] is proposed for practical use. This paper presents a first framework for OSPAR Regional Sea Convention food web indicators based on ENA. These are presented here focusing on their applicability and what is needed for implementation, illustrating their potential use by case studies. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords: Average mutual information; Carbon; Carbon flux; Criteria and indicators; Decision making; Ecological network analysis; ecosystem function; ecosystem management; ecosystem structure; Ecosystem-based management; Ecosystems; Efficiency; environmental indicator; Environmental management; Environmental regulations; food web; Good environmental status; holistic approach; Interaction strength; marine ecosystem; Marine pollution; Marine strategy framework directives; Water conservation; Water Framework Directives

Adhesive gland transcriptomics uncovers a diversity of genes involved in glue formation in marine tube-building polychaetes - Jean-Philippe Buffet; Erwan Corre; Evelyne Duvernois-Berthet; Jérôme Fournier; Pascal Jean Lopez (Acta Biomaterialia, 2018)
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.

Age and growth of the Amazonian migratory catfish Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii in the Madeira River basin before the construction of dams - Hauser, Marilia; Doria, C R C; Melo, L; Santos, A; Ayala, D; Nogueira, L; Amadio, S. A.; Fabré, N; Torrente-Vilara, Gislene; García Vásquez, A; Renno, Jean-Francois; Carvajal-Vallejos, F M; et al. (Neotropical Ichthyology, 2018)
The goliath catfish Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii has crucial economical and ecological functions in the Amazon basin. Although its life history characteristics have been studied in the Amazon, there is little information in the Madeira River basin, which holds genetically distinct populations and where dams were recently built. Using fish collected in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru, this study provides a validation of growth rings deposition and details the growth patterns of B. rousseauxii in the Madeira before the dams’ construction. Age structure and growth parameters were determined from 497 otolith readings. The species exhibits two growth rings per year and sampled fish were between 0 and 16 years old. In the Brazilian portion of the basin, mainly young individuals below 5 years old were found, whereas older fish (> 5 years) were caught only in the Bolivian and Peruvian stretches, indicating that after migrating upstream to reproduce, adults remain in the headwaters of the Madeira River. Comparing with previous publications, B. rousseauxii had a slower growth and 20 cm lower maximum standard length in the Madeira River than in the Amazon River. This study provides a baseline for future evaluation of changes in population dynamics of the species following dams closure. Palabras clave: Amazon; Biannual rings; Goliath catfish; Life cycle; Otolith

Algal Bloom Exacerbates Hydrogen Sulfide and Methylmercury Contamination in the Emblematic High-Altitude Lake Titicaca - Darío Achá; Guédron, Stephane; Amouroux, David; Point, David; Lazzaro, Xavier; Fernandez, Pablo Edgar; Sarret, Géraldine (Geosciences, 2018)
Algal blooms occurrence is increasing around the globe. However, algal blooms are uncommon in dominantly oligotrophic high-altitude lakes. Lake Titicaca, the largest freshwater lake in South America, located at 3809 m above the sea level, experienced its first recorded algal bloom covering a large fraction of its southern shallow basin in March–April 2015. The dominant algae involved in the bloom was Carteria sp. Water geochemistry changed during the bloom with a simultaneous alkalinization in heterotrophic parts of the lake and acidification in eutrophic shallow areas. A decrease in oxygen saturation (from 105 to 51%), and a dramatic increase in hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentrations (from <0.02 to up to 155 µg∙L−1) resulted in the massive death of pelagic organisms. Such changes were brought by the exacerbated activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in this sulfate-rich lake. Although levels in total mercury remained stable during the event, MMHg % rose, highlighting higher conservation of produced MMHg in the water. Such an increase on MMHg % has the potential to produce exponential changes on MMHg concentrations at the end food web due to the biomagnification process. Our physicochemical and climatological data suggest that unusually intense rain events released large amounts of nutrients from the watershed and triggered the bloom. The observed bloom offers a hint for possible scenarios for the lake if pollution and climate change continue to follow the same trend. Such a scenario may have significant impacts on the most valuable fish source in the Andean region and the largest freshwater Lake in South America. Furthermore, the event illustrates a possible fate of high altitude environments subjected to eutrophication.

Annual Phytoplankton Primary Production Estimation in a Temperate Estuary by Coupling PAM and Carbon Incorporation Methods - Morelle, Jérôme; Mathilde Schapira; Francis Orvain; Riou, Philippe; Pascal Jean Lopez; Duplessix, Olivier; Rabiller, Emilie; Maheux, Franc; Simon, Benjamin; Pascal Claquin (Estuaries and Coasts, 2018)
Phytoplankton primary production varies considerably with environmental parameters especially in dynamic ecosystems like estuaries. The aimof this study was to investigate short-term primary production along the salinity gradient of a temperate estuary over the course of 1 year. The combination of carbon incorporation and fluorescence methods enabled primary production estimation at short spatial and temporal scales. The electron requirement for carbon fixation was investigated in relation with physical-chemical parameters to accurately estimate primary production at high frequency. These results combined with the variability of the photic layer allowed the annual estimation of primary production along the estuary. Phytoplankton dynamics was closely related to salinity and turbidity gradients, which strongly influenced cells physiology and photoacclimatation. The number of electrons required to fix 1 mol of carbon (C) was ranged between 1.6 and 25 mol electron mol C−1 with a mean annual value of 8 ± 5 mol electron mol C−1. This optimum value suggests that in nutrient replete conditions like estuaries, alternative electron flows are low, while electrons transfer from photosystem II to carbon fixation is highly efficient. A statistical model was used to improve the estimation of primary production from electron transport rate as a function of significant environmental parameters. Based on this model, daily carbon production in the Seine estuary (France) was estimated by considering light and photic zone variability. A mean annual daily primary production of 0.12 ± 0.18 g C m−2 day−1 with a maximum of 1.18 g C m−2 day−1 in summer was estimated which lead to an annual mean of 64.75 g C m−2 year−1. This approach should be applied more frequently in dynamic ecosystems such as estuaries or coastal waters to accurately estimate primary production in those valuable ecosystems.
Keywords: High frequency . Electron requirement for carbon fixation . Electron transport rate (ETR) . Seine estuary

Aquatic urban ecology at the scale of a capital: community structure and interactions in street gutters. - Hervé, Vincent; Leroy, Boris; Da Silva Pires, Albert; Pascal Jean Lopez (ISME J., 2018)
In most cities, streets are designed for collecting and transporting dirt, litter, debris, storm water and other wastes as a municipal sanitation system. Microbial mats can develop on street surfaces and form microbial communities that have never been described. Here, we performed the first molecular inventory of the street gutter-associated eukaryotes across the entire French capital of Paris and the non-potable waters sources. We found that the 5782 OTUs (operational taxonomic units) present in the street gutters which are dominated by diatoms (photoautotrophs), fungi (heterotrophs), Alveolata and Rhizaria, includes parasites, consumers of phototrophs and epibionts that may regulate the dynamics of gutter mat microbial communities. Network analyses demonstrated that street microbiome present many species restricted to gutters, and an overlapping composition between the water sources used for street cleaning (for example, intra-urban aquatic networks and the associated rivers) and the gutters. We propose that street gutters, which can cover a significant surface area of cities worldwide, potentially have important ecological roles in the remediation of pollutants or downstream wastewater treatments, might also be a niche for growth and dissemination of putative parasite and pathogens.The ISME Journal advance online publication, 13 October 2017; doi:10.1038/ismej.2017.166.

Aragonite saturation state in a tropical coastal embayment dominated by phytoplankton blooms (Guanabara Bay - Brazil) - Luiz C. Cotovicz; Bastiaan A. Knoppers; Nilva Brandini; Dominique Poirier; Suzan J. Costa Santos; Gwenaël Abril (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2018)

Assessing cumulative socio-ecological impacts of offshore wind farm development in the Bay of Seine (English Channel) - Raoux, Aurore; Dambacher, J.M.; Pezy, Jean-Philippe; Mazé, C.; Jean-Claude Dauvin; Nathalie Niquil (Marine Policy, 2018)
As part of the energy transition, the French government is planning the construction of Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) in Normandy. These OWFs will be integrated into an ecosystem already facing multiple anthropogenic disturbances. A holistic view of cumulated impacts (OWF construction, global warming and fisheries) were developed on the Courseulles-sur-Mer’ ecosystem through the use of a qualitative mathematical modelling approach. This modelling approach provides the mean to consider alternative hypotheses about how the ecosystem structure and function affects its dynamics. Alternative models were constructed to address the different hypotheses regarding the behaviour of top predator (whether the top predators will be scared away by the OWF or attracted by the reef effect), impacts of global warming and changes in fisheries activities. Key findings from these analyses are that the OWF construction could lead to an increase in benthos species and fish benthos feeders whatever the perturbation scenario, while the predicted response of top predators was ambiguous across all perturbation scenario. Qualitative modelling results can play a vital role in decision making by improving long term planning for the marine environment but also as a tool for communication with the public and so contribute to a better acceptability of the Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) project. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords: alternative energy; Bay of Seine; development project; ecological impact; ecosystem management; English Channel; environmental impact assessment; environmental planning; France; Marine environment; offshore structure; qualitative analysis; social impact; wind farm

Assessing the impacts of several algae-based diets on cultured European abalone ( Haliotis tuberculata ) - Basuyaux, Olivier; Blin, Jean-Louis; Katherine Costil; Richard, Olivier; Lebel, Jean-Marc; Antoine Serpentini (Aquatic Living Resources, 2018)

Benthic foraminifera to assess Ecological Quality Statuses in Italian transitional waters - Vincent M.P. Bouchet; Goberville, Eric; Fabrizio Frontalini (Ecological Indicators, 2018)
Estuaries, lagoons and lakes, identified as transitional waters (TWs), are fragile ecotones at the interface between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The assessment of their Ecological Quality status (EcoQ), required by marine legislations, is rather uncertain when based on traditional benthic macrofaunal indices. This study proposes to assess the EcoQ of marine waters using the diversity index Exp(H'bc) based on living benthic foraminifera. By testing this method on datasets from five Italian TWs, we showed that EcoQ's assessment based on foraminifera reflected changes in environmental conditions. Benthic foraminifera highlighted the degradation of most, if not all, study sites, ranking most of the TWs in “Moderate” to “Bad” EcoQs. Although the assessment of EcoQs estimated from diversity indices was similar when based on benthic foraminifera or macrofauna, discrepancies occurred if diversity index calculated on foraminifera and sensitivity-based indices applied on macrofauna were compared. Our results demonstrated that the Exp(H'bc) index based on living benthic foraminifera is a promising approach to assess EcoQs. Finally, we argue that benthic foraminifera, for their preservation potential as fossil within sediment, are a reliable option to define reference conditions and targets.
Keywords: Diversity index; Ecological quality status; Italian transitional waters; Living benthic foraminifera; Marine strategy framework directive; Water framework directive

Benthic species of the Kerguelen Plateau show contrasting distribution shifts in response to environmental changes - Guillaumot, Charlène; Fabri-Ruiz, Salomé; Martin, Alexis; Eleaume, Marc; Danis, Bruno; Feral, Jean-Pierre; Saucède, Thomas (Ecology and Evolution, 2018)

Biofilm monitoring as a tool to assess the efficiency of artificial reefs as substrates: Toward 3D printed reefs - Elisabeth Riera; Lamy, Dominique; Christophe Goulard; Francour, P; Cédric Hubas (Ecological Engineering, 2018)
Habitat destruction is one of the main causes of the decline of biodiversity and of fishery resources in the marine environment. An artificial reef (AR) could be a tool for protecting or restoring these habitats and their declining biodiversity, and also help to enhance sustainable fisheries. The goal is to design non-polluting structures that best mimic the complexity of natural habitats in order to improve their service to the community. To date, the assessment of reef performance has been mostly focused on fish assemblages and species of ecological and/or socio-economic interest, and has disregarded the biofilm communities that determine the first level of an AR’s trophic network. In this work, we used biofilm formation to compare the quality of substrates used as building parts for an AR, in order to optimize an eco-friendly material that will be used to design a new generation of \{ARs\} produced by giant 3D printers. The structure of the photosynthetic communities has been identified using pigment biomarkers and their production of exudates has been analysed. These polymeric substances were quantified in terms of total sugar and protein concentrations. They were further analysed in terms of amino acid content. We found no significant differences between the micro-algae communities developed on the different substrates. These photosynthetic communities were mainly composed of diatoms, prasinophytes, haptophytes, and dinoflagellates. However, we showed that the material for \{ARs\} is crucial for biofilm development, especially with regard to its secretions of sugar. The choice of an appropriate substrate for \{AR\} construction is thus of particular importance since biofilm secretions determine the organic substrate on which sessile macro-organisms will settle.
Keywords: Artificial reef substrates

Biomineralization in modern avian calcified eggshells: similarity versus diversity - Dauphin, Y; Luquet, G; Perez-Huerta, A; Salomé, M (Connective Tissue Research, 2018)
Avian eggshells are composed of several layers made of organic compounds and a mineral phase (calcite), and the general structure is basically the same in all species. A comparison of the structure, crystallography, and chemical composition shows that despite an overall similarity, each species has its own structure, crystallinity, and composition. Eggshells are a perfect example of the crystallographic versus biological concept of the formation and growth mechanisms of calcareous biominerals: the spherulitic-columnar structure is described as "a typical case of competitive crystal growth", but it is also said that the eggshell matrix components regulate eggshell mineralization. Electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) analyses show that the crystallinity differs between different species. Nevertheless, the three layers are composed of rounded granules, and neither facets nor angles are visible. In-situ analyses show the heterogeneous distribution of chemical elements throughout the thickness of single eggshell. The presence of organic matrices other than the outer and inner membranes in eggshells is confirmed by thermograms and infrared spectrometry, and the differences in quality and quantity depend on the species. Thus, as in other biocrystals, crystal growth competition is not enough to explain these differences, and there is a strong biological control of the eggshell secretion.

Blow Your Nose, Shrimp! Unexpectedly Dense Bacterial Communities Occur on the Antennae and Antennules of Hydrothermal Vent Shrimp - Magali Zbinden; Gallet, Alison; Szafranski, Kamil M.; Machon, Julia; Juliette Ravaux; Léger, Nelly; Duperron, Sébastien (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2018)
In crustaceans, as in other animals, perception of environmental cues is of key importance for a wide range of interactions with the environment and congeners. Chemoreception involves mainly the antennae and antennules, which carry sensilla that detect water-borne chemicals. The functional importance of these as exchange surfaces in the shrimp’s sensory perception requires them to remain free of any microorganism and deposit that could impair the fixation of odorant molecules on sensory neurons. We report here the occurrence of an unexpected dense bacterial colonization on surface of the antennae and antennules of four hydrothermal vent shrimp species. Microscopic observation, qPCR and 16S rRNA barcoding reveal the abundance, diversity and taxonomic composition of these bacterial communities, that are compared with those found on a related coastal shrimp. Bacterial abundances vary among species. Bacteria are almost absent in coastal shrimp, meanwhile they fully cover the antennal flagella in some hydrothermal vent species. Epsilon- and Gammaproteobacteria dominate the hydrothermal shrimp-associated communities, whereas Alphaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes are dominant in the coastal ones. Bacteria associated with vent shrimp species are most similar to known chemoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizers. Potential roles of these bacteria on the hydrothermal shrimp antennae and antennules and on sensory functions are discussed.

Carbon biogeochemistry and CO2 emissions in a human impacted and mangrove dominated tropical estuary (Can Gio, Vietnam) - Frank David; Tarik Meziane; Tran-thi, N; Truong Van, V; Thành-Nho, N; Pierre Taillardat; Cyril Marchand (Biogeochemistry, 2018)
The quantitative contribution of tropical estuaries to the atmospheric CO2 budget has large uncertainties, both spatially and seasonally. We investigated the seasonal and spatial variations of carbon biogeochemistry downstream of Ho Chi Minh City (Southern Vietnam). We sampled four sites distributed from downstream of a highly urbanised watershed through mangroves to the South China Sea coast during the dry and wet seasons. Measured partial pressure of CO2(pCO2) ranged from 660 to 3000 μatm during the dry season, and from 740 to 5000 μatm during the wet season. High organic load, dissolved oxygen saturation down to 17%, and pCO2up to 5000 μatm at the freshwater endmember of the estuary reflected the intense human pressure on this ecosystem. We show that releases from mangrove soils affect the water column pCO2 in this large tropical estuary (~600 m wide and 10–20 m deep). This study is among the few to report direct measurements of both water pCO2 and CO2 emissions in a Southeast Asian tropical estuary located in a highly urbanised watershed. It shows that the contribution of such estuaries may have been previously underestimated, with CO2 emissions ranging from 74 to 876 mmol m−2 day−1 at low current velocity (< 0.2 m s−1). Corresponding gas transfer velocities k600, ranging from 1.7 to 11.0 m day−1, were about 2 to 4 times of k600 estimated using published literature equations.

Carbon dioxide degassing at the groundwater-stream-atmosphere interface: isotopic equilibration and hydrological mass balance in a sandy watershed - Loris Deirmendjian; Gwenaël Abril (Journal of Hydrology, 2018)

Carbon dioxide degassing at the groundwater-stream-atmosphere interface: isotopic equilibration and hydrological mass balance in a sandy watershed - Loris Deirmendjian; Gwenaël Abril (Journal of Hydrology, 2018)

Carbon dynamics and CO2 and CH4 outgassing in the Mekong delta - Alberto V. Borges; Gwenaël Abril; Steven Bouillon (Biogeosciences, 2018)

Carbon dynamics and inconstant porewater input in a mangrove tidal creek over contrasting seasons and tidal amplitudes - Taillardat, Pierre; Ziegler, Alan D.; Friess, Daniel A.; Widory, David; Truong Van, Vinh; Frank David; Thanh-Nho, Nguyen; Marchand, Cyril (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2018)
Constraining the contribution of mangrove-derived carbon in tidal creeks is fundamental to understanding the fate of mangrove primary production and the role of mangroves as coastal carbon sinks. Porewater measurements and 24-h time series in a mangrove tidal creek were conducted during the dry and wet season, and over contrasting tidal ranges at the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam. Surface water carbon concentrations (dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2)) and their respective d13C values were correlated with radon, suggesting that porewater input drives mangrove-derived carbon in the tidal creek. Based on three complementary mixing models, porewater input contributed to about 30% of the water volume and 46% to 100% of DOC and DIC pools in the tidal creek at low tide, with variabilities between seasons and tidal amplitudes. The creek carbon pool was 88% DIC, 6% DOC, and 6% particulate organic carbon (POC). The pCO2 values during the wet season (2973–16,495 latm) were on average 5-fold higher than during the dry season (584–2946 latm). This was explained by a potential greater mineralization attributed to higher organic matter availability and residual humidity that stimulate bacterial activity, and by a potential tidal dilution changing the pCO2/DIC ratio as suggested by the Revelle factor. Consequently, average CO2 evasion from the creek was estimated at 327–427 mmolC mÀ2 dÀ1 during the wet season and 92–213 mmolC mÀ2 dÀ1 during the dry season, using two independent approaches. Tidal amplitude seemed to inﬂuence porewater input and its carbon loads, with a higher contribution during frequent and high tidal amplitudes (symmetric). However, the highest input occurred in a tidal cycle which was preceded by tidal cycle of low amplitude (asymmetric). We explain this ambiguity by the inﬂuence of both, rapid water turnover intensifying porewater exchange, and long water residence time enhancing carbon load in porewater.

Caridina variabilirostris (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae), a new species of freshwater shrimp from Pohnpei (Micronesia) - de Mazancourt, Valentin; Marquet, Gérard; Philippe Keith (European Journal of Taxonomy, 2018)
Recently de Mazancourt et al.(2017) highligted the “Pinocchio-shrimp effect” on a new species of Atyid shrimp from Pohnpei (Micronesia). In combinating morphological data with a genetical analysis, this species is described here with its ecological distribution. The status of this new species is clarified and finally, neither C. brachydactyla De Man 1908nor C. mertoniJ. Roux, 1911 occur in Pohnpei.

Characterization of a tachykinin signalling system in the bivalve mollusc Crassostrea gigas - Marie-Pierre Dubos; Sven Zels; Julie Schwartz; Jeremy Pasquier; Liliane Schoofs; Pascal Favrel (General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2018)
Although tachykinin-like neuropeptides have been identified in molluscs more than two decades ago, knowledge on their function and signalling has so far remained largely elusive. We developed a cell-based assay to address the functionality of the tachykinin G-protein coupled receptor (Cragi-TKR) in the oyster Crassostrea gigas. The oyster tachykinin neuropeptides that are derived from the tachykinin precursor gene Cragi-TK activate the Cragi-TKR in nanomolar concentrations. Receptor activation is sensitive to Ala-substitution of critical Cragi-TK amino acid residues. The Cragi-TKR gene is expressed in a variety of tissues, albeit at higher levels in the visceral ganglia (VG) of the nervous system. Fluctuations of Cragi-TKR expression is in line with a role for TK signalling in C. gigas reproduction. The expression level of the Cragi-TK gene in the VG depends on the nutritional status of the oyster, suggesting a role for TK signalling in the complex regulation of feeding in C. gigas.

Characterization of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) genes from cartilaginous fish: evolutionary perspectives. - Gaillard, A-L; Tay, Boon-Hui; Perez-Sirkin, Daniela; Anne-Gaelle Lafont; De Flori, Céline; Vissio, Paula G.; Mazan, Sylvie; Sylvie Dufour; Venkatesh, Byrappa; Tostivint, Hervé (Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2018)

Chemically-Mediated Interactions Between Macroalgae, Their Fungal Endophytes, and Protistan Pathogens - Vallet, Marine; Strittmatter, Martina; Murúa, Pedro; Lacoste, Sandrine; Dupont, Joëlle; Cédric Hubas; Genta-Jouve, Gregory; Claire M. M. Gachon; Kim, Gwang Hoon; Prado, Soizic (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2018)
Filamentous fungi asymptomatically colonise the inner tissues of macroalgae, yet their ecological roles remain largely underexplored. Here, we tested if metabolites produced by fungal endophytes might protect their host against a phylogenetically broad spectrum of protistan pathogens. Accordingly, the cultivable fungal endophytes of four brown algal species were isolated and identified based on LSU and SSU sequencing. The fungal metabolomes were tested for their ability to reduce the infection by protistan pathogens in the algal model Ectocarpus siliculosus. The most active metabolomes effective against the oomycetes Eurychasma dicksonii and Anisolpidium ectocarpii, and the phytomixid Maullinia ectocarpii were further characterized chemically. Several pyrenocines isolated from Phaeosphaeria sp. AN596H efficiently inhibited the infection by all abovementioned pathogens. Strikingly, these compounds also inhibited the infection of nori (Pyropia yezoensis) against its two most devastating oomycete pathogens, Olpidiopsis pyropiae and Pythium porphyrae. We thus demonstrate that fungal endophytes associated with brown algae produce bioactive metabolites which might confer protection against pathogen infection. These results highlight the potential of metabolites to finely-tune the outcome of molecular interactions between algae, their endophytes and protistan pathogens. This also provide proof-of-concept towards the applicability of such metabolites in marine aquaculture to control otherwise untreatable diseases.

Combined use of two supervised learning algorithms to model sea turtle behaviours from tri-axial acceleration data - Jeantet, L.; Dell'Amico, F.; Forin-Wiart, M. A.; Coutant, M.; Bonola, M.; Etienne, D.; Gresser, J.; Regis, S.; Lecerf, N.; Lefebvre, F.; de Thoisy, B.; Le Maho, Y.; et al. (Journal of Experimental Biology, 2018)

Comparative histology of caniniform teeth in some predatory ichthyophagous teleosts - Texereau, M; Germain, D; Meunier, Francois J. (Cybium, 2018)

Comparison of Chemoreceptive Abilities of the Hydrothermal Shrimp Mirocaris fortunata and the Coastal Shrimp Palaemon elegans - Machon, Julia; Lucas, Philippe; Juliette Ravaux; Magali Zbinden (Chemical Senses, 2018)
Chemoreception might play an important role for endemic shrimp that inhabit deep and dark hydrothermal vents to find food sources and to locate active edifices that release specific chemicals. We compared the chemosensory abilities of the hydrothermal shrimp Mirocaris fortunata and the coastal related species, Palaemon elegans. The detection of diverse ecologically relevant chemical stimuli by the antennal appendages was measured with electroantennography. The 2 species can detect food-related odor and sulfide, a short-distance stimulus, via both their antennae and antennules. Neither iron nor manganese, considered as long-distance stimuli, was detected by the antennal appendages. Investigation of the ultrastructure of aesthetasc sensilla revealed no specific features of the hydrothermal species regarding innervation by olfactory sensory neurons. Pore-like structures occurring in the aesthetasc cuticle and dense bacterial covering seem to be unique to hydrothermal species, but their potential link to chemoreception remains elusive.

Connecting paths between juvenile and adult habitats in the Atlantic green turtle using genetics and satellite tracking - Chambault, Philippine; de Thoisy, Benoît; Huguin, Maïlis; Martin, Jordan; Bonola, Marc; Etienne, Denis; Gresser, Julie; Hielard, Gaëlle; Mailles, Julien; Vedie, Fabien; Barnerias, Cyrille; Sutter, Emmanuel; et al. (Ecology and Evolution, 2018)

Contamination of marine fauna by chlordecone in Guadeloupe: evidence of a seaward decreasing gradient - Charlotte R. Dromard; Guéné, Mathilde; Bouchon-Navaro, Yolande; Lemoine, Soazig; Cordonnier, Sébastien; Bouchon, Claude (Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2018)

Copper induces expression and methylation changes of early development genes in Crassostrea gigas embryos - Sussarellu, Rossana; Lebreton Morgane; Rouxel Julien; Akcha Farida; Guillaume Rivière (Aquat Toxicol, 2018)
Keywords: Oyster Embryotoxicity Copper Gene expression DNA methylation

Crustacean cardioactive peptides: Expression, localization, structure, and a possible involvement in regulation of egg-laying in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. - Endress, Maxime; Céline Zatylny-Gaudin; Corre, Erwan; Le Corguillé, Gildas; Benoist, Louis; Leprince, Jérôme; Lefranc, Benjamin; Bernay, Benoît; Leduc, Alexandre; Rangama, Jimmy; Anne-Gaelle Lafont; Bondon, Arnaud; et al. (Gen. Comp. Endocrinol., 2018)
The cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is a cephalopod mollusk distributed on the western European coast, in the West African Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea. On the Normandy coast (France), cuttlefish is a target species of professional fishermen, so its reproduction strategy is of particular interest in the context of stock management. Egg-laying, which is coastal, is controlled by several types of regulators among which neuropeptides. The cuttlefish neuropeptidome was recently identified by Zatylny-Gaudin et al. (2016). Among the 38 neuropeptide families identified, some were significantly overexpressed in egg-laying females as compared to mature males. This study is focused on crustacean cardioactive peptides (CCAPs), a highly expressed neuropeptide family strongly suspected of being involved in the control of egg-laying. We investigated the functional and structural characterization and tissue mapping of CCAPs, as well as the expression patterns of their receptors. CCAPs appeared to be involved in oocyte transport through the oviduct and in mechanical secretion of capsular products. Immunocytochemistry revealed that the neuropeptides were localized throughout the central nervous system (CNS) and in the nerve endings of the glands involved in egg-capsule synthesis and secretion, i.e. the oviduct gland and the main nidamental glands. The CCAP receptor was expressed in these glands and in the subesophageal mass of the CNS. Multiple sequence alignments revealed a high level of conservation of CCAP protein precursors in Sepia officinalis and Loligo pealei, two cephalopod decapods. Primary sequences of CCAPs from the two species were fully conserved, and cryptic peptides detected in the nerve endings were also partially conserved, suggesting biological activity that remains unknown for the time being.

Cryptic frenulates are the dominant chemosymbiotrophic fauna at Arctic and high latitude Atlantic cold seeps - Sen, Arunima; Duperron, Sébastien; Hourdez, Stéphane; Piquet, Bérénice; Léger, Nelly; Gebruk, Andrey; Le Port, Anne-Sophie; Svenning, Mette Marianne; Andersen, Ann C. (PLOS ONE, 2018)

Cultured eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica): retention and assimilation of picophytoplankton using a multi-biomarker approach - Rémi Sonier; Réjean Tremblay; Frédéric Olivier; Tarik Meziane; Comeau, Luc Andre (Aquatic Living Resources, 2018)
{In this study, we investigated the food sources of eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica cultivated in Atlantic Canada. Stable isotopes (C-13 and N-15) and fatty acid biomarkers were used to identify these sources under in situ conditions for suspended (similar to 0.5 m below surface) and bottom(similar to 2 m) culture stocks. It was found that particulate organic matter represented the main food source, with major contributions from live phytoplankton. Higher lipid contents were detected in the digestive glands of suspended oysters compared to bottom oysters (p < 0.05). Bottom oysters did not show significant preference for detrital or bacterial organic matter. Near-surface waters contained an elevated picophytoplankton biomass (PPP, 0.2-2 mu m, 1.93 +/- 0.16mg l(-1), mean +/- SEM) compared to nanophytoplankton biomass (NPP, > 2 mu m, 1.05 +/- 0.15 mu g l(-1), mean +/- SEM). To determine whether the small size PPP was captured and assimilated by C. virginica, feeding trials were conducted in the laboratory using three PPP/NPP diets (20%, 50%, and 80% PPP), consisting of isotopically-labelled (delta C-13) PPP cells (Nannochloropsis oculata) and non-labelled NPP cells (Tisochrysis lutea). An isotopically-labelled fatty acids analysis indicated PPP assimilation in various tissues (digestive gland, gills, mantle, and abductor muscle), including from oysters fed the reduced (20%) PPP diet. Isotopic enrichment (C-13) in the FA 22:2 (non-methylene-interrupted or NMI) showed that precursors of NMIs utilized PPP carbon in its biosynthesis process. In conclusion, C. virginica assimilated primarily particulate organic matter (POM), including PPP, which dominated the phytoplankton community in near surface waters. C. virginica can exploit PPP carbon during fatty acid production and further biosynthesis.}
Keywords: Aquaculture; fatty acids; Picophytoplankton; Shellfish}; Stable isotopes; {Crassostrea virginica

De la nuisibilité à la patrimonialité en milieu marin. L'histoire d'une ambiguïté entretenue - Patrick, Le Mao; Nicolas Desroy; Jérôme Fournier; Laurent Godet; Eric Thiébaut (Sales bêtes, mauvaises herbes, 2018)

Description of a new species of Caridina (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) from two Micronesian islands (Guam and Babeldaob) - de Mazancourt, Valentin; Marquet, Gérard; Rogers, D Christopher; Philippe Keith (Zootaxa, 2018)
During field trips to Guam and Babeldaob Islands in Micronesia, freshwater shrimps were sampled and assigned either to Caridina brachydactyla De Man, 1908 or C. mertoni J. Roux, 1911 (Decapoda: Atyidae), following previous inventories. In combining morphological data with a genetical analysis, it appeared that all the specimens belonged to a new species, Caridina variabilis sp. nov., here described with its distribution. The status of this new species is clarified and finally, neither C. brachydactyla, nor C. mertoni occur in these two islands. DNA sequences of 16S were obtained from the syntypes of C. mertoni.

Design of antimicrobial peptides from a cuttlefish database. - Houyvet, Baptiste; Zanuttini, B; Corre, Erwan; Le Corguillé, Gildas; Joël Henry; Céline Zatylny-Gaudin (Amino acids, 2018)
No antimicrobial peptide has been identified in cephalopods to date. Annotation of transcriptomes or genomes using basic local alignment Search Tool failed to yield any from sequence identities. Therefore, we searched for antimicrobial sequences in the cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) database by in silico analysis of a transcriptomic database. Using an original approach based on the analysis of cysteine-free antimicrobial peptides selected from our Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD3), the online prediction tool of the Collection of Anti-Microbial Peptides (CAMPR3), and a homemade software program, we identified potential antibacterial sequences. Nine peptides less than 25 amino acids long were synthesized. The hydrophobic content of all nine of them ranged from 30 to 70%, and they could form alpha-helices. Three peptides possessed similarities with piscidins, one with BMAP-27, and five were totally new. Their antibacterial activity was evaluated on eight bacteria including the aquatic pathogens Vibrio alginolyticus, Aeromonas salmonicida, or human pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, or Staphylococcus aureus. Despite the prediction of an antimicrobial potential for eight of the peptides, only two-GR21 and KT19-inhibited more than one bacterial strain with minimal inhibitory concentrations below 25 µM. Some sequences like VA20 and FK19 were hemolytic, while GR21 induced less than 10% of hemolysis on human blood cells at a concentration of 200 µM. GR21 was the only peptide derived from a precursor with a signal peptide, suggesting a real role in cuttlefish immune defense.

Diel Rhythm Does Not Shape the Vertical Distribution of Bacterial and Archaeal 16S rRNA Transcript Diversity in Intertidal Sediments: a Mesocosm Study - Lavergne, C.; Hugoni, M.; Cédric Hubas; Debroas, D.; Christine Dupuy; Agogué, H. (Microbial Ecology, 2018)
In intertidal sediments, circadian oscillations (i.e., tidal and diel rhythms) and/or depth may affect prokaryotic activity. However, it is difficult to distinguish the effect of each single force on active community changes in these natural and complex intertidal ecosystems. Therefore, we developed a tidal mesocosm to control the tidal rhythm and test whether diel fluctuation or sediment depth influence active prokaryotes in the top 10 cm of sediment. Day- and nighttime emersions were compared as they are expected to display contrasting conditions through microphytobenthic activity in five different sediment layers. A multiple factor analysis revealed that bacterial and archaeal 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) transcript diversity assessed by pyrosequencing was similar between day and night emersions. Potentially active benthic Bacteria were highly diverse and influenced by chlorophyll a and phosphate concentrations. While in oxic and suboxic sediments, Thaumarchaeota Marine Group I (MGI) was the most active archaeal phylum, suggesting the importance of the nitrogen cycle in muddy sediments, in anoxic sediments, the mysterious archaeal C3 group dominated the community. This work highlighted that active prokaryotes organize themselves vertically within sediments independently of diel fluctuations suggesting adaptation to physicochemical-specific conditions associated with sediment depth.

The diet of the Early Cretaceous coelacanth †Axelrodichthys araripensis Maisey, 1986 (Actinistia: Mawsoniidae) - Meunier, Francois J.; Cupello, Camila; Yoshikata Yabumoto; Brito, Paulo M. (Cybium, 2018)

Dietary aquaculture by-product hydrolysates: impact on the transcriptomic response of the intestinal mucosa of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed low fish meal diets - Leduc, Alexandre; Céline Zatylny-Gaudin; Robert, Marie; Corre, Erwan; Le Corguillé, Gildas; Castel, Hélène; Lefevre-Scelles, Antoine; Fournier, Vincent; Gisbert, Enric; Andree, Karl B.; Joël Henry (BMC Genomics, 2018)
Aquaculture production is expected to double by 2030, and demands for aquafeeds and raw materials are expected to increase accordingly. Sustainable growth of aquaculture will require the development of highly nutritive and functional raw materials to efficiently replace fish meal. Enzymatic hydrolysis of marine and aquaculture raw materials could bring new functionalities to finished products. The aim of this study was to determine the zootechnical and transcriptomic performances of protein hydrolysates of different origins (tilapia, shrimp, and a combination of the two) in European seabass (Dicentrarchux labrax) fed a low fish meal diet (5%), for 65 days. Results Results were compared to a positive control fed with 20% of fish meal. Growth performances, anterior intestine histological organization and transcriptomic responses were monitored and analyzed. Dietary inclusion of protein hydrolysates in the low fish meal diet restored similar growth performances to those of the positive control. Inclusion of dietary shrimp hydrolysate resulted in larger villi and more goblet cells, even better than the positive control. Transcriptomic analysis of the anterior intestine showed that dietary hydrolysate inclusion restored a pattern of intestinal gene expression very close to the pattern of the positive control. However, as compared to the low fish meal diet and depending on their origin, the different hydrolysates did not modulate metabolic pathways in the same way. Dietary shrimp hydrolysate inclusion modulated more metabolic pathways related to immunity, while nutritional metabolism was more impacted by dietary tilapia hydrolysate. Interestingly, the combination of the two hydrolysates enhanced the benefits of hydrolysate inclusion in diets: more genes and metabolic pathways were regulated by the combined hydrolysates than by each hydrolysate tested independently. Conclusions Protein hydrolysates manufactured from aquaculture by-products are promising candidates to help replace fish meal in aquaculture feeds without disrupting animal metabolism and performances.
Keywords: Aquaculture; Aquafeed; By-products; European seabass; Fishmeal replacement; Hydrolysate; Illumina RNA-sequencing; Intestinal organization; Metabolic pathways

Differences in home-range sizes of a bird species in its original, refuge and substitution habitats: challenges to conservation in anthropogenic habitats - Laurent Godet; Clément Harmange; Matthieu Marquet; Emmanuel Joyeux; Jérôme Fournier (Biodiversity and Conservation, 2018)
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.

Different transfer pathways of an organochlorine pesticide across marine tropical food webs assessed with stable isotope analysis - Charlotte R. Dromard; Bouchon-Navaro, Yolande; Cordonnier, Sébastien; Guéné, Mathilde; Harmelin-Vivien, Mireille; Bouchon, Claude (PLOS ONE, 2018)

Differential expression of gonadotropin and estrogen receptors and oocyte cytology during follicular maturation associated with egg viability in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) - da Silva, F F G; Tveiten, H; Gersende Maugars; Anne-Gaelle Lafont; Sylvie Dufour; Støttrupa, J G; Kjørsvikd, E; Tomkiewicz, J (Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A, 2018)

Digestive enzyme ratios are good indicators of hatchling yolk reserve and digestive gland maturation in early life stages of cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L.: application of these new tools in ecology and aquaculture - Safi, Georges; Anne-Sophie Martinez; Le Pabic, Charles; Le Bihan, E; Jean-Paul Robin; Koueta, Noussithé (Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology, 2018)
In Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758), the digestive gland matures during the first month post-hatching, while a shift from intracellular acid to extracellular alkaline digestion occurs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of using enzymatic ratios for the description of digestive system maturation in early life stages of S. officinalis. Second, it is intended to apply these new tools as eco-physiological indicators for understanding the impact of cuttlefish eggs’ life history from different spawning sites of the English Channel on digestive performance of juveniles. An experimental rearing was performed over 35 days after hatching (DAH) on juveniles from wild collected eggs in 2010 and 2011. Four digestive enzyme activities and their ratios [i.e., trypsin, cathepsin, acid (ACP), and alkaline (ALP) phosphatase, ALP/ACP, and trypsin/cathepsin] were studied along with histological features (e.g., internal yolk surface and digestive gland development). The two enzyme ratios were good indicators of digestive system maturation allowing the study of the digestive gland’s development. They were highly correlated to juveniles’ weight increase and histological features of the gland in early DAH. These ratios described more accurately the shift occurring between the intracellular acid and the extracellular alkaline modes of digestion in S. officinalis and were more specific than separated enzyme activities. Their application as eco-physiological tools revealed that enzyme ratios reflected yolk content and digestive gland development in new hatching juveniles. Finally, ALP/ACP ratio was shown to be a powerful tool to describe growth performance of S. officinalis which is useful for aquaculture optimization. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.
Keywords: Acid Phosphatase; alkaline phosphatase; anatomy and histology; animal; Animals; Aquaculture; cathepsin; Cathepsins; cuttlefish; Gastrointestinal Tract; Physiology; Sepia; Trypsin

Distribution, associated species and extent of biofouling “reefs” formed by the alien species Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Annelida, Polychaeta) in marinas - Maud Charles; Robin Faillettaz; Nicolas Desroy; Jérôme Fournier; Katherine Costil (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2018)
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 “reefs”, 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's old basin (459.52 mL per 0.04 m2). Ficopomatus enigmaticus greatly dominated the sessile invertebrate community both in volume (74–100%) and weight (70–100%) 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 °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

Dynamics of exopolymeric carbon pools in relation with phytoplankton succession along the salinity gradient of a temperate estuary (France) - Morelle, Jérôme; Mathilde Schapira; Françoise, Sylvaine; Courtay Gaëlle; Francis Orvain; Pascal Claquin (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2018)
In parallel to phytoplankton community dynamics, transparent exopolymeric particles (TEP) and exopolymeric substances (EPS) were investigated along the salinity gradient of a temperate estuary (Seine estuary, Normandy, France) over the course of a year. The phytoplankton community was mainly dominated by marine diatom species (especially Skeletonema sp., Nitzschia sp., and Paralia sulcata) associated with a spring bloom of picoeukaryotes and the development of Cryptophyceae in summer. The decreases in species richness and salinity were correlated along the estuary and a significant exponential relationship between species richness and primary production was identified. Concentrations of TEP and EPS (soluble and bound carbohydrates) are highly dynamic in this estuary and can reach respectively 69 mgC L−1, and 33 mgC L−1. TEP distribution was mainly related to physical factors (hydrodynamics, maximum turbidity zone formation and sediment resuspension) probably produced by stressed or dying phytoplankton, while EPS appeared to be excreted during the phytoplankton spring bloom. Soluble and bound EPS appear to be related to Skeletonema sp. and Cryptophyceae occurrences. This paper presents the dynamic pattern of these carbon pools, which play an important role in the trophic network and influence the flocculation processes involved in the fate of both organic and inorganic matter.
Keywords: Exopolymeric substances Species; Nanophytoplankton; Picophytoplankton; richness

Dynamics of particulate organic matter composition in coastal systems: Forcing of spatio-temporal variability at multi-systems scale - Liénart, Camilla; Savoye, Nicolas; David, Valérie; Ramond, Pierre; Rodriguez Tress, Paco; Hanquiez, Vincent; Marieu, Vincent; Aubert, Fabien; Aubin, Sébastien; Bichon, Sabrina; Boinet, Christophe; Bourasseau, Line; et al. (Progress in Oceanography, 2018)

Eel Kisspeptins: identification, functional activity, and inhibition on both pituitary LH and GnRH receptor expression - Pasquier, J; Anne-Gaelle Lafont; Florian, D; Lefranc, B; Dubessy, C; Moreno-Herrera, A; Vaudry, H; Leprince, J; Sylvie Dufour; Karine Rousseau (Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2018)
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) presents a blockade of sexual maturation at a prepubertal stage due to a deficient production of gonadotropins. We previously initiated, in the eel, the investigation of the kisspeptin system, one of the major gatekeepers of puberty in mammals, and we predicted the sequence of two Kiss genes. In the present study, we cloned and sequenced Kiss1 and Kiss2 cDNAs from the eel brain. The tissue distributions of Kiss1 and Kiss2 transcripts, as investigated by quantitative real-time PCR, showed that both genes are primarily expressed in the eel brain and pituitary. The two 10-residue long sequences characteristic of kisspeptin, eel Kp1(10) and Kp2(10), as well as two longer sequences, predicted as mature peptides, eel Kp1(15) and Kp2(12), were synthesized and functionally analyzed. Using rat Kiss1 receptor-transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells, we found that the four synthesized eel peptides were able to induce [Ca2+]i responses, indicating their ability to bind mammalian KissR-1 and to activate second messenger pathways. In primary culture of eel pituitary cells, all four peptides were able to specifically and dose-dependently inhibit lhβ expression, without any effect on fshβ, confirming our previous data with heterologous kisspeptins. Furthermore, in this eel in vitro system, all four peptides inhibited the expression of the type 2 GnRH receptor (gnrh-r2). Our data revealed a dual inhibitory effect of homologous kisspeptins on both pituitary lhβ and gnrh-r2 expression in the European eel.

Effect of CO2–induced ocean acidification on the early development and shell mineralization of the European abalone (Haliotis tuberculata) - Nathalie Wessel; Sophie Martin; Badou, Aicha; Philippe Dubois; Sylvain Huchette; Vivien Julia; Flavia Nunes; Ewan Harney; Christine Paillard; Stéphanie Auzoux-Bordenave (Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2018)
Ocean acidification is a major global stressor that leads to substantial changes in seawater carbonate chemistry, with potentially significant consequences for calcifying organisms. Marine shelled mollusks are ecologically and economically important species providing essential ecosystem services and food sources for other species. Because they use calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to produce their shells, mollusks are among the most vulnerable invertebrates to ocean acidification, with early developmental stages being particularly sensitive to pH changes. This study investigated the effects of CO2-induced ocean acidification on larval development of the European abalone Haliotis tuberculata, a commercially important gastropod species. Abalone larvae were exposed to a range of reduced pHs (8.0, 7.7 and 7.6) over the course of their development cycle, from early-hatched trochophore to pre-metamorphic veliger. Biological responses were evaluated by measuring the survival rate, morphology and development, growth rate and shell calcification. Larval survival was significantly lower in acidified conditions than in control conditions. Similarly, larval size was consistently smaller under low pH conditions. Larval development was also affected, with evidence of a developmental delay and an increase in the proportion of malformed or unshelled larvae. In shelled larvae, the intensity of birefringence decreased under low pH conditions, suggesting a reduction in shell mineralization. Since these biological effects were observed for pH values expected by 2100, ocean acidification may have potentially negative consequences for larval recruitment and persistence of abalone populations in the near future.
Keywords: Abalone; larval development; Ocean acidification; Shell mineralization

The effect of dietary DHA and taurine on rotifer capture success, growth, survival and vision in the larvae of Atlantic bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus ) - Koven, W.; Nixon, O.; Allon, G.; Gaon, A.; El Sadin, S.; Jack Falcon; Besseau, L.; Escande, M.; Vassallo Agius, R.; Gordin, H.; Tandler, A. (Aquaculture, 2018)

Effect of sediment, salinity, and velocity on the behavior of juvenile winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) - Provencher, T; Frédéric Olivier; Audet, C; Réjean Tremblay (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2018)
Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) is a benthic flatfish that is economically important for recreational and commercial fishing in North America. In the last twenty years, the species has undergone a drastic decline, mainly due to anthropic influence. The goal of this study was to gain knowledge on habitat preferences and behavior of juvenile winter flounder to improve the management of natural stocks and optimize release sites of juveniles produced for stock enhancement. Three abiotic factors (sediment, current, and salinity) potentially influencing the distribution of flatfish species were tested in a recircurlating flume with juvenile winter flounder. Time budgets of observed behaviors including swimming, orientation, and burying capacity were analyzed. Sediment texture was the only factor that significantly influenced the burying behavior of winter flounder juveniles; shear velocity, salinity, and sediment had no effect on the orientation of juveniles.
Keywords: Current; salinity; Sediment; Swimming behavior; Winter flounder

Egg-Laying in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis - Céline Zatylny-Gaudin; Joël Henry (Biological Resources of Water, 2018)

Electron requirements for carbon incorporation along a diel light cycle in three marine diatom species - Morelle, Jérôme; Pascal Claquin (Photosynthesis Research, 2018)
Diatoms account for about 40% of primary production in highly productive ecosystems. The development of a new generation of fluorometers has made it possible to improve estimation of the electron transport rate from photosystem II, which, when coupled with the carbon incorporation rate enables estimation of the electrons required for carbon fixation. The aim of this study was to investigate the daily dynamics of these electron requirements as a function of the diel light cycle in three relevant diatom species and to apprehend if the method of estimating the electron transport rate can lead to different pictures of the dynamics. The results confirmed the species-dependent capacity for photoacclimation under increasing light levels. Despite daily variations in the photosynthetic parameters, the results of this study underline the low daily variability of the electron requirements estimated using functional absorption of the photosystem II compared to an estimation based on a specific absorption cross section of chlorophyll a. The stability of the electron requirements throughout the day would suggest it is potentially possible to estimate high-frequency primary production by using autonomous variable fluorescence measurements from ships-of-opportunity or moorings, without taking potential daily variation in this parameter into consideration, but this result has to be confirmed on natural phytoplankton assemblages. The results obtained in this study confirm the low electron requirements of diatoms to perform photosynthesis, and suggest a potential additional source of energy for carbon fixation, as recently described in the literature for this class.

Emergence of a cholecystokinin/sulfakinin signalling system in Lophotrochozoa - Julie Schwartz; Marie-Pierre Dubos; Jeremy Pasquier; Céline Zatylny-Gaudin; Pascal Favrel (Scientific Reports, 2018)
Chordate gastrin/cholecystokinin (G/CCK) and ecdysozoan sulfakinin (SK) signalling systems represent divergent evolutionary scenarios of a common ancestral signalling system. The present article investigates for the first time the evolution of the CCK/SK signalling system in a member of the Lophotrochozoa, the second clade of protostome animals. We identified two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) in the oyster Crassostrea gigas (Mollusca), phylogenetically related to chordate CCK receptors (CCKR) and to ecdysozoan sulfakinin receptors (SKR). These receptors, Cragi-CCKR1 and Cragi-CCKR2, were characterised functionally using a cell-based assay. We identified di- and mono-sulphated forms of oyster Cragi-CCK1 (pEGAWDY(SO3H)DY(SO3H)GLGGGRF-NH2) as the potent endogenous agonists for these receptors. The Cragi-CCK genes were expressed in the visceral ganglia of the nervous system. The Cragi-CCKR1 gene was expressed in a variety of tissues, while Cragi-CCKR2 gene expression was more restricted to nervous tissues. An in vitro bioassay revealed that different forms of Cragi-CCK1 decreased the frequency of the spontaneous contractions of oyster hindgut. Expression analyses in oysters with contrasted nutritional statuses or in the course of their reproductive cycle highlighted the plausible role of Cragi-CCK signalling in the regulation of feeding and its possible involvement in the coordination of nutrition and energy storage in the gonad. This study confirms the early origin of the CCK/SK signalling system from the common bilaterian ancestor and delivers new insights into its structural and functional evolution in the lophotrochozoan lineage.

First demographic insights on historically harvested and poorly known male sperm whale populations off the Crozet and Kerguelen Islands (Southern Ocean) - Labadie, Guillemette; Tixier, Paul; Barbraud, Christophe; Fay, Rémi; Nicolas Gasco; Guy Duhamel; Guinet, Christophe (Marine Mammal Science, 2018)

First evaluation of the cookie-cutter sharks (Isistius sp.) predation pattern on different cetacean species in Martinique - Feunteun, A.; de Schrevel, C.; Verhaegen, M.; Chevallier, D.; Duchemin, M.; Ziani, N.; de Montgolfier, B. (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2018)

Fish fauna survey on the Upper Maroni (French Guyana) between 2000 and 2002 with some ecological considerations - Fermon, Y; Fossati, O; Meunier, Francois J. (Cybium, 2018)

Freshwater acidification: an example of an endangered crayfish species sensitive to pH - David Beaune; Yann Sellier; Gilles Luquet; Frédéric Grandjean (Hydrobiologia, 2018)
Carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere and dissolved in water leads to acidification. Relatively few studies have focused on fresh waters, where biocalcifying species are more readily impacted by changes in pH. Sensitivity to pH of an endangered calcium-demanding organism, the crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes, was investigated in the Pinail nature reserve, a natural system with 3000 permanent ponds, some inhabited by the crayfish and others not, originally due to human introduction. From the 14 chemical parameters measured in this study, the main limiting factor preventing crayfish establishment appears to be water acidity (pH\ 6.8), which affects calcification, molting, growth and reproduction. We predict that 20% of the Pinail populations will disappear by 2060 due to freshwater acidification with the present level of fossil fuel consumption.

Future intensification of summer hypoxia in the tidal Garonne River (SW France) simulated by a coupled hydro sedimentary-biogeochemical model - Katixa Lajaunie-Salla; Aldo Sottolichio; Sabine Schmidt; Xavier Litrico; Guillaume Binet; Gwenaël Abril (Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2018)

Genetic and morphological discrimination of three species of ninespined stickleback Pungitius spp. (Teleostei, Gasterosteidae) in France with the revalidation of Pungitius vulgaris (Mauduyt, 1848) - Denys, Gaël; Persat, Henri; Dettai, Agnès; Geiger Mathias; Freyhof, J; Fesquet, J; Philippe Keith (J Zool Syst Evol Res, 2018)
The taxonomy of French ninespined sticklebacks (Pungitius spp.) has long been controversial. To clarify the taxonomy in this group, we use mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear  (RNF213) sequence markers, as well as morphological data. In France, both genetic markers discriminate three evolutionary lineages. Morphological analysis on fresh and type specimens supports the different lineages and the existence of three species in France. Pungitius pungitius, occurring in the North of France and Rhone basin, is characterized by specimens longer than 35 mm SL, by a flat head with a straight or slightly concave snout, typically 9–10 dorsal spines, 10–11 dorsal soft rays, 9–10 anal soft rays, 0–12 scutes on the caudal peduncle with a keel reaching the last anal-fin ray, longer pelvic fin, post-dorsal and caudal peduncle lengths, and a slim caudal peduncle (caudal peduncle depth/ length 11.8%–21.9%). Pungitius laevis, occurring in France, in the English Channel basins and Loire drainage, differs from the other species by a head rounded with concave snout in specimens longer than 35 mm SL, accentuating the impression of fleshy lips, 0–4 scutes on the caudal peduncle and a higher caudal peduncle depth/length ratio (15.7%– 34.5%). Finally, Pungitius vulgaris, endemic to the Vienne River and rivers of south-western France as far north as the Garonne estuary, is differentiated by a rounded head with a straight or slightly convex snout, the absence of scutes on the caudal peduncle and by having 11 pectoral-fin rays. Our data confirm the existence of a hybridization zone in the North of France between P. pungitius and P. laevis. As a result, Pungitius lotharingus is invalid, as it was described based on hybrid specimens. A lectotype for P. laevis was designated because the syntypes included hybrids. This revision provides new perspectives for evolutionary biology studies and will have consequences for Pungitius conservation in France.
Keywords: France; Integrative taxonomy; mitochondrial DNA COI; Pungitius; RNF213

Gill chamber and gut microbial communities of the hydrothermal shrimp Rimicaris chacei Williams and Rona 1986: A possible symbiosis - Apremont, Vincent; Cambon-Bonavita, Marie-Anne; Cueff-Gauchard, Valérie; François, David; Pradillon, Florence; Laure Corbari; Magali Zbinden (PLOS ONE, 2018)
Rimicaris chacei Williams and Rona 1986, formerly named as Chorocaris chacei, is a caridean shrimp living in deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystems. This shrimp is endemic to the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and lives at the periphery of aggregates of its well-known congeneric R. exoculata Williams and Rona 1986. Contrasting with the very dense and mobile clusters formed by R. exoculata, R. chacei lives in small groups of several individuals that are not very mobile. Although devoid of the characteristic hypertrophied cephalothorax of R. exoculata, which harbors the ectosymbionts, a microbial community has also been reported in the cephalothorax of R. chacei. Previous data on morphology, behavior and isotopic values indicate a diet based on a combination of feeding on its epibiotic bacteria and scavenging or occasional predation. In this study, our objective was to describe, for the first time, the distribution, morphology and phylogeny of the microbial communities associated with R. chacei. This species is significantly less studied than R. exoculata, but nevertheless represents the only other known example of symbiosis in crustaceans of MAR hydrothermal vent sites. Microbial communities have been observed at the same locations as in R. exoculata (mouthparts, branchiostegites and digestive tract). However, in R. chacei, the surfaces occupied by the bacteria are smaller. The main lineages are affiliated to Epsilon and Gammaproteobacteria in the cephalothorax and to Deferribacteres, Mollicutes, Epsilon and Gammaproteobacteria in the digestive tract. Comparison with the well-described bacterial communities of R. exoculata and hypotheses about the role of these communities in R. chacei are discussed.

The histological structure of teeth in the northern wolffish Anarhichas denticulatus (Teleostei: Perciformes: Anarhichadidae) - Meunier, Francois J.; Germain, Damien (Cahiers de Biologie Marine, 2018)

Histological study of the jaw teeth in the Devonian actinopterygian †Cheirolepis canadensis (Whiteaves) - Meunier, Francois J.; Otero, Olga; Laurin, Michel (Cybium, 2018)

A histological study of the lingual molariform teeth in Hyperopisus bebe (Mormyridae; Osteoglossomorpha) - Meunier, Francois J.; Germain, Damien; Otero, Olga (Cybium, 2018)

Histology of the endothermic opah (Lampris sp.) suggests a new structure function relationship in teleost fish bone - Davesne, Donald; Meunier, Francois J.; Friedman, Matt; Benson, Roger B. J.; Otero, Olga (Biology Letters, 2018)
Endothermy, production and retention of heat by the body, appeared convergently in mammals, birds and four spiny-rayed teleost fish lineages. Of these, red-muscle endothermy over most or all of the body has only appeared in two groups: tunas and the opah (Lampris). Hitherto, tunas have been the only spiny-rayed fishes known to have bones containing embedded osteocyte cells; others have acellular bone. We examined bone histology in Lampris for the first time, demonstrating the presence of cellular bone very similar to that of tunas. This contrasts with the acellular condition of its ectothermic close relatives. The distribution of this character suggests that it co-evolved with red-muscle endothermy, hinting at a common physiological mechanism that would link bone histology to endothermy in these distantly related teleost lineages.

History of ecology - Egerton, F.N.; Nathalie Niquil; Martins, I. (Encyclopedia of Ecology, 2018)
Ernst Haeckel coined the word “oecology” in 1866 for a new science, but relevant observations and ideas had already been accumulating since the ancient Greeks. The balance of nature was the first ecological idea; Carl Linnaeus expanded it beyond animals to include plants and named it Oeconomia Naturae. Specialized sciences began to emerge in the early 1800s; among the earliest was phytogeography, founded by Alexander von Humboldt. Evolutionary theories by Lamarck and Charles Darwin were relevant to ecological ideas, since Lamarck thought species evolve rather than become extinct; Darwin saw competition as a cause of extinction. The roots of the main ecological specializations-plant ecology, animal ecology, limnology, and marine ecology-emerged in the 1800s, and limnology and plant ecology became organized by the 1890s. These four specializations were developed throughout the 1900s, as were new ones-primarily population ecology and ecosystem ecology. Ecological societies and journals came to the fore in the 1900s, as did institutions and specialized schools in various universities. Biogeochemistry arose in Russia (the USSR) in the early 1900s, and the Gaia theory arose in 1972. After the Second World War, environmentalism became important in all countries, and ecologists were needed as consultants. The International Biological Program (1964-74) produced many publications on ecosystems throughout the world. © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How do fishing practices influence sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) depredation on demersal longline fisheries? - Janc, Anaïs; Richard, Gaëtan; Guinet, Christophe; Arnould, John P.Y.; Villanueva, Maria Ching; Guy Duhamel; Nicolas Gasco; Tixier, Paul (Fisheries Research, 2018)

Hydro-ecological controls on dissolved carbon dynamics in groundwater and export to streams in a temperate pine forest - Loris Deirmendjian; Denis Loustau; Laurent Augusto; Sébastien Lafont; Christophe Chipeaux; Dominique Poirier; Gwenaël Abril (Biogeosciences, 2018)

Hydro-ecological controls on dissolved carbon dynamics in groundwater and export to streams in a temperate pine forest - Loris Deirmendjian; Denis Loustau; Laurent Augusto; Sébastien Lafont; Christophe Chipeaux; Dominique Poirier; Gwenaël Abril (Biogeosciences, 2018)

Identification of a moronecidin-like antimicrobial peptide in the venomous fish Pterois volitans: Functional and structural study of pteroicidin-α. - Houyvet, Baptiste; Yolande Bouchon-Navaro; Bouchon, Claude; Goux, Didier; Bernay, Benoît; Corre, Erwan; Céline Zatylny-Gaudin (Fish and shellfish Immunology, 2018)
The present study characterizes for the first time an antimicrobial peptide in lionfish (Pterois volitans), a venomous fish. Using a peptidomic approach, we identified a mature piscidin in lionfish and called it pteroicidin-α. We detected an amidated form (pteroicidin-α- CONH2) and a non-amidated form (pteroicidin-α-COOH), and then performed their functional and structural study. Interestingly, the two peptides displayed different antibacterial and hemolytic activity levels. Pteroicidin-α-CONH2 was bactericidal on human pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli, as well as on the fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida, while pteroicidin-α-COOH only inhibited their growth. Furthermore, the two peptides induced hemolysis of red blood cells from different vertebrates, namely humans, sea bass and lesser-spotted dogfish. Hemolysis occurred with low concentrations of pteroicidin-α-CONH2, indicating greater toxicity of the amidated form. Circular dichroism analysis showed that both peptides adopted a helical conformation, yet with a greater α-helix content in pteroicidin-α-CONH2. Overall, these results suggest that amidation strongly influences pteroicidin-α by modifying its structure and its physico-chemical characteristics and by increasing its hemolytic activity

Identification of marine key areas across the Caribbean to ensure the conservation of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle - Nivière, Manon; Chambault, Philippine; Pérez, Thierry; Etienne, Denis; Bonola, Marc; Martin, Jordan; Barnerias, Cyrille; Vedie, Fabien; Mailles, Julien; Dumont-Dayot, Émilie; Gresser, Julie; Hielard, Gaëlle; et al. (Biological Conservation, 2018)

Immunohistochemical Approach to Understanding the Organization of the Olfactory System in the Cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis - Scaros, Alexia T.; Croll, Roger P.; Sébastien Baratte (ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 2018)

Insights from modeling studies on how climate change affects invasive alien species geography - Bellard, Céline; Jeschke, Jonathan M; Leroy, Boris; Mace, Georgina M (Ecology and Evolution, 2018)
Climate change and biological invasions are threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide. It has now been widely acknowledged that climate change will affect biological invasions. A large number of studies have investigated predicted shifts and other changes in the geographic ranges of invasive alien species related to climate change using modeling approaches. Yet these studies have provided contradictory evidence, and no consensus has been reached. We conducted a systematic review of 423 modeling case studies included in 71 publications that have examined the predicted effects of climate change on those species. We differentiate the approaches used in these studies and synthesize their main results. Our results reaffirm the major role of climate change as a driver of invasive alien species distribution in the future. We found biases in the literature both regarding the taxa, toward plants and invertebrates, and the areas of the planet investigated. Despite these biases, we found for the plants and vertebrates studied that climate change will more frequently contribute to a decrease in species range size than an increase in the overall area occupied. This is largely due to oceans preventing terrestrial invaders from spreading poleward. In contrast, we found that the ranges of invertebrates and pathogens studied are more likely to increase following climate change. An important caveat to these findings is that researchers have rarely considered the effects of climate change on transport, introduction success, or the resulting impacts. We recommend closing these research gaps, and propose additional avenues for future investigations, as well as opportunities and challenges for managing invasions under climate change.

Insights from modeling studies on how climate change affects invasive alien species geography - Bellard, Céline; Jeschke, Jonathan M.; Leroy, Boris; Mace, Georgina M. (Ecology and Evolution, 2018)

Integrative taxonomy helps separate four species of freshwater shrimps commonly overlooked as Caridina longirostris (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) in Indo-West Pacific islands. - de Mazancourt, Valentin; Marquet, Gérard; Klotz, Werner; Philippe Keith (Invertebrate systematics, 2018)
Caridina longirostris H. Milne Edwards, 1837 described from specimens supposedly from La Macta River near Oran, Algeria, is an emblematic species of the ‘C. nilotica complex’. Until now this species was thought to have a wide distribution in the Indo-Pacific region. Recently, numerous specimens identified as C. longirostris were collected from various Indo-West Pacific localities. In the context of integrative taxonomy, both old and newly collected specimens were morphologically and genetically studied. Four species allied to C. longirostris are here identified: C. appendiculata Jalihal & Shenoy, 1998, C. brevidactyla Roux, 1920, C. gracilipes De Man, 1892 and C. meridionalis Roux, 1926. Detailed re-descriptions of these four species are given as well as their geographical and ecological distributions. Caridina nilotica var. brevidactyla is revalidated as the species C. brevidactyla, and C. coulaborensis Richard&Clark, 2014, C. fritzi Richard & Clark, 2014 and C. solamulieres Richard & Clark, 2014 are considered junior synonyms of C. meridionalis. The position of these species in the troublesome ‘C. nilotica complex’ is clarified and some species are synonymised. A key is provided to facilitate identification.
Keywords: 16S rRNA; Indo-Pacific region; morphology

Interplay between abiotic factors and species assemblages mediated by the ecosystem engineer Sabellaria alveolata (Annelida: Polychaeta) - Auriane Jones; Stanislas Dubois; Nicolas Desroy; Jérôme Fournier (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2018)
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 (Sørensen 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'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's macrofauna and – paradoxically – the ecological value of S. alveolata degraded forms as biodiversity and recruitment promoters.

Invasive Aquatic Plants as Ecosystem Engineers in an Oligo-Mesotrophic Shallow Lake - Cristina Ribaudo; Juliette Tison-Rosebery; Damien Buquet; Gwilherm Jan; Aurélien Jamoneau; Gwenaël Abril; Pierre Anschutz; Vincent Bertrin (Frontiers in Plant Science, 2018)

Latitudinal Patterns in European Seagrass Carbon Reserves: Influence of Seasonal Fluctuations versus Short-Term Stress and Disturbance Events - L.M. Soissons; E.P. Haanstra; M.M. van Katwijk; R. Asmus; I. Auby; L. Barillé; F.G. Brun; P.G. Cardoso; Nicolas Desroy; Jérôme Fournier; F. Ganthy; J.M. Garmendia; et al. (Frontiers in Plant Science, 2018)
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.

Life history and morphology of Eel Larvae in the Gulf of Guinea of western Africa: revisiting Jacques Blache’s research (1960–1977) 40 years later - Miller, Michael J; Robinet, Tony (Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 2018)

Marine biodiversity and the chessboard of life - Grégory Beaugrand; Christophe Luczak; Goberville, Eric; Richard R Kirby (PLoS ONE, 2018)
© 2018 Beaugrand et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Species richness is greater in places where the number of potential niches is high. Consequently, the niche may be fundamental for understanding the arrangement of life and especially, the establishment and maintenance of the well-known Latitudinal Biodiversity Gradient (LBG). However, not all potential niches may be occupied fully in a habitat, as measured by niche vacancy/saturation. Here, we theoretically reconstruct oceanic biodiversity and analyse modeled and observed data together to examine patterns in niche saturation (i.e. the ratio between observed and theoretical biodiversity of a given taxon) for several taxonomic groups. Our results led us to hypothesize that the arrangement of marine life is constrained by the distribution of the maximal number of species' niches available, which represents a fundamental mathematical limit to the number of species that can co-exist locally. We liken this arrangement to a type of chessboard where each square on the board is a geographic area, itself comprising a distinct number of sub-squares (species' niches). Each sub-square on the chessboard can accept a unique species of a given ecological guild, whose occurrence is determined by speciation/extinction. Because of the interaction between the thermal niche and changes in temperature, our study shows that the chessboard has more sub-squares at mid-latitudes and we suggest that many clades should exhibit a LBG because their probability of emergence should be higher in the tropics where more niches are available. Our work reveals that each taxonomic group has its own unique chessboard and that global niche saturation increases when organismal complexity decreases. As a result, the mathematical influence of the chessboard is likely to be more prominent for taxonomic groups with low (e.g. plankton) than great (e.g. mammals) biocomplexity. Our study therefore reveals the complex interplay between a fundamental mathematical constraint on biodiversity resulting from the interaction between the species' ecological niche and fluctuations in the environmental regime (here, temperature), which has a predictable component and a stochastic-like biological influence (diversification rates, origination and clade age) that may alter or blur the former.

Marine sublittoral benthos fails to track temperature in response to climate change in a biogeographical transition zone - François Gaudin; Nicolas Desroy; Stanislas Dubois; Caroline Broudin; Louis Cabioch; Jérôme Fournier; Franck Gentil; Jacques Grall; Céline Houbin; Patrick Le Mao; Eric Thiébaut (ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2018)
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–1970s and at present in 2012–2014. 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.

Metabarcoding by capture using a single COI probe (MCSP) to identify and quantify fish species in ichthyoplankton swarms - Mariac, C.; Vigouroux, Y.; Duponchelle, F.; García-Dávila, C; Jesus Nuñez-Rodriguez; Desmarais, E.; Renno, J.F. (PLOS ONE, 2018)

Metabarcoding by Capture using a Single COI Probe (MCSP) to identify and quantify fish species in plankton swarms - Mariac, Cédric; Vigouroux, Y.; Fabrice Duponchelle; García-Dávila, C; Nuñez L.; Desmarais, E; Renno, Jean-Francois (PLoS ONE, 2018)
The ability to determine the composition and relative frequencies of fish species in large ichthyoplankton swarms could have extremely important ecological applications However, this task is currently hampered by methodological limitations. We proposed a new method for Amazonian species based on hybridization capture of the COI gene DNA from a distant species (Danio rerio), absent from our study area (the Amazon basin). The COI sequence of this species is approximately equidistant from all COI of Amazonian species available. By using this sequence as probe we successfully facilitated the simultaneous identification of fish larvae belonging to the order Siluriformes and to the Characiformes represented in our ichthyoplankton samples. Species relative frequencies, estimated by the number of reads, showed almost perfect correlations with true frequencies estimated by a Sanger approach, allowing the development of a quantitative approach. We also proposed a further improvement to a previous protocol, which enables lowering the sequencing effort by 40 times. This new Metabarcoding by Capture using a Single Probe (MCSP) methodology could have important implications for ecology, fisheries management and conservation in fish biodiversity hotspots worldwide. Our approach could easily be extended to other plant and animal taxa.

Microbial parasites make cyanobacteria blooms less of a trophic dead-end than commonly assumed - Haraldsson, Matilda; Mélanie Gerphagnon; Bazin, Pauline; Samuele Tecchio; Télésphore Sime-Ngando; Nathalie Niquil (The ISME Journal, 2018)
Les parasites sont présents dans tous les écosystèmes et peuvent être à l’origine de changements dans la structure et le fonctionnement des réseaux trophiques. Cependant, à ce jour, nos connaissances concernant les effets des parasites sur la dynamique des réseaux trophiques restent limitées. Dans cette étude, nous analysons le rôle de parasites microbiens (virus de bactéries, phytoplancton et cyanobactéries, et des chitrides parasites des cyanobactéries) sur le transfert d’énergie et le fonctionnement du réseau trophique au cours d’un bloom de cyanobactérie à l’aide d’un modèle d’Analyse Inverse Linéaire. Cette modélisation a permis de mettre en évidence l’importance du broutage sur les bactéries hétérotrophes à travers la voie microbienne (DOC -> bactéries -> consommateurs), ainsi que la dépendance des consommateurs vis à vis des bactéries notamment pendant les blooms de cyanobactéries. Au fur et à mesure que les bactéries deviennent la principale source d'énergie des consommateurs, le système adopte une structure plus complexe, en réseau, s’accompagnant d’une augmentation de l’omnivorie du système. Cette dernière pourrait être à l’origine d’une augmentation de la capacité du système à résister à l’efflorescence des cyanobactéries. Finalement, nous avons également mis en évidence les effets de la destruction des cellules hôtes des cyanobactéries par les chitrides sur la dynamique du réseau trophique. En effet, cette dernière faciliterait le broutage des cyanobactéries et offrirait des voies alternatives aux consommateurs, ce qui augmenteraient la stabilité du système.   Parasites exist in every ecosystem and can have large influence on food-web structure and function, yet, we know little about parasites’ effect on food-web dynamics. Here we investigate the role of microbial parasitism (viruses of bacteria, phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, and parasitic chytrids on cyanobacteria) on the dynamics of trophic pathways and food-web functioning during a cyanobacteria bloom, using linear inverse food-web modeling parameterized with a 2-month long dataset (biomasses, infection parameters, etc.). We show the importance of grazing on heterotrophic bacteria (the microbial pathway: DOC -> bacteria -> consumer) and how consumers depended on bacteria during peak-cyanobacteria bloom, which abundance was partly driven by the viral activity. As bacteria become the main energy pathway to the consumers, the system takes a more web-like structure through increased omnivory, and may thereby facilitate the system’s persistence to the cyanobacteria outbreak. We also showed how the killing of cyanobacteria host-cells by chytrids had important impact on the food-web dynamics by facilitating grazing on the cyanobacteria, and by offering alternative pathways to the consumers. This seemed to increase the system’s ability to return to a mix of trophic pathways, which theoretically increases the stability of the system.

Microhabitat characteristics of Stegastes planifrons and S. adustus territories - Charlotte R. Dromard; Bouchon-Navaro, Yolande; Cordonnier, Sébastien; Harmelin-Vivien, Mireille; Bouchon, Claude (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2018)

Microphytobenthic Biofilms: Composition and Interactions - Cédric Hubas; Passarelli, C; Paterson, David M (Mudflat Ecology, 2018)
Microphytobenthic biofilms in mudflats are characterised by a wide variety of microorganisms and the production of large quantities of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). In this chapter, the diversity of microphytobenthos (MPB) is reviewed and the complex interactions that take place in mudflat biofilms between microalgae and bacteria are discussed. Microbial interaction in natural biofilms is an emerging field of study in mudflat ecosystems. Although emphasis is placed on EPS and EPS-mediated interactions, because they have received most of the research attention, more direct interactions such as communication and defence are also discussed. Most studies to date have dealt with monospecific or multispecific laboratory biofilms, and environmental studies are still very rare. The development of this field of study in mudflat ecosystems is clearly a major requirement in our understanding of the functioning of mudflat biofilms.

Migration behaviour and escapement of European silver eels from a large lake and wetland system subject to water level management (Grand-Lieu Lake, France): New insights from regulated acoustic telemetry data - Thomas Trancart; Eric Feunteun; Danet, Valentin; Alexandre Carpentier; Mazel, Virgile; Charrier, Fabien; Druet, Morgan; Anthony Acou (Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 2018)
Current knowledge about the downstream migration of sexually mature European eels (Anguilla anguilla) remains incomplete, particularly in still water habitats such as lakes and wetlands subject to water level management. However, for the management of this endangered species, it is important to understand migration dynamics, and contribution to the breeding stock. This study aimed to assess the parameters that trigger and guide the migration of silver eels in the largest floodplain lake and associated wetlands in France (the sluice regulated Grand-Lieu Lake). A telemetry survey of 50 acoustic and PIT-tagged female silver eels was performed during the 2015–2016 migration period. We deployed a novel telemetric approach, using receivers to delimit several restricted virtual boxes to determine the instantaneous location of individuals and to transform simple discrete telemetric data into presence/absence data. The low numbers leaving the lake centre are probably explained by the lack of orienting water flows or other environmental clues, but whilst the fate of 34% (17/50) of the tagged eels is unknown, 18% (9/50) were caught by commercial fishermen. Modelling showed that detections were not clearly associated with environmental factors typically involved in riverine migrations (e.g. current velocity, atmospheric pressure and temperature) but they were particularly associated with higher and increasing water levels and, for eels exiting the lake, a sharp increase when sluice gates were opened to an effective gap of >75 cm. It is concluded that management of water levels and sluice gate opening during the migration period might aid escapement of silver eels.
Keywords: Anguilla anguilla; cues; silver eel migration; triggers

Mission POLARIS : Invertébrés antarctiques et réchauffement global - Stéphane Hourdez; Jérôme Fournier; Pierre Chevaldonné (Subaqua, 2018)

Mudflat Ecosystem Engineers and Services - Passarelli, C; Cédric Hubas; Paterson, David M (Mudflat Ecology, 2018)
Ecosystem engineers play a fundamental role in the creation, maintenance and transformation of habitats in tidal flats. Highly diverse in terms of size, phylogeny, and effect on their environment, they can facilitate or hinder a number of organisms, but generally have a positive influence on both the abundance and the diversity of mudflat organisms. The magnitude of the engineering effect is, however, largely dependent on the biotic and abiotic environment of the engineer. In particular, stressful habitats such as mudflats host a large number of ecosystem engineers; understanding interactions between them, and how they vary with abiotic variables, is therefore of crucial importance, to evaluate how ecosystem engineers affect benthic communities and ecosystem functioning. Such understanding will also help human populations which benefit from mudflat organisms and/or functioning (i.e. which derive ecosystem services from them), to maintain and manage the sustainably of tidal flats, in a way which maintains human health and well-being.

The nanos1 gene was duplicated in early Vertebrates and the two paralogs show different gonadal expression profiles in a shark - Gribouval, Laura; Pascal Sourdaine; Lareyre, Jean-Jacques; Bellaiche, Johanna; Le Gac, Florence; Mazan, Sylvie; Guiardiere, Cécile; Auvray, Pierrïck; Aude Gautier (Scientific Reports, 2018)

A new species of Schismatogobius (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Halmahera (Indonesia) - Philippe Keith; Darhuddin, H.; Limmon, G; Hubert, N (Cybium, 2018)
Anew species of Schismatogobius, a freshwater goby, is described from Halmahera (Indonesia). It differs from other species belonging to the genus by a high percentage of genetic divergence in partial COIgene (652 bp) and by several characters, including the number of pectoral fin rays, the pattern of the ventral surface of the head, the pectoral fin colour pattern and the jaw length/head length ratio of male and female.
Keywords: Gobiidae; Halmahera; Indonesia; New species; Schismatogobius

Nutritional composition of suspended particulate matter in a tropical mangrove creek during a tidal cycle (Can Gio, Vietnam) - Frank David; Cyril Marchand; Pierre Taillardat; Thành-Nho, N; Tarik Meziane (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2018)

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Silica Structures From Marine Organisms - Mcheik, A; Cassaignon, S; Livage, J; Gibaud, A; Berthier, S; Pascal Jean Lopez (Frontiers in marine Science, 2018)
Light is important for the growth, behavior, and development of both phototrophic and autotrophic organisms. A large diversity of organisms used silica-based materials as internal and external structures. Nano-scaled well-organized silica biomaterials are characterized by a low refractive index and an extremely low absorption coefficient in the visible range, which make them interesting for optical studies. Recent studies on silica materials from glass sponges and diatoms, have pointed out very interesting optical properties, such as light waveguiding, diffraction, focusing, and photoluminescence. Light guiding and focusing have been shown to be coupled properties found in spicule of glass sponge or shells of diatoms. Moreover, most of these interesting studies have used purified biomaterials and the properties have addressed in non-aquatic environments, first in order to enhance the index contrast in the structure and second to enhance the spectral distribution. Although there is many evidences that silica biomaterials can present interesting optical properties that might be used for industrial purposes, it is important to emphases that the results were obtained from a few numbers of species. Due to the key roles of light for a large number of marine organisms, the development of experiments with living organisms along with field studies are require to better improve our understanding of the physiological and structural roles played by silica structures.
Keywords: biosilica; Diatoms; light-silica interaction; photonics materials; sponges

OZCAR: The French Network of Critical Zone Observatories - J. Gaillardet; I. Braud; F. Hankard; S. Anquetin; O. Bour; N. Dorfliger; J.R. de Dreuzy; S. Galle; C. Galy; S. Gogo; L. Gourcy; F. Habets; et al. (Vadose Zone Journal, 2018)

Paraglacial coasts responses to glacier retreat and associated shifts in river floodplains over decadal timescales (1966-2016), Kongsfjorden, Svalbard - Marine Bourriquen; Agnès Baltzer; Denis Mercier; Jérôme Fournier; Stéphane Costa; Erwan Roussel (Land Degradation and Development, 2018)
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-Ålesund indicate an increase in the annual mean air temperature of +4°C from 1969 to 2016 and an increase in precipitation. On the northern coast of the Brøgger Peninsula, the Austre Lovénbreen, Midtre Lovénbreen and Vestre Lovénbreen 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 km² 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 m² 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.

Partial migration in inexperienced pied avocets Recurvirostra avosetta : distribution pattern and correlates - Chambon, Rémi; Dugravot, Sébastien; Paillisson, Jean-Marc; Lemesle, Jean-Christophe; Frédéric Ysnel; Gélinaud, Guillaume (Journal of Avian Biology, 2018)

Peces de consumo de la Amazonía Peruana - García-Dávila, C; Sanchez, H.; Flores, M; Mejia, J.; Angulo, C.; Castro-Ruiz, D.; Estivals, G.; Garcia, Aurea; Vargas, G.; Nolorbe, C.; Jesus Nuñez-Rodriguez; Mariac, Cédric; et al. (2018)

Photoperiodism in Fish - Jack Falcon; Zohar, Yonathan (Encyclopedia of Reproduction, 2018)

Phylogeography of Eleotris fusca (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Eleotridae) in the Indo-Pacific area reveals a cryptic species in the Indian Ocean. - Marion Mennesson; Bonillo, Céline; Eric Feunteun; Philippe Keith (Conservation genetics, 2018)
Indo-Pacific insular freshwater systems are mainly dominated by amphidromous species. Eleotris fusca  is a widespread one, its life cycle is characterised by a marine pelagic larval phase allowing the species to disperse in the ocean and then to recruit to remote island rivers. In the present study, the population structure of E. fusca  over its Indo-Pacific distribution range (Western Indian Ocean to French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean) was evaluated. We analysed a section of mitochondrial COI  of 557 individuals sampled from 28 islands to visualise the population structure. Haplotypes diversity (Hd) was between 0.458 and 1 and, nucleotide diversity (π) was between 0.001 and 0.02. Two distinct genetic groups appeared, one in the Indian Ocean and the other in the Pacific Ocean (FST  mean = 0.901; 5.2% average divergence). Given these results, complete mitogenomes (mtDNA) were sequenced and combined with the nuclear Rhodopsin (Rh) gene for a subset of individuals. The two phylogenetic trees based on each analysis showed the same genetic pattern: two different groups belonging to the Indian and the Pacific oceans (6.6 and 1.6% of divergence for mtDNA and Rh gene respectively), which supported species level differentiation. These analyses revealed the presence of two sister species confounded until present under the name of Eleotris fusca. One of them is cryptic and endemic of the Indian Ocean and the other one is the true E. fusca, which keeps, nevertheless, its status of widespread species.
Keywords: Amphidromous; Complete mitogenome; freshwater fish; Nuclear gene

Plankton food-web functioning in anthropogenically impacted coastal waters (SW Mediterranean Sea): An ecological network analysis - Meddeb, M.; Grami, B.; Chaalali, A.; Haraldsson, M.; Nathalie Niquil; Pringault, O.; Sakka Hlaili, A. (Progress in Oceanography, 2018)
The study is the first attempt to (i) model spring food webs in three SW Mediterranean ecosystems which are under different anthropogenic pressures and (ii) to project the consequence of this stress on their function. Linear inverse models were built using the Monte Carlo method coupled with Markov Chains to characterize the food-web status of the Lagoon, the Channel (inshore waters under high eutrophication and chemical contamination) and the Bay of Bizerte (offshore waters under less anthropogenic pressure). Ecological network analysis was used for the description of structural and functional properties of each food web and for inter-ecosystem comparisons. Our results showed that more carbon was produced by phytoplankton in the inshore waters (966–1234 mg C m−2 d−1) compared to the Bay (727 mg C m−2 d−1). The total ecosystem carbon inputs into the three food webs was supported by high primary production, which was mainly due to >10 µm algae. However, the three carbon pathways were characterized by low detritivory and a high herbivory which was mainly assigned to protozooplankton. This latter was efficient in channelling biogenic carbon. In the Lagoon and the Channel, foods webs acted almost as a multivorous structure with a tendency towards herbivorous one, whereas in the Bay the herbivorous pathway was more dominant. Ecological indices revealed that the Lagoon and the Channel food webs/systems had high total system throughput and thus were more active than the Bay. The Bay food web, which had a high relative ascendency value, was more organized and specialized. This inter–ecosystem difference could be due to the varying levels of anthropogenic impact among sites. Indeed, the low value of Finn's cycling index indicated that the three systems are disturbed, but the Lagoon and the Channel, with low average path lengths, appeared to be more stressed, as both sites have undergone higher chemical pollution and nutrient loading. This study shows that ecosystem models combined with ecological indices provide a powerful approach to detect change in environmental status and anthropogenic impacts. © 2018
Keywords: Algae; anthropogenic effect; Anthropogenic impacts; Anthropogenic pressures; Bizerte; Bizerte Bay; Chemical analysis; Chemical contamination; coastal water; community structure; Ecological network analysis; Ecology; ecosystem function; ecosystem modeling; Ecosystems; eutrophication; food web; Food webs; Functional properties; Inverse problems; Lakes; Linear inverse models; Markov processes; Mediterranean coastal waters; Mediterranean ecosystem; Mediterranean sea; Monte Carlo methods; network analysis; Phytoplankton; Plankton; primary production; Tunisia; Zooplankton

Platichthys solemdali sp. nov. (Actinopterygii, Pleuronectiformes): A New Flounder Species From the Baltic SeaImage_1.tifTable_1.DOCX - Momigliano, Paolo; DENYS, Gaël P. J.; Jokinen, Henri; Merilä, Juha (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2018)

Population dynamics of Prochilodus nigricans (Characiformes: Prochilodontidae) in the Putumayo River - Bonilla-Castillo, C S; Agudelo Córdoba, E; Gómez, G; Fabrice Duponchelle (Neotropical Ichthyology, 2018)
The black prochilodus (Prochilodus nigricans) is one of the most landed scaled fish species of the middle and upper parts of the Putumayo River, in the tri-national area between Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Despite its importance, biological information about this species is too scant to guide fisheries management in this portion of the Colombian Amazon. In this study, 10884 individuals were sampled in the fish markets of Puerto Leguízamo between 2009 and 2017. This sampling was used to document reproductive patterns, but also growth and mortality parameters from length frequency distributions. The size at which all fish were mature was 22 cm Ls, which should be the established as the minimum size of capture to ensure that all fish have had a chance to reproduce before being caught. Growth and mortality parameters indicated a slower growth in the Putumayo than in other Amazonian rivers and a relatively high exploitation rate. Keywords: Black prochilodus; Colombia; Growth; Mortality; Reproduction

Predicting krill swarm characteristics important for marine predators foraging off East Antarctica - Bestley, Sophie; Raymond, Ben; Gales, NJ; Harcourt, RG; Hindell, Mark A; Jonsen, ID; Nicol, S; Clara Péron; Sumner, MD; Weimerskirch, H.; Wotherspoon, S.; Cox, MJ (Ecography, 2018)

Predominance of phytoplankton-derived dissolved and particulate organic carbon in a highly eutrophic tropical coastal embayment (Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - Luiz C. Cotovicz; Bastiaan A. Knoppers; Nilva Brandini; Dominique Poirier; Suzan J. Costa Santos; Renato C. Cordeiro; Gwenaël Abril (Biogeochemistry, 2018)

Presence of larvae of lampreys, Lampetra sp. (Cephalaspidomorphi, Petromyzontiformes), in a French Catalan basin - Arsento, Rémy; Richarte, Kévin; Fonteneau, André; Denys, Gaël (Cybium, 2018)
Des ammocètes de lamproies ont été récemment capturées pour la première fois dans un cours d’eau de Catalogne française, la Têt. Les identifications morphologique et moléculaire ont démontré que ces ammocètes appartiennent au complexe [Lampetra fluviatilis / Lampetra planeri]. Les lamproies et leurs frayères étant protégées en France, cette étude aura une incidence sur la gestion du cours d’eau de la Têt.

Processus morphodynamiques et sédimentaires dans les mangroves en érosion de Mayotte, océan Indien - Jeanson, Matthieu; Franck Dolique; Anthony, Edward J. (VertigO, 2018)

Regulation of Extracellular Matrix Synthesis by Shell Extracts from the Marine Bivalve Pecten maximus in Human Articular Chondrocytes- Application for Cartilage Engineering. - Bouyoucef, Mouloud; Rakic, Rodolphe; Gómez-Leduc, Tangni; Latire, Thomas; Marin, Frédéric; Leclercq, Sylvain; Carreiras, Franck; Antoine Serpentini; Lebel, Jean-Marc; Galéra, Philippe; Legendre, Florence (Mar Biotechnol (NY), 2018)
The shells of the bivalve mollusks are organo-mineral structures predominantly composed of calcium carbonate, but also of a minor organic matrix, a mixture of proteins, glycoproteins, and polysaccharides. These proteins are involved in mineral deposition and, more generally, in the spatial organization of the shell crystallites in well-defined microstructures. In this work, we extracted different organic shell extracts (acid-soluble matrix, acid-insoluble matrix, water-soluble matrix, guanidine HCl/EDTA-extracted matrix, referred as ASM, AIM, WSM, and EDTAM, respectively) from the shell of the scallop Pecten maximus and studied their biological activities on human articular chondrocytes (HACs). We found that these extracts differentially modulate the biological activities of HACs, depending on the type of extraction and the concentration used. Furthermore, we showed that, unlike ASM and AIM, WSM promotes maintenance of the chondrocyte phenotype in monolayer culture. WSM increased the expression of chondrocyte-specific markers (aggrecan and type II collagen), without enhancing that of the main chondrocyte dedifferentiation marker (type I collagen). We also demonstrated that WSM could favor redifferentiation of chondrocyte in collagen sponge scaffold in hypoxia. Thus, this study suggests that the organic matrix of Pecten maximus, particularly WSM, may contain interesting molecules with chondrogenic effects. Our research emphasizes the potential use of WSM of Pecten maximus for cell therapy of cartilage.
Keywords: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aggrecans; Animal Shells; Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cells, Cultured; Chondrocytes; Collagen Type II; Extracellular Matrix; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Middle Aged; Pecten; Phenotype

Regulation of Extracellular Matrix Synthesis by Shell Extracts from the Marine Bivalve Pecten maximus in Human Articular Chondrocytes— Application for Cartilage Engineering - Bouyoucef, Mouloud; Rakic, Rodolphe; Gómez-Leduc, Tangni; Latire, Thomas; Marin, Frédéric; Leclercq, Sylvain; Carreiras, Franck; Serpentini, Antoine; Lebel, Jean-Marc; Galéra, Philippe; Legendre, Florence (Marine Biotechnology, 2018)

Review of fisheries resource use and status in the Madeira River basin (Brazil, Bolivia and Peru) before the hydroelectric dam’s completion - Doria, C R C; Fabrice Duponchelle; Lima, M A L; García Vásquez, A; Carvajal-Vallejos, F; Coca Méndez, C; Catarino, M F; Carlos E.C. Freitas; Vega, B; Van Damme, P A (Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, 2018)
The Madeira River, which drains one of the major tributary river basins of the upper Amazon, contributes to small-scale fisheries in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. This paper provides a base-line of fisheries resources and their status in six sub-basins of the Madeira River: upper Madre de Dios River basin (Peru), Beni and Mamoré River basins (Bolivia), Iténez or Guaporé River basin (Bolivia and Brazil), middle Madeira, and (two sections of the) lower Madeira River (Brazil). Data were collected between 2009 and 2011, before the completion of two hydroelectric dams in the Brazilian portion of the basin. Biophysical, social, and biological indicators were used to characterize the fisheries. The results show an overall small-scale multispecies fisheries pattern but with notorious differences between the Madeira sub-basins. The Beni and Mamoré sub-basin shows the largest flooded area, with associated higher total fisheries yields. Trophic level of the catch, diversity, and mean weight of fish caught were shown to be very sensitive to exploitation level, river water type (white or clear water), flooded area, and the introduction of Arapaima gigas in Bolivia. The Bolivian fisheries are characterized by less exploited stocks, whereas stocks in Peru and Brazil show signs of intensive exploitation, resulting in fisheries of smaller bodied, lower trophic-level species. Landing data in the upper basin show a predominant reliance on migrating fish resources, which might be vulnerable to the construction of dams. These data serve as a baseline to evaluate anthropogenic impacts on the Madeira River basin fisheries in the future. KEYWORDS: Amazon, freshwater ecosystem, trophic level, diversity, fish catch

Revisiting the Organic Template Model through the Microstructural Study of Shell Development in Pinctada margaritifera, the Polynesian Pearl Oyster - Jean-Pierre Cuif; Yannicke Dauphin; Gilles Luquet; Kadda Medjoubi; Andrea Somogyi; Alberto Perez-Huerta (Minerals, 2018)
A top-down approach to the mineralized structures and developmental steps that can be separated in the shells of Pinctada margaritifera was carried out. Detailed characterizations show that each of the two major layers usually taken into account (the outer prismatic layer and the inner nacreous layer) is actually the result of a complex process during which the microstructural patterns were progressively established. From its early growing stages in the deeper part of the periostracal grove up to the formation of the most inner nacreous layers, this species provides a demonstrative case study illustrating the leading role of specifically secreted organic structures as determinants of the crystallographic properties of the shell-building units. Gathering data established at various observational scales ranging from morphology to the nanometer level, this study allows for a reexamination of the recent and current biomineralization models.
Keywords: biocrystallization model; biomineralization; Mollusca; shell development

S7 characterization of Western European pikes Esox spp. (Actinopterygii, Esociformes) - Denys, Gaël P.J.; Lauga, Théo; Delmastro, Giovanni B.; Dettai, Agnès (Cybium, 2018)
The comparison of a 1635 bp fragment of the first intron of the S7 ribosomal protein coding gene, a commonly used phylogenetic marker, for specimens from the three European pike species Esox aquitanicus, Esox cisalpinus and Esox lucius highlights diagnostic sites and indels constituting molecular synapomorphies. Both the sequence alignment and the phylogenetic tree discriminate these three species, even with a short sequence fragment. Three Esox lucius haplogroups can be separated. These haplogroups might correspond to the evolutionary lineages highlighted by previous mitochondrial studies. Finally this study confirms hybridization between Esox aquitanicus and Esox lucius, but also the absence of geographical structure between Esox lucius haplogroups in France following restocking from East European piscicultures. The S7 marker is excellent for molecular identification, and could be used for environmental DNA.

Selectivity on epilithic diatom consumption for two tropical sympatric gobies: Sicydium punctatum (Perugia 1986) and Sicydium plumieri (Bloch 1786) - Monti, Dominique; Lefrançois, F; Clara Lord; Jean-Michel Mortillaro; Pascal Jean Lopez; Philippe Keith (Cybium, 2018)
Rivers of the Caribbean islands harbour a freshwater fauna mainly constituted of migrant diadromous species. In these hyperturbulent ecosystems, the primary producers are mostly represented by a thin epilithic biofilm, mainly composed of diatoms. Comparison of the diatoms available from the environment with the ones consumed and located in the digestive tracts of two gobiid fish, Sicydium punctatum Perugia, 1896 and Sicydium plumieri (Bloch, 1786) were made at twelve sampling locations, located upstream or downstream of six rivers, in Guadeloupe. One hundred and ninety-one epilithic diatom species were identified. A statistical approach was used to determine diatoms that best characterize the two species digestive tracts content (i.e. “diagnostic species”) and to evaluate the statistical relationship between species abundances and groups of sites or conditions. Eight taxa belonging to five families were considered as significant diagnostic species of digestive tracts from fish collected upstream (Achnanthidium subhudsonis, Achnanthes rupestoides, Diadesmis contenta, Diadesmis sp., Eolimna sp., Navicula (dicta) seminulum, Navicula difficillima and Nupela sp.), and five taxa belonging to three families were considered as significant diagnostic species for fish collected downstream (Gomphonema parvulum, Navicula arvensis, Navicula cruxmeridionalis, Nitzschia frustulum and Navicula incarum). Results indicate selective consumption of epilithic diatoms by the two major fish observed in the mid and upper stream of Caribbean rivers
Keywords: Biofilm; Bioindication; Caribbean Islands; Gobiidae; Tropical rivers

Short-term prey field lability constrains individual specialisation in resource selection and foraging site fidelity in a marine predator - Courbin, Nicolas; Besnard, Aurélien; Clara Péron; Saraux, Claire; Fort, Jérôme; Perret, Samuel; Tornos, Jérémy; Grémillet, David (Ecology Letters, 2018)
Spatio‐temporally stable prey distributions coupled with individual foraging site fidelity are predicted to favour individual resource specialisation. Conversely, predators coping with dynamic prey distributions should diversify their individual diet and/or shift foraging areas to increase net intake. We studied individual specialisation in Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) from the highly dynamic Western Mediterranean, using daily prey distributions together with resource selection, site fidelity and trophic‐level analyses. As hypothesised, we found dietary diversification, low foraging site fidelity and almost no individual specialisation in resource selection. Crucially, shearwaters switched daily foraging tactics, selecting areas with contrasting prey of varying trophic levels. Overall, information use and plastic resource selection of individuals with reduced short‐term foraging site fidelity allow predators to overcome prey field lability. Our study is an essential step towards a better understanding of individual responses to enhanced environmental stochasticity driven by global changes, and of pathways favouring population persistence.

Silver eel downstream migration in the River Rhine, route choice, and its impacts on escapement: A 6-year telemetry study in a highly anthropized system - Thomas Trancart; Stéphane Tétard; Anthony Acou; Eric Feunteun; Frédéric Schaeffer; Eric de Oliveira (Ecological Engineering, 2018)
Several routes are available for the downstream migration of silver eels in the river Rhine system. Very different effects on migration success can result from this choice, such as speed and migration duration or escapement rate. We studied the downstream migration of silver eels in a river section with two different routes. The first route is the initial and old riverbed, with two dams equipped with two rather small or medium sized hydropower plants (HPPs) located at the beginning and at the exit of the bypass stretch. Both HPPs have small bar spacing (10 mm and 20 mm, respectively) and the second HPP has two downstream bypasses. The second route is a power canal, supplying four major HPPs (maximum discharge capacity = 1400 m3 s−1) and a nuclear power plant with cooling water. Firstly, this study focused on highlighting the factors influencing route choice. Secondly, we focused on the consequences of this choice. We demonstrate that water current management in the old riverbed at the study site had a 40% higher negative effect on eel survival than that by a consecutive passage in four turbines.
Keywords: Escapement; Migration; Path selection; Rhine river; Silver-eel; Telemetry

A simple, user friendly tool to readjust raw PAM data from field measurements to avoid over- or underestimating of microphytobenthos photosynthetic parameters - Morelle, Jérôme; Francis Orvain; Pascal Claquin (Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2018)
Intertidal mudflats are among the most productive ecosystems and microphytobenthic (MPB) biofilms play a key role in primary production. MPB primary production varies at short spatial and temporal scales. Accurate measurements thus require rapid non-intrusive methods like pulse amplitude modulate (PAM) fluorescence. However, the effect of granulometry and chl a concentration profile in light attenuation on irradiance and on fluorescence signal in the photic layer need to be taken into account when primary production is estimated using PAM. We propose a tool to readjust raw photosynthetic parameters (rETRmax, α, Ik) estimated from PAM measurements on the field, to avoid over- or underestimation. To develop the tool, we used models previously designed by Kühl and Jørgensen (1992), Serôdio (2004) and Forster and Kromkamp (2004) by integrating the chl a distribution profiles and sediment granulometry from pure sand to pure mud. The sensitivity of the correction to sediment granulometry and the shape of chl a profile were evaluated theoretically using a typical fluorescence data set obtained using PAM measurements. Our results confirm the importance of accounting for both the chl a profile and sediment granulometry when estimating a light attenuation coefficient. We show that, with the same chl a profile, the photosynthetic parameters are more underestimated in mud than in a sandy environment. Thus, granulometry and the chl a profile need to be systematically quantified and used to correct raw data measured in field studies using PAM before estimating photosynthetic parameters. The numerical tool is available as an e-document that is simple and easy to apply to any PAM data.

Small and large spatial scale coexistence of ctenid spiders in a neotropical forest (French Guiana) - Petillon, J; Leroy, Boris; Djoudi, EA; Vedel, V (Tropical Zoology, 2018)
While spiders constitute the most abundant and diverse arthropods in many habitats, they remained under-studied, especially in tropical rainforests. The goal of this study is to assess the spatial distribution of the spider family Ctenidae by assessing associations of species diversity and population traits among different habitat conditions. Fieldwork was carried out during 2013 in habitats varying in flooding frequency (plateau vs. flooded forest) and elevation (inselberg vs. lowland) in the Nouragues National Natural Reserve, French Guiana. Assemblage composition, population structure, and trait measurements of one dominant species were assessed using hand collection in replicated quadrats. We found strong effects on ctenid assemblages attributable to both elevation and flooding, with changes in relative abundance of species among habitats, but few correlated densities between species. At the population level, main differences in species distribution between and within habitats were detected only when juveniles were taken into account. No effect of elevation was found on the measurements of traits of the dominant species, but legs were proportionally shorter in flooded habitats, suggesting reduced active dispersal in these habitats. Our study highlights the value of complementary of measures of diversity and traits at different biological scales in Ctenidae.
Keywords: Araneae; flooding; Guianese shield; inselberg; juveniles

Small and large spatial scale coexistence of ctenid spiders in a neotropical forest (French Guiana) - Pétillon, Julien; Leroy, Boris; Djoudi, El Aziz; VEDEL, Vincent (Tropical Zoology, 2018)

Some histological data of bone and teeth in the Rift Eelpout, Thermarces cerberus (Zoarcidae) - Meunier, Francois J.; Arnulf, Isabelle (Cybium, 2018)

Some histological data on bone and teeth in the grey notothen (Lepidonotothen squamifrons) and in the mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) (Notothenioidei; Perciformes; Teleostei) - Meunier, Francois J.; Lecomte, Frédérique; Guy Duhamel (Cybium, 2018)

Spatial variability in post-larval traits of Sicyopterus lagocephalus Pallas 1770 around Reunion Island - Thomas, Carole; Becheler, Enora; Trinh, Anne-Marie; Ellien, Céline (Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2018)

Spermatogenesis and Spermiogenesis in Elasmobranchs, a Short Overview. In M. K. SKINNER (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Reproduction. - Sourdaine, Pascal; Gautier, Aude; Gribouval, Laura (Elsevier, 2018)

Spermatogenesis and Spermiogenesis in Elasmobranchs, a Short Overview - Pascal Sourdaine; Aude Gautier; Gribouval, Laura (Encyclopedia of Reproduction, Second Edition, 2018)

Spider assemblage structure in a neotropical rainforest-inselberg complex: ecological and methodological insights from a small-scale intensive survey - Privet, Kaïna; Courtial, Cyril; Decaens, Thibaud; Djoudi, El Aziz; VEDEL, Vincent; Frédéric Ysnel; Pétillon, Julien (Journal of Tropical Ecology, 2018)
Keywords: Araneae; composition; day-time; French Guiana; non-parametric estimators; richness; sampling method

Stable isotopes as tracers can reveal resource allocation in juvenile golden gray mullets (Liza aurata, Risso, 1810) - Como, S.; Alexandre Carpentier; Rossi, F.; Christine Dupuy; Richard, P.; Eric Feunteun; Lefrançois, C. (Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2018)
Studies on the nutritional physiology of predator fish in the marine environment have contributed to our understanding of how they adapt to the environment and how they have evolved. Despite the fact that herbivorous and omnivorous fish species are numerous and play a significant role in the ecosystem, there is little information on how they process nutrients and how these are allocated to different tissues. This information could be particularly important for the juvenile stages, when small-sized fish are under high predation pressure and have a limited capability to intake and digest large quantities of food. The mullet Liza aurata ingests surface sediment and obtains its nutritional requirements from the organisms associated with the sediment, including microalgae and bacteria or small invertebrates. This paper examines how the carbon and nitrogen derived from benthic micro-organisms are allocated to the liver and muscle tissues of newborn (young-of-the-year, YOY) and one-year-old (OYO) individuals. After the animals were left feeding on 13C-enriched microalgae and 15N-enriched bacteria for 1 h, we traced the 13C and 15N in the liver and muscle tissues as well as in the blood and the gut. The YOY allocated 99% of the 13C and 88% of the 15N to the muscles, while the liver had a negligible amount of tracers (0.4% and 11% for 13C and 15N). Conversely, in the OYO experiment, the tracers were uniformly distributed throughout the muscle and liver (57% of 13C and 45% of 15N were found in the muscle, whereas 43% of 13C and 55% of 15N were in the liver). Negligible amounts were traced in the blood (<0.1%), while a part of the tracers was not assimilated and remained in the gut of both YOY and OYO fish. These results indicated a size-related shift in resource allocation during first year of growth of L. aurata, probably related to changes in the survival strategies among juveniles. Our results also indicated that stable isotope enrichment can be a helpful tool for studying resource allocation in fish.

Strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of French research in trophic ecology - Marie-Elodie Perga; Michael Danger; Dubois, Stanislas; Clémentine Fritch; Cédric Gaucherel; Cédric Hubas; Franck Jabot; Lacroix, Gérard; Sébastien Lefebvre; P. Marmonier; Alexandre Bec (Comptes Rendus Biologies, 2018)
The French National Institute of Ecology and Environment (INEE) aims at fostering pluridisciplinarity in Environmental Science and, for that purpose, funds ex muros research groups (GDR) on thematic topics. Trophic ecology has been identified as a scientific field in ecology that would greatly benefit from such networking activity, as being profoundly scattered. This has motivated the seeding of a GDR, entitled âGRETâ. The contours of the GRET's action, and its ability to fill these gaps within trophic ecology at the French national scale, will depend on the causes of this relative scattering. This study relied on a nationally broadcasted poll aiming at characterizing the field of trophic ecology in France. Amongst all the unique individuals that fulfilled the poll, over 300 belonged at least partly to the field of trophic ecology. The sample included all French public research institutes and career stages. Three main disruptions within the community of scientist in trophic ecology were identified. The first highlighted the lack of interfaces between microbial and trophic ecology. The second evidenced that research questions were strongly linked to single study fields or ecosystem type. Last, research activities are still quite restricted to the ecosystem boundaries. All three rupture points limit the conceptual and applied progression in the field of trophic ecology. Here we show that most of the disruptions within French Trophic Ecology are culturally inherited, rather than motivated by scientific reasons or justified by socio-economic stakes. Comparison with the current literature confirms that these disruptions are not necessarily typical of the French research landscape, but instead echo the general weaknesses of the international research in ecology. Thereby, communication and networking actions within and toward the community of trophic ecologists, as planned within the GRET's objectives, should contribute to fill these gaps, by reintegrating microbes within trophic concepts and setting the seeds for trans- and meta-ecosystemic research opportunities. Once the community of trophic ecologists is aware of the scientific benefit in pushing its boundaries forwards, turning words and good intentions into concrete research projects will depend on the opportunities to obtain research funding.
Keywords: Community

Structure and composition of Unio pictorum shell: arguments for the diversity of the nacroprismatic arrangement in molluscs. - Dauphin, Y; Luquet, G; Salomé, M; Bellot-Gurlet, L; Cuif, JP (Journal of Microscopy, 2018)
Mollusc shells are complex organomineral structures, the arrangement and composition depending on the species. Most studies are dedicated to shells composed of an aragonite nacreous and a calcite prismatic layer, so the nacreous prismatic model based on Pinctada and Atrina-Pinna. Here, we studied the micro- and nanostructure, the mineralogy and composition of a nacroprismatic bivalve species: Unio pictorum. The prismatic layer of Unio is aragonite, and the inner structure of the prismatic units strongly differs from those of the calcitic layers. The shape of the prisms varies depending on their growth stage. The first layers of nacre are similar to those of gastropods (columnar nacre), then evolve towards the typical bivalve arrangement (sheet nacre). Na, Sr, Mg, P and S are present in both prisms and nacre. The organic prismatic envelopes are rich in sulphur amino acids, whereas organic sulphate is present within the prisms and the nacreous tablets. P is present as phosphate, probably a mixture of organic and mineral complex. Chemical distribution maps confirm the absence of an organic membrane between the nacre and the prisms. The comparison of the structure, mineralogy and composition of Unio pictorum and different species show the diversity of nacroprismatic shells, and that these features are taxonomically dependent.

Subtidal Microphytobenthos: A Secret Garden Stimulated by the Engineer Species Crepidula fornicata - Androuin, Thibault; Polerecky, Lubos; Decottignies, Priscilla; Dubois, Stanislas F.; Dupuy, Christine; Cédric Hubas; Jesus, Bruno; Le Gall, Erwan; Marzloff, Martin P.; Carlier, Antoine (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2018)

Surface ocean pH variations since 1689 CE and recent ocean acidification in the tropical South Pacific - Wu, Henry C.; Dissard, Delphine; Douville, Eric; Blamart, Dominique; Bordier, Louise; Tribollet, Aline; Le Cornec, Florence; Pons-Branchu, Edwige; Dapoigny, Arnaud; Claire E. Lazareth (Nature Communications, 2018)
Increasing atmospheric CO2 from man-made climate change is reducing surface ocean pH. Due to limited instrumental measurements and historical pH records in the world’s oceans, seawater pH variability at the decadal and centennial scale remains largely unknown and requires documentation. Here we present evidence of striking secular trends of decreasing pH since the late nineteenth century with pronounced interannual to decadal–interdecadal pH variability in the South Pacific Ocean from 1689 to 2011 CE. High-amplitude oceanic pH changes, likely related to atmospheric CO2 uptake and seawater dissolved inorganic carbon fluctuations, reveal a coupled relationship to sea surface temperature variations and highlight the marked influence of El Niño/Southern Oscillation and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation. We suggest changing surface winds strength and zonal advection processes as the main drivers responsible for regional pH variability up to 1881 CE, followed by the prominent role of anthropogenic CO2 in accelerating the process of ocean acidification.

Tachykinin-3 Genes and Peptides Characterized in a Basal Teleost, the European Eel: Evolutionary Perspective and Pituitary Role. - Campo, Aurora; Anne-Gaelle Lafont; Lefranc, Benjamin; Leprince, Jérôme; Tostivint, Hervé; Kamech, Nedia; Sylvie Dufour; Karine Rousseau (Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2018)

Temporal variation of secondary migrations potential: concept of temporal windows in four commercial bivalve species - Martin Forêt; Réjean Tremblay; Urs Neumeier; Frédéric Olivier (Aquatic Living Resources, 2018)
Post-settlement dispersal potential of four commercial bivalve species (Mytilus edulis, Pecten maximus, Venus verrucosa and Ruditapes philippinarum) were studied through the assessment of recruits' sinking velocities by using a sinking velocity tube of five meters height. In parallel, dynamics of shear stress were monitored for five months on a tidal habitat characterized by the presence and the dispersal of the four species. By coupling both datasets we propose first theoretical estimates of temporal windows of secondary migrations. These experiments revealed interspecific differences in migration potential relate to shell shapes and behaviour, especially to secretion of byssal threads. The sensitivity to passive and active post-settlement migrations seems to rely on the synchronisation between the arrival on the sediment, the tidal regime (spring tide, neap tide), but also the rate of growth of the recruits. The present study confirms that patterns of secondary migrations of bivalve recruits result from a close physical-biological coupling involving benthic boundary layer (BBL) hydrodynamics and shell morphology as well as eco-ethological responses to environmental conditions but clearly modulated by the growth dynamics until a threshold size when drifting is no longer possible.
Keywords: Bivalves recruits; drifting; secondary migrations; temporal windows

Testing the transferability of track‐based habitat models for sound marine spatial planning - Clara Péron; Authier, Matthieu; Grémillet, David (Diversity and Distribution, 2018)
Aim Species distribution models (SDMs) are statistical tools aiming at mapping and predicting species distributions across landscapes. Data acquisition being limited in space and time, SDM are commonly used to predict species distribution in unsampled areas or years, with the expectation that modelled habitat–species relationships will hold across spatial or temporal contexts (i.e., model transferability). This key aspect of habitat modelling has major implications for spatial management, yet it has received limited attention, especially in the dynamic marine realm. Our aims were to test geographical and temporal habitat model transferability and to make recommendations for future population‐scale habitat modelling. Location Two contrasted regions of the North Western Mediterranean Sea: the cold and productive waters of the Gulf of Lion, and the warm and oligotrophic waters of Corsica. Methods We GPS‐tracked 189 Scopoli's shearwaters, Calonectris diomedea, at four breeding sites during the chick‐rearing period in 2011 and 2012 (418 foraging trips), and analysed their fine‐scale foraging behaviour. We then built colony‐specific habitat models (GAMMs) to test SDM geographical and temporal transferability and investigated the effect of extrinsic (environmental extrapolation) and intrinsic (trip characteristics) factors on transferability. Results Scopoli's shearwaters from our four study sites had comparable foraging strategies (as assessed from trip characteristics and isotopic diet tracers). Despite such similarities, SDMs revealed colony‐specific habitat associations. Geographical and temporal model transferability was better within than between regions. Main conclusions Crucially, our study illustrates how habitat–species relationships can vary between colonies located <200 km apart, and underlines the effect of spatio‐temporal extrapolation in habitat modelling. We therefore warn that defining adequate spatial scales for model predictions is critical to sound marine spatial planning and conservation.
Keywords: biologging; habitat modelling; transferability; central place foragers

Toxicological effects of CdSe nanocrystals on the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum: The first mass spectrometry-based proteomic approach - Poirier, Isabelle; Pallud, Marie; Kuhn, Lauriane; Hammann, Philippe; Demortière, Arnaud; Jamali, Arash; Chicher, Johana; Christelle Caplat; Gallon, Régis Kevin; Bertrand, Martine (Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2018)

Trace metals partitioning between particulate and dissolved phases along a tropical mangrove estuary (Can Gio, Vietnam) - Thanh-Nho, Nguyen; Strady, Emilie; Nhu-Trang, Tran–Thi; Frank David; Marchand, Cyril (Chemosphere, 2018)
Mangroves can be considered as biogeochemical reactors along (sub)tropical coastlines, acting both as sinks or sources for trace metals depending on environmental factors. In this study, we characterized the role of a mangrove estuary, developing downstream a densely populated megacity (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), on the fate and partitioning of trace metals. Surface water and suspended particulate matter were collected at four sites along the estuarine salinity gradient during 24 h cycling in dry and rainy seasons. Salinity, pH, DO, TSS, POC, DOC, dissolved and particulate Fe, Mn, Cr, As, Cu, Ni, Co and Pb were measured. TSS was the main trace metals carrier during their transit in the estuary. However, TSS variations did not explain the whole variability of metals distribution. Mn, Cr and As were highly reactive metals while the other metals (Fe, Ni, Cu, Co and Pb) presented stable log KD values along the estuary. Organic matter dynamic appeared to play a key role in metals fractioning. Its decomposition during water transit in the estuary induced metal desorption, especially for Cr and As. Conversely, dissolved Mn concentrations decreased along the estuary, which was suggested to result from Mn oxidative precipitation onto solid phase due to oxidation and pH changes. Extra sources as pore-water release, runoff from adjacent soils, or aquaculture efﬂuents were suggested to be involved in trace metal dynamic in this estuary. In addition, the monsoon increased metal loads, notably dissolved and particulate Fe, Cr, Ni and Pb.

Trophic cues promote secondary migrations of bivalve recruits in a highly dynamic temperate intertidal system - Foret, Martin; Barbier, Pierrick; Tremblay, Rejean; Tarik Meziane; Neumeier, Urs; Duvieilbourg, Eric; Olivier, Frédéric (Ecosphere, 2018)

Trophic cues promote secondary migrations of bivalve recruits in a highly dynamic temperate intertidal system - Foret, Martin; Barbier, Pierrick; Tremblay, Rejean; Meziane, Tarik; Neumeier, Urs; Duvieilbourg, Eric; Olivier, Frédéric (Ecosphere, 2018)

Trophic ecology of speckled peacock bass Cichla temensis Humboldt 1821 in the middle Negro River, Amazon, Brazil - Jamerson Aguiar-Santos; Pieter A. P. deHart; Marc Pouilly; Carlos E.C. Freitas; Flávia K. Siqueira-Souza (Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 2018)

The unique functioning of a pre-Columbian Amazonian floodplain fishery - Rumsaïs Blatrix; Bruno Roux; Philippe Béarez; Gabriela Prestes-Carneiro; Marcelo Amaya; Jose Luis Aramayo; Leonor Rodrigues; Umberto Lombardo; Jose Iriarte; Jonas Gregorio de Souza; Mark Robinson; Cyril Bernard; et al. (Scientific Reports, 2018)

Use of an acoustic telemetry array for fine scale fish behaviour assessment of captive Paiche, Arapaima gigas, breeders - Jesus Nuñez-Rodriguez; Vela Díaz, Antonia; Bazan-Albitez, Roger; Rebaza Alfaro, Carmela; Koua, Daniel; Núñez, Lucie; Testi, Baptiste; Renno, Jean-Francois; Duponchelle, Fabrice; Pella, Hervé (Aquaculture Research, 2018)

Use of an acoustic telemetry array for fine scale fish behaviour assessment of captive Paiche, Arapaima gigas, breeders - Jesus Nuñez-Rodriguez; Vela Diaz, A.; Bazan-Albitez, R; Koua, D; Nuñez L.; Testi, B.; Renno, Jean-Francois; Duponchelle, F; Pella, H (Aquaculture Research, 2018)
As Arapaima gigas is one of the most valuable species for the growing production of Amazonian aquaculture, knowledge of its reproductive behaviour and its application to increase reproduction success in captivity is of great importance as no hormonal spawning induction technique exists for this species. An acoustic positioning system (LOTEK Inc.) was used to observe the interactions of adult fish to better understand the formation of mating pairs. Fish were placed in a 4,500 m2 aquaculture pond over a 6‐month period in the IIAP field station of Pucallpa, Perú. This paper describes the methodological protocols used to set up and test the hydrophone array and presents the methodology used for the analysis of the huge amount of collected data. This methodology is illustrated by the analysis of a 6‐day period for a mating pair that showed a spawning event. The results indicated that male and female occupied mostly one preferential area in one pond edge where the nesting area is located. Different activity patterns were observed during the spawning event, with male and female being closer during the spawning day. The results also showed that male travelled less distance than female during the studied period. Finally these results demonstrated the suitability of such equipment to monitor fish interactions at fine spatial (sub meter) and temporal (5 s) scales in confined environments like aquaculture ponds.

Variation of the isotopic composition of dissolved organic carbon during the runoff cycle in the Amazon River and the floodplains - Patrick Albéric; Marcela A.P. Pérez; Patricia Moreira-Turcq; Marc F Benedetti; Steven Bouillon; Gwenaël Abril (Comptes Rendus Geoscience, 2018)

Without quality presence-absence data, discrimination metrics such as TSS can be misleading measures of model performance - Leroy, Boris; Delsol, Robin; Hugueny, Bernard; Meynard, Christine N.; Barhoumi, Chéïma; Barbet-Massin, Morgane; Bellard, Céline (Journal of Biogeography, 2018)

Applying species distribution models to caves and other subterranean habitats - Mammola, Stefano; Leroy, Boris (Ecography, 2017)
Over the last two decades there has been an exponential increase in the use of correlative species distribution models (SDMs) to address a variety of topics in ecology, biogeography, evolution, and conservation biology. Conversely, the use of these statistical methods to study the potential distribution of subterranean organisms has lagged behind, relative to their above-ground (epigean) counterparts. The reason for this is possibly related to a number of peculiarities of subterranean systems, which pose important limits, but also opportunities, for these correlative models. The aim of this forum is to explore the caveats that need to be made when generalizing these statistical techniques to caves and other subterranean habitats. We focus on the typical bias in spatial datasets of cave-dwelling species, and provide advice for selecting the model calibration area. In parallel, we discuss the potential use of different large scale surface variables to represent the subterranean condition. A more widespread adoption of these statistical techniques in subterranean biology is highly attractive and has great potential in broadening our knowledge on a variety of ecological topics, especially in the fields of climate change and biodiversity conservation. Their use would especially benefit the study of the biogeographic patterns of subterranean fauna and the impact of past and future climate change on subterranean ecosystems.

A Bayesian two-stage biomass model for stock assessment of data-limited species: An application to cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) in the English Channel - Juliette Alemany; Etienne Rivot; Foucher, Eric; Joël Vigneau; Jean-Paul Robin (Fisheries Research, 2017)
Cuttlefish is a key commercial species in the English Channel fishery in terms of landings and value. Age-based assessment methods are limited by time-consuming age determination with statoliths and the lack of stock assessment models tailored to this data-limited species. A two-stage biomass model is developed in the Bayesian state-space modelling framework that allows inferences to be made on the stock biomass at the start, middle and end of each fishing seasons between 1992 and 2014, while accounting for both process and measurement errors and to assimilate various sources of information. A method that uses ancillary length-frequency data is developed to provide an informative prior distribution for the biomass growth rate parameter g (E = 0.89) and its annual variability (CV = 0.1). The new model is a substantial improvement on the existing stock assessment method used by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas. Taking into consideration a time-varying g parameter provides a more ecologically meaningful model with regard to the sensitivity of the cuttlefish population dynamics to environmental fluctuations and improves model fit. The model also provides predictions of the unexploited biomass in winter, which is based on survey data, and helps manage the stock in the event of strong depletion. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Before-After analysis of the trophic network of an experimental dumping site in the eastern part of the Bay of Seine (English Channel) - Pezy, Jean-Philippe; Raoux, Aurore; Marmin, Stella; Balay, Pierre; Nathalie Niquil; Jean-Claude Dauvin (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2017)
An experimental study was conducted to assess the physical and biological impacts of muddy fine sand dredged material dumped on a medium sand site Machu offshore the Seine Estuary. Complementary trophic web modelling tools were applied to the Machu ecosystem to analyse the effects of dumping operations. Results show that, after the dumping operations, the biomass of fish increased while invertebrate biomass remained relatively stable through time. Nevertheless, the biomasses of benthic invertebrates, omnivores/scavengers and predators showed some increases, while non-selective deposit feeders and filter feeders decreased. At the ecosystem level, results show that the total ecosystem activity, the ascendency and the overall omnivorous character of the food-web structure increased after dumping operations, whereas recycling subsequently decreased. Finally, the fine and medium sand habitat offshore from the Seine estuary, which undergoes regular natural physical perturbations, shows a high resilience after a short dumping phase. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benthic and fish aggregation inside an offshore wind farm: Which effects on the trophic web functioning? - Raoux, Aurore; Samuele Tecchio; Pezy, Jean-Philippe; Géraldine Lassalle; Degraer, Steven; Wilhelmsson, Dan; Cachera, Marie; Ernande, Bruno; Le Guen, Camille; Haraldsson, Matilda; Karine Grangeré; Le Loc'h, Francois; et al. (Ecological indicators, 2017)
As part of the energy transition, the French government is planning the construction of three offshore wind farms in Normandy (Bay of Seine and eastern part of the English Channel, north-western France) in the next years. These offshore wind farms will be integrated into an ecosystem already facing multiple anthropogenic disturbances such as maritime transport, fisheries, oyster and mussel farming, and sediment dredging. Currently no integrated, ecosystem-based study on the effects of the construction and exploitation of offshore wind farms exists, where biological approaches generally focused on the conservation of some valuable species or groups of species. Complementary trophic web modelling tools were applied to the Bay of Seine ecosystem (to the 50 km(2) area covered by the wind farm) to analyse the potential impacts of benthos and fish aggregation caused by the introduction of additional hard substrates from the piles and the turbine scour protections. An Ecopath ecosystem model composed of 37 compartments, from phytoplankton to seabirds, was built to describe the situation ``before{''} the construction of the wind farm. Then, an Ecosim projection over 30 years was performed after increasing the biomass of targeted benthic and fish compartments. Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) indices were calculated for the two periods, ``before{''} and ``after{''}, to compare network functioning and the overall structural properties of the food web. Our main results showed (1) that the total ecosystem activity, the overall system omnivory (proportion of generalist feeders), and the recycling increased after the construction of the wind farm; (2) that higher trophic levels such as piscivorous fish species, marine mammals, and seabirds responded positively to the aggregation of biomass on piles and turbine scour protections; and (3) a change in keystone groups after the construction towards more structuring and dominant compartments. Nonetheless, these changes could be considered as limited impacts of the wind farm installation on this coastal trophic web structure and functioning. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioaccumulation, distribution and elimination of chlordecone in the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii: Field and laboratory studies - Anne Lafontaine; Eric Gismondi; Nathalie Dodet; Célia Joaquim-Justo; Céline Boulangé-Lecomte; Fanny Caupos; Lemoine, Soazig; Laurent Lagadic; Joëlle Forget-Leray; Jean-Pierre Thomé (Chemosphere, 2017)
Abstract Chlordecone is a persistent organochlorine pesticide that has been widely used in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) to control the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus from 1972 to 1993. A few years after its introduction, widespread contamination of soils, rivers, wild animals and aquatic organisms was reported. Although high chlordecone concentrations have been reported in several crustacean species, its uptake, internal distribution, and elimination in aquatic species have never been described. This study aimed at investigating the accumulation and tissue distribution of chlordecone in the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii, using both laboratory (30 days exposure) and field (8 months exposure) approaches. In addition, depuration in chlordecone-free water was studied. Results showed that chlordecone bioconcentration in prawns was dose-dependent and time-dependent. Moreover, females appeared to be less contaminated than males after 5 and 7 months of exposure, probably due to successive spawning leading in the elimination of chlordecone through the eggs. Chlordecone distribution in tissues of exposed prawns showed that cephalothorax organs, mainly represented by the hepatopancreas, was the most contaminated. Results also showed that chlordecone was accumulated in cuticle, up to levels of 40% of the chlordecone body burden, which could be considered as a depuration mechanism since chlordecone is eliminated with the exuviae during successive moults. Finally, this study underlined the similarity of results obtained in laboratory and field approaches, which highlights their complementarities in the chlordecone behaviour understanding in M. rosenbergii.
Keywords: Bioaccumulation factor

Checklist of the marine fishes from metropolitan France - Philippe Béarez; Patrice Pruvost; Eric Feunteun; S.P. Iglésias; Patrice Francour; Causse, Romain; De Mazieres J.; Tercerie, S; Bailly, Nicolas (Cybium, 2017)

Comparative Study of Chemosensory Organs of Shrimp From Hydrothermal Vent and Coastal Environments - Magali Zbinden; Berthod, C; Montagné, N; Machon, J; Léger, N; Chertemps, T; Rabet, N; Bruce Shillito; Juliette Ravaux (Chemical Senses, 2017)
The detection of chemical signals is involved in a variety of crustacean behaviors, such as social interactions, search and evaluation of food and navigation in the environment. At hydrothermal vents, endemic shrimp may use the chemical signature of vent fluids to locate active edifices, however little is known on their sensory perception in these remote deep-sea habitats. Here, we present the first comparative description of the sensilla on the antennules and antennae of 4 hydrothermal vent shrimp (Rimicaris exoculata, Mirocaris fortunata, Chorocaris chacei, and Alvinocaris markensis) and of a closely related coastal shrimp (Palaemon elegans). These observations revealed no specific adaptation regarding the size or number of aesthetascs (specialized unimodal olfactory sensilla) between hydrothermal and coastal species. We also identified partial sequences of the ionotropic receptor IR25a, a co-receptor putatively involved in olfaction, in 3 coastal and 4 hydrothermal shrimp species, and showed that it is mainly expressed in the lateral flagella of the antennules that bear the unimodal chemosensilla aesthetascs.
Keywords: aesthetascs; decapod; hydrothermal shrimp; IR25a; olfaction

Conservation of Three-Dimensional Helix-Loop-Helix Structure through the Vertebrate Lineage Reopens the Cold Case of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone-Associated Peptide - Pérez Sirkin, Daniela I.; Anne-Gaelle Lafont; Kamech, Nedia; Somoza, Gustavo M.; Vissio, Paula G.; Sylvie Dufour (Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2017)
GnRH associated peptide (GAP) is the C-terminal portion of the GnRH preprohormone. Although it was reported in mammals that GAP may act as a prolactin-inhibiting factor and can be co-secreted with GnRH into the hypophyseal portal blood, GAP has been practically out of the research circuit for about 20 years. Comparative studies highlighted the low conservation of GAP primary amino acid sequences among vertebrates, contributing to consider that this peptide only participates in the folding or carrying process of GnRH. Considering that the tridimensional (3D) structure of a protein may define its function, the aim of this study was to evaluate if GAP sequences and 3D structures are conserved in the vertebrate lineage. GAP sequences from various vertebrates were retrieved from databases. Analysis of primary amino acid sequence identity and similarity, molecular phylogeny, and prediction of 3D structures were performed. Amino acid sequence comparison and phylogeny analyses confirmed the large variation of GAP sequences throughout vertebrate radiation. In contrast, prediction of the 3D structure revealed a striking conservation of the 3D structure of GAP1 (GAP associated with the hypophysiotropic type 1 GnRH), despite low amino acid sequence conservation. This GAP1 peptide presented a typical helix-loop-helix (HLH) structure in all the vertebrate species analyzed. This HLH structure could also be predicted for GAP2 in some but not all vertebrate species, and in none of the GAP3 analyzed. These results allowed us to infer that selective pressures have maintained GAP1 HLH structure throughout the vertebrate lineage. The conservation of the HLH motif, known to confer biological activity to various proteins, suggests that GAP1 peptides may exert some hypophysiotropic biological functions across vertebrate radiation.

Contamination and depuration of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning by Acanthocardia tuberculata cockles and Callista chione clams in Moroccan waters - B. Rijal Leblad; H. Nhhala; M. Daoudi; M. Marhraoui; M. K. Ouelad Abdellah; Benoît Véron; H. Er-Raioui (Journal of Materials and Environmental Sciences, 2017)
This study of Gymnodinium catenatum was conducted across two sampling stations; M'diq bay and Oued Laou estuary during the period from July 2007 to May 2009. Gymnodinium catenatum blooms occurred after a rainfall event in autumn and early winter. Statically analyses showed a positive correlation with rainfall. During January 2008, the G. catenatum bloom resulted in contamination of tuberculate cockles and sweet clam by Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins. In the Oued Laou estuary, the levels of these toxins in shellfish went beyond the normative threshold for consumption of shellfish, (80 μg SXTeq. /100g of meat) and reached (710 ± 82.07) and (198 ± 6.56) μg SXTeq. /100g of meat in cockles and sweet clam respectively. In M'diq bay, concentrations of PSP toxins in the meat of these two shellfish were lower (256.57 ± 12.22 μg SXTeq. /100g and 80.66 ± 8.14 μg SXTeq. /100g of meat in tuberculate cockles and sweet clam respectively. An experimental test of depuration of tuberculate cockles and sweet clam contaminated by the PSP toxins was conducted in laboratory conditions in the first week of January 2008. The results showed partial and progressive elimination of PSP toxins in two shellfish species over time. In the tuberculate cockle, the elimination of PSP appears to be slower compared with the sweet clam; it took 120 days to reach levels of 80 μg SXTeq. /100g of meat, on the other hand only 3 days were needed to reach this safe concentration in the sweet clam.

Cross-linking plankton indicators to better define GES of pelagic habitats - EcApRHA Deliverable WP1.4 - Budria, Alexandre; Anais Aubert; Rombouts, Isabelle; Ostle, Clare; Angus Atkinson; Widdicombe, Claire; Goberville, Eric; Luis Felipe Artigas; Johns, David; Padegimas, Bernardas; Corcoran, Emily; McQuatters-Gollop, Abigail (2017)
The multimetric approach is a methodological tool which can be used to study a range of systems, including GES assessment of marine waters. Three indicators (PH1, PH2 and PH3) are currently being developed in the frame of the OSPAR convention for the pelagic habitat component. The three PH indicators provide information on different and complementary aspects of the plankton community that, only when considered altogether, provide a holistic vision of the ecosystem which is central to GES assessment. The present document aims at combining their information for the first time, following a multimetric approach. For this purpose, it was decided that the Plymouth Marine Laboratory L4 station would be the focus of this deliverable for the period 2000-2014. Different results were obtained from PH1, PH2 and PH3 regarding dates characterized by atypical plankton community structures, stressing their complementarity. However, similar results were also found for some sampling dates, suggesting that the complementary information conveyed by the three PH indicators shows potential for generating a higher-level indicator. This work has also evidenced a number of gaps and issues in the integration of the three PH indicators that we address with guidelines. In particular, efforts should be devoted to overcome technical difficulties in the integration the PH3 indicators, especially regarding differences in temporal resolution. Future development of the indicators could involve complementary techniques to classical methods to overcome taxonomic constraints. In the frame of this project, the access to data in certain format was identified also found problematic. Creating a central database of pre-formatted data managed by a group of experts could also benefit the regional calibration of the indicators for areas where appropriate data are available. Establishing a clear and easily accessible report which details all the monitoring guidelines concerning the metrics used for the OSPAR PH indicators could also be beneficial for homogenising the monitoring and inter-comparability of data among contracting parties in the goal of regional marine management.

Cross-taxon congruence in the rarity of subtidal rocky marine assemblages : No taxonomic shortcut for conservation monitoring - Leroy, Boris; Régis Gallon; Eric Feunteun; Robuchon, Marine; Frédéric Ysnel (Ecological Indicators, 2017)
The implementation of protection strategies such as the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) is impeded for subtidal rock bottom habitats because of high sampling costs due to a very wide taxonomic diversity, and a lack of suitable evaluation tools to estimate their conservation importance. In this study, we seek to provide an evaluation procedure by (1) investigating the distribution of rarity among subtidal rock bottom phyla; (2) searching for potential surrogate phyla with a cross-taxon congruence approach based on their rarity; (3) proposing an appropriate multi-phyla indicator to evaluate the importance of subtidal rocky habitats for conservation. We analysed the distribution of 548 species belonging to 8 phyla sampled in 137 assemblages in subtidal rocky areas located around Brittany, Western France. We applied the Index of Relative Rarity, a flexible method which fits rarity weights to species depending on their respective phyla. We found only weak congruence in rarity patterns among phyla, which prevented any attempt to identify surrogate phyla. This finding has important implications for the conservation of subtidal rocky habitats as it means that there is no shortcut to monitor their rarity: working on a subset of phyla would imply a biased evaluation of biodiversity. Consequently, we propose a multi-phyla Index of Relative Rarity combining all phyla which allowed us to successfully describe rarity patterns across all sampled sites.
Keywords: occurrence-based rarity; subtidal conservation

Cultured eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica): retention and assimilation of picophytoplankton using a multi-biomarker approach - Rémi Sonier; Réjean Tremblay; Frédéric Olivier; Tarik Meziane; Comeau, L. A. (Aquatic Living Ressources, 2017)

Deep conservation of bivalve nacre proteins highlighted by shell matrix proteomics of the Unionoida Elliptio complanata and Villosa lienosa - Marie, Benjamin; Arivalagan, Jaison; Mathéron, Lucrèce; Bolbach, Gérard; Berland, Sophie; Marie, Arul; Marin, Frédéric (Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 2017)
The formation of the molluscan shell nacre is regulated to a large extent by a matrix of extracellular macromolecules that are secreted by the shell-forming tissue, the mantle. This so-called ‘calcifying matrix’ is a complex mixture of proteins, glycoproteins and polysaccharides that is assembled and occluded within the mineral phase during the calcification process. Better molecular-level characterization of the substances that regulate nacre formation is still required. Notable advances in expressed tag sequencing of freshwater mussels, such as Elliptio complanata and Villosa lienosa, provide a pre-requisite to further characterize bivalve nacre proteins by a proteomic approach. In this study, we have identified a total of 48 different proteins from the insoluble matrices of the nacre, 31 of which are common to both E. complanata and V. lienosa. A few of these proteins, such as PIF, MSI60, CA, shematrin-like, Kunitz-like, LamG, chitin-binding-containing proteins, together with A-, D-, G-, M- and Q-rich proteins, appear to be analogues, if not true homologues, of proteins previously described from the pearl oyster or the edible mussel nacre matrices, thus forming a remarkable list of deeply conserved nacre proteins. This work constitutes a comprehensive nacre proteomic study of non-pteriomorphid bivalves that has enabled us to describe the molecular basis of a deeply conserved biomineralization toolkit among nacreous shell-bearing bivalves, with regard to proteins associated with other shell microstructures, with those of other mollusc classes (gastropods, cephalopods) and, finally, with other lophotrochozoans (brachiopods).

Description of a new maternal larvophilic mouth-brooding cichlid species, Apistogramma megastoma sp. n. (Teleostei: Perciformes: Geophaginae), from Loreto, Peru - Römer, CI; Estivals, G; Vela Diaz, A; Fabrice Duponchelle; Garcia Davila, C; Hahn, I; Renno, J-F (Vertebrate Zoology, 2017)

Description of a new maternal larvophilic mouth-brooding cichlid species, Apistogramma megastoma sp. n. (Teleostei: Perciformes: Geophaginae), from Loreto, Peru - Römer, Uwe; Römer, CI; Estivals, G; Vela Diaz, A.; Fabrice Duponchelle; Garcia Davila, C; Hahn, I; Renno, Jean-Francois (Vertebrate Zoology, 2017)

Dietary plasticity in the bivalve Astarte moerchi revealed by a multimarker study in two Arctic fjords - De Cesare, S; Tarik Meziane; Laurent Chauvaud; Richard, J; Sejr, M K; Thébault, J; Winkler, G; Frédéric Olivier (Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2017)
ABSTRACT: Arctic coastal ecosystems are likely to be strongly affected by predicted environmental changes such as sea-ice decline and increase in freshwater input and turbidity. These changes are expected to impact primary production dynamics and consequently benthic consumers. The trophic relationship between primary producers and benthic primary consumers were compared in 2 Arctic fjords with different seasonal ice-cover: Young Sound (NE Greenland, a high-Arctic fjord) and Kongsfjorden (Svalbard Archipelago, a sub-Arctic fjord). For comparison, we selected the filter-feeding bivalve Astarte moerchi (belonging to the complex A. borealis), which has a broad geographical distribution in the Arctic. The bivalve digestive glands and food sources were characterized with fatty acids (FAs), bulk stable isotopes, and compound-specific stable isotopes of individual FAs. Our results suggest that diatoms of pelagic and/or benthic origin are the main contributors to the A. moerchi diet in Young Sound and make up a less important fraction of the diet in the Kongsfjorden population. A contribution by sympagic diatoms is clearly excluded in the sub-Arctic fjord and needs to be further assessed in the Arctic fjord. The A. moerchi diet in sub-Arctic Kongsfjorden is more diversified, varies with season, and has contributions from dinoflagellates and macroalgal detritus. These results, together with higher concentrations of total FAs in the Young Sound population, demonstrated and characterized the trophic plasticity of this bivalve species. Based on these results, we discuss potential effects of environmental factors (shifts in trophic resources, increase in turbidity) for A. moerchi populations in changing Arctic ecosystems.

Distribution and abundance of skates (Bathyraja spp.) on the Kerguelen Plateau through the lens of the toothfish fisheries - Nowara, G.B.; Burch, P.; Nicolas Gasco; Welsford, D.C.; Lamb, T.D.; Charlotte Chazeau; Guy Duhamel; Patrice Pruvost; Wotherspoon, S.; Candy, S.G. (Fisheries Research, 2017)
Three species of skate, Bathyraja eatonii, B. irrasa and B. murrayi, are commonly taken as incidental by-catch in Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) longline and trawl fisheries, and the mackerelicefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) trawl fishery on the Kerguelen Plateau (KP) in the southern IndianOcean. Data from fishery observations for 1997–2014 shows that the three skates were widely distributedacross the Kerguelen Plateau, showing different spatial distributions, linked mainly with depth. Off HeardIsland and McDonald Islands (HIMI), in the southern part of the KP, B. eatonii and B. irrasa were mostabundant to the north and northwest of Heard Island, out to the edge of the Australian Exclusive EconomicZone (EEZ), and were caught down to depths of 1790 m and 2059 m respectively. The smallest species, B.murrayi, occurred mainly in the shallower waters down to 550 m, and was most abundant to the northand northeast, close to Heard Island. Around Kerguelen Islands, in the northern part of the KP, skateswere most abundant between the 500 m and 1000 m contours circling and extending from the islands.Catch rates were modelled using zero-inflated GAMs and GLMs. The catch rates of skates from thetrawl fisheries in the Australian EEZ surrounding Heard Island and McDonald Islands have shown littleevidence of depletion on the main trawl fishing grounds, although there is evidence of a decrease inthe average total length of B. eatonii. The marine reserves and the conservation measures employed bythe Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in the HIMI fisheries, appearto provide effective protection for the skates, at least in the shallower waters where the trawl fisheriesoperate. B. irrasa taken in the deeper waters where longline fishing occurs have shown a slight declinein catch rate over the years of the HIMI fishery. Although all skates are returned to the water from thisfishery, survival rates are unknown and careful monitoring should continue to assess the status of thesestocks. There appears to be little change in the abundance of the skate species at Kerguelen in the timeperiod.This study provides the first review of skate by-catch across both the HIMI and Kerguelen fisheries.Ongoing monitoring of species specific by-catch levels and further research to determine the importantlife history parameters of these species are required, particularly for B. irrasa which is taken in both trawland longline fisheries.

DNA Metabarcoding of Amazonian Ichthyoplankton Swarms - Maggia, M. E.; Vigouroux, Y.; Renno, Jean-Francois; Fabrice Duponchelle; Desmarais, E; Jesus Nuñez-Rodriguez; García-Dávila, C; Carvajal-Vallejos, F M; Paradis, Emmanuel; Martin, Jean-François; Mariac, Cédric (PLoSOne, 2017)
Tropical rainforests harbor extraordinary biodiversity. The Amazon basin is thought to hold 30% of all river fish species in the world. Information about the ecology, reproduction, and recruitment of most species is still lacking, thus hampering fisheries management and successful conservation strategies. One of the key understudied issues in the study of population dynamics is recruitment. Fish larval ecology in tropical biomes is still in its infancy owing to identification difficulties. Molecular techniques are very promising tools for the identification of larvae at the species level. However, one of their limits is obtaining individual sequences with large samples of larvae. To facilitate this task, we developed a new method based on the massive parallel sequencing capability of next generation sequencing (NGS) coupled with hybridization capture. We focused on the mitochondrial marker cytochrome oxidase I (COI). The results obtained using the new method were compared with individual larval sequencing. We validated the ability of the method to identify Amazonian catfish larvae at the species level and to estimate the relative abundance of species in batches of larvae. Finally, we applied the method and provided evidence for strong temporal variation in reproductive activity of catfish species in the Ucayalí River in the Peruvian Amazon. This new time and cost effective method enables the acquisition of large datasets, paving the way for a finer understanding of reproductive dynamics and recruitment patterns of tropical fish species, with major implications for fisheries management and conservation.

Dynamics of DNA methylomes underlie oyster development - Guillaume Rivière; Yan He; Samuele Tecchio; Elizabeth Crowell; Michaël Gras; Pascal Sourdaine; Guo, Ximing; Pascal Favrel (PLoS Genetics, 2017)

Dynamics of particulate organic matter composition in coastal systems: A spatio-temporal study at multi-systems scale - Liénart, Camilla; Savoye, Nicolas; Bozec, Yann; Elsa Breton; Conan, Pascal; David, Valérie; Eric Feunteun; Karine Grangeré; Kerhervé, P.; Lebreton, B.; Sébastien Lefebvre; Stéphane L'Helguen; et al. (Progress in Oceanography, 2017)
In coastal systems, the multiplicity of sources fueling the pool of particulate organic matter (POM) leads to divergent estimations of POM composition. Eleven systems (two littoral systems, eight embayments and semi-enclosed systems and one estuary) distributed along the three maritime façades of France were studied for two to eight years in order to quantify the relative contribution of organic matter sources to the surface-water POM pool in coastal systems. This study was based on carbon and nitrogen elemental and isotopic ratios, used for running mixing models. The POM of the estuary is dominated by terrestrial material (93% on average), whereas the POM of the other systems is dominated by phytoplankton (84% on average). Nevertheless, for the latter systems, the POM composition varies in space, with (1) systems where POM is highly composed of phytoplankton (≥93%), (2) systems characterized by a non-negligible contribution of benthic (8–19%) and/or river (7–19%) POM sources, and (3) the Mediterranean systems characterized by the contribution of diazotroph organisms (ca. 14%). A continent-to-ocean gradient of river and/or benthic POM contribution is observed. Finally, time series reveal (1) seasonal variations of POM composition, (2) differences in seasonality between systems, and (3) an inshore-offshore gradient of seasonality within each system that were sampled at several stations. Spatial and seasonal patterns of POM composition are mainly due to local to regional processes such as hydrodynamics and sedimentary hydrodynamic (e.g. resuspension processes, changes in river flows, wind patterns influencing along-shore currents) but also due to the geomorphology of the systems (depth of the water column, distance to the shore). Future studies investigating the link between these forcings and POM composition would help to better understand the dynamics of POM composition in coastal systems. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords: bacterium; benthos; biogeochemistry; Biological materials; C and n stable isotopes; C:N ratio; Carbon; carbon isotope; Coastal systems; coastal zone; Fluid dynamics; France; geomorphology; Hydrodynamics; Isotopes; isotopic ratio; Mediterranean sea; Meta analysis; meta-analysis; Mixing; Mixing models; nitrogen isotope; Organic compounds; particulate organic matter; Particulate organic matters; Phytoplankton; prokaryote; Rivers; seasonality; spatiotemporal analysis; stable isotope; Surface water; Surface waters; terrestrial deposit; Time series

Dynamics of phytoplankton productivity and exopolysaccharides (EPS and TEP) pools in the Seine Estuary (France, Normandy) over tidal cycles and over two contrasting seasons - Morelle, Jérôme; Mathilde Schapira; Pascal Claquin (Marine Environmental Research, 2017)

Earliest known lepisosteoid extends the range of anatomically modern gars to the Late Jurassic - Brito, Paulo M.; Alvarado-Ortega, J; Meunier, Francois J. (Scientific reports, 2017)

Evidence of two species currently under the name of Eleotris fusca (Gobioidei: Eleotridae) in the Indian Ocean - Marion Mennesson; Philippe Keith (Cybium, 2017)
The observation of the cephalic free neuromast pattern of the genus Eleotris allows to classify the specimens in different groups of species but, as diagnostic characters without overlap are scarce, the morphological identification of the species is difficult. However, genetic analyses, particularly with barcoding (COI), facilitate the discrimination between species. In a recent study on the phylogeography of Eleotris fusca Bloch & Schneider, 1801 in the Indo-Pacific area, two species have been revealed although they present the same cephalic free neuromast pattern. The first one included specimens mainly from the Pacific Ocean and the second one, specimens from the Indian Ocean. They are separated with a mean pairwise divergence of 5.6% and present 32 diagnostic nucleotide substitutions in the 585 bp of COI sequenced. After the examination of all the available types of the synonym of E. fusca from the Indian Ocean, we revalidated the name of Eleotris klunzingerii Pfeffer, 1893.

The expression of nuclear and membrane estradiol receptors in the European eel throughout spermatogenesis. - Morini, Marina; Penaranda, David S; Vílchez, M C; Tveiten, Helge; Anne-Gaelle Lafont; Sylvie Dufour; Pérez, L; Asturiano, J F (Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A, 2017)

Eye Development in Sepia officinalis Embryo: What the Uncommon Gene Expression Profiles Tell Us about Eye Evolution - Imarazen, Boudjema; Aude Andouche; Yann Bassaglia; Pascal Jean Lopez; Laure Bonnaud-Ponticelli (Front. Physiol., 2017)
In metazoans, there is a remarkable diversity of photosensitive structures; their shapes, physiology, optical properties, and development are different. To approach the evolution of photosensitive structures and visual function, cephalopods are particularly interesting organisms due to their most highly centralized nervous system and their camerular eyes which constitute a convergence with those of vertebrates. The eye morphogenesis in numerous metazoans is controlled mainly by a conserved Retinal Determination Gene Network (RDGN) including pax, six, eya, and dac playing also key developmental roles in non-retinal structures and tissues of vertebrates and Drosophila. Here we have identified and explored the role of Sof-dac, Sof-six1/2, Sof-eya in eye morphogenesis, and nervous structures controlling the visual function in Sepia officinalis. We compare that with the already shown expressions in eye development of Sof-otx and Sof-pax genes. Rhodopsin is the pigment responsible for light sensitivity in metazoan, which correlate to correlate visual function and eye development. We studied Sof-rhodopsin expression during retina differentiation. By in situ hybridization, we show that (1) all of the RDGN genes, including Sof-pax6, are expressed in the eye area during the early developmental stages but they are not expressed in the retina, unlike Sof-otx, which could have a role in retina differentiation; (2) Sof-rhodopsin is expressed in the retina just before vision gets functional, from stage 23 to hatching. Our results evidence a role of Sof-six1/2, Sof-eya, and Sof-dac in eye development. However, the gene network involved in the retinal photoreceptor differentiation remains to be determined. Moreover, for the first time, Sof-rhodopsin expression is shown in the embryonic retina of cuttlefish suggesting the evolutionary conservation of the role of rhodopsin in visual phototransduction within metazoans. These findings are correlated with the physiological and behavioral observations suggesting that S. officinalis is able to react to light stimuli from stage 25 of organogenesis on, as soon as the first retinal pigments appear.
Keywords: dac; eya; eye development; rhodopsin; Sepia officinalis; six

First proteomic analyses of the dorsal and ventral parts of the Sepia officinalis cuttlebone. - Le Pabic, Charles; Marie, Arul; Marie, Benjamin; Percot, Aline; Laure Bonnaud-Ponticelli; Pascal Jean Lopez; Gilles Luquet (J Proteomics, 2017)
Protein compounds constituting mollusk shells are known for their major roles in the biomineralization processes. These last years, a great diversity of shell proteins have been described in bivalves and gastropods allowing a better understanding of the calcification control by organic compounds and given promising applications in biotechnology. Here, we analyzed for the first time the organic matrix of the aragonitic Sepia officinalis shell, with an emphasis on protein composition of two different structures: the dorsal shield and the chambered part. Our results highlight an organic matrix mainly composed of polysaccharide, glycoprotein and protein compounds as previously described in other mollusk shells, with quantitative and qualitative differences between the dorsal shield and the chamber part. Proteomic analysis resulted in identification of only a few protein compounds underlining the lack of reference databases for Sepiidae. However, most of them contain domains previously characterized in matrix proteins of aragonitic shell-builder mollusks, suggesting ancient and conserved mechanisms of the aragonite biomineralization processes within mollusks. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The cuttlefish's inner shell, better known under the name "cuttlebone", is a complex mineral structure unique in mollusks and involved in tissue support and buoyancy regulation. Although it combines useful properties as high compressive strength, high porosity and high permeability, knowledge about organic compounds involved in its building remains limited. Moreover, several cuttlebone organic matrix studies reported data very different from each other or from other mollusk shells. Thus, this study provides 1) an overview of the organization of the main mineral structures found in the S. officinalis shell, 2) a reliable baseline about its organic composition, and 3) a first descriptive proteomic approach of organic matrices found in the two main parts of this shell. These data will contribute to the general knowledge about mollusk biomineralization as well as in the identification of protein compounds involved in the Sepiidae shell calcification.

Food resources of the bivalve Astarte elliptica in a sub-Arctic fjord: a multi-biomarker approach - Gaillard, B; Tarik Meziane; Réjean Tremblay; P Archambault; Blicher, M E; Laurent Chauvaud; Rysgaard, S; Frédéric Olivier (Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2017)
ABSTRACT: It is generally agreed that pelagic-benthic coupling is tight on Arctic shelves, i.e. that organic matter produced in the surface layers supports the seafloor and benthos. However, this paradigm is mainly based on the assumption that phytoplankton and ice algae are the main sources of carbon for the benthic communities. Climate change is expected to alter the relative contribution of food sources for benthic organisms. Macroalgal biomass is predicted to increase in near-shore systems in response to increased temperature and reduced sea ice cover. Thus, a better understanding of the relative contribution of benthic and pelagic components in benthic food webs in the Arctic is needed. In this study, a multi-biomarker approach (stable isotopes, fatty acid trophic markers, and compound-specific stable isotope analysis) was applied to link potential sources of carbon, including particulate organic matter from subsurface and bottom waters, sediment organic matter, and 6 macroalgal species to the diet of the bivalve Astarte elliptica collected below the euphotic zone in a sub-Arctic fjord (Kobbefjord, Greenland). Results showed that A. elliptica feeds on particulate and sediment organic matter and that brown macroalgae significantly support the Arctic benthic food web. Multi-biomarker approaches can be used to determine the diet of benthic organisms and track temporal variability in sources of food. It therefore appears to be an interesting method to study food regime strategies in response to changing primary production dynamics.

Genetic and morphological evidence for cryptic species in Macrobrachium australe and resurrection of M. ustulatum (Crustacea, Palaemonidae) - Castelin, Magalie; de Mazancourt, Valentin; Marquet, Gérard; Zimmermann, Gabrielle; Philippe Keith (European Journal of Taxonomy, 2017)
Macrobrachium australe is an amphidromous prawn living in the insular freshwater systems of the Indo-Pacific. Because it possesses few informative morphological characters, that often vary from one habitat to another, M. australe has produced much taxonomic confusion and has historically been described under eight synonyms. Here, 53 specimens collected throughout the Indo-Pacific under the name M. australe were phylogenetically and morphologically examined. Results revealed that what has been called M. australe belongs to at least two distinct species: M. australe, distributed from the Southwest Indian Ocean to the Central Pacific Ocean, and a cryptic species potentially restricted to the Northwest Pacific Ocean, here identified as M. ustulatum, which until now was considered as a junior synonym. Although they are not quite found in the same habitat (lentic-lotic), the presence of these distinct, and reciprocally monophyletic entities in the same rivers on the islands of Palau and Santo strongly favors the hypothesis of two reproductively isolated entities. Six morphological characters, including the proportions of the joints of the male second pereiopod, the shape of the epistome lobe and the armature of the fourth thoracic sternite, are evidenced as diagnostic. A neotype of M. australe is designated and deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris.
Keywords: Amphidromous prawn; Indo-West Pacific; morphology; multi-locus phylogeny

Genetic and morphological evidence for cryptic species in Macrobrachium australe and resurrection of M. ustulatum (Crustacea, Palaemonidae) (European Journal of Taxonomy, 2017)
Macrobrachium australe is an amphidromous prawn living in the insular freshwater systems of the Indo-Pacific. Because it possesses few informative morphological characters, that often vary from one habitat to another, M. australe has produced much taxonomic confusion and has historically been described under eight synonyms. Here, 53 specimens collected throughout the Indo-Pacific under the name M. australe were phylogenetically and morphologically examined. Results revealed that what has been called M. australe belongs to at least two distinct species: M. australe, distributed from the Southwest Indian Ocean to the Central Pacific Ocean, and a cryptic species potentially restricted to the Northwest Pacific Ocean, here identified as M. ustulatum, which until now was considered as a junior synonym. Although they are not quite found in the same habitat (lentic-lotic), the presence of these distinct, and reciprocally monophyletic entities in the same rivers on the islands of Palau and Santo strongly favors the hypothesis of two reproductively isolated entities. Six morphological characters, including the proportions of the joints of the male second pereiopod, the shape of the epistome lobe and the armature of the fourth thoracic sternite, are evidenced as diagnostic. A neotype of M. australe is designated and deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris.

Geography and life history traits account for the accumulation of cryptic diversity among Indo-West Pacific coral reef fishes - Hubert, Nicolas; Dettai, Agnès; Patrice Pruvost; Cruaud, Corinne; Kulbicki, Michel; Myers, Robert F.; Borsa, Philippe (Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2017)

A global picture of biological invasion threat on islands. - Bellard, Céline; Rysman, Jean-François; Leroy, Boris; Claud, C; Mace, Georgina M (Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2017)
Biological invasions are among the main drivers of biodiversity losses. As threats from biological invasions increase, one of the most urgent tasks is to identify areas of high vulnerability. However, the lack of comprehensive information on the impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) is a problem especially on islands, where most of the recorded extinctions associated with IAS have occurred. Here we provide a global, network-oriented analysis of IAS on islands. Using network analysis, we structured 27,081 islands and 437 threatened vertebrates into 21 clusters, based on their profiles in term of invasiveness and shared vulnerabilities. These islands are mainly located in the Southern Hemisphere and many are in biodiversity hotspots. Some of the islands share similar characteristics regarding their connectivity that could be useful for understanding their response to invasive species. The major invaders found in these clusters of islands are feral cats, feral dogs, pigs and rats. Our analyses reveal those IAS that systematically act alone or in combination, and the pattern of shared IAS among threatened species, providing new information to implement effective eradication strategies. Combined with further local, contextual information this can contribute to global strategies to deal with IAS.

The Gulf Stream frontal system: A key oceanographic feature in the habitat selection of the leatherback turtle? - Chambault, Philippine; Roquet, Fabien; Benhamou, Simon; Baudena, Alberto; Pauthenet, Etienne; de Thoisy, Benoît; Bonola, Marc; Dos Reis, Virginie; Crasson, Rodrigue; Brucker, Mathieu; Le Maho, Yvon; Chevallier, Damien (Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 2017)

Habitat use and diving behaviour of gravid olive ridley sea turtles under riverine conditions in French Guiana - Chambault, Philippine; Giraudou, Lucie; de Thoisy, Benoît; Bonola, Marc; Kelle, Laurent; Reis, Virginie Dos; Blanchard, Fabian; Le Maho, Yvon; Chevallier, Damien (Journal of Marine Systems, 2017)

High-resolution climatic reconstruction in the tropical Pacific based on biocarbonate archives - Claire E. Lazareth (Université Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris VI, 2017)
In the current context of global change and the associated need to provide forecasts on the future evolution of the climate as precise as possible, it is crucial to have a deep understanding of the earth climate system. Pacific Ocean is an important compartment of this system. It is the place of strong ocean-atmosphere interactions and the birthplace of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the impacts of which are catastrophic for the environments and the populations. The current knowledge on ENSO partly relies on observations which are however limited in time. To increase this dataset and understand the natural climate variability, additional data are acquired for past periods, based on various type of archives. Because ENSO occurrences are connected with the seasonal variability and last several months, high temporal resolution information, are necessary. In this manuscript I shall describe how I tried to develop, and to apply, environmental proxies from biocarbonate archives in the tropical Pacific Ocean to reconstruct the monthly or infra-monthly variability of the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and the evaporation/precipitation balance. To do that, I focused my works on the mollusk shells and Porites sp coral skeleton. These archives contain various tracers (growth and geochemical variations) of the sought environmental variables. I will show that the thicknesses of growth decreases of the Protothaca thaca bivalve shells (East Pacific) indicate occurrences of El Nino events. In the Western part of the Pacific basin, changes in daily increment thicknesses in two Tridacnidae species, Tridacna maxima and Hippopus hippopus are related to SST changes but also depend on physiological condition of the animals. While certain geochemical tracers (Sr/Ca, δ18O) within Porites sp. Skeleton can be used with a certain confidence, this is not always the case for the mollusk shells. I will show that the use of Mg/Ca as a SST proxy depends on the species and that physiology and very early diagenesis are obstacles in the use of this proxy. In T. maxima and H hippopus, δ18O can be used as a tracer of SST and of the evaporation/precipitation balance. To reconstruct variations of these parameters during the Mid-Holocene, I worked on fossil giant clams and corals, after diagenesis assessment. I will show how various types of diagenesis impact the microstructure, the geochemistry, and the reconstructed environmental parameter. I will also propose hypotheses on the diagenesis process itself. Based on results obtained from Mid-Holocene archives, I will show that the post-glacial SST rise was reached at around 6.5-6 ka BP in the Southwest Pacific, that the South Pacific Convergence Zone influence was more probably reduced, the Hadley circulation enhanced, and that ENSO variability was probably reduced. The work done on Lapita (3 ka BP) Tridacnidae confirmed that the Lapita migration has probably been favored by an increase in climatic variability.The last chapter deals with the future directions I would like to give to my research that include i/ better understand the incorporation of proxies in mollusk and ii/ try to propose solution for sustainable management of tropical ecosystems based on the use of biocarbonate as recorder of the environment and its disturbances.

Histological characteristics of lower jaw bones and oral teeth of the short nose gar, Lepisosteus platostomus Rafinesque, 1820 (Lepisosteidae) - Meunier, Francois J.; Brito, Paulo M. (2017)

The homology and function of the lung plates in extant and fossil coelacanths - Cupello, C; Meunier, Francois J.; Herbin, Marc; Janvier, Philippe; Clément, Gaël; Brito, Paulo M. (Scientific reports, 2017)

Identifying Toxic Impacts of Metals Potentially Released during Deep-Sea Mining—A Synthesis of the Challenges to Quantifying Risk - Hauton, Chris; Brown, Alastair; Thatje, Sven; Mestre, Nélia C.; Bebianno, Maria J.; Martins, Inês; Bettencourt, Raul; Canals, Miquel; Sanchez-Vidal, Anna; Bruce Shillito; Juliette Ravaux; Magali Zbinden; et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2017)
In January 2017, the International Seabed Authority released a discussion paper on the development of Environmental Regulations for deep-sea mining (DSM) within the Area Beyond National Jurisdiction (the “Area”). With the release of this paper, the prospect for commercial mining in the Area within the next decade has become very real. Moreover, within nations' Exclusive Economic Zones, the exploitation of deep-sea mineral ore resources could take place on very much shorter time scales and, indeed, may have already started. However, potentially toxic metal mixtures may be released at sea during different stages of the mining process and in different physical phases (dissolved or particulate). As toxicants, metals can disrupt organism physiology and performance, and therefore may impact whole populations, leading to ecosystem scale effects. A challenge to the prediction of toxicity is that deep-sea ore deposits include complex mixtures of minerals, including potentially toxic metals such as copper, cadmium, zinc, and lead, as well as rare earth elements. Whereas the individual toxicity of some of these dissolved metals has been established in laboratory studies, the complex and variable mineral composition of seabed resources makes the a priori prediction of the toxic risk of DSM extremely challenging. Furthermore, although extensive data quantify the toxicity of metals in solution in shallow-water organisms, these may not be representative of the toxicity in deep-sea organisms, which may differ biochemically and physiologically and which will experience those toxicants under conditions of low temperature, high hydrostatic pressure, and potentially altered pH. In this synthesis, we present a summation of recent advances in our understanding of the potential toxic impacts of metal exposure to deep-sea meio- to megafauna at low temperature and high pressure, and consider the limitation of deriving lethal limits based on the paradigm of exposure to single metals in solution. We consider the potential for long-term and far-field impacts to key benthic invertebrates, including the very real prospect of sub-lethal impacts and behavioral perturbation of exposed species. In conclusion, we advocate the adoption of an existing practical framework for characterizing bulk resource toxicity in advance of exploitation.

The impact of suspended oyster farming on nitrogen cycling and nitrous oxide production in a sub-tropical Australian estuary - Dirk V. Erler; David T. Welsh; William W. Bennet; Tarik Meziane; Cédric Hubas; Daniele Nizzoli; Angus J.P. Ferguson (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2017)
In this study we quantified nitrate (NO3−) reduction (denitrification, anammox and DNRA) and N2O production in sediments and epibiont communities associated with Sydney Rock Oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) farming. In sediments beneath an active suspended oyster farm, DNRA accounted for 98% of NO3− reduction with rates of up to 169 ± 45 μmol N m−2 h−1. Much of this DNRA was fuelled by NO3− derived from nitrification. Reference sediments had significantly lower DNRA rates of 83.8 ± 28.2 μmol N m−2 h−1, however this constituted 96% of the sites total NO3− reduction. Fatty acid analysis showed that sediment organic matter was more labile in the oyster impacted sediments, facilitating subtle shifts in sediment oxygen demand which increased the Fe2+ availability with respect to the reference sediments. The difference in DNRA rate between the sites was attributed to autotrophic oxidation of soluble Fe2+ in sediments underlying the oyster cultures. DNRA was absent in the oyster shell epibiont communities and rates of anammox and denitrification were lower than in the sediments. Production of NH4+ from the oysters and their associated epibionts was larger than DNRA and reached a rate of 206.2 μmol N m−2 h−1. Nitrous oxide production rates were generally low compared to other aquaculture systems and the net flux of N2O for the combined oyster cultivation system (i.e. sediments plus epibionts) was negative, i.e. there was N2O consumption in the sediments beneath the oysters. Overall, subtropical suspended oyster farming systems favour inorganic N retention over N loss.
Keywords: Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium

Inter and intra-specific growth and domoic acid production in relation to nutrient ratios and concentrations in Pseudo-nitzschia: phosphate an important factor - Lema, Kimberley A.; Latimier, Marie; Nézan, Elisabeth; Juliette Fauchot; Le Gac, Mickael (Harmful Algae, 2017)
The factors responsible for inducing the synthesis of toxins and responses from toxic phytoplankton blooms remain unclear. In this study we compare the influence of genotypic (at both the intra and interspecific levels) and environmental factors (nutrient concentration and ratio) on growth (in terms of cell densities) and domoic acid (DA) production in three Pseudo-nitzschia species: P. australis, P.pungens and P.fradulenta. A strong phosphate effect was detected. More precisely, a low initial concentration in phosphate, even at high initial nitrogen and silicate concentrations, induced the highest DA concentrations and the lowest cell densities in all strains/species studied. In contrast, a low initial concentration of nitrogen and silicate combined, with a higher phosphate concentration resulted in low cell densities, but without high DA production. Inter-species effects were also observed in DA production, where P. australis represented the most toxigenic species of all. Intra-specific variations were only moderate, except for a recently isolated P. australis strain, suggesting the influence of time since isolation on the physiology and DA production of Pseudo-nitzschia species. Overall, the lack of strong interaction between environmental and genotypic factors showed that the various genotypes investigated did not extensively diverge in their ability to respond (in terms of DA production and cell densities) to contrasting nutrient supply.

Le cas des récifs d’hermelles Nuisible ou patrimonial : l’évolution des perceptions en milieu marin - Patrick Le Mao; Nicolas Desroy; Jérôme Fournier; Laurent Godet; Eric Thiébaut (Le Courrier de la Nature, 2017)

Le Mont-Saint-Michel et sa baie peuvent-ils se réconcilier ? - Canard, Alain; Prigent, Lionel; Frédéric Ysnel; Robin, Thierry; Alexandre Carpentier; Lefeuvre, Jean-Claude; Bioret, Frédéric (Actes du colloque de Bailleul 2017 « Valeurs et usages des zones humides », 2017)

Marine Mammals Exploring the Oceans Pole to Pole: A Review of the MEOP Consortium - Treasure, Anne; Roquet, Fabien; Ansorge, Isabelle; Bester, Marthán; Boehme, Lars; Bornemann, Horst; Charrassin, Jean-Benoît; Chevallier, Damien; Costa, Daniel; Fedak, Mike; Guinet, Christophe; Hammill, Mike; et al. (Oceanography, 2017)

Mercury contamination level and speciation inventory in Lakes Titicaca and Uru-Uru (Bolivia): Current status and future trends - S. Guédron; D. Point; D. Acha; S. Bouchet; P.A. Baya; E. Tessier; M. Monperrus; C.I. Molina; A. Groleau; Laurent Chauvaud; J. Thebault; E. Amice; et al. (Environmental Pollution, 2017)
Aquatic ecosystems of the Bolivian Altiplano (∼3800 m a.s.l.) are characterized by extreme hydro-climatic constrains (e.g., high UV-radiations and low oxygen) and are under the pressure of increasing anthropogenic activities, unregulated mining, agricultural and urban development. We report here a complete inventory of mercury (Hg) levels and speciation in the water column, atmosphere, sediment and key sentinel organisms (i.e., plankton, fish and birds) of two endorheic Lakes of the same watershed differing with respect to their size, eutrophication and contamination levels. Total Hg (THg) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations in filtered water and sediment of Lake Titicaca are in the lowest range of reported levels in other large lakes worldwide. Downstream, Hg levels are 3-10 times higher in the shallow eutrophic Lake Uru-Uru than in Lake Titicaca due to high Hg inputs from the surrounding mining region. High percentages of MMHg were found in the filtered and unfiltered water rising up from <1 to ∼50% THg from the oligo/hetero-trophic Lake Titicaca to the eutrophic Lake Uru-Uru. Such high %MMHg is explained by a high in situ MMHg production in relation to the sulfate rich substrate, the low oxygen levels of the water column, and the stabilization of MMHg due to abundant ligands present in these alkaline waters. Differences in MMHg concentrations in water and sediments compartments between Lake Titicaca and Uru-Uru were found to mirror the offset in MMHg levels that also exist in their respective food webs. This suggests that in situ MMHg baseline production is likely the main factor controlling MMHg levels in fish species consumed by the local population. Finally, the increase of anthropogenic pressure in Lake Titicaca may probably enhance eutrophication processes which favor MMHg production and thus accumulation in water and biota.
Keywords: Titicaca

Metazoan parasite communities in Alosa alosa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Alosa fallax (Lacépède, 1803) (Clupeidae) from North-East Atlantic coastal waters and connected rivers - Gérard, C.; Hervé, M.; Gay, M.; Bourgau, O.; Eric Feunteun; Anthony Acou; Réveillac, E. (Parasitology Research, 2017)

Mixed-stock analysis in green turtles Chelonia mydas: mtDNA decipher current connections among west Atlantic populations - Costa Jordao, Juliana; Bondioli, Ana Cristina Vigliar; Almeida-Toledo, Lurdes Foresti de; Bilo, Karin; Berzins, Rachel; Le Maho, Yvon; Chevallier, Damien; de Thoisy, Benoît (Mitochondrial DNA Part A, 2017)

Molecular characterization of an adipokinetic hormone-related neuropeptide (AKH) from a mollusk - Marie-Pierre Dubos; Bernay, Benoît; Pascal Favrel (General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2017)

Morphodynamics of an eroding beach and foredune in the Mekong River delta: Implications for deltaic shoreline change - E.J. Anthony; P. Dussouillez; Franck Dolique; M. Besset; G. Brunier; V.L. Nguyen; M. Goichot (Continental Shelf Research, 2017)
River delta shorelines composed of sand may be characterized by complex spatial and temporal patterns of erosion and accretion even when sand supply is readily available. This is especially the case for deltas with multiple mouths subject to significant wave and tide influence. High-resolution topographical and wave and current measurements were conducted from 2010 to 2012 at Ba Dông beach, a popular resort located on the largest of the multiple inter-distributary plains of the Mekong River delta. Ba Dông beach is a mesotidal, multiple bar-trough system. The upper beach corresponds to the current active beach ridge in the sequence of ridges that have marked the progradation of the inter-distributary delta plains, and is capped by a low foredune that protects villages and agricultural land from marine flooding. During the low river-flow season, the beach is characterized by Northeast monsoon waves and strong longshore currents that transport sediment towards the southwest. Weaker longshore currents towards the northeast are generated by Southwest monsoon waves during the high river-flow season. Ba Dông beach underwent strong erosion between 2010 and 2012, following a phase of massive accretion. In 2012, this erosion resulted in breaching of the foredune, contributing to concerns that the Mekong delta had become vulnerable to retreat. The local erosion at Ba Dông needs to be considered, however, in the broader context of delta shoreline morphodynamics, which involves space- and time-varying patterns of beach accretion and erosion. These patterns are the present expressions of plan-view beach-ridge morphology in the delta, which is characterized by flaring and truncations that reflect changing beach morphodynamics in the course of deltaic progradation. We surmise that these patterns are related to complex interactions involving river water and sediment discharge, waves and wave-generated longshore currents, tidal currents, and shoreline orientation.
Keywords: Asian monsoon waves; Beach morphodynamics; Beach ridges; Delta erosion and accretion; Mekong delta