Dutertre, M., Hamon D., Chevalier C., and Ehrhold, A. 2013. The use of the relationships between environmental factors and benthic macrofaunal distribution in the establishment of a baseline for coastal management – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 294–308. Relationships between benthic macrofauna and natural abiotic factors were studied along the coastal fringe of South Brittany, situated north of the Gulf of Biscay on the French Atlantic continental shelf. Within the framework of the REBENT network, sediment characteristics, depth, and macrofaunal abundance were determined for 95 stations spread over five subtidal sectors, using a combination of seabed acoustic remote sensing systems and grab sampling. The physico-chemical properties of the water column and the hydrodynamic conditions were generated by validated three-dimensional environmental models which take into account variations over shorter temporal scales. Multivariate analyses ranked 16 natural abiotic variables according to the significance of their influence on the macrofauna. Together these variables explained 51% of spatial variation in the macrofauna, with morpho-sedimentological and hydrological factors contributing 22% and 26%, respectively. The outputs from validated three-dimensional environmental models appear to be useful interpretational tools for benthic ecology studies, especially in estuarine and coastal ecosystems with high environmental variability due to regular freshwater inputs. Ten major species assemblages were identified using biological and physical characteristics. The results provide important baseline knowledge for future ecosystem and resource management.

The recent appearance and invasion of feral oysters (Crassostrea gigas) along the northern European Atlantic coast, underscores the necessity to investigate the relationship between environmental variables, reproductive physiology, larval development and recruitment. We studied these relationships at both high (HT) and intermediate (IT) - turbidity sites, through historical data on water temperatures, multi-parameter environmental probes, histological analyses, and field collections of planktonic larvae and settled post-larvae in 2005 and 2006. A progressive warming trend was observed, especially since 1995, when oyster proliferation first became severe. Threshold temperatures for oocyte growth, larval development and settlement were achieved in both 2005 and 2006. The HT site showed greater numbers of larvae and post-larvae than the IT site for both years, with the highest numbers of post-larvae observed at both sites during the warmer summer of 2006. These results suggest that increased temperatures in northern European waters allow successful reproduction, larval development, and recruitment of C. gigas. High turbidity conditions further enhance this success.

-The proliferation of the voluntarily-introduced cupped oyster, Crassostrea gigas, has attained the proportions of species invasion in many intertidal habitats in Europe, presumably resulting from successful reproduction of farmed individuals. It is thus imperative to better understand the reproductive characteristics of farmed oysters, since they are directly under human control. We quantified the dry tissue mass (DTM), gametosomatic index (GSI), and reproductive cycle of farmed oysters at two sites in Bourgneuf Bay, France, in relation to environmental parameters using continuously-recording probes in 2005 and 2006. The GSI was developed for this study, based on the actual area occupied by gametes, rather than the area of the gonad previously used for quantitative histological estimation of reproductive effort. The two sites, intermediate -(IT) and high-turbidity (HT), differed markedly in the amount and quality of particulate suspended matter, and also in fine-scale temperature variations. Oysters at both sites presented two spawning periods in both 2005 and 2006; Bourgneuf Bay is thus near the northernmost European limit for a 2-spawning cycle in Crassostrea gigas. Gonad maturation was initiated when spring water temperature reached 8-10• C, and gamete atresia occurred when water temperatures transiently dipped to 15-18• C. Spawns, which occurred above 18• C, were timed by fine-scale water temperature variations. Particulate organic matter quality peaks, coinciding with gonad maturation, were related to DTM variations before spawning periods, for the IT oysters in both years, and for the HT oysters in 2006. The reproductive effort (GSI) of oysters was similar at both sites; however, the fates of the gametes differed according to site. At the first spawning, the IT oyster gamete emissions were +1 month delayed, as were peak water temperatures greater than 18• C, and more pronounced, compared to the HT site. Although the second spawning showed high proportions of atretic oocytes at both sites in both years, the IT oysters evacuated twice as many gametes as the HT oysters in 2005. The IT conditions therefore appear more suited to Crassostrea gigas gamete evacuation than the HT conditions. Key words: Reproduction / Temperature / Turbidity / Oocytes / Atresia / Biological invasion / Gametosomatic index / Bivalve / Oyster farming / Crassostrea gigas / Atlantic Ocean Résumé -La prolifération de l'huître creuse volontairement introduite, Crassostrea gigas, a atteint les proportions d'une invasion biologique au niveau de nombreux habitats intertidaux en Europe, vraisemblablement en raison du succès de la reproduction des individus cultivés. Il est donc essentiel de mieux comprendre les caractéristiques de la reproduction des huîtres qui sont cultivées. Nous avons quantifié la masse de tissus secs (DTM), l'indice gaméto-somatique (GSI) et le cycle reproducteur des huîtres cultivées sur deux sites de la baie de Bourgneuf, en relation avec les paramètres environnementaux enregistrés en continu par des sondes, e...

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We compared growth simulations by dynamic energy budget (DEB) and scope for growth (SFG) models of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, cultivated in Bourgneuf Bay on the French Atlantic coast. This bay is located at a latitude in the middle of the European range of the species, and is characterized by high concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and a marked gradient between high-turbidity sites in the north (daily SPM > 500 mg L -1 ) and intermediate-turbidity sites in the south. The models use two forcing variables: seawater temperature and food density. We tested two indices of food availability: chlorophyll a and microalgal concentrations. In the SFG model, food intake is simulated by a type-II Holling functional response, as in the DEB formulation, and the effect of turbidity in both models is therefore taken into account principally through the half-saturation coefficient for this functional response. Chlorophyll a concentrations were three to four times higher at the high-turbidity site, but oyster growth rates were significantly lower at this site than at the intermediate-turbidity site. A comparison of observed and simulated values showed that the DEB model performed better than the SFG model if microalgal concentration was used as an index of food availability, with the SFG model underestimating oyster growth in summer and autumn. However, the SFG model was much more efficient if chlorophyll a concentrations were used, with the DEB model systematically overestimating summer and autumn growth. This comparison suggests that both SFG and DEB simulations could be improved, to give a more accurate description of oyster growth in a turbid environment, and that the pre-ingestive selection mechanisms used by suspension feeders in turbid environments should probably be included in the formulation of feeding processes.Highlights ► The growth of Pacific oyster was studied in a high-turbidity ecosystem. ► At the highest turbidity site, the growth was lower compared to an intermediate turbidity site, in spite of a high availability of food resources. ► Growth was simulated by two models (Scope For Growth vs. Dynamic Energy Budget) showing different simulations according to the food quantifier tested (chlorophyll a vs. cell concentration). ► Both models could be improved by including pre-ingestive feeding responses, playing a significant role for suspension-feeders inhabiting turbid environments.