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Early naturalists suggested that predation intensity increases toward the tropics, affecting fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes by latitude, but empirical support is still limited. Several studies have measured consumption rates across latitude at large scales, with variable results. Moreover, how predation affects prey community composition at such geographic scales remains unknown. Using standardized experiments that spanned 115° of latitude, at 36 nearshore sites along both coasts of the Americas, we found that marine predators have both higher consumption rates and consistently stronger impacts on biomass and species composition of marine invertebrate communities in warmer tropical waters, likely owing to fish predators. Our results provide robust support for a temperature-dependent gradient in interaction strength and have potential implications for how marine ecosystems will respond to ocean warming.

International audience; Among anthropogenic habitats built in the marine environment, floating and non-floating structures can be colonized by distinct assemblages. However, there is little knowledge whether these differences are also reflected in the functional structure. This study compared the functional diversity of sessile and mobile invertebrate assemblages that settle over three months on floating vs. non-floating artificial habitats, in two Chilean ports. Using morphological, trophic, behavioral, and life history traits, we found differences between mobile and sessile assemblages regarding the effect of the type of habitat on the functional diversity. Compared to sessile assemblages, a greater functional similarity was observed for mobile assemblages, which suggests that their dispersal capacity enables them to balance the reduced connectivity between settlement structures. No traits, prevailing or selected in one or the other habitat type, was however clearly identified; a result warranting for further studies focusing on more advanced stages of community development.

Funding Funding for this work was provided by the Australian Research Council (TW: FT110100174, TW, KFD: DP190100058), the University of Western Australia Research Collaboration Awards (TW, TdB, JCL, DD, JNF, HC), the France-Australia Science Innovation Collaboration 2014 program (TdB, TW, JCL, DD), Metabomer and Corsaire Core Facility (CL), the French Government run by the National Research Agency with regards to the investment expenditure programme IDEALG ANR-10-BTBR-04 (JCL, DD) and the Norwegian Research Council (TW, MFP, KFD, KELPEX 255085/E40). As the environment is getting warmer and species are redistributed, consumers can be forced to adjust their interactions with available prey, and this could have cascading effects within food webs. To better understand the capacity for foraging flexibility, our study aimed to determine the diet variability of an ectotherm omnivore inhabiting kelp forests, the sea urchin Echinus esculentus, along its entire latitudinal distribution in the northeast Atlantic. Using a combination of gut content and stable isotope analyses, we determined the diet and trophic position of sea urchins at sites in Portugal (42° N), France (49° N), southern Norway (63° N), and northern Norway (70° N), and related these results to the local abundance and distribution of putative food items. With mean estimated trophic levels ranging from 2.4 to 4.6, omnivory and diet varied substantially within and between sites but not across latitudes. Diet composition generally reflected prey availability within epiphyte or understorey assemblages, with local affinities demonstrating that the sea urchin adjusts its foraging to match the small-scale distribution of food items. A net “preference” for epiphytic food sources was found in northern Norway, where understorey food was limited compared to other regions. We conclude that diet change may occur in response to food source redistribution at multiple spatial scales (microhabitats, sites, regions). Across these scales, the way that key consumers alter their foraging in response to food availability can have important implication for food web dynamics and ecosystem functions along current and future environmental gradients. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

International audience; Examining the effects of disturbances within marine urban communities can shed light on their assembly rules and invasion processes. The effects of physical disturbance, through the removal of dominant native habitatbuilders, were investigated in the recolonization of disturbed patches and colonization of plates on pier pilings, in a Chilean port. On pilings, disturbance substantially affected community structure after 3 months, although it slowly converged across treatments after 10 months. On plates, cryptogenic and non-indigenous species richness increased with removal severity, which was not observed in natives. Opportunistic taxa took advantage of colonizing at an early successional stage, illustrating a competition-colonization trade-off, although indirect effects might be at play (e.g. trophic competition or selective predation). Recovery of the habitatbuilders then occurred at the expense of cryptogenic and non-indigenous taxa. Whether natives could continue winning against increasing propagule and colonization pressures in marine urban habitats deserves further attention. The interactions between disturbance and biological invasions herein experimentally shown in situ contribute to our understanding of multiple changes imposed by marine urbanization in a growing propagule transport network.

Global biodiversity is both declining and being redistributed in response to multiple drivers characterizing the Anthropocene, including synergies between biological invasions and climate change. The Antarctic marine benthos may constitute the last biogeographic realm where barriers (oceanographic currents, climatic gradients) have not yet been broken. Here we report the successful settlement of a cohort of Mytilus cf. platensis in a shallow subtidal habitat of the South Shetland Islands in 2019, which demonstrates the ability of this species to complete its early life stages in this extreme environment. Genetic analyses and shipping records show that this observation is consistent with the dominant vectors and pathways linking southern Patagonia with the Antarctic Peninsula and demonstrates the potential for impending invasions of Antarctic ecosystems.

International audience; Aim: Biological invasions and changes in land and sea use are among the five major causes of global biodiversity decline. Shipping and ocean sprawl (multiplication of artificial structures at the expense of natural habitats) are considered as the major forces responsible for marine invasions and biotic homogenization. And yet, there is little evidence of their interplay at multiple spatial scales. Here, we aimed to examine this interaction and the extent to which the type of artificial habitat alters the distribution of native and non-indigenous biodiversity. Location: Southeast Pacific-Central Chilean coastline. Methods: Settlement plates were deployed upon two types of artificial habitats (floating and non-floating hard substrates) at a total of ten study sites, exposed to either international or local traffic. After colonization periods of 3 and 13 months, plates were retrieved to determine their associated fouling sessile assemblages at an early and late stage of development, respectively. Putative confounding factors (temperature, metal concentrations) were taken into account. Results: While traffic type had no detectable effect, there were strong differences in community structure between habitats, consistent across the study region. These differences were driven by non-indigenous species which contributed to 58% and 40% of the community structure in floating habitats after 3 and 13 months, respectively roughly 10 times greater than in their non-floating counterparts. Assemblages on floating structures also displayed a lower decline in similarity with increasing distance between sampling units, being thus more homogenous than non-floating habitats at the regional scale. Main conclusions: With the absence of international traffic effect, the colonization success by non-indigenous species appears to be mainly habitat-dependent and driven by local propagules. Floating structures not only provide specific niches but characteristics shared with major introduction and dispersal vectors (notably hulls), and in turn constitute important corridors to invasions and drivers of biotic homog-enization at multiple scales.

Of the suite of species interactions involved in biotic resistance to species invasions, predation can have complex outcomes according to the theoretical and empirical framework of community ecology. In this study, we aimed to determine the likelihood of consumptive biotic resistance within fouling communities in four ports of central Chile. Notably, we examined the influence of micro- (> 1–2 mm, 1–2 cm) predators, with a particular focus on their effects on non-indigenous species (NIS). Experimental and observational approaches were combined. An exclusion experiment was carried out over 4 months to examine predator effect on the early establishment of new assemblages on settlement panels. Later successional stages upon panels were examined over a total of 26 months and supported by rapid assessment surveys in the surrounding habitats. Community structure was significantly influenced by the exclusion treatments. Macropredators reduced the fouling biomass and abundance, although conflicting patterns emerged from the exclusion of both categories of predators. Altogether, predators reduced the abundance of most NIS and cryptogenic species, some of them being only observed when the two categories of predators were excluded—a pattern generally sustained over the long-term dynamics in community development. Our results show an effective consumptive biotic resistance, furthermore possibly dependent on predator size. Further work is however needed to determine the influence of the functional diversity of natural enemies on the efficiency of biotic resistance and its interplay with other biotic interactions (competition or mutualism). A comprehensive understanding of these processes should in turn help defining management strategies in a context of habitat modification and species loss.

International audience; In aquatic environments, habitat complexity influences community species composition at a local scale by partitioning physical niches, mediating water motion and retaining organic matter. Stratified into several microhabitats, kelp forests represent one of the most complex biotopes in coastal waters. These microhabitats are generally made of biogenic structures characterised by species-specific life cycles and their complexity is expected to change over time. In a Laminaria hyperborea forest near Roscoff (Brittany, France), we tested whether temporal changes differed among strata (lamina, stipe, holdfast and rock) in terms of habitat complexity, richness and species abundance distributions. At the scale of the study, the epiphytic habitat was relatively stable over four sampling dates, whereas epilithic structures of the understorey appeared particularly unstable in terms of habitat size and distribution among morpho-functional groups of habitat-formers. Unlike sessile species, mobile fauna experienced substantial temporal changes in richness and abundance distribution in all microhabitats studied. Although mobile fauna distribution varies in part with habitat complexity, additional factors likely come into play such as seasonal and stochastic variation in direct and indirect food resources.

Growing coastal urbanization together with the intensification of maritime traffic are major processes explaining the increasing rate of biological introductions in marine environments. To investigate the link between international maritime traffic and the establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in coastal areas, biofouling communities in three international and three nearby local ports along 100 km of coastline in south-central Chile were compared using settlement panels and rapid assessment surveys. A larger number of NIS was observed in international ports, as expected in these 'invasion hubs'. However, despite a few environmental differences between international and local ports, the two port categories did not display significant differences regarding NIS establishment and contribution to community structure over the studied period (1.5 years). In international ports, the free space could be a limiting factor for NIS establishment. The results also suggest that local ports should be considered in NIS surveillance programs in Chile.

International audience; Growing coastal urbanization together with the intensification of maritime traffic are major processes explaining the increasing rate of biological introductions in marine environments. To investigate the link between international maritime traffic and the establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in coastal areas, biofouling communities in three international and three nearby local ports along 100 km of coastline in south-central Chile were compared using settlement panels and rapid assessment surveys. A larger number of NIS was observed in international ports, as expected in these ‘invasion hubs’. However, despite a few environmental differences between international and local ports, the two port categories did not display significant differences regarding NIS establishment and contribution to community structure over the studied period (1.5 years). In international ports, the free space could be a limiting factor for NIS establishment. The results also suggest that local ports should be considered in NIS surveillance programs in Chile.

International audience; Boulder fields are complex habitats in which many species coexist and are important contributors to coastal biodiversity. These habitats experience important natural disturbances due to wave action, over which anthropogenic stressors, such as hand-fishing and urban sprawl, can be added. Despite their particularity and vulnerability, there have been few attempts to disentangle the processes that actually structure boulder-field communities at different scales. In order to help direct future research in boulder-field systems, diversity and community structure, as well as associated variability patterns, were compared between boulder and bedrock habitats at a hierarchy of spatial scales (from 100s of cm to 10s of km) along approximately 100 km of shoreline in NW Brittany. Specifically, it was hypothesised that (1) differences in physical structure would produce greater variability on boulder than on bedrock substrate at small scales and (2) contrasting patterns of variability would emerge with increasing scales, as the processes operating at a large scale on the bedrock would be dampened on boulders undergoing physical disturbance. Overall, both hypotheses were rejected with regards to variability patterns in diversity, community structure and abundances of most functional groups, except for ephemerals in both mid- and low-shore heights and limpets in the low-shore. Variability was generally concentrated at the smallest spatial scale, but bedrock showed greater patchiness than boulders for most of the response variables. With increasing spatial scales, the variability patterns were consistent overall between habitats. Among potential mechanisms, the interplay between grazing and physical disturbance over several spatial scales deserves further experimental scrutiny.

Within the COST action EMBOS (European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System) the degree and variation of the diversity and densities of soft-bottom communities from the lower intertidal or the shallow subtidal was measured at 28 marine sites along the European coastline (Baltic, Atlantic, Mediterranean) using jointly agreed and harmonized protocols, tools and indicators. The hypothesis tested was that the diversity for all taxonomic groups would decrease with increasing latitude. The EMBOS system delivered accurate and comparable data on the diversity and densities of the soft sediment macrozoobenthic community over a large-scale gradient along the European coastline. In contrast to general biogeographic theory, species diversity showed no linear relationship with latitude, yet a bell-shaped relation was found. The diversity and densities of benthos were mostly positively correlated with environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, mud and organic matter content in sediment, or wave height, and related with location characteristics such as system type (lagoons, estuaries, open coast) or stratum (intertidal, subtidal). For some relationships, a maximum (e.g. temperature from 15–20°C; mud content of sediment around 40%) or bimodal curve (e.g. salinity) was found. In lagoons the densities were twice higher than in other locations, and at open coasts the diversity was much lower than in other locations. We conclude that latitudinal trends and regional differences in diversity and densities are strongly influenced by, i.e. merely the result of, particular sets and ranges of environmental factors and location characteristics specific to certain areas, such as the Baltic, with typical salinity clines (favouring insects) and the Mediterranean, with higher temperatures (favouring crustaceans). Therefore, eventual trends with latitude are primarily indirect and so can be overcome by local variation of environmental factors.

International audience; Owing to their productivity, kelps may be the main primary carbon source for consumers in coastal areas. Their contribution has often been compared to that of phytoplankton, but the potential involvement of the red algae associated with kelp forests has been overlooked. All these 3 primary sources have distinct life cycles and may contribute to the particulate organic matter pool differently according to season. In the present study, we characterised the trophic structure of a pristine Laminaria hyperborea forest off the coast of Brittany (France) in terms of the organic carbon biomass of the main primary producers and consumer trophic groups on 4 sampling dates over a 1 yr period. Senescence of many red algae species occurred during their resting period (i.e. before November), whereas the kelp regrowth period (i.e. before March) was accompanied by the fragmentation of old lamina. During these periods, when phytoplankton biomass is comparable, stable isotope analyses (delta C-13 and delta N-15) were conducted in an attempt to link structure to trophic functioning. By combining analyses of temporal variability in primary source and consumer isotopic ratios and using mixing models, we inferred changes in the trophic significance of macroalgae in the associated food web. Decaying kelp laminae were a major contributor to the particulate organic matter pool, and the fragmentation of old lamina promoted their contribution to the diet of deposit-and suspension-feeders in March. Growth of red algae enhanced direct grazer consumption in March, while their senescence contributed significantly to primary consumer diets in November via indirect consumption.

International audience; The relative contribution of kelps and other food sources to the diet of consumers in shallow coastal communities has been hotly debated in recent years. It has been suggested that considering proxies instead of phytoplankton isotopic signatures can lead to an overestimation of kelp contribution through isotopic mixing models. We analysed spatial patterns in carbon isotopic ratios of the dominant primary sources and consumers at two subtidal sites in Brittany (France) prior to the anticipated 2011 phytoplankton bloom to determine which of kelp and phytoplankton is the dominant food source in Laminaria hyperborea forests. We found simultaneous spatial variations for consumers, kelps and deposited particulate organic matter, suggesting that kelp-derived organic matter is a key component of associated food webs for at least part of the year.

The ability to access and share valid and up-to-date technical information is a key element of our operational efficiency with the follow-up of our projects and operations. This will have a critical impact in case of incidents and/or crisis situations, as this could happen in sensitive area like Nigeria. In case of a major crisis, we must be able to restore access to the identified critical facilities stored in GIS datasets within a time limit of 4 to 8 hours!

The ability to access and share one valid and up-to-date technical information is a key element of our efficiency with the follow-up of our projects and operations. This will have a critical impact in case of incidents and/or crisis situations, as this could happen in sensitive areas like in the Middle-East or West Africa. In case of a major crisis, we must be able to restore the access to the GIS data identified as critical within a time limit of 4 to 8 hours!

International audience; Species interactions are integral drivers of community structure and can change from competitive to facilitative with increasing environmental stress. In subtidal marine ecosystems, however, interactions along physical stress gradients have seldom been tested. We observed seaweed canopy interactions across depth and latitudinal gradients to test whether light and temperature stress structured interaction patterns. We also quantified interspecific and intraspecific interactions among nine subtidal canopy seaweed species across three continents to examine the general nature of interactions in subtidal systems under low consumer pressure. We reveal that positive and neutral interactions are widespread throughout global seaweed communities and the nature of interactions can change from competitive to facilitative with increasing light stress in shallow marine systems. These findings provide support for the stress gradient hypothesis within subtidal seaweed communities and highlight the importance of canopy interactions for the maintenance of subtidal marine habitats experiencing environmental stress.

International audience; Worldwide kelp forests have been the focus of several studies concerning ecosystem dysfunction in the past decades. Multifactorial kelp threats have been described and include deforestation due to human impact, cascading effects and climate change. Here, we compared community and trophic structure in two contrasting kelp forests off the coasts of Brittany. One has been harvested five years before sampling and shelters abundant omnivorous predators, almost absent from the other, which has been treated as preserved from kelp harvest. δ15N analyses conducted on the overall communities were linked to the tropho-functional structure of different strata featuring these forests (stipe and holdfast of canopy kelp and rock). Our results yielded site-to-site differences of community and tropho-functional structures across kelp strata, particularly contrasting in terms of biomass on the understorey. Similarly, isotope analyses inferred the top trophic position of Marthasterias glacialis and Echinus esculentus which may be considered as strong interactors in the sub-canopy. We interrogate these patterns and propose a series of probable and testable alternative hypotheses to explain them. For instance, we propose that differences of trophic structure and functioning result from confounded effects of contrasting wave dissipation depending on kelp size-density structure and community cascading involving these omnivorous predators. Given the species diversity and complexity of food web highlighted in these habitats, we call for further comprehensive research about the overall strata and tropho-functional groups for conservation management in kelp forests.

Non-native ascidians are important members of the fouling community associated with artificial substrata and man-made structures. Being efficient fouling species, they are easily spread by human-mediated transports (e.g., with aquaculture trade and maritime transports). This is exemplified by the ascidian Asterocarpa humilis which displays a wide distribution in the Southern Hemisphere and has been recently reported in the Northern Hemisphere (NW Europe). In continental Chile, its first report dates back from 2000 for the locality of Antofagasta (23°S). Although there was no evidence about the vectors of introduction and spread, nor the source, some authors suggested maritime transport by ship hulls and aquaculture devices as putative introduction pathways and vectors. In the present study, we report for the first time the presence of A. humilis on the hull of an international ship in a commercial port in Concepción bay (36°S), south central Chile. We also found one individual associated to a seashell farm, 70 km far from Concepción bay. Further individuals were subsequently identified within Concepción bay: one juvenile settled upon international harbor pilings and a dozen individuals along aquaculture seashell longlines. For the first specimens sampled, species identification was ascertained using both morphological criteria and molecular barcoding, using the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and a nuclear gene (ribosomal RNA 18S). The nuclear 18S gene and the mitochondrial gene COI clearly assigned the specimens to A. humilis, confirming our morphological identification. Two haplotypes were obtained with COI corresponding to haplotypes previously obtained with European and Northern Chilean specimens. The present study thus reports for the first time the presence of A. humilis in the Araucanian ecoregion, documenting the apparent expansion of this non-native tunicate in Chile over 2,000 km, spanning over three ecoregions. In addition we reveal the potential implication of the international maritime transport as a vector of spread of this species along the Eastern Pacific coast, and the putative role of aquaculture facilities in promoting local establishments of non-native tunicates.

International audience; The diet of Pomatoschistus microps has been studied using both gut content and stable isotope analyses. In the Roscoff Aber Bay (Brittany, France), this fish is commonly found on sandy muddy intertidal flats. Gut content analyses were also interpreted using trophic indices. Owing to the large diversity of prey consumed, these indices emphasised the opportunistic feeding behaviour of P.microps. Here, this species fed mainly on endofauna with meiofauna being of high relative importance. The main biotic components of its trophic habitat, characterized by C-13 and N-15, provided evidence of a major trophic pathway based on drift Enteromorpha sp. Trophic positions estimated by both diet analyses and isotopic analyses led to similar results. In this bay, P.microps is a first-order predator with a low degree of omnivory. Despite a preferential consumption of the amphipod Corophium arenarium, we assumed that this goby behaves as a generalist feeding on a uniform variety of endofauna taxa.

Leclerc Jean-Charles. Structure et relief de l'Afrique occidentale. In: Les Études rhodaniennes, vol. 20, n°3-4, 1945. pp. 149-172.

Although the composition of invertebrate assemblages associated with kelps has motivated several studies in the recent past, little is known about assemblages associated with smaller, understorey macroalgae in these ecosystems. Here, the composition of invertebrate assemblages living within understorey macroalgae of a kelp (Laminaria digitata) forest has been studied over two sampling dates, and the structure of the food web investigated using stable isotopes. A total of 145 species of mobile fauna, mainly amphipods and gastropods, were identified. Although differences were date-dependent, we showed that the three species considered (Palmaria palmata, Mastocarpus stellatus, Ellisolandia elongata) sheltered different associated assemblages, including high host-specificity, which suggests that the animal diversity associated with rocky shores is enhanced by a high algal diversity. Overall, a dominance of gastropods was observed for the two-dimensional, leaf-like P. palmata, while the three-dimensionally structured species (M. stellatus, E. elongata) were characterized by a dominance of amphipods. Stable isotopes highlighted different trophic structures; E. elongata-associated assemblages were most likely relying on a dominant food source, sediment organic matter, while other assemblages were based on a wider diversity of food sources (algae, sediment, suspended organic matter). Our results illustrate the need to consider the microhabitats formed by understorey macroalgae in order to thoroughly assess the diversity and understand the functioning of coastal rocky ecosystems.

Although the composition of invertebrate assemblages associated with kelps has motivated several studies in the recent past, little is known about assemblages associated with smaller, understorey macroalgae in these ecosystems. Here, the composition of invertebrate assemblages living within understorey macroalgae of a kelp (Laminaria digitata) forest has been studied over two sampling dates, and the structure of the food web investigated using stable isotopes. A total of 145 species of mobile fauna, mainly amphipods and gastropods, were identified. Although differences were date-dependent, we showed that the three species considered (Palmaria palmata, Mastocarpus stellatus, Ellisolandia elongata) sheltered different associated assemblages, including high host-specificity, which suggests that the animal diversity associated with rocky shores is enhanced by a high algal diversity. Overall, a dominance of gastropods was observed for the two-dimensional, leaf-like P. palmata, while the three-dimensionally structured species (M. stellatus, E. elongata) were characterized by a dominance of amphipods. Stable isotopes highlighted different trophic structures; E. elongata-associated assemblages were most likely relying on a dominant food source, sediment organic matter, while other assemblages were based on a wider diversity of food sources (algae, sediment, suspended organic matter). Our results illustrate the need to consider the microhabitats formed by understorey macroalgae in order to thoroughly assess the diversity and understand the functioning of coastal rocky ecosystems.

Growing coastal urbanization together with the intensification of maritime traffic are major processes explaining the increasing rate of biological introductions in marine environments. To investigate the link between international maritime traffic and the establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in coastal areas, biofouling communities in three international and three nearby local ports along 100 km of coastline in south-central Chile were compared using settlement panels and rapid assessment surveys. A larger number of NIS was observed in international ports, as expected in these ‘invasion hubs’. However, despite a few environmental differences between international and local ports, the two port categories did not display significant differences regarding NIS establishment and contribution to community structure over the studied period (1.5 years). In international ports, the free space could be a limiting factor for NIS establishment. The results also suggest that local ports should be considered in NIS surveillance programs in Chile.

Growing coastal urbanization together with the intensification of maritime traffic are major processes explaining the increasing rate of biological introductions in marine environments. To investigate the link between international maritime traffic and the establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in coastal areas, biofouling communities in three international and three nearby local ports along 100 km of coastline in south-central Chile were compared using settlement panels and rapid assessment surveys. A larger number of NIS was observed in international ports, as expected in these ‘invasion hubs’. However, despite a few environmental differences between international and local ports, the two port categories did not display significant differences regarding NIS establishment and contribution to community structure over the studied period (1.5 years). In international ports, the free space could be a limiting factor for NIS establishment. The results also suggest that local ports should be considered in NIS surveillance programs in Chile.