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Sound production represents an integral part of social communication in many teleost fish; however, few studies have investigated the structure, organization and variability of fish sounds at the community level. Fish acoustic community structure was recorded simultaneously in three sites located along the Mediterranean basin within the endemic habitat of Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds. Acoustic diversity and species-specific sound features were expected to differ between locations. We predicted that, in communities characterized by higher acoustic richness, fish species would specialize in their use of acoustic resources (i.e. realized acoustic niche compression), while the overall allocation of resources within the community signal space would expand. The fish acoustic communities inhabiting Posidonia beds were characterized by the same main contributors (the /Kwa/, Ophidion rochei and Sciaena umbra sound types). However, their relative occurrence, abundances and use of acoustic resources were site-specific. Acoustic diversity differed between geographic locations. The range of spectral and temporal resources exploited by the fish acoustic community was wider in sites where acoustic richness was at its highest score. Ophidion rochei was highly specialized in its use of temporal resources where acoustic richness was higher, whilst S. umbra appeared less efficient in specializing the use of spectral and temporal resources. By showing that the same species can exploit different acoustic resources between locations, this study supports the concept of Acoustic Niche plasticity (i.e. plasticity of acoustic resources allocation within a species). The results suggest that the degree of acoustic niche plasticity might be determined by the species-specific degree of sound-producing system plasticity. In turn, different degrees of acoustic niche plasticity might determine different species-specific levels of acoustic adaptability to changing biotic or environmental conditions., Marie Curie COFUND - University of Liege, Grant/Award Number: 600405; University of Liege, Grant/Award Number: contract N° 09/2020.

Between 1948 and 1965, the Canari asbestos mine (Corsica, France) discharged 11 million tonnes of serpentinite rubble into the sea. This study, therefore, aims to assess the environmental and health risks associated with contamination of potentially toxic elements using bioindicators (seagrass and fish) in the areas bordering the former mine within the perimeter of the Cap Corse and Agriate Marine Natural Park. The results and multivariate statistical analyses of the potentially toxic elements, made it possible to identify a concentration gradient, a model of bioaccumulation, and the occurrence of different groups, thus reflecting a spatial variation of the contamination. These results indicate that the former asbestos mine can still be considered, 55 years after its closure, as a major source of Co, Cr, and Ni for marine ecosystems and still influences the quality of the coastal area today. Our study, therefore, indicates that the two most polluted sites (Albo and Negru) are the closest stations to the south of the old Canary asbestos mine. According to the Trace Elements Pollution Index (TEPI) values, 6 species were classified as having a high contamination level: Scorpaena notata (1.37), Scorpaena porcus (1.36), Sepia officinalis (1.27), Diplodus vulgaris (1.02), Spicara maena (0.95), and Mullus surmuletus (0.94). Regarding the potentially toxic elements measured in the edible tissues of fish, the concentrations were all below the regulatory thresholds and did not reveal any potential risk to human health (Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Se, Sn, Zn). This work provides new and useful information to improve the monitoring of the environmental quality of a region characterized by previous mining activity and to assess the potential risk to human health due to the consumption of fish. Beyond the purely scientific aspects, these results could serve as decision support at the regional level for the definition of long-term public policies.

In Mediterranean, Posidonia oceanica develops a belowground complex structure ('matte') able to store large amounts of carbon over thousands of years. The inventory of blue carbon stocks requires the coupling of mapping techniques and in situ sediment sampling to assess the size and the variability of these stocks. This study aims to quantify the organic (C

Coastal harbor areas are subjected to a myriad of contamination sources with largely unknown effects. Such complex chemical mixtures are difficult to monitor but transcriptomics is a promising approach for such biomonitoring. The present study was designed to verify the use of the Coastal Biosensor for Endocrine Disruption (C-BED) assay, previously developed to detect emerging contaminants and their effects on Mytilus edulis, on another mussel species, Mytilus galloprovincialis. Mussels were caged on St-Florent harbor (contaminated) and on Revellata Bay (reference) for three months. A classical multibiomarkers approach was coupled to the C-BED assay. The results of both approaches were analysed using the Integrated Biomarkers Responses (IBR) and compared to each other. Both approaches demonstrated a higher contamination and probable endocrine disruption of mussels in St-Florent, compared to the reference station. These results confirm that the C-BED assay provides an innovative method to expand our ability to detect emerging contaminants.

In port areas the identification of contamination sources is necessary for an efficient management. Biomonitoring provides information on the environmental impact of the pollutants. It is often difficult to differentiate the natural variations of biomarkers from those induced by pollution. The present study aims to define a baseline level for biochemical biomarkers in limpet (Patella sp.) collected in four North-Corsica port areas. Reference data for five biomarkers (superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, laccase, pyruvate kinase and acetylcholinesterase) were described in a model, using length of the limpet shell, temperature and salinity. The measured biomarkers responses on potentially polluted sites usually fell within the range of the expected values for an unaffected site, suggesting that a main part of the variations is explained by environmental conditions. Not included in the model, biological factors (sex, development stage, etc.), annual variation or other physico-chemical parameter could explain the variations in the model.

Question-answer pairs are typically associated to spoken discourse and to directive speech acts, although they are also found in written texts. We analyse contexts extracted from the CRPC-DB, a written subcorpus annotated with discourse relations in the PDTB-style. We focus on the nature of the question and of the answer in interactional contexts, but also in contexts where a single locutor poses the question and answers it. Contexts of question-answer pairs with a single locutor have a textual function related to the topic-comment structure of the text and involve a virtual locutor and a modalized assertion. We discuss the treatment of question-answer pairs in discourse banks following different theoretical frameworks and make a proposal that integrates these contexts in our annotation scheme. Our results contribute to theoretical proposals that focus on the pragmatic and textual functions of question-answer pairs, and their application to a new resource for the study of discourse in Portuguese.

Coastal fishes are not only valuable elements of marine biodiversity, but they also play an important ecological role in the functioning of coastal ecosystems: food resource, transfer of nutrients, predators. Therefore, data on the compositions of fish assemblages are of great importance. The objectives of the present study were to (i) define the faunistic characteristics of a typical fish community on the Mediterranean coast, (ii) investigate spatiotemporal changes in fish assemblages. Based on a set of indices (Fast protocol) and a long-term data set (6 years, 612 visual counts, 154 h of diving), changes in coastal fish communities were analyzed. Our results indicated that there was a significant shift in fish community structure, with a general decline of the calculated indices. In our study, part of the observed variability in fish assemblage structure could be due to different factors as site location and sampled year. The changes in the fish assemblages associated with inter-annual fluctuations observed in this study also provide important insights into how fish communities may change under environmental and anthropogenic influences.

The aim of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the exploitation pattern of the European lobster population in a fully representative small-scale fishery of the Mediterranean (Corsica, France) and to collect initial biological information on this species. Data were collected by scientific observers on board net fishing vessels for eight consecutive years from 2006 until 2013. Average annual catches were estimated at 6.7 t. Length frequencies indicated that exploitation focused on large individuals. Catch per unit of effort varied significantly as a function of month, fishing area and depth. Our approach to catch distribution revealed spatial heterogeneity with large catches in the south area. A fishery-independent survey was performed in 2013 and 2014 in west Cap Corse using 540 lobster traps; it showed an extremely low catch rate, confirming the low abundance for this area. This study provided new biological knowledge of a little-studied species in the Mediterranean. El objetivo de este estudio fue el de obtener una mejor comprensión del patrón de explotación y colectar datos iniciales de las poblaciones de bogavante europeo en una pesquera artesanal representativa del Mediterráneo (Córcega, Francia). Los datos fueron colectados por observadores científicos a bordo de embarcaciones de pesca durante 8 años consecutivos, de 2006 a 2013. Las capturas anuales fueron estimadas a 6,7 toneladas. La frecuencia de las tallas indica que la explotación se concentra en los individuos de gran tamaño. La CPUE varía de manera significativa en función del mes, la zona de pesca y la profundidad. La distribución de las capturas revela que hay una heterogeneidad espacial, con capturas de gran tamaño en la zona sur. Un monitoreo pesquero independiente fue llevado a cabo durante 2013 y 2014 en Cap Corse occidental empleando 540 trampas; éste mostró una tasa de captura extremadamente baja, lo que confirma la escasez de bogavante europeo en esta área. Este estudio aportó nuevos conocimientos a la biología de esta especie poco estudiada en el Mediterráneo.

Macroalgae play a structuring role in benthic ecosystems, which makes it very important to monitor their cover rates and study their community structures and changes in time. Such studies are usually led by autonomous divers and often do not generate sufficient data to provide enough material for strategically-sound conservation plans. This paper describes the dataset generated in the framework of the evaluation of the potential of a complementary data acquisition method: annotating videos transects obtained using an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The focus was on Cystoseira brachycarpa ,together with the abundance of several other macroalgae species, which could be identified using the ROV images after validation through specimen identification. Furthermore, in order to allow future uses, such as monitoring the status of colonisation of the invasive algae Caulerpa cylindracea ,the ROV was sent to some deeper transects on sedimentary habitats (40 m) below the Posidonia meadows lower limits. The project, while providing some interesting insights on using a ROV as a tool to study marine biodiversity, generated a dataset for the distribution of 19 macroalgae on both standardised and new transects in the Bay of Calvi (Katz et al. 2021). The observed species of macroalgae included: Acetabularia acetabulum ,Amphiroa rigida ,Caulerpa prolifera ,Caulerpa cylindracea ,Codium bursa ,Colpomenia sinuosa ,Corallinales (order), Cystoseira brachycarpa ,Cystoseira crinita ,Cystoseira spinosa ,Cystoseira zosteroides ,Dictyota (genus), Flabellia petiolata ,Halopteris (genus), Halopteris scoparia ,Jania (genus), Osmundaria volubilis ,Padina pavonica and Peyssonnelia squamaria .The videos also showed that the invasive algae Caulerpa cylindracea has spread between 2016 and 2019 and that more focused studies should be held in the Bay to assess the actual reach and possible impacts of this invasion. Finally, our ROV video transects have also underlined the significant presence of particular benthic macroalgae communities over habitat zones described as "soft-bottom" on benthic habitat maps. Although the biomass per unit area of these communities is probably lower than for most coastal rocky bottoms, this widely-spread habitat type holds a contribution to primary production to be considered in coastal ecosystem models., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Current developments in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) technologies have opened new perspectives for sustainable and highly efficient indoor cultivation. The introduction of LEDs not only allows a reduction in the production costs on a quantitative level, it also offers opportunities to manipulate and optimise qualitative traits. Indeed, while plants respond strongest to red and blue lights for photosynthesis, the whole light spectrum has an effect on plant shape, development, and chemical composition. In order to evaluate LEDs as an alternative to traditional lighting sources, the species-specific plant responses to distinct wavelengths need to be evaluated under controlled conditions. Here, we tested the possibility to use light composition gradients in combination with semi-automated phenotyping to rapidly explore the phenotypic responses of different species to variations in the light spectrum provided by LED sources. Plants of seven different species (Arabidopsis thaliana, Ocimum basilicum, Solanum lycopersicum, Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa, Euphorbia peplus, Setaria viridis) were grown under standard white fluorescent light for 30 days, then transferred to a Red:Blue gradient for another 30 days and finally returned to white light. In all species, differences in terms of dimension, shape, and color were rapidly observed across the gradient and the overall response was widely species-dependent. The experiment yielded large amounts of imaging-based phenotypic data and we suggest simple data analysis methods to aggregate the results and facilitate comparisons between species. Similar experimental setups will help achieve rapid environmental optimization, screen new crop species and genotypes, or develop new gene discovery strategies.

International audience; The common spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas, Fabricius, 1787) is an iconic species of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the existence of dataon the artisanal fishery of P. elephas in the Mediterranean Sea and particularly in Corsica, knowledge on the biology and life history traits of thisiconic species is still lacking. This paper identifies the main gaps in current knowledge and suggests future directions of research to answer thesefundamental questions, which are currently unanswered.

Although several bioacoustics investigations have shed light on the acoustic communication of Mediterranean fish species, the occurrence of fish sounds has never been reported below −40 m depth. This study assessed the occurrence of fish sounds at greater depths by monitoring the soundscape of a Mediterranean submarine canyon (Calvi, France) thanks to a combination of Static Acoustic Monitoring (three stations, from −125 to −150 m depth, 3 km from coastline) and of hydrophone-integrated gliders (Mobile Acoustic Monitoring; from −60 to −900 m depth, 3–6 km from coastline). Biological sounds were detected in 38% of the audio files; ten sound types (for a total of more than 9.000 sounds) with characteristics corresponding to those emitted by vocal species, or known as produced by fish activities, were found. For one of these sound types, emitter identity was inferred at the genus level (Ophidion sp.). An increase of from 10 to 15 dB re 1 μPa in sea ambient noise was observed during daytime hours due to boat traffic, potentially implying an important daytime masking effect. This study shows that monitoring the underwater soundscape of Mediterranean submarine canyons can provide holistic information needed to better understand the state and the dynamics of these heterogeneous, highly diverse environments.

In the frame of a partnership between CEA and VINCI, various measurement techniques are applied to soil analysis and tested in different laboratories located at CEA Saclay (France). This paper deals with two nuclear measurement techniques assessed in this project. More specifically, this paper presents the feasibility study carried out for two non-destructive active methods: photon activation and neutron activation. First, some atomic nuclides are activated either by photons or neutrons. Secondly, gamma-rays of specific energies are emitted by activated nuclides and gamma-ray spectrometry enables to identify these activated nuclides. Calibration of the full measurement system with reference samples would enable to quantify the mass of activated nuclides. Irradiations performed for photon activation measurements were conducted using a linear electron accelerator (linac) as the latter enables to generate high-energy photons by Bremsstrahlung thanks to its conversion target. Furthermore, irradiations performed for neutron activation measurements were also conducted with a linac. Indeed, photons may be converted to neutrons by photonuclear reactions using a secondary target. In the frame of this project, experiments were carried out at the SAPHIR platform (CEA Saclay) with a Linatron-M9 VARIAN linac. The electron energy was either 6 or 9 MeV. For neutron activation measurements, a secondary target made of heavy water has been used as neutron source and a polyethylene cell enabled to thermalize neutrons and increase the number of reactions of interest. In this paper, we present the different experimental setups and the measurement protocols established for this feasibility study. We show experimental results obtained with raw material samples coming from three construction sites.

This study aims to analyze the strategies of hedging in a prototypical speech act in economic communication—that is, predictions. The analyzed genre is that of central bank projections. We have used a parallel corpus of four reports (one European Central Bank report and three national bank reports) written in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. The analyzed documents are multimodal (having text, tables, and charts). At a global level, hedging arises from external assumptions that limit the validity of the predictions and from the fact that generally the text does not give direct predictions but rather reports projections without assuming or attributing explicit responsibility regarding their validity. At the microlinguistic level, the epistemic marking of predications about the future is extremely complex, due to the phenomenon of grammatical metaphor. The cross-language analysis shows that because of language idiosyncrasies, the degree of endorsement of the typical utterances about prediction/projection varies between the reports.

Dynamics of the subsurface (2–3 m) mesozooplankton (i.e., > 200 μm) in the Bay of Calvi (Corsica, France) were explored, combining time series (2004–2016) of 14 zooplankton groups, wind gusts, water temperature, nitrate and chlorophyll-a. Zooplankton data was obtained through image analysis. While contrasted group-specific seasonal patterns were observed, the most productive zooplankton annual event occurred in April (spring peak), concentrating on average 25% of the total annual abundance. A “typical” year was defined based on the annual succession of different community states, highlighting particular years (2007, 2015 and 2012) mainly characterized by weak spring peak. Environmental influences on the interannual variability of zooplankton were explored and while relationship between chlorophyll-a and zooplankton abundance was unclear, the availability of nutrients (December–March), potentially mediated via the wind regime (October–January) seemed to be essential to the occurrence of the spring peak. Additionally, we observed an influence of temperature, with winter thermal thresholds (between 12.1 °C and 13.4 °C) conditioning the spring peak. Also, the occurrence of lower annual abundances after 2010 was synchronous with the sharp increase of seawater warming trend, especially regarding winter temperature (0.30 °C.year−1). Finally, winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) was found to be correlated to both winter water temperature and spring peak abundance, which suggests large-scale processes to impact regional zooplankton community.

International audience; Marennine is a water-soluble blue-green pigment produced by the marine diatom Haslea ostrearia. The diatom and its pigment are well known from oyster farming areas as the source of the greening of oyster gills, a natural process increasing their market value in Western France. Blooms of blue Haslea are also present outside oyster ponds and hence marine organisms can be exposed, periodically and locally, to significant amounts of marennine in natural environments. Due to its demonstrated antibacterial activities against marine pathogenic bacteria (e.g. Vibrio) and possible prophylactic effects toward bivalve larvae, marennine is of special interest for the aquaculture industry, especially bivalve hatcheries. The present study aimed to provide new insights into the effects of marennine on a large spectrum of marine organisms belonging to different phyla, including species of aquaculture interest and organisms frequently employed in standardised ecotoxicological assays. Different active solutions containing marennine were tested: partially purified Extracellular Marennine (EMn), and concentrated solutions of marennine present in H. ostrearia culture supernatant; the Blue Water (BW) and a new process called Concentrated Supernatant (CS). Biological effects were meanwhile demonstrated in invertebrate species for the three marennine-based solutions at the highest concentrations tested (e.g., decrease of fertilization success, delay of embryonic developmental stages or larval mortality). Exposure to low concentrations did not impact larval survival or development and even tended to enhance larval physiological state. Furthermore, no effects of marennine were observed on the fish gill cell line tested. Marennine could be viewed as a Jekyll and Hyde molecule, which possibly affects the earliest stages of development of some organisms but with no direct impacts on adults. Our results emphasize the need to determine dosages that optimize beneficial effects and critical concentrations not to be exceeded before considering the use of marennine in bivalve or fish hatcheries.

A mass balance ecosystemic approach, based on bacterial carbon demands and primary production data, was used to investigate if the bacterial community (freewater bacterioplankton and benthic bacteria of the oxygenated sediment layer) could be sustained by the main primary producers (Posidonia oceanica and its epiphytes, adjacent macroalgae and phytoplankton communities; hereafter called the P. oceanica system) of a non-eutrophic Mediterranean bay. Unexpectedly, the findings of this study differed from previous works that used benthic incubation chamber and O2 optode methods. In this study, data were grouped in two categories, corresponding to two time periods, according to the seawater temperature regime ( 18 °C): from May to October and from November to April. Between May and October, the produced benthic macrophyte tissues could not provide the carbon required by the bacteria of the oxygenated sediment layer, showing that the balance production of the investigated bay was clearly heterotrophic (i.e. negative) during this time period. In contrast, between November and April, benthic bacteria respiration nearly equated to carbon production. When integrating the open water carbon dynamics above the meadow in the model, a negative carbon balance was still observed between May and October, while a slight carbon excess was noticed between November and April. In the light of these findings, the carbon balance being negative on an annual basis, alternative carbon sources are required for the maintenance of the bacterial carbon production.

The /Kwa/ vocalization dominates the soundscape of

Among all available species, fish are a powerful model for risk-benefit assessments to study the effects of contaminants on human health. Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, Linnaeus 1758) and european seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax, Linnaeus 1758) are two species of great economic importance, representing very large production volumes in the Mediterranean. The objective of this study is (1) to analyze the concentrations of Trace Elements (TE) between wild and cultured seabream and seabass specimens, (2) to compare the determined concentrations with other studies, and (3) to increase the data about the potential risks to human health. Our results point to significant intra- and interspecies-specific differences between wild and cultured fish for several trace elements. Several strong and moderate inter-elemental correlations in fish muscle were observed through correlation analysis. In our study, the mean levels of trace elements were still below the standard safety values for fish intended for human consumption. The same results were reached for all the parameters analyzed (international legal limits, estimated weekly intake, provisional tolerable weekly intake, target hazard quotient, target cancer risk), with trace element levels in fish below those that could pose a risk to human health. Consequently, these fish can be considered safe for human consumption. A better understanding of the levels of trace elements in fish would also better inform consumers about the potential risks of exposure to contaminants.

Summary Background Tuberculosis continues to disproportionately affect many Indigenous populations in the USA, Canada, and Greenland. We aimed to investigate whether population-based tuberculosis-specific interventions or changes in general health and socioeconomic indicators, or a combination of these factors, were associated with changes in tuberculosis incidence in these Indigenous populations. Methods For this population-based study we examined annual tuberculosis notification rates between 1960 and 2014 in six Indigenous populations of the USA, Canada, and Greenland (Inuit [Greenland], American Indian and Alaska Native [Alaska, USA], First Nations [Alberta, Canada], Cree of Eeyou Istchee [Quebec, Canada], Inuit of Nunavik [Quebec, Canada], and Inuit of Nunavut [Canada]), as well as the general population of Canada. We used mixed-model linear regression to estimate the association of these rates with population-wide interventions of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination of infants, radiographic screening, or testing and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and with other health and socioeconomic indicators including life expectancy, infant mortality, diabetes, obesity, smoking, alcohol use, crowded housing, employment, education, and health expenditures. Findings Tuberculosis notification rates declined rapidly in all six Indigenous populations between 1960 and 1980, with continued decline in Indigenous populations in Alberta, Alaska, and Eeyou Istchee thereafter but recrudescence in Inuit populations of Nunavut, Nunavik, and Greenland. Annual percentage reductions in tuberculosis incidence were significantly associated with two tuberculosis control interventions, relative to no intervention, and after adjustment for infant mortality and smoking: BCG vaccination (–11%, 95% CI −6 to −17) and LTBI screening and treatment (–10%, −3 to −18). Adjusted associations were not significant for chest radiographic screening (–1%, 95% CI −7 to 5). Declining tuberculosis notification rates were significantly associated with increased life expectancy (–37·8 [95% CI −41·7 to −33·9] fewer cases per 100 000 for each 1-year increase) and decreased infant mortality (–9·0 [–9·5 to −8·6] fewer cases per 100 000 for each death averted per 1000 livebirths) in all six Indigenous populations, but no significant associations were observed for other health and socioeconomic indicators examined. Interpretation Population-based BCG vaccination of infants and LTBI screening and treatment were associated with significant decreases in tuberculosis notification rates in these Indigenous populations. These interventions should be reinforced in populations still affected by tuberculosis, while also addressing the persistent health and socioeconomic disparities. Funding Public Health Department of the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay.

International audience; There is a growing international interest in studying the effects of ocean acidification on plankton communities that play a major role in the global carbon cycle and in the consumption of atmospheric CO2 via the so-called biological pump. Recently, several mesocosm experiments reported on the effect of ocean acidification on marine plankton communities, although the majority were performed in eutrophic conditions or following nutrient addition. The objective of the present study was to perform two mesocosm experiments in the oligo-to meso-trophic Northwestern Mediterranean Sea during two seasons with contrasting environmental conditions: in summer 2012 in the Bay of Calvi (Corsica, France) and in winter 2013 in the Bay of Villefranche (France). This paper describes the objectives of these experiments, the study sites, the experimental set-up and the environmental and experimental conditions during the two experiments. The 20-day experiment in the Bay of Calvi was undoubtedly representative of summer conditions in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea with low nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations, warm waters and high surface solar irradiance. In contrast, the winter experiment, which was reduced to 12 days because of bad weather conditions, failed to reproduce the mesotrophic conditions typical of the wintertime in this area. Indeed, a rapid increase in phytoplankton biomass during the acidification phase led to a strong decrease in nitrate concentrations and an unrealistic N and P co-limitation at this period of the year. An overview of the 11 papers related to this study and published in this special issue is provided.

Swordfish (Xiphias gladius L., 1758) is an apex predator, highly migratory meso-pelagic fish widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean. As top predators, this fish may be the end reservoir of the bioaccumulation of trace elements in a food chain because they occupy higher trophic levels and are an important food source, causing them to be potentially hazardous to consume. This study aims to investigate the concentration of 18 trace elements of Swordfish, caught in the Mediterranean Sea and to discuss human exposure risks. The mean element levels in the fish muscles were clearly below the maximum allowable concentrations established by International food safety regulations. The data suggested that the risk is minor and acceptable for human health. The findings of this study amplify the scarce database on contaminants available, especially new data on "emerging elements", for this species from the Mediterranean Sea.

The spatial dynamic of Posidonia oceanica meadows is a process extending over centuries. This paper shows evidence of the natural dynamics of P. oceanica “shifting intermattes” or “sand corridors” (hereafter SCs): unvegetated patches within a dense meadow. We studied features and temporal evolution (2001-2015) of 5 SCs in the Calvi Bay (Corsica) at 15 m depth and followed the characteristics the P. oceanica meadow lining the edge of patches. All SCs show a similar topography. The eroded side is a vertical edge where roots, rhizomes and sediments are visible, when on the opposite colonized side, the sand is at the same level as the continuous meadow. The vertical edge reaches a maximum height of 160 cm and is eroded by orbital bottom currents with a maximum speed of 12 cm.s-1, the erosion speed ranging from 0.6 to 15 cm.y-1. SCs progress toward the coastline with a mean speed of 10 cm.y-1, the rate of colonization by P. oceanica shoots ranging from 1.5 to 21 cm.y-1. We calculated that the studied SCs would reach the coastline within 500 to 600 years. We finally discuss the implication of such dynamic in the framework of meadows’ colonization assessment and the seascape dynamic.

The common dentex, Dentex dentex (Linnaeus, 1758), is an iconic coastal fish found in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its ecological and economic importance, scientific data on its exploitation are scarce, especially off Corisca. The aims of our study were to: (1) analyze the relationship between the catch per unit effort (CPUE, by weight and number) and possible factors driving the trends observed; (2) examine temporal and spatial trends in CPUE; (3) examine the spatial distribution of fishing effort; and (4) compare the size distribution and age structure of catches. Sampling was conducted on fishing vessels operating from the main fishing harbors and in the main fishing sectors off Corsica between 2009 and 2013. CPUE varied spatiotemporally, but overall displayed annual stability. CPUE varied significantly as a function of month, strata, and depth. A seasonal pattern was observed with high catches during the spawning period (May) when size classes were mainly composed of mature individuals. Length and age frequency histograms after the spawning period (June–September) indicated that exploitation focused on small/young, immature individuals. Our spatial approach revealed a heterogeneous catch distribution and identified important exploitation areas. Results suggest that a combination of management tools and specific measures to safeguard the reproductive potential of this species should be implemented.

International audience; In Mediterranean subtidal rocky reefs, Cystoseira spp. (Phaeophyceae) form dense canopies up to 1 m high. Such habitats, called ‘Cystoseira forests’, are regressing across the entire Mediterranean Sea due to multiple anthropogenic stressors, as are other large brown algae forests worldwide. Cystoseira forests are being replaced by structurally less complex habitats, but little information is available regarding the potential difference in the structure and composition of fish assemblages between these habitats. To fill this void, we compared necto-benthic (NB) and crypto-benthic (CB) fish assemblage structures between Cystoseira forests and two habitats usually replacing the forests (turf and barren), in two sampling regions (Corsica and Menorca). We sampled NB fish using Underwater Visual Census (UVC) and CB fish using Enclosed Anaesthetic Station Vacuuming (EASV), since UVC is known to underestimate the diversity and density of the ‘hard to spot’ CB fish. We found that both taxonomic diversity and total density of NB and CB fish were highest in Cystoseira forests and lowest in barrens, while turfs, that could be sampled only at Menorca, showed intermediate values. Conversely, total biomass of NB and CB fish did not differ between habitats because the larger average size of fish in barrens (and turfs) compensated for their lower densities. The NB families Labridae and Serranidae, and the CB families Blenniidae, Cliniidae, Gobiidae, Trypterigiidae and Scorpaenidae, were more abundant in forests. The NB taxa Diplodus spp. and Thalassoma pavo were more abundant in barrens. Our study highlights the importance of using EASV for sampling CB fish, and shows that Cystoseira forests support rich and diversified fish assemblages. This evidence suggests that the ongoing loss of Cystoseira forests may impair coastal fish assemblages and related goods and services to humans, and stresses the need to implement strategies for the successful conservation and/or recovery of marine forests.

This paper describes the PREI (Posidonia oceanica Rapid Easy Index), a method used to assess the ecological status of seawater along Mediterranean French coasts. The PREI was drawn up according to the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/60/EC) and was tested on 24 and 18 stations in PACA (Provence-Alpes-Cotes d'Azur) and Corsica, respectively. The PREI is based on five metrics: shoot density, shoot leaf surface area, E/L ratio (epiphytic biomass/leaf biomass), depth of lower limit, and type of this lower limit. The 42 studied stations were classified in the first four levels of status: high, good, moderate and poor. The PREI values ranged between 0.280 and 0.847; this classification is in accordance with our field knowledge and with our knowledge of the literature. The PREI was validated regarding human pressure levels (r(2)=0.74). (http://eurex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2000: 327:0001:0072:EN:PDF). (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OBJECTIVE This study presents an overview of the epidemiology and clinical management of diabetes in the Cree population of Eeyou Istchee, Eastern James Bay, Quebec, Canada. METHODS This descriptive study is based on data from the Cree Diabetes Information System, a unique diabetes management and surveillance system in the region that provides demographic and clinical data on physician-diagnosed cases of type 1 and 2 diabetes among the Cree of Eastern James Bay. RESULTS In July 2005, 1363 Cree were living with physician-diagnosed diabetes in Eeyou Istchee (17.3% crude prevalence age ≥ 20 years). The age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes among the Cree population (age ≥ 20 years) was 22.4%, 3.5 times higher than the Quebec age-adjusted diabetes prevalence of 6.4% (2003—2004). The crude prevalence of diabetes in Eeyou Istchee has increased by 330% in the past 16 years, from 5.2% of Cree adults (age ≥ 20 years) in 1989 to 17.3%. Those age CONCLUSION The increasing numbers of young adults with newly diagnosed diabetes in the Cree region of Eeyou Istchee and the high rates of existing diabetic nephropathy are alarming health concerns from clinical and public health perspectives.

The meadows formed by the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica are subjected to various natural (e.g., water movement, light availability, sedimentation) and anthropogenic (e.g., anchoring, trawling, fish farms, explosives) phenomena that erode them and create diverse types of patches. The assemblage of the P. oceanica matrix and these patches creates particular seascapes. On the basis of this assessment, we aimed to investigate the importance of the patch type in structuring P. oceanica seascapes and to offer new prospects in the large scale studies of seagrass meadows. Five sites encompassing large P. oceanica meadows ranging from 1.86 km² to 4.42 km² along the Corsican coast (France) were considered. Eleven patch types with different sizes, shapes and origins were identified using side scan sonar images (sonograms). Five were recognized as natural and five as anthropogenic. One can be of both origins. The resolution of the sonograms allowed to detect patches of various sizes ranging from 1 m² to 111 829 m². The relation between structural characteristics of patches and the whole seascape aspect was explored using seven landscape metrics relevant for the study of meadows patchiness (patch area, mean radius of gyration, area-weighted radius of gyration, coefficient of variation of the Euclidean nearest-neighbor distance, area-weighted perimeter-area ratio, landscape division index, number of patches). Only a small number of patch types appears to play the strongest role in the characterization of the P. oceanica seascapes. Furthermore, the use of seascape structures seems to be suitable for the development of new tools like indices for the assessment of human impacts on P. oceanica meadows. In this perspective we propose a new and simple index, the Patchiness Source Index (PaSI), to estimate the origin of the patchiness (natural or anthropogenic) for a given area. A landscape approach, as well as information on patch dynamic, should be integrated in the new indices that aim to assess the state of conservation of the whole P. oceanica ecosystem.

Human activities generate large volumes of waste that supply marine coastal environments in pathogens, organic matter, nutrients and toxicants. Among the wide range of toxicants are trace elements. Since the latter are toxic for aquatic organisms from threshold levels and as they are therefore likely to cause multiple damage to the population, the community and the ecosystem levels, their environmental occurrence has to be accurately monitored in order to guarantee appropriate environmental management of coastal zones and to preserve marine coastal ecosystems and the goods and services they provide. In the framework of the STARECAPMED project, the present study aimed to monitor, for the first time, the coastal contamination of the entire Mediterranean by As, Ag, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni and Pb, using Posidonia oceanica as bioindicator species. But sustainable coastal management also requires the development of appropriate contamination classification systems intended, among other purposes, for environmental managers and policy makers. The combined utilization of several complementary monitoring tools, i.e. water quality scale, pollution index (TEPI and TESVI) and spatial analysis (PCA, CA, correlation analysis and GIS mapping) successfully led to the development of an operational classification system of this kind. In particular, the mapping of the trace element contamination according to a new proposed 5-level water quality scale using the quantile method precisely outlined the contamination severity along Mediterranean coasts and facilitated interregional comparisons. The reliability of the use of P. oceanica as bioindicator species was further again demonstrated through several global, regional and local detailed case studies. In conclusion, holistic approaches such as developed in the present study should be privileged to accurately monitor the contamination rate of coastal waters and to transfer relevant information on this composite problem to environmental managers and policy makers.

The seagrass Posidonia oceanica is widely recognized as an effective bioindicator of the health status of Mediterranean coastal waters. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements, in particular through the Pulse Amplitude Modulated (PAM) fluorometry method, are performed to study aquatic plant ecology and vitality and to assess their responses to diverse stressful factors. However, the current understanding of P. oceanica photosynthetic responses to environmental stresses does only allow scientists to use the PAM-method as a complementary tool to other more-robust monitoring techniques. Consequently, a more in-depth knowledge of the natural causes of variability of P. oceanica photosynthetic responses are a prerequisite to any surveys relying on that time and cost-effective method. In the framework of the STARECAPMED project, this work aimed to determine the influence of several environmental (depth, daytime, season) and plant-specific characteristics (leaf age, leaf part analyzed, epiphytic coverage) on the photosynthetic responses (Y, ETR, RLC) of P. oceanica. Water temperature, irradiance and several biochemical parameters of the seagrass (chl.a, chl.b, C, N, P, micronutrients such as Fe, Cu) were measured as well. The field survey was performed in a pristine meadow in the Calvi Bay, Corsica. Environmental and plant-physiological characteristics deeply influenced P. oceanica photosynthetic responses. As an example, ETR decreased with depth, contrary to Y that mostly increased. ETR was lower in the basal part of leaf blade, and the epiphytic coverage of leaf tips slightly increased their ETR compared to leaf tips cleaned of epiphytes. Depth and leaf part-related variations in RLC were also observed. Because of this natural variability, it appears essential to develop a consensual protocol of chlorophyll fluorescence measurements to publish reliable and comparable results between studies. We therefore notably suggest to perform measurements close to midday, when photosynthetic responses are the highest; at 10-15 m depth in order to avoid, among others, low depth light irradiance variability; on the middle part of the 3rd-4th external leaf, well developed, highly photosynthetic, and little epiphyted. Finally, because P. oceanica fluorescence was correlated with N, P and chl.b leaf contents, the PAM-method could afterwards be used as bioindicator technique, according to the protocol proposed.

Over the last decades, the interest in mapping Posidonia oceanica beds has increased along with the improvement of the equipment’s precision of data acquisition. In Calvi Bay (Corsica, France) the meadows cover an area of about 5 km² and are found at a depth ranging from 3 m to 37 m. The availability of three distinct datasets for 1997, 2002 and 2010 allowed to assess changes in the patchiness of the meadows in the bay and to investigate evolution of maps precision through a surface analysis via GIS software. Thus, three maps were elaborated combining aerial photographs and side scan sonar images. The meadows percentage of cover through time was assessed using four bathymetric sections: 0-10 m, 11-20 m, 21-30 m and 31-40 m. Differences in the patchiness of P. oceanica meadows between 1997 and 2010 appear to be moderate (less than 3 %) in the sections 0-10 m and 11-20 m and then greatly increase with depth: 24 % at 21-30 m and 39 % at 31-40 m. This amazing regression seems hardly natural and unlikely given the slight quantity of human activities that can cause damages on the P. oceanica meadows of the Calvi Bay. These results are likely to be mainly due to the improvement of precision and resolution of the aerial photographs (5 m in 1997, 0.8 m in 2002 and 0.5 m in 2010) and sonar images (5 m in 1997, 3 m in 2002 and 0.5 m in 2010). An issue of habitat determination (human vs instrumental) linked with the method adopted for mapping can also cause differences in the percentage of cover. Given the different accuracy among the three maps, the real regression and fragmentation of P. oceanica meadows could be hardly assessed. However, in several areas where the human activities are important, a clear regression or even a disappearance of the meadows has been observed. It is obvious that the last maps are more accurate than the previous ones and, thus, the former can be used for management purpose as well as for study on the patchiness; however, they still keep uncertainty no matter which method is used to create them.

Biological indicators have the capacity to integrate the temporal changes of contaminants, concentrations or fluxes over various time-scales, and are thus considered as interesting tools for water quality biomonitoring. Since the mid-70ies, French programs have developed water monitoring approaches based on the use of bivalve molluscs; and recently the natural background and the extent of water contamination were bioassessed at the scale of the whole western Mediterranean. But even if bivalve molluscs are viewed as reliable bioindicators, their use is not always made easy as a result of their absence in numerous coastal regions that force their transplantation (cages) during several months before their sampling and analysis. This weakness led several scientists to evaluate the bioindicator abilities of other marine organisms. Seagrasses, whose ability to bioaccumulate contaminants proportionally to environmental contamination levels has been clearly demonstrated, have thus been proposed as an appropriate alternative tool for coastal water quality assessment. Very little studies have however so far considered the combined utilization of these two groups of bioindicator organisms, i.e. caged bivalve molluscs and seagrasses. In the framework of the STARECAPMED project, we therefore compared and discussed the bioaccumulation of trace elements in the Neptune grass Posidonia oceanica and in caged Mediterranean mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis. The sampling was performed at the scale of the western Mediterranean. The two species told two contamination stories which, although sometimes different, showed to be complementary. P. oceanica and M. galloprovincialis bioaccumulated dissolved trace elements from the water column and thus provided information regarding trace element contamination severity integrated over several days to a few months. Seagrasses, strongly rooted in the sediments, reflected the long-term exposure to trace elements since sediments offer a degree of time integration over several years to decades. Caged mussels, as filter feeder artificially maintained in the water column, bioaccumulated trace elements from their particulate phase, and therefore gave valuable information regarding continental-terrigenous inputs to coastal waters. In conclusion, seagrasses and mussels should neither supplant, nor substitute, but rather complement each other in order to provide the full time- and space-integrated coastal contamination story of the Mediterranean.