Thau Lagoon Research Articles

Silicate marine electrochemical sensor

• Marine reagentless silicate electrochemical sensor qualification and validation. • Sensor accuracy evaluated at more than 97 % using Certified Reference Material. • Spike and recovery experiments showed between 97.9 % and 100.1 % recovery. • In situ deployment and validation in Thau lagoon (Mediterranean Sea). • Good agreements between sensor data and colorimetric analyses of discrete samples. An autonomous electrochemical sensor suitable for in situ silicate detection and monitoring in marine environments, is presented without any use of liquid reagent. This paper shows silicate sensor characteristics and figures of merit using optimized chemical and electrochemical parameters. Under controlled laboratory conditions in a 40 L tank, good calibration between 1.63 and 132.8 μmol L −1 was obtained. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification obtained are respectively LOD = 0.32 μmol L −1 and LOQ = 1.08 μmol L −1 . No bias was found while analysing Certified Reference Material (CRM) solutions i.e. natural seawaters samples with different salinities and nutrients compositions. Repeatability test showed very good reproducibility of the measurement with low overall uncertainty, cumulating systematic error and reproducibility error, of 2.4 %. Accuracies obtained with the Silicate sensor are higher than 97.4 %, 95.3 % for the smallest concentration tested, under LOQ. Spike and recovery tests were conducted with two different CRM concentrations and showed 97.9–100.1 % recovery, indicating no matrix influence in the determination of silicate concentration using electrochemical sensor and its calibration process (realised with artificial seawater solutions). In situ deployment of silicate electrochemical sensor was realized in the Thau lagoon (Mediterranean Sea) at 1.6 m depth. A good agreement between the results obtained with the sensor compared to reference colorimetric measurements made at the Marine Station of Sète (France) validates sensor’s performances.

Effects of experimental warming on small phytoplankton, bacteria and viruses in autumn in the Mediterranean coastal Thau Lagoon

To investigate the responses of a natural microbial plankton community of coastal Mediterranean waters to warming, which are still poorly known, an in situ mesocosm experiment was carried out in Thau Lagoon during autumn 2018. Several microorganisms, including virio-, bacterio-, and phytoplankton < 10 µm in size, were monitored daily and analysed using flow cytometry for 19 consecutive days in six mesocosms. Three mesocosms (control) had the same natural water temperature as the lagoon, and the other three were warmed by + 3 °C in relation to the control temperature. The cytometric analyses revealed an unexpected community dominated by picophytoplanktonic cells, including Prochlorococcus-like and Picochlorum-like cells, which had not previously been found in Thau Lagoon. The experimental warming treatment increased the abundances of nanophytoplankton, cyanobacteria, bacteria and viruses during the experiment and triggered earlier blooms of cyanobacteria and picoeukaryotes. Only the abundance of Picochlorum-like cells was significantly reduced under warmer conditions. The growth and grazing rates of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton estimated on days 2 and 8 showed that warming enhanced the growth rates of most phytoplankton groups, while it reduced those of bacteria. Surprisingly, warming decreased grazing on phytoplankton and bacteria at the beginning of the experiment, while during the middle of the experiment it decreased the grazing on prokaryote only but increased it for eukaryotes. These results reveal that warming affected the Thau Lagoon plankton community from viruses to nanophytoplankton in fall, inducing changes in both dynamics and metabolic rates.

Diversity of property regimes of Mediterranean coastal lagoons in S. France; implications for coastal zone management

We provide a cartography of the current property regimes of permanent coastal lagoons along the coastlines of the Mediterranean Sea for continental France and Corsica, which include both private and public properties. In France, for the latter, the State Domain Code and the General Code of the property of public persons make a clear difference between Public Domain and private property of the different public entities. Public domain represents property that is imprescriptible and inalienable, i.e. the property rights cannot be changed in the future and neither transferred nor sold to somebody else. In contrast, private properties of public entities can be sold or transferred to thirds. Maritime Public Domain (DPM) was created since 1681. DPM has accommodated Public Domain for the French coastal lagoons following their legal definition as “salty ponds (French étangs salés) with a direct, natural and permanent connection with the sea”. However, private landlords battled juridically with the State for centuries both by attacking the pertinence of this definition and claiming ancestral property rights. As a result, before 1980, more than half of the coastal lagoons comprised private properties, representing about a quarter of the lagoon surface. Twelve of 40 coastal lagoons comprise DPM, mainly the larger lagoons (e.g., Salses-Leucate, many lagoons close to Narbonne, Thau lagoon, Berre lagoon), representing 65% of the total lagoon surface. Since its foundation in 1975, the Conservatoire du Littoral, a public body in charge of coastal nature protection, has bought private coastal lagoons properties in twenty of 40 lagoons, representing 22% of the total lagoon surface. These have been designated as inalienable and imprescriptible “Public Domain of the Conservatoire”, safeguarded for nature conservation purposes. Nowadays, private ownership still persists in 13 lagoons representing 3.3% of total surface. The Coastal lagoons in Roussillon (Etangs du Canet and Salses-Leucate), the Hérault department, in the Camargue and in Corsica currently show variable and sometimes fragmented ownership (in addition to the Conservatoire, DPM, private ownership, municipalities, departments). Fragmented ownership is a clear difficulty for the integrated management of coastal lagoons. With currently, 87% of the coastal lagoons as Public Domain, public law and the environmental code have to evolve to tackle the challenges for the conservation and management of coastal lagoons and their connectivity with the other ecosystems on land and in the sea.

In situ characterisation of pathogen dynamics during a Pacific oyster mortality syndrome episode

Significant mortality of Crassostrea gigas juveniles is observed systematically every year worldwide. Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS) is caused by Ostreid Herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) infection leading to immune suppression, followed by bacteraemia caused by a consortium of opportunistic bacteria. Using an in-situ approach and pelagic chambers, our aim in this study was to identify pathogen dynamics in oyster flesh and in the water column during the course of a mortality episode in the Mediterranean Thau lagoon (France). OsHV-1 concentrations in oyster flesh increased before the first clinical symptoms of the disease appeared, reached maximum concentrations during the moribund phase and the mortality peak. The structure of the bacterial community associated with oyster flesh changed in favour of bacterial genera previously associated with oyster mortality including Vibrio, Arcobacter, Psychrobium, and Psychrilyobacter. During the oyster mortality episode, releases of OsHV-1 and opportunistic bacteria were observed, in succession, in the water surrounding the oyster lanterns. These releases may favour the spread of disease within oyster farms and potentially impact other marine species, thereby reducing marine biodiversity in shellfish farming areas.

Hydraulic and geochemical impact of occasional saltwater intrusions through a submarine spring in a karst and thermal aquifer (Balaruc peninsula near Montpellier, France)

Abstract. Submarine springs are a common discharge feature of the karst aquifers along the Mediterranean coast. In some instances, occasional and localized saltwater intrusions can occur through the submarine spring and negatively impact the quality of the groundwater resource. The hydraulic and geochemical behaviour of a submarine spring discharging into the Thau Lagoon just offshore of the Balaruc peninsula near Montpellier, France, has been characterized to determine the impacts of such phenomena to better understand the dynamics of a regional karst aquifer and improve its groundwater management. This work is based on both historical and new hydrogeological and geochemical data, illustrating six occasional saltwater intrusion events (from 1967 to 2014) in the Thau Lagoon area (southern France). Hydraulic perturbation of the aquifer is propagated instantly within the Balaruc-les-Bains peninsula and reaches a distance of about 5 km upgradient within 9 d. Comparison of hydraulic heads during seawater intrusion events in 2010 and 2014 indicates an aggravation of the phenomenon with an increase in hydraulic head variations. In contrast, isotopic tracers (87Sr∕86Sr, D/H, 18O∕16O) and rare earth elements (REEs) demonstrate that the geochemical impact of these inversac events is only observed at the local scale but is still perceptible several years after the event. For example, some of the thermal wells had not recovered their initial geochemical state 20 and 40 months after the last two inversac events (2010 and 2014, respectively), suggesting a geochemical legacy of this phenomenon within the complex karst system. By contrast, an adjacent deep karst compartment located south of the study area is not affected by the saltwater intrusion and is characterized by distinctly different hydrodynamic behaviour. Overall, this work on occasional and localized saltwater intrusions constitutes a key step in understanding the dynamics of this complex karstic and thermal aquifer and will support the management of the groundwater resource.

Marine Microbial Food Web Networks During Phytoplankton Bloom and Non-bloom Periods: Warming Favors Smaller Organism Interactions and Intensifies Trophic Cascade.

Microbial food web organisms are at the base of the functioning of pelagic ecosystems and support the whole marine food web. They are very reactive to environmental changes and their interactions are modified in response to different productive periods such as phytoplankton bloom and non-bloom as well as contrasted climatic years. To study ecological associations, identify potential interactions between microorganisms and study the structure of the microbial food web in coastal waters, a weekly monitoring was carried out in the Thau Lagoon on the French Mediterranean coast. The monitoring lasted from winter to late spring during two contrasting climatic years, a typical Mediterranean (2015) and a year with an extreme warm winter (2016). Correlation networks comprising 110 groups/taxa/species were constructed to characterize potential possible interactions between the microorganisms during bloom and non-bloom periods. Complex correlation networks during the bloom and dominated by negative intraguild correlations and positive correlations of phytoplankton with bacteria. Such pattern can be interpreted as a dominance of competition and mutualism. In contrast, correlation networks during the non-bloom period were less complex and mostly dominated by tintinnids associations with bacteria mostly referring to potential feeding on bacteria, which suggests a shift of biomass transfer from phytoplankton-dominated food webs during bloom to more bacterioplankton-based food webs during non-bloom. Inter-annual climatic conditions significantly modified the structure of microbial food webs. The warmer year favored relationships among smaller group/taxa/species at the expense of large phytoplankton and ciliates, possibly due to an intensification of the trophic cascade with a potential shift in energy circulation through microbial food web. Our study compares a typical Mediterranean spring with another mimicking the prospected intensification of global warming; if such consideration holds true, the dominance of future coastal marine ecosystems will be shifted from the highly productive herbivorous food web to the less productive microbial food web.

A trade-off between mucocytes and bacteriocytes in Loripes orbiculatus gills (Bivalvia, Lucinidae): a mixotrophic adaptation to seasonality and reproductive status in a symbiotic species?

In this study, we investigated the composition of the gill tissue relative to the reproductive status of the lucinid clam Loripes orbiculatus (sensus Poli, 1791) according to seasonal as well as biological parameters to provide insights into the physiological variability of this symbiotic bivalve. Temporal variation in population density was also studied. The species was investigated in Zostera noltii seagrass beds in the Thau lagoon (43°26′52.27′′ N, 3°39′6.25′′ E) in the south of France in a monthly sampling study from May 2013 to July 2015. A total of 257 individual adults of different sizes were analysed according to water temperature and salinity variations. The findings revealed a very stable Loripes density over time, with one single reproductive period during late spring/early summer. We also found that bacteriocytes and mucocytes in the gills were negatively correlated and highly variable in their respective proportions. Bacteriocytes remained dominant during cold periods, whereas mucocytes appeared mainly in the gills of large individuals when the water temperature increased in the spring. As mucocytes were also related with gonadal maturation, we hypothesize that these may allow the host to increase the proportion of heterotrophy in its nutrition during spring primary production to face the metabolic demands required for reproduction. It is possible that mucocytes may also be involved in host immunity.

Trophic ecology of a blooming jellyfish (Aurelia coerulea) in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

AbstractThe current lack of knowledge on the trophic ecology of scyphozoans, particularly at the benthic stage, prevents a full understanding of the controls on many jellyfish blooms. The blooming scyphozoan (Aurelia coerulea) completes its entire life cycle in the Thau lagoon (southern France), where the annual population dynamics of both its benthic and pelagic stages have been described. This offered an exceptional framework to investigate the trophic processes regulating jellyfish populations over time. To this aim, stable isotopic signature analysis (δ13C and δ15N) was used to infer the diet of both A. coerulea scyphistomae and medusae over 1 year. These results were matched with medusae gut content analysis and with the monthly abundances of local plankton groups. Lastly, the isotopic signatures of A. coerulea scyphistomae and medusae were compared with those of the oysters (Crassostrea gigas) cultivated in the lagoon to evaluate the potential interspecific trophic competition. The results revealed two seasonal shifts in the trophic niche of A. coerulea and substantial overlap between the diets of its benthic and pelagic stages. Conversely, trophic niche overlaps with the oysters were restricted, suggesting a limited impact of the local jellyfish bloom on shellfish production. Phytoplankton, microzooplankton, mesozooplankton, and sedimentary organic matter were all important food sources during critical periods of A. coerulea life‐cycle. However, microzooplankton abundance was found to be key for the production of buds by the scyphistomae and, therefore it is likely to control the benthic population size and, thereby, to modulate the intensity of its annual bloom in Thau.

First simultaneous assessment of macro- and meiobenthic community response to juvenile shellfish culture in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Thau, France)

Abstract Shellfish aquaculture has the potential to alter benthic assemblage composition with subsequent modifications of ecosystem functioning. While the impacts of aquaculture on the taxonomic structure of macro- and — to a lesser extent — meiofauna, have been widely studied, the functional changes of these communities remain relatively unknown. The recent development of biological trait analysis (BTA) has made it possible to produce information about how ecosystem functioning could change across specific terrestrial or aquatic system. In the present study, we used a BTA in parallel with standard taxonomic analysis to evaluate how well the two approaches detected the potential influence of juvenile oyster culture on the benthic community in the French Mediterranean Thau Lagoon. Two sites were sampled under farm structures and compared with two reference sites beyond the influence of farming. This study is the first detailed parallel description of macro- and meiofauna (nematodes). A total of 118 and 41 taxa were determined for macrofauna and nematodes respectively. Some taxa were more abundant or exclusively observed under farm structures such as Chaetozone gibber and Neanthes acuminata for macrofauna and Daptonema fallax and Anticoma eberthi for nematodes. Overall, our results indicate that biological traits and functional indices both detected the impact of shellfish culture on benthic assemblages, whereas macrofauna taxonomic indices revealed no difference. Our results thus suggest that trophic and ecological groups are particularly good indicators of the effects of shellfish culture. This study confirms the relevance of the functional approach, and more generally of multi-index approaches, to detect the influence of aquaculture on benthic communities. Further work is required to test multiple traits in different regions and under different systems, but this work paves the way for environmental impact assessment using a trait based approach.

Fifty years of ecological changes: Regime shifts and drivers in a coastal Mediterranean lagoon during oligotrophication

Thau lagoon is a large Mediterranean coastal lagoons and it supports traditional shellfish farming activities. It has been subject to eutrophication leading to major anoxic events associated with massive mortalities of shellfish stocks. Since the 1970s, improvements have been made to wastewater treatment systems, which have gradually led to oligotrophication of the lagoon. The aim of our study was to determine how the decrease in nutrient inputs resulted in major ecological changes in Thau lagoon, by analysing five decades of time-series (1970–2018) of observations on pelagic and benthic autotrophic communities. We were able to identify two periods during the oligotrophication process. Period 1 (1970–1992) was considered a eutrophic period, characterised by the shift from seagrass dominance to dominance of red macroalgae. Period 2 (1993–2018), characterised by improved eutrophication status, was further divided into three: a transition phase (1993–2003) during which the water column continued to recover but the benthic community lagged behind in recovery and in partial resilience; a regime shift (2003–2006), after which the water column became oligotrophic and seagrass began to recover (2007–2018). Considering anoxia crises as indicators of ecosystem resilience and resistance, we used a generalised linear model to analyse meteorological and environmental data with the aim of identifying the triggers of summer anoxia over the study period. Among the meteorological variables studied, air temperature had the strongest positive effect, followed by the period and wind intensity (both negative effects) and by rainfall in July (positive effect). The risk of triggering anoxia was lower in period 2, evidence for the increasing resistance of the ecosystem to climatic stress throughout the oligotrophication process. At the ecosystem scale and in the long term perspective, the ecological gains related to oligotrophication are especially important in the context of climate change, with more frequent and severe heat waves predicted.

Two decades of oligotrophication: Evidence for a phytoplankton community shift in the coastal lagoon of Thau (Mediterranean Sea, France)

Mediterranean costal lagoons have been exposed to anthropic eutrophication for decades. Thau lagoon is one of the largest among them and provides many ecosystem services including shellfish farming. Considerable efforts were made between the 1970s and the late 2000s to improve the wastewater treatment systems in the lagoon watershed. A decrease in nutrient inputs to Thau lagoon was subsequently observed, evidence for the start of a recovery process in Thau lagoon, following oligotrophication. This decrease has significant consequences for ecosystem communities, above all primary producers. In our study, we characterised and quantified long-term changes by analysing long monitoring time-series (1998–2016) of phytoplankton biomass, abundance and composition of the taxa, nutrients and climate conditions, using univariate and multivariate statistics. Our results revealed that two decades of mitigation actions in the Thau lagoon watershed have led to a significant progressive reduction in nutrient concentrations and in phytoplankton biomass (−60%), associated with a decrease in diatom abundance (−66%), particularly affecting Skeletonema spp. The changes were associated with a community shift characterised by a shift in phytoplankton taxonomic dominance from Skeletonema-Chaetoceros to Chaetoceros-Pseudo-nitzschia. The median proportion of dinoflagellates relative to diatoms increased, although the total dinoflagellate abundance did not change significantly.We hypothesise that the shift in phytoplankton communities is the result of the mixed effects of the reduction in nutrient inputs and of climatic-related variables. Finally, we present a conceptual scheme of the main drivers of phytoplankton community structure to clarify the ecosystem functioning of a Mediterranean lagoon used for shellfish farming, under oligotrophication and climate change.

A box-model of carrying capacity of the Thau lagoon in the context of ecological status regulations and sustainable shellfish cultures

The decrease of microbial and nutrient inputs from the watershed has long dominated lagoon ecosystem management objectives. Phytoplankton biomass and abundance have drastically decreased for more than a decade and Zostera meadow have gradually recovered, expressing lagoon ecosystem restoration such as Thau lagoon. Do the progressive achievement of the good ecological status of the Thau lagoon possibly threatens the shellfish industry in terms of production and oyster quality, by reducing the carrying capacity? To provide answers about the right balance to be achieved between conservation and exploitation, a new numerical tool was developed to help in decision-making. We hereby propose to incorporate a Dynamic Energy Budget type shellfish production model to an existing lagoon ecosystem box-model. The influence of different scenarios of nutrient inputs (related to projections of population growth or improvement of treatment plants) and shellfish stocks were tested on oyster performances (production, oyster condition index), carrying capacity of the lagoon and ecological status indices used within the EU Water Framework Directive. Model outputs demonstrated that shellfish production was mainly controlled by nutrient inputs, which depend on hydro-meteorological variability, and specifically by phosphorus and N:P ratios of nutrient inputs. Scenarios tested, however, demonstrated smaller differences of oyster production in comparison to inter-annual variability. The overall ecological status of the lagoon remained in a “good” status with acceptable lagoon-scale phytoplankton depletion, regardless of scenarios, setting the carrying capacity of this ecosystem to be sustainable.

First Field-Based Evidence That the Seagrass-Lucinid Mutualism Can Mitigate Sulfide Stress in Seagrasses

Seagrass meadows form vital ecological components of coastal zones worldwide, but are rapidly declining. Large-scale seagrass diebacks have been related to accumulation of toxic sulfide in the sediment, a phenomenon predicted to occur more frequently in the near future due to ongoing global warming and increasing organic loading of coastal systems worldwide. Recently, a facultative mutualism between seagrasses and lucinid bivalves with endosymbiotic sulfide-consuming gill bacteria was discovered that may prevent toxic sulfide accumulation in seagrass sediments. Yet, direct field-based evidence for the importance of this mutualism in alleviating sulfide stress in seagrasses is currently lacking, as well as how its role may change when sediment sulfide levels increase due to environmental change. Here, we investigated the sulfide detoxification function of this seagrass-lucinid mutualism and its resilience to organic-loading induced sulfide stress in a temperate lagoon system (Thau lagoon, France), using a correlative field survey and a full factorial field experiment. The field survey revealed a strong positive correlation between seagrass above-ground biomass and lucinid densities, and pore water sulfide concentrations close to zero at all sites. Furthermore, the field experiment revealed that addition of organic matter (starch mixed with sucrose) increased sedimentary sulfide intrusion into seagrass (Zostera noltei) leaves (a proxy for sulfide stress), while experimentally enhanced lucinid densities reduced sulfide intrusion, regardless of addition of organic matter. Moreover, addition of organic matter reduced seagrass rhizome biomass and increased pore water sulfide levels, lucinid tissue sulfur content, lucinid condition (expressed as flesh/shell dry weight ratio), and total lucinid biomass, while enhancement of lucinid densities reduced lucinid condition. These results provide the first field-based evidence that lucinid bivalves and their sulfide-oxidizing gill symbionts mitigate sulfide stress in seagrasses, and suggests that the dependence of seagrass on this seagrass-lucinid mutualism will increase under conditions of enhanced sediment sulfide production, as predicted for the near future. Therefore, we suggest that awareness of the ecological importance of the seagrass-lucinid mutualism may be instrumental for designing new measures for improving long-term restoration success and seagrass resilience to global change.

Duality of trophic supply and hydrodynamic connectivity drives spatial patterns of Pacific oyster recruitment

The recent discovery of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (also known as Magallana gigas) spatfields in a Mediterranean lagoon intensely exploited for shellfish farming (Thau lagoon) revealed significant contrasts in spatial patterns of recruitment. We evaluated the processes that drive spatial patterns in oyster recruitment by comparing observed recruitment, simulated hydrodynamic connectivity and ecological variables. We hypothesized that spatial variability of recruitment depends on (1) hydrodynamic connectivity and (2) the ecology of the larval supply, settlement, metamorphosis, survival and biotic environmental parameters. We assessed recruitment at 6-8 experimental sites by larval sampling and spat collection inside and outside oyster farming areas and on an east-west gradient, from 2012-2014. Hydrodynamic connectivity was simulated using a numerical 3D transport model assessed with a Eulerian indicator. The supply of large umbo larvae did not differ significantly inside and outside oyster farming areas, whereas the supply of pediveligers to sites outside shellfish farms was structured by hydrodynamic connectivity. Inside shellfish farming zones, unfavorable conditions due to trophic competition with filter-feeders jeopardized their settlement. In this case, our results suggest loss of settlement competence by oyster larvae. This confirms our hypothesis of top-down trophic control by the oysters inside farming zones of Thau lagoon in summer that fails to meet the ecological requirements of these areas as oyster nurseries. Knowledge of oyster dispersal, connectivity and recruitment in coastal lagoons will help local development of sustainable natural spat collection. On a global scale, our method could be transposed to other basins or used for other species such as mussels, clams or scallops, to better understand the spatial patterns of bivalve recruitment. Management of the oyster industry based on natural spat collection will help develop a sustainable activity, based on locally adapted oyster strains but also by reducing the risks of transferring pathogens between basins and the global carbon footprint of this industry.

Molecular approach indicates consumption of jellyfish by commercially important fish species in a coastal Mediterranean lagoon

Until recently, jellyfish have been ignored as an important source of food, due to their low nutritional value. Here, quantitative PCR was used to detect and quantify the DNA of the jellyfish Aurelia coerulea in the gut contents of commercially important fish species from the Thau Lagoon. Individuals from five fish species were collected during two different periods: the bloom period, when the pelagic stages of A. coerulea are abundant, and the post-bloom period, when only the benthic stage – polyps – is present in the lagoon. The DNA of A. coerulea was detected in the guts of 41.9% of the fish analysed, belonging to four different species. The eel Anguilla anguilla and the seabream Sparus aurata were important jellyfish consumers during the bloom and post-bloom periods, respectively. These results provide new insights on the potential control of jellyfish populations and on jellyfish importance as a food source for exploited fishes.

Effective population size and heterozygosity-fitness correlations in a population of the Mediterranean lagoon ecotype of long-snouted seahorse Hippocampus guttulatus

The management of endangered species is complicated in the marine environment owing to difficulties to directly access, track and monitor in situ. Population genetics provide a genuine alternative to estimate population size and inbreeding using non-lethal procedures. The long-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus, is facing multiple threats such as human disturbance or by-catch, and has been listed in the red list of IUCN. One large population is found in the Thau lagoon, in the south of France. A recent study has shown this population belongs to a genetic lineage only found in Mediterranean lagoons that can be considered as an Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) and should be managed with dedicated conservation strategies. In the present study, we used genetic analysis of temporal samples to estimate the effective population size of the Thau population and correlations between individual multilocus heterozygosity and fitness traits to investigate the possible expression of inbreeding depression in the wild. Non-invasive sampling of 172 seahorses for which profiles were pictured and biometric data recorded were genotyped using 291 informative SNPs. Genetic diversity remained stable over a 7-year time interval. In addition, very low levels of close relatedness and inbreeding were observed, with only a single pair of related individuals in 2008 and two inbreds in 2013. We did not detect departure from identity equilibrium. The effective population size was estimated to be Ne = 2742 (~ 40 reproductive seahorses per km2), larger than previously thought. No correlation was observed between heterozygosity and fluctuating asymmetry or other morphometric traits, suggesting a population with low variance in inbreeding. Together these results suggest this population does not meet conventional genetic criteria of an endangered population, as the population seems sufficiently large to avoid inbreeding and its detrimental effects. This study paves the way for the genetic monitoring of this recently discovered ESU of a species with patrimonial and conservation concerns.

Dynamics and asexual reproduction of the jellyfish Aurelia coerulea benthic life stage in the Thau lagoon (northwestern Mediterranean)

For many jellyfish, the magnitude and timing of medusae blooms are recognized to result from the benthic stage dynamics. However, information on the scyphistomae of jellyfish populations in the wild remains scarce. Here, bi-mensual underwater photoquadrat surveys were combined with scyphistomae sampling and observation to describe the annual (February 2017–January 2018) benthic stage dynamics and asexual reproduction strategy of Aurelia coerulea in the Thau lagoon (43°25′31.1″N; 03°42′0.9″E). Our results revealed unexpected seasonal patterns of variation: scyphistoma coverage peaked in the spring (11.6 ± 3.7% on 21st April) and was minimal in the summer and autumn (1.4 ± 1.3% on 10th October). The increase in scyphistoma coverage mainly resulted from an intense production of buds between February and April during the spring rise in water temperature (peak of 12,800 buds m−2 on 21st April), but scyphistoma coverage appeared to be negatively influenced by the interaction of high summer temperatures and salinities. Strobilation was observed from November to April. It peaked on 17th November, with 33.1% of the scyphistomae strobilating and an average production of 19,100 strobila disks m−2. However, the low scyphistoma coverage at this time of the year (< 2%) likely limited the intensity of ephyrae liberation and the subsequent medusae bloom. The final population size of A. coerulea thus results from a complex interaction of abiotic and biotic factors. Our results bring into question how the different populations of Aurelia spp. will respond to the predicted global warming scenarios.

Water temperature drives phytoplankton blooms in coastal waters.

Phytoplankton blooms are an important, widespread phenomenon in open oceans, coastal waters and freshwaters, supporting food webs and essential ecosystem services. Blooms are even more important in exploited coastal waters for maintaining high resource production. However, the environmental factors driving blooms in shallow productive coastal waters are still unclear, making it difficult to assess how environmental fluctuations influence bloom phenology and productivity. To gain insights into bloom phenology, Chl a fluorescence and meteorological and hydrological parameters were monitored at high-frequency (15 min) and nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton abundance and diversity, were monitored weekly in a typical Mediterranean shallow coastal system (Thau Lagoon). This study was carried out from winter to late spring in two successive years with different climatic conditions: 2014/2015 was typical, but the winter of 2015/2016 was the warmest on record. Rising water temperature was the main driver of phytoplankton blooms. However, blooms were sometimes correlated with winds and sometimes correlated with salinity, suggesting nutrients were supplied by water transport via winds, saltier seawater intake, rain and water flow events. This finding indicates the joint role of these factors in determining the success of phytoplankton blooms. Furthermore, interannual variability showed that winter water temperature was higher in 2016 than in 2015, resulting in lower phytoplankton biomass accumulation in the following spring. Moreover, the phytoplankton abundances and diversity also changed: cyanobacteria (< 1 μm), picoeukaryotes (< 1 μm) and nanoeukaryotes (3–6 μm) increased to the detriment of larger phytoplankton such as diatoms. Water temperature is a key factor affecting phytoplankton bloom dynamics in shallow productive coastal waters and could become crucial with future global warming by modifying bloom phenology and changing phytoplankton community structure, in turn affecting the entire food web and ecosystem services.

Photoreactions of the Histidine Kinase Rhodopsin Ot-HKR from the Marine Picoalga Ostreococcus tauri.

The tiny picoalga, Ostreococcus tauri, originating from the Thau Lagoon is a member of the marine phytoplankton. Because of its highly reduced genome and small cell size, while retaining the fundamental requirements of a eukaryotic photosynthetic cell, it became a popular model organism for studying photosynthesis or circadian clock-related processes. We analyzed the spectroscopic properties of the photoreceptor domain of the histidine kinase rhodopsin Ot-HKR that is suggested to be involved in the light-induced entrainment of the Ostreococcus circadian clock. We found that the rhodopsin, Ot-Rh, dark state absorbs maximally at 505 nm. Exposure to green-orange light led to the accumulation of a blue-shifted M-state-like absorbance form with a deprotonated Schiff base. This Ot-Rh P400 state had an unusually long lifetime of several minutes. A second long-living photoproduct with a red-shifted absorbance, P560, accumulated upon illumination with blue/UVA light. The resulting photochromicity of the rhodopsin is expected to be advantageous to its function as a molecular control element of the signal transducing HKR domains. The light intensity and the ratio of blue vs green light are reflected by the ratio of rhodopsin molecules in the long-living absorbance forms. Furthermore, dark-state absorbance and the photocycle kinetics vary with the salt content of the environment substantially. This observation is attributed to anion binding in the dark state and a transient anion release during the photocycle, indicating that the salinity affects the photoinduced processes.

Changes in planktonic microbial components in interaction with juvenile oysters during a mortality episode in the Thau lagoon (France)

Oysters modify the planktonic microbial community structure by their filtration and NH4 excretion activities. While many studies have been conducted on this subject with adult oysters, none had been carried out in situ with juveniles. Pacific oyster juveniles (Magallana gigas, previously Crassostrea gigas) died massively all over the world since 2008 in relation with OsHV-1 infection. During mortality episodes, sick and dead oysters are not separated from healthy live ones, and left to decay in the surrounding environment, with unknown consequences for the nutrient cycle and planktonic microbial components (PMC). The present study aimed to elucidate for the first time the interactions between oyster juveniles and PMC during a mortality episode. Innovative 425-L pelagic chambers were deployed weekly in situ around oyster lanterns along a stocking-density gradient in the Thau Mediterranean lagoon (France) before, during and after an oyster mortality episode, from April to May 2015. This study reveals (i) significant changes of planktonic microbial community structure during mortality episodes, with a proliferation of picoplankton (<3 μm) and ciliates (Balanion sp., Uronema sp.) within 2 weeks when mortality rates and numbers of moribund juvenile oysters were highest. These changes were probably induced by oyster tissue leaching, decomposition and mineralization, which probably began during the moribund period, as suggested by an increase of PO4 concentration and N:P ratio decrease, (ii) oyster juveniles mainly retained 3–20 μm plankton. In contrast to adults, picophytoplankton and small heterotrophic flagellates (<3 μm) were significantly depleted in the presence of oyster juveniles. Depletion of picoplankton occurred only at the starting of the mortality episode and during the moribund phase. (iii) Oyster juvenile filtration and mortality shifted the planktonic microbial structure toward a heterotrophic microbial system, where ciliates and heterotrophic flagellates acted as a trophic link between picoplankton and oysters. The next stage of our investigation is to examine the effect of a mortality episode on pathogen fluxes in the water column, exploring their relationships with planktonic components and dead oyster flesh.