Résumé: By the end of the twentieth century, many of the coastal lagoons along the French Mediterranean coast showed insufficient water quality and degraded ecosystem states due to anthropogenic impacts. Among these, nutrient over-enrichment, resulting in eutrophication, has been a major concern. The Water Framework Directive of the E.U. (WFD) has initiated public action to improve their water quality and ecosystem state using an approach rooted in restoration ecology. Here we analyse how this has been applied for the coastal lagoons in South France, considering eutrophication as an example of ecosystem degradation and oligotrophication as the corresponding way for ecological restoration of the eutrophied coastal lagoons. Oligotrophication trajectories, initiated by the reduction of external nutrient loading, have resulted in a quick recovery (i.e. within 3 years) of integrative water column variables (Chlorophyll a, total N and P). The biomass of phytoplankton dropped very quickly showing concomitant changes in their community compositions. Starting from hypertrophic systems, the oligotrophication trajectory is described by a sequence of three ecosystem states dominated respectively by (i) phytoplankton with bare non-vegetated sediments, (ii) opportunistic macroalgae, (iii) angiosperm and perennial macroalgae, punctuated by regime shifts between these ecosystem states. Nevertheless, the latter regime shift has not been observed for the most degraded ecosystems after 10-years oligotrophication. The N and P accumulated in sediments during eutrophication may also retard the ecological restoration. In shallow freshwater lakes, the phytoplankton-dominated and the angiosperm-dominated states are also characteristic for highly-degraded and fully-restored ecosystems states, respectively. In contrast, opportunistic macroalgae do not bloom in these systems. Hence, the multiple stable state model, used successfully for these lakes, cannot be applied straightforwardly for coastal lagoons. To be successful, ecological restoration should consider societal questions as according the DPSIR framework it typically is a response of society. Local citizens and highly-involved stakeholders strongly value the coastal lagoons and attribute very high importance to their regulating ecosystem services (ESs). Different stakeholder profiles are related to different perceptions and appreciations of cultural ESs. Finally, more studies are needed to asses compatibility and incongruencies between the WFD and the Habitats directives, as both apply to coastal lagoons.

Résumé: French Mediterranean coastal lagoons have been subject to huge inputs of urban nutrients for decades leading to the eutrophication of these vulnerable ecosystems. In response to new environmental regulations, some of the lagoons have recently been the subject of large-scale management actions targeting the waste water treatment systems located on their watersheds. While the eutrophication of coastal ecosystems is well described, recovery trajectories have only recently been studied. To assess the rapidity and the extent of the effect of the remediation actions, we analysed data from a 14-year time series resulting from the monitoring of nutrients, biomass and the abundance of phytoplankton in the water column of French Mediterranean coastal lagoons covering the whole anthropogenic eutrophication gradient. Following a 50% to 80% reduction in total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) urban loadings from the watershed of hypertrophic and eutrophic ecosystems, the integrative parameters chlorophyll a, TN and TP, provide evidence for a rapid response (1 to 3 years) and for an almost complete recovery, suggesting no hysteresis for the eutrophic lagoon. However, our findings also show that recovery patterns depend on the eutrophication status before remediation and may include feedback responses. The different responses revealed by our results should help stakeholders prioritise remediation actions and identify appropriate restoration goals, especially in light of the targets of the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

Résumé: 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.

Résumé: Short-term bioassays were conducted in Biguglia lagoon (Corsica) to study the physiological and behavioral responses of phytoplankton to N- and P-availability. Natural communities were collected in two stations representative of the two sub-basins, at three periods with contrasting environmental characteristics to address the impact of seasonal variability. These samples were separately enriched with a full N and P enrichment, and with enrichments minus N or minus P. Phytoplankton size structuration, diversity, and growth of the total phytoplankton, the micro-, nano- and ultraphytoplankton were evaluated using spectrofluorimetry, and optical microscopy. Results showed that the communities were fueled by NO3− in the wet periods (autumn and spring) and NH4+ in summer. The phytoplankton communities displayed highest cell size in autumn, with high abundances of nanoflagellates, and smallest cell size in summer with a large dominance of phycocyanin-rich picocyanobacteria. Blooms of dinoflagellates also occurred during the wet periods, coinciding with high N:P ratios. The full enrichment has not stimulated phytoplankton growth in autumn, suggesting the importance of other controlling factors such as light, a possible NH4+ inhibition or the use of mixotrophic abilities. In spring, communities have displayed single P-limitation in the northern basin and different N and P co-limitations in the southern basin. In summer, the full enrichment consistently stimulated the growth of all cell sizes. The communities showed high N and P co-limitations, which is consistent with growing observations in aquatic ecosystems, and reflects the different functional responses of phytoplankton communities to the nutrient availability.

Résumé: Reproduction and recruitment of benthic invertebrates are influenced by the climate and by the ecological structure of marine ecosystems, along with local anthropogenic pressures such as eutrophication or oligotrophication. Using the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas as a biological model, we tested the hypothesis that the variability in prodissoconch II (PII) size (i.e. size at metamorphosis) depends on ecological functioning. Settlement and recruitment were assessed at 5 sampling sites on the French Mediterranean shellfish farmed Thau lagoon during the main summer recruitment events in 3 consecutive years (2012-2014). Hydrobiological and planktonic analyses were conducted at 3 sampling sites. Our results showed that recruitment was extremely heterogeneous, ranging from 0 to 260 ± 27 SE ind. dm-2 throughout the ecosystem and was linked with variability in PII size, which ranged from 180 to 296 µm. The annual temporal pattern of PII sizes appeared to be controlled by temperature during the settlement period, whereas the spatial pattern depended on phytoplankton biomass and on the trophic functioning of the ecosystem. Smaller PII sizes were significantly correlated with the highest phytoplankton biomass, while larger PII sizes were positively correlated with mixotrophic cryptophyte abundance. We found an inverse relationship between PII size and survival after metamorphosis, showing that recruitment success was associated with smaller PII sizes. Regional climate conditions and local trophic functioning appear to be key factors in metamorphosis and consequently contribute to recruitment heterogeneity. Further studies should be performed in other ecosystems following an oligotrophication trajectory to generalize this result.

Résumé: This study investigated the genetic diversity of phytoplankton communities in six shallow lagoons located on the French coast of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea that represented a trophic gradient ranging from oligotrophic to hypereutrophic. The phytoplankton communities were sampled once a month from spring (May) to the beginning of autumn (September/early October) in 2012 and fractionated by size. Metabarcodes were generated from cDNAs by targeting the D1-D2 region of the 28S rRNA gene and pyrosequenced using Roche 454 technology. Examination of the annotated barcodes revealed harmful algal species not previously documented in these lagoons. Three ichthyotoxic species belonging to Pfiesteriaceae were detected: Luciella masanensis was relatively widespread and abundant in many samples, whereas Pfiesteria piscicida and Stoeckeria changwonensis were found as single barcode sequences. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis of barcodes annotated as belonging to Pfiesteriaceae suggested the existence of two previously undescribed clades. The other toxic or potentially harmful dinoflagellates detected through rare barcodes were Dinophysis acuminata, Vulcanodinium rugosum, Alexandrium andersonii and A. ostenfeldii. The two most abundant dinoflagellate taxa were Gymnodinium litoralis and Akashiwo sanguinea with respect to sequence numbers. Four diatom species from the genus Pseudo-nitzschia that potentially produce domoic acid were identified (P. galaxiae, P. delicatissima, P. brasiliana and P. calliantha). These observations are discussed in terms of the literature and monitoring records related to the identified taxa in this Mediterranean area. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Résumé: Along the French Mediterranean coast, a complex of eight lagoons underwent intensive eutrophication over four decades, mainly related to nutrient over-enrichment from continuous sewage discharges. The lagoon complex displayed a wide trophic gradient from mesotrophy to hypertrophy and primary production was dominated by phytoplankton communities. In 2005, the implementation of an 11 km offshore outfall system diverted the treated sewage effluents leading to a drastic reduction of anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus into the lagoons. Time series data have been examined from 2000 to 2013 for physical, chemical and biological (phytoplankton) variables of the water column during the summer period. Since 2006, total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations as well as chlorophyll biomass strongly decreased revealing an improvement in lagoon water quality. In summertime, the decline in phytoplankton biomass was accompanied by shifts in community structure and composition that could be explained by adopting a functional approach by considering the common functional traits of the main algal groups. These phytoplankton communities were dominated by functional groups of small-sized and fast-growing algae (diatoms, cryptophytes and green algae). The trajectories of summer phytoplankton communities displayed a complex response to changing nutrient loads over time. While diatoms were the major group in 2006 in all the lagoons, the summer phytoplankton composition in hypertrophic lagoons has shifted towards green algae, which are particularly well adapted to summertime conditions. All lagoons showed increasing proportion and occurrence of peridinin-rich dinophytes over time, probably related to their capacity for mixotrophy. The diversity patterns were marked by a strong variability in eutrophic and hypertrophic lagoons whereas phytoplankton community structure reached the highest diversity and stability in mesotrophic lagoons. We observe that during the re-oligotrophication process in coastal lagoons, phytoplankton shows complex trajectories with similarities with those observed in freshwater lake systems.

Résumé: 1 – Phytoplankton observations are commonly used to contribute to the assessment of aquatic ecosystem health and their trophic status. Compared to other methods, chemotaxonomic analysis based on High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) presents many advantages (e.g., rapidity, reproducibility, and capacity to include pigments from all cell sizes), but its use in coastal lagoons studies is still not very common. The method of Wright et al., (1991) recommended by the UNESCO (Jeffrey et al., 1997) and most frequently used for phytoplankton analysis in coastal lagoons, so far, was selected and compared to the more novel method of Hagerthey et al. (2006). 2 – The two methods that differed slightly with respect to their solvent gradients during chromatography (mobile phase) and column (stationary phase), were tested using a pigment mix from DHI Water and Environment comprising 30 different pigments. Extraction methods were tested using replicates of 1l of sub-surface water from the Thau lagoon (South of France), sampled in June 2013. Optimization of the extraction was performed by testing different volumes of solvent (2 to 5 ml), different solvents based on a mix of methanol, acetone, dimethylformamide, water, compared to acetone 90% and pure methanol, as well as different extraction times (10 min to 2 h), and the addition of the ion-pairing agent tetrabutyl ammonium acetate hydroxide (TBAA). 3 – The second method of analysis allowed better separation and resolution of most of the pigments, especially of lutein and zeaxanthin. The early-eluting most polar pigments and the more hydrophobic pigments eluting in the end of the chromatogram (chlorophylls and carotenoids) showed also better separation and peak shapes. 5 mL of the mix of acetone/ methanol/ water (45:45:10) allowed the best extraction of the pigments. The use of TBAA showed negative effects. 4 – For pigment analysis in coastal lagoon, our final protocol used 1 h extraction with 5 mL of acetone/ methanol/ water, and analysis with the gradient from Hagerthey et al. (2006). On our analytical equipment it needed some adjustments. It uses a longer chromatography run and quantified the phytoplankton pigment markers better than the method of Wright et al. (1991).