Résumé: Anchovy (Engraulis ringens) is the most important exploited fish species in the Northern Humboldt Current System (NHCS) off Peru. This species, as well as most other pelagic resources, mainly forage on zooplankton. The NHCS is bottom-up controlled at a variety of scales. Therefore, fish biomass is driven by the abundance of their prey. In this context, we studied the spatiotemporal patterns of zooplankton biomass in the NHCS from 1961-2012. Data were collected with Hensen net all along the Peruvian coast. To transform zooplankton biovolume into biomass we used a regression that was calibrated from 145 zooplankton samples collected during four surveys and, for which, precise information was available on both biovolume and wet weight. The regression model was then applied on a time-series encompassing 158 cruises performed by the Peruvian Institute of the Sea (IMARPE) between 1961 and 2012. We observed a clear multidecadal pattern and two regime shifts, in 1973 and 1992. Maximum biomass occurred between 1961 and 1973 (61.5 g m(-2)). The lowest biomass (17.8 g m(-2)) occurred between 1974 and 1992. Finally, the biomass increased after 1993 (26.6 g m(-2)) but without reaching the levels observed before 1973. A seasonal pattern was observed with significantly more biomass in spring than in other seasons. Spatially, zooplankton biomass was higher offshore and in northern and southern Peru. Interestingly, the zooplankton sampling was performed using classic zooplankton net that are well fitted to mesozooplankton and are known to underestimate the macrozooplankton; however, the spatiotemporal patterns we observed are consistent with those of macrozooplankton, in particular euphausiids. This suggests that in the NHCS, when and where macrozooplankton dominates it also dominates the biomass obtained using classic zooplankton net samples. Finally, until now, in the NHCS only time-series on zooplankton biovolume were available. The biomass data we provide are more directly usable in trophic or end-to-end models.

Résumé: Ecological intensification is a new concept in agriculture that addresses the double challenge of maintaining a level of production sufficient to support needs of human populations and respecting the environment in order to conserve the natural world and human quality of life. This article adapts this concept to fish farming using agroecological principles and the ecosystem services framework. The method was developed from the study of published literature and applications at four study sites chosen for their differences in production intensity: polyculture ponds in France, integrated pig and pond polyculture in Brazil, the culture of striped catfish in Indonesia and a recirculating salmon aquaculture system in France. The study of stakeholders' perceptions of ecosystem services combined with environmental assessment through Life Cycle Assessment and Emergy accounting allowed development of an assessment tool that was used as a basis for co-building evolution scenarios. From this experience, ecological intensification of aquaculture was defined as the use of ecological processes and functions to increase productivity, strengthen ecosystem services and decrease disservices. It is based on aquaecosystem and biodiversity management and the use of local and traditional knowledge. Expected consequences for farming systems consist of greater autonomy, efficiency and better integration into their surrounding territories. Ecological intensification requires territorial governance and helps improve it from a sustainable development perspective.

Résumé: We designed and tested a set of specific primers for specific PCR amplification of the biotin carboxylase subunit gene (accC) of the Acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase) enzyme. The primer set yielded a PCR product of c. 460 bp that was suitable for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting followed by direct sequencing of excised DGGE bands and sequence analysis. Optimization of PCR conditions for selective amplification was carried out with pure cultures of different bacteria and archaea, and laboratory enrichments. Next, fingerprinting comparisons were done in several aerobic and anaerobic freshwater planktonic samples. The DGGE fingerprints showed between 2 and 19 bands in the different samples, and the primer set provided specific amplification in both pure cultures and natural samples. Most of the samples had sequences grouped with bacterial accC, hypothetically related to the anaplerotic fixation of inorganic carbon. Some other samples, however, yielded accC gene sequences that clustered with Crenarchaeota and were related to the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle of autotrophic crenarchaeota. Such samples came from oligotrophic high mountain lakes and the hypolimnia of a sulfide-rich lake, where crenarchaeotal populations had been previously reported by 16S rRNA surveys. This study provided a fast tool to look for presence of accC genes in natural environments as potential marker for studies of carbon dioxide assimilation in the dark. After further refinement for better specificity against archaea, the new and novel primers could be very helpful to establish a target for crenarchaeota with implications for our understanding of archaeal carbon biogeochemistry.