Résumé: This is the first study on the dinoflagellate cysts in Algerian waters and in Mellah Lagoon (South Western Mediterranean), located within a protected reserve. In total, 42 species of dinocysts belonging to 7 orders, 12 families and 23 genera, were identified in the 26 superficial sediment samples from Mellah Lagoon. The distribution of dinocysts in the sediment of this lagoon is heterogeneous. Indeed, their abundance oscillates between 1 and 315 cysts g(-1) dry sediment (DS). Cyst morphotype assemblages were dominated by a few numbers of species: Alexandrium minutum (15.87%), Gonyaulax verior (9.81%), Protoperidinium spp. (7.74%), Alexandrium affine (7.05%), Scrippsiella trochoidea (6.67%), and Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax (6.19%). There is a positive correlation between the density of cysts and the depth (r = 0.61; p < 0.05), organic matter (r = 0.70; p < 0.05), water content (r = 0.71; p < 0.05), and the fine fraction of sediment (r = 0.74; p < 0.05). Surprisingly, although the Mellah Lagoon is almost semi-closed, it holds an important specific richness in dinocysts (42 species) higher than others observed in Mediterranean lagoons. However, cyst abundances are low compared to other lagoons in the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, the presence of dinocysts of Alexandrium catenella/tamarense, A. minutum, and Gymnodinium catenatum associated to paralytic shellfish toxins, A. pseudogonyaulax which produces goniodomin A, also Protoceratium reticulatum and Gonyaulax spinifera complex which produce yessotoxins, needs to implement a monitoring program to prevent a potential human intoxication due to the consumption of contaminated sea products by these potent neurotoxins.

Résumé: Many marine species exhibit poleward migrations following climate change. The Barents Sea, a doorstep to the fast-warming Arctic, is experiencing large scale changes in its environment and its communities. Tracking and anticipating changes for management and conservation purposes at the scale of the ecosystem necessitate quantitative knowledge on individual species distribution drivers. This paper aims at identifying the factors controlling demersal habitats in the Barents Sea, investigating for which species we can predict current and future habitats and inferring those most likely to respond to climate change. We used non-linear quantile regressions (QGAM) to model the upper quantile of the biomass response of 33 fish species to 10 environmental gradients and revealed three environmental niche typologies. Four main predictors seem to be limiting species habitat: bottom and surface temperature, salinity, and depth. We highlighted three cases of present and future habitat predictability: (a) Habitats of widespread species are not likely to be limited by the existing conditions within the Barents Sea. (b) Habitats limited by a single factor are predictable and could shift if impacted by climate change. If the factor is depth, the habitat may stagnate or shrink if the environment becomes unsuitable. (c) Habitats limited by several factors are also predictable but need to be predicted from QGAM applied on projected environmental maps. These modeled suitable habitats can serve as input to species distribution forecasts and end-to-end models, and inform fisheries and conservation management.

Résumé: We studied the relationships between sediment industrial pollutants concentrations, sediment characteristics and the dinoflagellate cyst abundance within a coastal lagoon by investigating a total of 55 sampling stations within the Bizerte lagoon, a highly anthropized Mediterranean ecosystem. The sediment of Bizerte lagoon is characterized by a high dinocyst abundance, reaching a maximum value of 2742 cysts.g(-1) of dry sediment. The investigated cyst diversity was characterized by the presence of 22 dominant dinocyst morphotypes belonging to 11 genera. Two dinoflagellate species dominated the assemblage: Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax and Protoperidinium claudicans, representing 29 to 89% and 5 to 38% of the total cyst abundance, respectively, depending on the station. Seven morphotypes belonging to potentially toxic species were detected, including Alexandrium minutum, A. pseudogonyaulax, Alexandrium catenella/tamarense species complex, Lingulodinium polyedrum, Gonyaulax cf. spinifera complex, Prorocentrum micans and Protoceratium reticulatum. Pearson correlation values showed a positive correlation (alpha = 0.05) between cyst abundance and both water content and fine silt sediment content. Clustering revealed that the highest abundance of cysts corresponds to stations presenting the higher amounts of heavy metals. The simultaneous autoregressive model (SAM) highlighted a significant correlation (alpha = 0.05) between cyst accumulation and two main factors: sediment water content and sediment content for several heavy metals, including Hg, Cd, Cu, Ni and Cr. These results suggest that the degree of heavy metal pollution could influence cyst accumulation patterns. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.