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Annasawmy, P., Cherel, Y., Romanov, E., Le Loc'h, F., Menard, F., Ternon, J. - F., et al. (2020). Stable isotope patterns of mesopelagic communities over two shallow seamounts of the south-western Indian Ocean. Deep-Sea Res. Part II-Top. Stud. Oceanogr., 176, 104804.
Résumé: The stable carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15) isotope values of soft tissues of micronekton (crustaceans, squid, mesopelagic fish) and zooplankton were measured from organisms collected on the RV Antea at two seamounts located in the south-western Indian Ocean: La Perouse (summit depth similar to 60 m) and “MAD-Ridge” (thus named in this study; summit depth similar to 240 m). Surface particulate organic matter (POM-Surf) showed higher delta C-13 at the more productive MAD-Ridge than at the oligotrophic La Perouse seamount. Particulate organic matter and zooplankton were depleted in N-15 at La Pemuse pinnacle compared with MAD-Ridge. Gelatinous organisms and crustaceans occupied the lowest and intermediate tmphic levels (TL similar to 2 and 3 respectively) at both seamounts. Mesopelagic fish and smaller-sized squid sampled at both seamounts occupied TL similar to 3 to 4, whereas the large nektonic squid, Ommastrephes bartramii, collected at MAD-Ridge only, exhibited a TL of similar to 5. The delta N-15 values of common open-water mesopelagic taxa were strongly influenced by specimen size and feeding habits at both seamounts, with an increase in delta N-15 values with increasing size. Carnivorous fish species sampled exclusively over the seamounts' flanks and summits exhibited TL values of similar to 4, irrespective of their wide size ranges. The work could not demonstrate any differences in delta C-13 values of mesopelagic fish between the seamounts and the surrounding oceanic areas. The study segregated clusters of mesopelagic organisms according to their delta C-13 and delta N-15 values, with variations in stable isotope values reflecting a complex range of processes possibly linked to productivity as well as biological and ecological traits of the species (size and feeding mode).
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Grüss, A., Schirripa, M. J., Chagaris, D., Drexler, M., Simons, J., Verley, P., et al. (2015). Evaluation of the trophic structure of the West Florida Shelf in the 2000s using the ecosystem model OSMOSE. Journal of Marine Systems, 144, 30–47.
Résumé: We applied the individual-based, multi-species OSMOSE modeling approach to the West Florida Shelf, with the intent to inform ecosystem-based management (EBM) in this region. Our model, referred to as ‘OSMOSE-WFS’, explicitly considers both pelagic-demersal and benthic high trophic level (HTL) groups of fish and invertebrate species, and is forced by the biomass of low trophic level groups of species (plankton and benthos). We present a steady-state version of the OSMOSE-WFS model describing trophic interactions in the West Florida Shelf in the 2000s. OSMOSE-WFS was calibrated using a recently developed evolutionary algorithm that allowed simulated biomasses of HTL groups to match observed biomasses over the period 2005–2009. The validity of OSMOSE-WFS was then evaluated by comparing simulated diets to observed ones, and the simulated trophic levels to those in an Ecopath model of the West Florida Shelf (WFS Reef fish Ecopath). Finally, OSMOSE-WFS was used to explore the trophic structure of the West Florida Shelf in the 2000s and estimate size-specific natural mortality rates for a socio-economically important species, gag grouper (Mycteroperca microlepis). OSMOSE-WFS outputs were in full agreement with observations as to the body size and ecological niche of prey of the different HTL groups, and to a lesser extent in agreement with the observed species composition of the diet of HTL groups. OSMOSE-WFS and WFS Reef fish Ecopath concurred on the magnitude of the instantaneous natural mortality of the different life stages of gag grouper over the period 2005–2009, but not always on the main causes of natural mortality. The model evaluations conducted here provides a strong basis for ongoing work exploring fishing and environmental scenarios so as to inform EBM. From simple size-based predation rules, we were indeed able to capture the complexity of trophic interactions in the West Florida Shelf, and to identify the predators, prey and competitors of socio-economically important species as well as pivotal prey species of the ecosystem.
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Lassalle, G., Lobry, J., Le Loc'h, F., Mackinson, S., Sanchez, F., Tomczak, M. T., et al. (2013). Ecosystem status and functioning : searching for rules of thumb using an intersite comparison of food-web models of Northeast Atlantic continental shelves. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70(1), 135–149.
Résumé: This work aimed to provide a better understanding of how the structure and function of marine ecosystems and trophic control mechanisms influence their response to perturbations. Comparative analysis of Ecopath models of four Northeast Atlantic ecosystems was used to search for rules of thumb defining the similarities and differences between them. Ecosystem indicators, related to the ecology of species interactions, were derived from these models and compared. Two main questions were addressed. (i) What are the main energy pathways and mechanisms of control? (ii) Do these ecosystems exhibit the widespread and potentially stabilizing food-web structure such that top predators couple distinct energy pathways? A strong bentho-pelagic coupling operated over the Bay of Biscay Shelf, while energy reached higher trophic levels mostly through pelagic compartments, in northern areas. Zooplankton was demonstrated to be trophically important in all ecosystems, acting as a regulator of the abundance of small pelagic fish. A latitudinal pattern in flow control was highlighted by this analysis, with a significant contribution of top-down effect at higher latitudes. This top-down control of the Baltic Sea, combined with the fact that this ecosystem did not exhibit the potentially stabilizing two-channel structure, suggested a non-stable environment.
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Meddeb, M., Niquil, N., Grami, B., Mejri, K., Haraldsson, M., Chaalali, A., et al. (2019). A new type of plankton food web functioning in coastal waters revealed by coupling Monte Carlo Markov chain linear inverse method and ecological network analysis. Ecol. Indic., 104, 67–85.
Résumé: Plankton food webs (PFW) typology is based on different categories of functioning, according to the dominant processes and the role played by heterotrophic bacteria, small vs large phytoplankton, and small vs large zooplankton. Investigating the structure and the function of planktonic food webs in two SW Mediterranean waters (inshore and marine sites) at four seasons, using inverse (LIM-MCMC) and ecological network (ENA) analyses, we identified a new type of food web, called the “bacterial multivorous food web”. This food web adds to the conventional trophic continuum as previously reported. The “bacterial multivorous food web” present in winter showed the lowest primary production among seasons, but highest bacterial production. Several food web ratios characterized this new typology e.g. picophytoplankton net primary production to total primary production varied from 0.20 to 0.28; bacterial to primary production ratio is higher than values reported in global scale (congruent to 1); bacterial net production to the potential protozoan prey net production was high (>0.2). In this special food web, carbon was mostly recycled, with a moderate fraction channeled to deep waters, which lead to a higher retention of carbon inside the ecosystem. This winter PFW also seemed to be the most organized, specialized, stable and mature, as related to common interpretations of ENA. The spring was characterized by herbivorous food web, with highest activity coinciding with low stability. Although less usual, the herbivorous pathway was also observed during summer, in inshore waters. The autumn food webs, which functioned as multivorous or microbial food webs, appeared to be stable and mature. Finally, our study demonstrates the usefulness of food web models derived ratios combined with ecological network analysis indices to conduct evaluation of the structure and functioning of ecosystems and potentially to support management decisions in marine environment.
Mots-Clés: Bacterial multivorous food web; biogenic carbon; Coastal waters; continental-shelf; Ecology; ecosystem attributes; flow networks; Food web modeling; grazing impact; gulf; mediterranean sea; model analysis; Network analysis; Seasonal variations; seasonal-dynamics; trophic network; Trophic structure
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