title: Environmental control on fish and macrocrustacean spring community-structure, on an intertidal sandy beach.
abstract: The inter-annual variability of the fish and macrocrustacean spring community on an intertidal sandy beach near the Canche estuary (North of France) was studied from 2000 to 2013 based on weekly spring sampling over an 11-year period. Twenty-eight species representing 21 families were collected during the course of the study. The community was dominated by a few abundant species accounting for > 99% of the total species densities. Most individuals caught were young-of-the-year indicating the importance of this ecosystem for juvenile fishes and macrocrustaceans. Although standard qualitative community ecology metrics (species composition, richness, diversity, evenness and similarity) indicated notable stability over the study period, community structure showed a clear change since 2009. Densities of P. platessa, P. microps and A. tobianus decreased significantly since 2009, whereas over the period 2010-2013, the contribution of S. sprattus to total species density increased 4-fold. Co-inertia and generalised linear model analyses identified winter NAO index, water temperature, salinity and suspended particular matter as the major environmental factors explaining these changes. Although the recurrent and dense spring blooms of the Prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis globosa is one of the main potential threats in shallow waters of the eastern English Channel, no negative impact of its temporal change was detected on the fish and macrocrustacean spring community structure.
authors.affiliation: Université du littoral, UMR 8187 LOG, F-62930 Wimereux, France; Université Badji Mokhtar, Laboratoire d’Ecobiologie Milieux Marins et Littoraux, Annaba, Algeria.
authors.forename: Achwak
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benazza
authors.affiliation: Université du littoral, UMR 8187 LOG, F-62930 Wimereux, France; Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR 5805 EPOC, Station Marine d’Arcachon, place du Docteur Peyneau, F-33120 Arcachon, France.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Selleslagh
authors.affiliation: Université du littoral, UMR 8187 LOG, F-62930 Wimereux, France.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Breton
authors.affiliation: Université du littoral, UMR 8187 LOG, F-62930 Wimereux, France.
authors.forename: Khalef
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rabhi
authors.affiliation: Université du littoral, UMR 8187 LOG, F-62930 Wimereux, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cornille
authors.affiliation: Université du littoral, UMR 8187 LOG, F-62930 Wimereux, France.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bacha
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 8187 LOG, F-62930 Wimereux, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lecuyer
authors.affiliation: Université du littoral, UMR 8187 LOG, F-62930 Wimereux, France.
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058448:Biota; D003445:Crustacea; D063366:Estuaries; D005399:Fishes; D005602:France; D058087:Haptophyta / Q000254:growth & development; D057097:Harmful Algal Bloom; D012621:Seasons