title: Macrofauna associated with temporary Sabellaria alveolata reefs on the west coast of Cotentin (France).
abstract: The polychaete Sabellaria alveolata (Linnaeus, 1767) is an important ecosystem engineer building reef structures which add to the topographic complexity in colonized areas. In Europe, the most extensive reef formation is located in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel (France). Since 2006, Sabellaria bio-constructions have developed on hard substrates along the west coast of the Cotentin Peninsula between Champeaux and Saint-Germain-sur-Ay on the northern part of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. In this sector, two distinct types of bio-construction can be distinguished: platforms and reefs. The aim of this study is to analyse the patterns of the associated macrofauna on these platforms and reefs, as well as outside, and test for a correlation between the presence of Sabellaria bio-constructions and the richness of the benthic macrofauna. Univariate analyses are used to compare the macrofauna on four sites (Champeaux, Lingreville, Blainville-sur-Mer and Saint-Germain-sur-Ay). The results show a higher taxonomic richness on the platform-type than on the reef-type structures, and also a higher taxonomic richness outside the bio-construction areas. This suggests that, on the examined sites, the presence of S. alveolata bio-constructions does not contribute to higher levels of benthic macrofaunal richness on hard substrates. Temporary bio-constructions along this coast exhibit reefs of interest at some sites as well as in very small zones which merit special attention.
authors.affiliation: UNICAEN, UNIROUEN, UMR M2C, CNRS 6143, Normandie Univ, 24 Rue des Tilleuls, 14000 Caen, France ; CREC, Station Marine, Université de Caen Normandie, 54 Rue du Docteur Charcot, BP 49, 14530 Luc-sur-Mer, France.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schlund
authors.affiliation: SMEL, Centre Expérimental, ZAC Blainville-sur-Mer, 50560 Blainville-sur-Mer, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Basuyaux
authors.affiliation: SMEL, Centre Expérimental, ZAC Blainville-sur-Mer, 50560 Blainville-sur-Mer, France.
authors.forename: Billie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lecornu
authors.affiliation: UNICAEN, UNIROUEN, UMR M2C, CNRS 6143, Normandie Univ, 24 Rue des Tilleuls, 14000 Caen, France ; CREC, Station Marine, Université de Caen Normandie, 54 Rue du Docteur Charcot, BP 49, 14530 Luc-sur-Mer, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pezy
authors.affiliation: UNICAEN, UNIROUEN, UMR M2C, CNRS 6143, Normandie Univ, 24 Rue des Tilleuls, 14000 Caen, France ; CREC, Station Marine, Université de Caen Normandie, 54 Rue du Docteur Charcot, BP 49, 14530 Luc-sur-Mer, France.
authors.forename: Alexandrine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baffreau
authors.affiliation: UNICAEN, UNIROUEN, UMR M2C, CNRS 6143, Normandie Univ, 24 Rue des Tilleuls, 14000 Caen, France ; CREC, Station Marine, Université de Caen Normandie, 54 Rue du Docteur Charcot, BP 49, 14530 Luc-sur-Mer, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dauvin
keywords: Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel; Cotentin coast; Macrofauna taxonomic richness; Sabellaria reefs; Temporary reefs