Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T00:39:50.870Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Temporal changes in community structure of tide pools following the “Erika” oil spill

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2004

Anne-Laure Barillé-Boyer ,
Yves Gruet ,
Laurent Barillé  and
Nicolas Harin
Anne-Laure Barillé-Boyer
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biologie Marine, ISOMER, UPRES EA 2663
Yves Gruet
Affiliation:
Département des Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP 92208, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3, France
Laurent Barillé
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biologie Marine, ISOMER, UPRES EA 2663
Nicolas Harin
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biologie Marine, ISOMER, UPRES EA 2663
Get access

Abstract

The impact of the “Erika” oil spill on the tidal rock pool community, and particularly on two species of sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus and Psammechinus miliaris), was investigated over a 3-year period, at Piriac-sur-Mer (Department of Loire-Atlantique, France, 47°21.6' N; 2°31.7' W). A dramatic increase in the abundance of two macroalgae Ulva sp. and Grateloupia doryphora occurred following a 100% mortality of sea urchins observed three weeks after the oil spill. The density of sea urchins and of other main herbivores, the periwinkle Littorina littorea and the trochid mollusks Gibbula umbilicalis and Gibbula pennantii, were monitored between January 2000 and March 2003. There was significant inverse relationship between the overall density of herbivores (sea urchins, periwinkles and trochid mollusks) and the percent cover of algae in the tidal pools. The first urchins in the tidal pools were observed two years after the oil spill and it took three years to reach sea urchin densities comparable to the reference value of 63 ind.m−2 obtained before the oil spill.

Keywords

Oil spillSeaweedGrateloupia doryphoraEchinodermParacentrotus lividus / Psammechinus miliaris
Type
Research Article
Information
Aquatic Living Resources , Volume 17 , Issue 3: The "Erika" Oil Spill: Environmental Contamination and Effects in the Bay of Biscay , July 2004 , pp. 323 - 328
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD, 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alves, F.M.A., Chicharo, L.M., Serrao, E., Abreu, A.D., 2001, Algal cover and sea urchin spatial distribution at Madeira Island (NE Atlantic). Scient. Mar. 65, 383-392. CrossRef
Benedetti-Cecchi, L., Bulleri, F., Cinelli, F., 1998, Density dependent foraging of sea urchins in shallow subtidal reefs on the west coast of Italy (Western Mediterranean). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 163, 203-211. CrossRef
Bhattacharya, C.G., 1967, A simple method of resolution of a distribution into Gaussian components. Biometrics 23, 115-135. CrossRef
Boudouresque C.F., Verlaque M., 2001, Ecology of Paracentrotus lividus. In: Lawrence J.M. (Ed.), Edible sea urchin: Biology and ecology. Elsevier, pp. 177-216.
Bulleri, F., Benedetti-Cecchi, L., Cinelli, F., 1999, Grazing by sea urchins Arbacia lixula L. and Paracentrotus lividus Lam. in the Northwest Mediterranean. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 241, 81-95. CrossRef
Cabioch, J., Castric-Fey, A., L'Hardy-Halos, M-T., Rio, A., 1997, Grateloupia doryphora et Grateloupia filicina var. luxurians (Rhodophyta, Halymeniaceae) sur les côtes de Bretagne (France). Cryptog. Algol. 18, 117-137.
Cabioch, L., Dauvin, J.C., Mora Bermudez, J., Rodriguez Babio, C., 1980, Effets de la marée noire de l'“Amoco-Cadiz” sur le benthos sublittoral du nord de la Bretagne. Helgol. Meeresunt. 33, 192-208. CrossRef
Chassé C., 1978, Esquisse d'un bilan écologique provisoire de l'impact de la marée noire de l'“Amoco-Cadiz” sur le littoral. Publications du CNEXO, Actes de Colloques 6, 115-134.
Conan G., Laubier L., Marchand M., d'Ozouville L., 1981, Actes du Colloque International : Conséquences d'une pollution accidentelle par les hydrocarbures. COB Brest, CNEXO Paris, pp. 1-5.
Conover W.J., 1999, Practical nonparametric statistics. 3rd edition. J. Wiley & sons, New-York.
Crump, R.G., Morley, H.S., Williams, A.D., 1999, West Angle Bay, a case of study littoral monitoring of permanent quadrats before and after “Sea Empress” oil spill. Field Stud. 9, 497-511.
Dauvin J.-C. 1981, Impact of Amoco Cadiz oil spill on the muddy fine sand Abra alba and Melinna palmata community from the Bay of Morlaix. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 14, 517-531.
Dauvin J.-C., 1991, Effets à long terme de la pollution de l'Amoco Cadiz sur la production de deux peuplements subtidaux de sédiments fins de la baie de Morlaix (Manche occidentale). In: Elliot M., Ducrotoy J.P. (Eds.), Estuaries and coasts: spatial and temporal inter-comparisons. Proceedings of the ECSA 19 Symposium. Olsen & Olsen, Fredensborg, Denmark, pp. 349-358.
Dauvin J.-C. (coor.), 1997, Les biocénoses marines et littorales françaises des côtes Atlantique, Manche et mer du Nord, synthèse, menaces et perspectives. Laboratoire de Biologie des Invertébrés marins et Malacologie - Service du Patrimoine naturel/ IEGB/ MNHN, Paris.
Fernandez, C., Caltagirone, A., Johnson, M., 2001, Demographic structure suggests migration of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in a coastal lagoon. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK 81, 361-362. CrossRef
Gruet Y., 1989, Algues des côtes rocheuses de Loire-Atlantique et de Vendée. Bull. Soc. Sc. Nat. Ouest de la France, Suppl. H.S.
Gruet Y., Barillé-Boyer A.L., Barillé L., Pérusson O., Pineau M., Le Nieuthiec R., Baudet J., Rincé Y., 2001, Impact écologique de la marée noire de l'Erika sur la faune marine Direction Régionale de l'Environnement des Pays de la Loire, Préfecture de Région-Nantes.
Guillou, M., Grall, J., Connan, S., 2002, Can low sea urchin densities control macro-epiphytic biomass in a north-east Atlantic maerl bed ecosystem (Bay of Brest, Brittany, France)? J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK 82, 867-876. CrossRef
Hairston, N.G., Smith, F.E., Slobodkin, L.B., 1960, Community structure, population control, and composition. Am. Nat. 94, 421-425. CrossRef
Harin N., 2003, Étude de l'impact écologique de la marée noire de l'Erika sur la communauté à oursins de mares médiolittorales. Diplôme Universitaire de recherche approfondies en Écologie. Université de Nantes.
Kelly, M.S., 2000, The reproductive cycle of sea urchin Psammechinus miliaris in a Scottish sea loch. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK 80, 909-919. CrossRef
Kelly M.S., Cook E.J., 2001, The ecology of Psammechinus miliaris. In: Lawrence J.M. (Ed.), Edible sea urchin: Biology and ecology. Amsterdam, Elsevier, pp. 217-224.
Lacaze J.C., 1980, La pollution pétrolière en milieu marin. Masson, Paris.
Newey, S., Seed, R., 1995, The effects of the “Braer” oil spill on rocky intertidal communities in south Shetland, Scotland. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 30, 274-280. CrossRef
Oudot J., 2000, Biodégradabilité du fuel de l'Erika. C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Sci. de la Vie 323, 945-950.
Palacin, C., Giribet, G., Carner, S., Dantart, L., Turon, X., 1998, Low densities of sea urchins influence the structure of algal assemblages in the western Mediterranean. J. Sea Res. 39, 281-290. CrossRef
Palacin, C., Giribet, G., Turon, X., 1997, Patch recolonization through migration by the echinoid Paracentrotus lividus in communities with high algal cover and low echinoid densities. Cah. Biol. Mar. 38, 267-271.
Raffin, J.P., Francillon-Vieillot, H., Godineau, J.C., Meunier, F.J., Platel, R., Ribier, J., 1991a, Suivi à long terme (1978-1988) de quelques sites littoraux bretons après pollution pétrolière (“Amoco Cadiz”). Bull. Écol. 22, 363-374.
Raffin, J.P., Platel, R., Meunier, F.J., Francillon-Vieillot, H., Godineau, J.C., Ribier, J., 1991b, Étude sur dix ans (1978-1988) de populations de Mollusques (Patella vulgata L. et Tellina tenuis Da Costa) après pollution pétrolière (“Amoco Cadiz”). Bull. Écol. 22, 375-388.
Riouall, R., Guiry, M.D., Colomier, L., 1985, Introduction d'une espèce foliacée de Grateloupia dans la flore marine de l'étang de Thau (Hérault, France). Cryptog. Algol. 7, 91-98.
Ruitton, S., Francour, P., Boudouresque, C.F., 2000, Relationships between algae, benthic herbivorous invertebrates and fishes in rocky sublittoral communities of a temperate sea (Mediterranean). Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 50, 217-230. CrossRef
Simon, C., Ar Gall, E., Deslandes, E., 2001, Expansion of the red alga Grateloupia doryphora along the coasts of Brittany (France). Hydrobiologia 443, 23-29. CrossRef
Southward, A.J., Southward, C.E., 1978, Recolonization of rocky shores in Cornwall after use of toxic dispersants to clean up the “Torrey Canyon” spill. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 35, 682-706. CrossRef
Verlaque, M., 1984, Biologie des juvéniles de l'oursin herbivore Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck) : sélectivité du broutage et impact de l'espèce sur les communautés algales de substrat rocheux en Corse (Méditerranée, France). Bot. Mar. 27, 401-424. CrossRef
Verlaque, M., Nédelec, H., 1983, Biologie de Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck) en substrat rocheux en Corse (Méditerranée, France) : alimentation des adultes. Vie Milieu 33, 191-201.
Villalard-Bohnsack, M., Harlin, M.M., 2001, Grateloupia doryphora (Halymeniacea, Rhodophyta) in Rhode Island waters (USA): geographical expansion, morphological variations and associated algae. Phycologia 40, 372-380. CrossRef