No abstract

Understanding the relationship between growth and temperature will aid in the evaluation of thermal stress and threats to ectotherms in the context of anticipated climate changes. Most Pecten maximus scallops living at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere have a larger maximum body size than individuals further south, a common pattern among many ectotherms. We investigated differences in daily shell growth among scallop populations along the Northeast Atlantic coast from Spain to Norway. This study design allowed us to address precisely whether the asymptotic size observed along a latitudinal gradient, mainly defined by a temperature gradient, results from differences in annual or daily growth rates, or a difference in the length of the growing season. We found that low annual growth rates in northern populations are not due to low daily growth values, but to the smaller number of days available each year to achieve growth compared to the south. We documented a decrease in the annual number of growth days with age regardless of latitude. However, despite initially lower annual growth performances in terms of growing season length and growth rate, differences in asymptotic size as a function of latitude resulted from persistent annual growth performances in the north and sharp declines in the south. Our measurements of daily growth rates throughout life in a long-lived ectothermic species provide new insight into spatio-temporal variations in growth dynamics and growing season length that cannot be accounted for by classical growth models that only address asymptotic size and annual growth rate.

It is generally accepted that the formation of otolith microstructures (L- and D-zones) and in particular the organic and mineral fractions vary on a daily basis. Raman microspectrometry provides a nondestructive technique that can be used to provide structural information on organic and mineral compounds. We applied it to thin otolith sections of hake in order to address the following issues: (1) the simultaneous characterization of variations in the organic and mineral fractions both in the core area and along successive otolith microstructures; (2) elucidation of significant differences between these fractions; (3) quantification of the effects of etching and staining protocols on otolith structures. The primordium appeared as a punctual area depicting higher luminescence and greater concentrations in organic compounds containing CH groups. Sulcus side showed similar composition suggesting that the contact of the otolith with the macula and its orientation in otosac occur rapidly (about 10 days). The characterization of L- and D-zones in the opaque zones indicated that both structures contained organic and aragonitic fractions with cyclic and synchronous variations. Contrary to the results obtained after EDTA etching, L-zones depicted greater concentrations in organic compounds containing CH groups, whereas D-zones appear richer in aragonite. This organic fraction seemed to be revealed by Mutvei's staining and was affected by EDTA etching which suggests that it corresponds to the soluble fraction of organic matrix. Such results indicate that L- and D-zones differ in their respective organic constituents. Raman microspectrometry thus appears as a powerful technique to acquire quantitative information that is required for a better understanding of otolith biomineralization.

00000International audienceNitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ15N) of organic material have successfully been used to track food web dynamics, nitrogen baselines, pollution, and nitrogen cycling. Extending the δ15N record back in time has not been straightforward due to a lack of suitable substrates in which δ15N records are faithfully preserved, thus sparking interest in utilizing skeletal carbonate-bound organic matter (CBOM) in mollusks, corals, and foraminifera. Here we test if calcite Pecten maximus shells from the Bay of Brest and the French continental shelf can be used as an archive of δ15N values over a large environmental gradient and at a high temporal resolution (approximately weekly). Bulk CBOM δ15N values from the growing tip of shells collected over a large nitrogen isotope gradient were strongly correlated with adductor muscle tissue δ15N values (R2=0.99, n= 6, p<0.0001). We were able to achieve weekly resolution (on average) over the growing season from sclerochronological profiles of three shells, which showed large seasonal variations up to 3.4‰. However, there were also large inter-specimen differences (up to 2.5‰) between shells growing at the same time and location. Generally, high-resolution shell δ15N data follow soft-tissue δ15N values, but soft-tissues integrate more time, hence soft-tissue data are more time-averaged and smoothed. Museum-archived shells from the 1950s, 1965, and 1970s do not show a large difference in δ15N values through time despite expected increasing N loading to the Bay over this time, which could be due to anthropogenic N sources with contrasting values. Compiling shell CBOM δ15N data from several studies suggests that the offset between soft-tissue and shell δ15N values (Δtissue-shell) differs between calcite and aragonite shells. We hypothesize that this difference is caused by differences in amino acids used in constructing the different minerals, which should be specific to the CaCO3 polymorph being constructed. Future work should use compound specific isotope analyses (CSIA) to test this hypothesis, and to determine whether certain amino acids could specifically track N sources or possibly identify amino acids that are more resistant to diagenesis in fossil shells. In conclusion, bivalve shell CBOM δ15N values can be used in a similar manner to soft-tissue δ15N values, and can track various biogeochemical events at a very high-resolution

An individual's environmental history may have delayed effects on its physiology and life history at later stages in life because of irreversible plastic responses of early ontogenesis to environmental conditions. We chose a marine fish, the common sole, as a model species to study these effects, because it inhabits shallow marine areas highly exposed to environmental changes. We tested whether temperature and trophic conditions experienced during the larval stage had delayed effects on life-history traits and resistance to hypoxia at the juvenile stage. We thus examined the combined effect of global warming and hypoxia in coastal waters, which are potential stressors to many estuarine and coastal marine fishes. Elevated temperature and better trophic conditions had a positive effect on larval growth and developmental rates; warmer larval temperature had a delayed positive effect on body mass and resistance to hypoxia at the juvenile stage. The latter suggests a lower oxygen demand of individuals that had experienced elevated temperatures during larval stages. We hypothesize that an irreversible plastic response to temperature occurred during early ontogeny that allowed adaptive regulation of metabolic rates and/or oxygen demand with long-lasting effects. These results could deeply affect predictions about impacts of global warming and eutrophication on marine organisms.

Like the majority of benthic invertebrates, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis has a bentho-pelagic cycle with its larval settlement being a complex phenomenon involving numerous factors. Among these factors, underwater noise and pelagic trophic conditions have been weakly studied in previous researches. Under laboratory conditions, we tested the hypothesis that picoplankton assimilation by the pediveliger blue mussel larvae acts as a food cue that interacts with anthropic underwater sound to stimulate settlement. We used 13C-labeling microalgae to validate the assimilation of different picoplankton species in the tissues of pediveliger larvae. Our results clearly confirm our hypothesis with a significant synergic effect of these two factors. However, only the picoeukaryotes strains assimilated by larvae stimulated the settlement, whereas the non-ingested picocyanobacteria did not. Similar positive responses were observed with underwater sound characterized by low frequency vessel noises. The combination of both factors (trophic and vessel noise) drastically increased the mussel settlement by an order of 4 compared to the control (without picoplankton and noise). Settlement levels ranged from 16.5 to 67% in 67 h.

Title A current synthesis on the effects of magnetic and electric fields emitted by submarine power cables on invertebrate species Short title Effects of magnetic and electric fields on marine invertebrates Article type

Harmful algal blooms produced by toxic dinoflagellates have increased worldwide, impacting human health, the environment, and fisheries. Due to their potential sensitivity (e.g., environmental changes), bivalves through their valve movements can be monitored to detect harmful algal blooms. Methods that measure valve activity require bivalve-attached sensors and usually connected cables to data transfers, leading to stress animals and limit the use to sessile species. As a non-intrusive and continuously deployable tool, passive acoustics could be an effective approach to detecting harmful algal blooms in real time based on animal sound production. This study aimed to detect reaction changes in the valve movements of adult Pecten maximus exposed to the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum using both accelerometry and passive acoustic methods. Scallops were experimentally exposed to three ecologically relevant concentrations of A. minutum for 2 hours. The number of each type of valve movement and their sound intensity, opening duration, and valve-opening amplitude were measured. Four behaviours were identified: closures, expulsion, displacement, and swimming. The response of P. maximus to A. minutum occurred rapidly at a high concentration. The valve activity of P. maximus was different when exposed to high concentrations (500 000 cells L-1) of A. minutum compared to the non-toxic dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra; the number of valve movements increased, especially closure and expulsion, which were detected acoustically. Thus, this study demonstrates the potential for acoustics and sound production changes in the detection of harmful algal blooms. However, field trials and longer duration experiments are required to provide further evidence for the use of acoustics as a monitoring tool in the natural environment where several factors may interfere with valve behaviours.