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Asiatic citrus canker is a major disease worldwide, and its causal agent, Xanthomonas citri pv. citri, is listed as a quarantine organism in many countries. Analysis of the molecular epidemiology of this bacterium is hindered by a lack of molecular typing techniques suitable for surveillance and outbreak investigation. We report a comparative evaluation of three typing techniques, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis, insertion sequence ligation-mediated PCR (IS-LM-PCR) typing, and multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA), with 234 strains originating from Asia, the likely center of origin of the pathogen, and reference strains of pathotypes A, A*, and A w , which differ in host range. The typing techniques were congruent in describing the diversity of this strain collection, suggesting that the evolution pattern of the bacterium may be clonal. Based on a hierarchical analysis of molecular variance, the AFLP method best described the genetic variation found among pathotypes whereas MLVA best described the variation found among individual strains from the same countries or groups of neighboring countries. IS-LM-PCR data suggested that the transposition of insertion sequences in the genome of X. citri pv. citri occurs rarely enough not to disturb the phylogenetic signal. This technique may be useful for the global surveillance of nonepidemiologically related strains. Although pathological characteristics of strains could be most often predicted from genotyping data, we report the occurrence in the Indian peninsula of strains genetically related to pathotype A* strains but with a host range similar to that of pathotype A, which makes the classification of this bacterium even more complicated.

The spread of invasive aquatic plants (i.e., aquatic weeds) requires a broader knowledge of the factors determining their settlement at the lake scale, in order to improve management practices and biomonitoring. Among hydrodynamic pressures, wave action might influence submerged vegetation distribution in shallow lakes and potentially engender modifications of plant morphological traits. We here report a field survey conducted between 2014 and 2015 in French Atlantic Lakes to assess the spatial distribution and biomass production of two rooted aquatic weeds, Egeria densa Planch. and Lagarosiphon major (Ridl.) Moss, in relation to wind-induced sediment resuspension, water depth and sedimentary features. Moreover, we explored the relation between plant morphological traits and hydrodynamic disturbance under in situ conditions. At the lake scale, E. densa and L. major formed extensive monospecific stands, and occurred in the same areas only at low biomass. Both monospecific and mixed stands preferentially developed in shallow-sheltered or deep-exposed areas. Plant morphological traits showed different patterns in function of sediment resuspension according to the species and the lake. The influence of resuspension was however not systematic, with many cases where morphological traits were not affected at all. Maximum stem length appeared to be the most correlated trait towards sediment resuspension. Moreover, we found a significant correlation between the biomass and the sedimentary organic matter, indicating an interaction between the organic substrate preference of the plants and the effect of the canopy on fine particles sedimentation. On the whole, we highlighted the link between plant distribution, phenotypic plasticity and sediment resuspension, with calm-water zones favouring the settlement of dense vegetated stands. Our study could thus contribute to improve prediction models for identifying suitable areas for potential colonization by aquatic weeds. Further research is needed to better understand the role played by hydraulic forces in structuring the habitats in shallow lakes.

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1. Mass effect, allowing species to persist in unfavourable habitats, and dispersal limitation, preventing species from reaching favourable habitats, are the two major dispersal processes. While dispersal limitation can be detected by experimental or modelling techniques, mass effect is more challenging to evaluate, which hampers our ability to disentangle the influence of the environment versus dispersal on species distribution. This is undesirable for biomonitoring programs built on known species-environment relationships. 2. We developed an approach for detection of species influenced by mass effect. We tested it on stream diatoms, a widely used taxonomic group for stream biomonitoring, from four French watersheds. This approach combined (a) an appropriate spatial framework, the asymmetric eigenvector map (AEM), used in species distribution modelling to measure the relative influence of dispersal versus niche processes, (b) an analysis of negative co-occurrence patterns to separate mass effect from dispersal limitation and (c) a measurement of niche breadths to distinguish between non-spatially structured generalists and species influenced by mass effect. 3. We propose that species characterized by low negative co-occurrence values, a high correlation to spatial factors and average to low niche breadths are sensitive to mass effect. 4. Synthesis and applications. We suggest that the sensitivity of species towards mass effect should represent a new ecological trait to be considered for fundamental and applied issues concerning ecology and water quality assessment. Almost all of the species identified here as influenced by mass effect are contributing to the calculation of different diatom-based indices (e.g. Biological Diatom Index or Specific Pollution-sensitivity Index) and should be treated with caution when assigning ecological status classes to water bodies.

–  The timing and duration of the estuarine phase during seaward migration were addressed for allis shad and twaite shad, closely related sympatric species in the Gironde system. Otolith Sr:Ca and daily growth increments were used to retrospectively estimate the age at entrance in the estuary, the time spent in estuary and the age at seaward exit from returning adults. The two species exhibited different seaward migration strategies: allis shad entered the estuary at an older age than twaite shad (88 days vs. 59 days), stayed shorter in the estuary (11 days vs. 17 days) and exited to the sea at an older age (99 days vs. 77 days). In the Gironde system, the estuarine phase is very short and occurs within a particular time ‘window’ for the juveniles that will become future spawners. In this context, it might be suggested that the estuarine phase is a bottleneck for these sympatric shad populations.

Aim To quantify the relative contributions of local community assembly processes versus γ‐diversity to β‐diversity, and to assess how spatial scale and anthropogenic disturbance (i.e. nutrient enrichment) interact to dictate which driver dominates. Location France and the United States. Time period 1993–2011. Major taxa studied Freshwater stream diatoms. Methods β‐diversity along a nutrient enrichment gradient was examined across multiple spatial scales. β‐diversity was estimated using multi‐site Sørensen dissimilarity. We assessed the relative importance of specialists versus generalists using Friedley coefficient, and the contribution of local community assembly versus γ‐diversity to β‐diversity across spatial scales, with a null model. Finally, we estimated the response of β‐diversity to environmental and spatial factors by testing the correlations between community, environmental and geographical distance matrices with partial Mantel tests. Results β‐diversity generally increased with spatial scale but the rate of increase depended on nutrient enrichment level. β‐diversity decreased significantly with increasing nutrient enrichment level due to the loss of specialist species. Local assembly was an important driver of β‐diversity especially under low nutrient enrichment. Significant partial Mantel correlations were observed between diatom β‐diversity and pure environmental distances under these conditions, highlighting the role of species sorting in local assembly processes. Conversely, in heavily enriched sites, only spatial distances were significantly correlated with β‐diversity, which indicated a substantial role of dispersal processes. Main conclusions Nutrient concentration mediated the expected increase in β‐diversity with spatial scales. Across spatial scales, β‐diversity was more influenced by local assembly processes rather than by γ‐diversity. Nutrient enrichment was associated with an overall decline in diatom β‐diversity and a shift in assembly processes from species sorting to dispersal, notably due to the elimination of some specialists and their subsequent replacement by generalists.

Questions: Do natural and anthropogenic physical disturbances equally affect the distribution of aquatic plant communities? Can hydrodynamic and geomorphological features be used to predict the establishment of macrophyte communities at the shoreline scale? Locations: Two large, shallow lakes, southwest France.Methods: Based on field observations (vegetation occurrence and anthropogenic modifications of the shore) and data generated by a geographic information system (wave exposure, wave-induced sediment re-suspension, slope and land cover), we defined sites and community groups using cluster and indicator species analyses. The groups were then analysed by means of a statistical classifier (Random Forest). These different steps in data treatment enabled us to characterize the importance of each physical factor in determining macrophyte occurrence and distribution. As a result, a predictive map to forecast aquatic plant distribution at the shoreline scale was obtained.Results: Anthropogenic disturbances were less important parameters than natural physical variables in structuring the distribution of lakeshore macrophytes. Within natural factors, wave-induced sediment re-suspension and slope had the most impact; nevertheless, the presence of swimming areas seemed to have a strong impact on aquatic habitats, being correlated with the total absence of aquatic vegetation.The predictive map obtained through the model spatially defined the position and occurrence of suitable sites for the settlement of both invasive and rare and endangered species. Conclusions: In this study, natural disturbances play a major role in structuring aquatic plant distribution over physical anthropogenic factors. The model contributes to improving knowledge on plant communities with respect to local hydrodynamic and morphological features of lakeshores. Furthermore, the model provides a predictive map as a useful tool for the management of aquatic vegetation in temperate shallow lakes. K E Y W O R D S aquatic weeds, distribution model, hydromorphological alteration, isoetids, lakeshore zone, softwater lakes, variable importance, vegetation management, wave action 396 | Applied Vegetation Science BERTRIN ET al.