ORBi: Pete Dorothée - Fish farm impacts on meiofauna and the microbenthic loop in Posidonia oceanica meadows

Reference : Fish farm impacts on meiofauna and the microbenthic loop in Posidonia oceanica meadows


	Document type :	Scientific congresses and symposiums : Paper published in a book
	Discipline(s) :	Life sciences : Zoology Life sciences : Environmental sciences & ecology Life sciences : Aquatic sciences & oceanology
	To cite this reference:	http://hdl.handle.net/2268/70271

Title :	Fish farm impacts on meiofauna and the microbenthic loop in Posidonia oceanica meadows
Language :	English
Author, co-author :	Pete, Dorothée [Université de Liège - ULg > Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement > Océanologie >]
	Mannard, Jennifer [Université de Liège - ULg > > > Master compl. gest. ress. anim. & végé. mil. trop.]
	Velimirov, Branko [Medizinische Universität Wien > General Microbiology > > >]
	Gobert, Sylvie [Université de Liège - ULg > Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement > Océanologie >]
Publication date :	Jul-2010
Main document title :	Fourteenth International Meiofauna Conference, Aula Academia, Ghent, 11-16 July 2010.
Editor :	Hendrik, Gheerardyn
	Nara Bezerra, Tania
	Cnudde, Clio
	Deprez, Tim
	Derycke, Sofie
	De Troch, Marleen
	Ingels, Jeroen
	Merckx, Bea
	Moens, Tom
	Pape, Ellen
	Vanaverbeke, Jan
	Vanreusel, Ann
	Vincx, Magda
Publisher :	VLIZ
Collection and collection volume :	VLIZ Special Publication 44
Pages :	172
On invitation :	No
Audience :	International
City :	Ghent
Country :	Belgique
Event name :	14th International Meiofauna Conference
Event date :	11-16 July 2010
Event organizer :	Research Group Marine Biology, Biology Department, Ghent University
Event place (city) :	Ghent
Event country :	Belgium
Keywords :	[en] meiofauna ; seagrass ; fish farm
Abstract :	[en] For about ten years, fish farming has been expanding all over the world. Even if this way of producing fishes is presented as a solution against overfishing, its impact on the surrounding environment can be important. For example, meadows of Posidonia oceanica, the endemic seagrass of the Mediterranean coastal zone, are fading close to those aquaculture, showing negative impacts on this hot spot of biodiversity. This seagrass is used as an indicator of perturbations, although it does not react quickly, mainly because of its low turnover rate (1,5 y-1). So, it is proposed here to use meiofauna and the microbenthic loop (organic matter, bacteria, microphytobenthos and meiofauna) of this ecosystem to detect earlier perturbations due to fish farms. Moreover, the exergy index, measuring the distance between an ecosystem and its optimum state (climax), is also calculated on the microbenthic loop in order to show its interrest in ecological studies. Study sites are both situated in the Gulf of Calvi (Corsica, France), in P. oceanica meadows, at a depth of 22 m. The studied fish farm is small (10 cages), situated offshore in front of Calvi and produces 40 tons of seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) per year. The reference site is located in front of the research station STARESO (STation de REcherches Sous-marine et Oceanographiques). Sediment cores (diameter: 4,7 cm) were taken in November 2008 at both sites and sliced in four layers (0-1 cm, 1-2 cm, 2-5 cm and 5-10 cm), according to the expected abundance of meiofauna organisms. Biomass and abundance of every parts of the microbenthic loop were thus analysed. Results concerning abundance, biomass and diversity of meiofauna organisms are presented here and compared with the rest of the microbenthic loop. Values of biomasses are also integrated in the calculation of the exergy index. Finally, this study evaluate the interest of meiofauna and the microbenthic loop to detect perturbations due to an aquaculture.
Research units :	Laboratoire d'Océanologie
Funders :	Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (Communauté française de Belgique) - F.R.S.-FNRS ; Programme ARC.RACE 0510/333
Name of the research project :	Utilisation de l'exergie pour mesurer et détecter les effets des perturbations affectant les herbiers à Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile: caractérisation au sein du compartiment sédimentaire.
Target :	Researchers ; Professionals ; Students
Permalink :	http://hdl.handle.net/2268/70271

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