Fully Equipped to Succeed: Migratory Contingents Seen as an Intrinsic Potential for Striped Bass to Exploit a Heterogeneous Environment Early in Life

Migratory contingents, groups of individuals belonging to the same population that adopt different migratory patterns, have been identified in numerous Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) populations along North American East Coast. We tested the hypothesis that migratory contingents may develop early in life to maximize the exploitation of the variety of habitats faced by a recently introduced fish population. Using the discriminatory power provided by otolith chemistry, we studied early-life history stages of Striped Bass in a recently reintroduced population in the St. Lawrence Estuary. Migratory patterns were inferred using multivariate analysis of four otolith trace elements (Sr, Ba, Mn, and Mg) on juveniles (0+ and 1+). Three migratory contingents were identified during early-life history stages: freshwater residents, oligohaline migrants, and mesohaline migrants. This study demonstrates the rapid establishment, in less than 10 years since initial stocking, of three migratory contingents initiated early in life among the St. Lawrence Striped Bass population. We postulate that diversification provided by the establishment of distinct migratory contingents among early-life history stages promotes the rapid colonization of new environments through the exploration and exploitation of an increased number of nursery habitats.     

Electron density profiles above the F-layer

A method for the determination of electron densities up to 1000 km by using data from vertical sounding and Faraday rotation techniques is suggested. Electron density profiles and contours plotted following this method are compared with results obtained by Evans using the incoherent scatter technique.     

Long-term fish and macro-crustacean community variation in a Mediterranean lagoon

The fish and macro-crustacean community of the Vaccarès lagoon (Rhône River delta, South France) was sampled monthly from 1993 to 2002. The lagoon salinity shifted from 15 in 1993 to 5 in 1994–1997 and went back to 15 in 1999–2002. Connections with the sea also varied during the study period with larger openings in 1996–1997. During the study period, the community changed to revert in 2002 to a state similar to 1993. These changes consisted of a sequence of increased and decreased patterns of freshwater species and some marine species. Typical lagoon species tended to resist to salinity changes. Freshwater species colonised the lagoon when the salinity was low. Marine species may have varied both in relation to connections with the sea and to indirect effects of freshwater outflow. This study shows that community changes following environmental variations can be delayed in time, and emphasises the need for long-term studies.     

Structural style and evolution of the Gulf of Lion Oligo-Miocene rifting: role of the Pyrenean orogeny

The Gulf of Lion margin results from the Cligo-Aquitanian rifting and Burdigalian crustal separation between continental Europe and Corsica-Sardinia. Immediately before the onset of extension, the area of the Gulf of Lion was affected by the Pyrenean orogeny which controlled the structural style of the evolving margin. During extension, the foreland of the Pyrenean orogen was affected by extensional thin-skinned tectonics. The décollement level ramped down into the basement, in areas where the latter was thickened during orogeny. In this intermediate part, the margin was extended by several crustal-scale low-angle faults, which generated small amounts of syn-rift sedimentation compared with the accumulation of post-rift sediments. However, more than 4 km of syn-rift sediments were deposited in the Camargue basin, which is located at the transition between thin- and thick-skinned extensional systems. Kinematic restorations and stratigraphy suggest a pre-rift surface elevation above sea-level of at least 1 km in the intermediate part of the margin, which is in agreement with reduced syn-rift sedimentation. The slope area extends seaward of the North Pyrenean Fault, a terrane boundary inherited from the Pyrenean collision. This part of the margin was stretched by seaward dipping low-angle block tilting of the upper crust, and antithetic lower crustal and sub-crustal detachment. The lithospheric structures inherited from the Pyrenean orogeny exerted a strong control on the kinematics of the rifting and on the distribution and history of subsidence. Such parameters need to be integrated in the definition of pre-rift initial conditions in future basin-modelling of the Gulf of Lion.     

A sampler-based technique for the study of near-bed sediment dynamics: application in the eastern English Channel

A simple technique for studying near-bed hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics is presented. The method combines the use of (1) a benthic tripod hosting a series of electromagnetic current meters, and (2) a newly developed near-bed multi-level water-sediment mixture sampler. The instrument package was deployed successfully at a shallow water station in the eastern English Channel. The currents at elevation 0.9 m above the bottom were asymmetrical, the flood current peak being slightly stronger than the ebb current peak. At elevation 0.3 m above the bottom, the ebb/flood current peak asymmetry vanished. The observed SSCs (suspended sediment concentrations) were tidally modulated, with a contrasting vertical distribution over the ebb and flood phases of the tidal current: the profile was uniform in the ebb phase whereas a stratification appeared in the flood phase. The depth dependence and time evolution of the SSCs are attributable to a combination of local resuspension and advection-dispersion of remotely suspended fine sediment by ebb currents. Suspended sediment fluxes were uniform during the ebb phase and increased with elevation above the bottom during the flood phase.     

Spartina anglica eradication experiment and in situ monitoring assess structuring strength of habitat complexity on marine macrofauna at high tidal level

The cordgrass Spartina anglica is an introduced species that tends to invade sheltered sand and mudflats, at the upper low marsh level. In Arcachon Bay, a lagoon in South West of France, the cordgrass can also replace Zostera noltii beds. The consequence of cordgrass presence on macrobenthic fauna was estimated and compared to adjacent habitats (bare sands, Z. noltii sea grass beds) during one year. The communities of the three habitats were characterised by low species richness, low abundance and biomass (when Hydrobia ulvae, 90% of abundance, is not considered) and high seasonal stability. The infaunal assemblages were particularly homogeneous between habitats without any characteristic species.Cordgrass eradication experiments were performed and zoobenthic recolonisation was observed the following year. Modifications in benthic fauna were observed on epifauna only.These results highlight the limited structuring effect of habitat heterogeneity at high tidal levels and in soft-bottom sediments where desiccation becomes the dominant factor determining infauna community structure.     

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of sand‐filled wedge structures and their fine‐grained host sediment from Jonzac,SW France

Two sand wedge structures and their host sediments, from Jonzac in SW France, were successfully dated using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) measurements on both small aliquots and single grains of quartz from the 180–212 μm size fraction. One of the sand wedges clearly contains primary infilling. However, grain‐size analysis and field observations do not clearly indicate whether the other feature represents a primary sand wedge or a composite sand wedge with primary and secondary infilling. OSL results and the geological setting justify using the Central Age Model (CAM) for the calculation of age estimates. Grain‐size analysis and detailed investigations of OSL results revealed the contamination of one sand wedge sample with host sediment. However, age calculation using the Finite Mixture Model (FMM) provided what is considered to be a reliable age estimate for the contaminated sample. The age estimates for all samples correspond to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. While fine‐grained sediments were deposited in the middle of MIS 3 (c. 43–55 ka), the sand wedges unexpectedly correspond to the end of this period (c. 33 ka) or the onset of MIS 2 (c. 27 ka). The sand wedges were probably formed during intense but short cold periods, possibly correlated with a Heinrich event (H2 and/or H3). The results help us to assess how effective luminescence dating is on sand wedges and the limitations involved in correlating sand wedge ages with Heinrich events, and contribute to the debate on the timing of cryogenic formation processes and the permafrost distribution in SW France.     

Technopoles, high-tech industries and regional development: A critical review

Technologies have played an important role in the restructuring of the productive system in the last quarter of the 20th century. The article looks at the macroeconomic context and at the transformation of the industrial organization. It then defines the concept of technopole. The author traces the principal elements of the different attempts of theorization with a critical angle, shows the logic of contemporary industry localisation, as well as the role of technopoles in regional development. Regional and industrial policy are then seen as the basis of the process of industrialization and of the technological transfer.