Coral communities have begun to form under small inlet-style bridges along the causeway connecting Cayo Coco to Cayo Guillermo. To understand how these bridge-reefs formed and characterize their attributes relative to surrounding communities, a combination of ecological observations and 13C isotopes were analyzed from the bridges and surrounding reefs, mangrove channels and seagrass patches. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, Detrended Correspondence Analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis were carried out to group which physical attributes contributed to the coral communities in the bridge-reefs and also which habitats they were most similar to, with respect to coral and benthic composition. Bridge reef coral assemblages resembled shallow patch reefs and mangrove channels, while benthic coverage was similar to mangrove channels. Organic matter was from combined seagrass and mangrove sources, with mangrove dominating in some regions more than others. This work demonstrates that habitats within the seascape are inter-related through varying mechanisms and development is multi-dimensional.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Fanerógamas marinhas (gramas marinhas) são plantas com flores adaptadas ao ambiente marinho costeiro da maioria dos continentes do mundo. As gramas marinhas formam extensos bancos e proveem valiosos recursos em águas costeiras rasas em todo o mundo, servindo de alimento e berçário para espécies importantes de pescados comerciais e recreacionais. Nesse estudo foi realizada uma revisão sobre o estado de conhecimento das fanerógamas marinhas no Brasil até o presente momento; avaliou-se a importância do monitoramento em longo prazo e a influência de fatores ambientais, como o número de manchas solares; pesquisou-se também a distribuição espacial da grama marinha, bem como a fauna e flora associada; e o crescimento de Halodule wrightii em duas condições ambientais extremas (exposta no ciclo de maré baixa e permanentemente submersa). A revisão bibliográfica sobre as gramas marinhas foi abrangente e verificou a existência de algumas lacunas no conhecimento. Através do monitoramento a longo prazo pôde ser observado que o número de manchas solares tem forte relação negativa sobre a altura do dossel das gramas marinhas de região entre marés. A variação de marés na região de mediolitoral está relacionada diretamente com a distribuição espacial de Halodule wrightii e, consequentemente na distribuição da fauna e flora associada. A diferença de crescimento nos eixos de Halodule wrightii em condições ambientais diferentes é compensada pelas variações nas características de distribuição da planta no ambiente, tais como a altura do dossel, a densidade e biomassa de eixos. O monitoramento a longo prazo pode permitir a tomada de ações que auxiliem no manejo e na recuperação desses importantes habitats costeiros. / Seagrass are flowering plants adapted to coastal marine environments of most continents of the world. Seagrasses form extensive meadows and provide valuable resources in shallow coastal waters worldwide, serving as food and nursery areas for important species of commercial and recreational fish. This study is: a review of the state of knowledge up to now of seagrass in Brazil; an assessment of the importance of long-term monitoring and the influence of long-term environmental factors, such as sunspot number; an analysis of the spacial distribution of seagrass and its associated flora and fauna; an investigation of the growth of Halodule wrightii in two spatially discrete extreme environmental conditions (exposed at low tide cycle and permanently submerged). The literature review on the seagrass was comprehensive and verified the existence of some gaps in knowledge. By monitoring over the long term it could be observed that the number of sunspots has a strong negative relationship with the canopy height of seagrass in the intertidal region. The variation of tides in the intertidal region is directly related to the spatial distribution of Halodule wrightii, and consequently the distribution of fauna and flora associated. Under different environmental conditions the variation in shoot growth of Halodule wrightii is compensated for by variations in the distribution of biomass in the plants, such as canopy height, density and biomass of shoots. The long-term monitoring may allow action to be the taken in order to assist in the management and recovery of these important coastal habitats.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:03:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JulianaMCS.pdf: 573830 bytes, checksum: 9b4db031d8ca76bd1eed966ee42dfb5b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-11-25 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Sulfated polysaccharides (PS) are biomolecules with a great biotechnological potential. There are few data about PS from high plants. In addition, pharmacological activities of PS from plants have not been carrying out. The aim of this work was extract PS from the angiosperm Halodule wrightii and study their anticoagulant and antioxidant activities. Histological analysis showed the presence of the PS manly in the roots. A polysaccharide-rich extract was obtained from H. wrightii by proteolysis followed by methanol and TCA precipitation. Chemical, infra-red analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis in 1.3 diaminopropane acetate buffer confirmed the presence of sulfated polysaccharides made by glucose, galactose, xylose and sulfate residues in the proportion 1: 0,9: 1: 1. In addition polyacrilamide electrophoresis have shown that extract is mainly compose by 11kDa sulfated polysaccharides. Pharmacological analysis have shown total antioxidant capacity (CAT) that resulted in 15,21 μg for equivalent of ascorbic acid, scavenging activity of the DPPH radical with 41,36 % of scavenging, activity of reducing power with the maximum of 0,290 nm (50 % of vitamin C activity) and scavenging activity superoxide radical (O2-) with a maximum of 32,23 %. Chelating activity of metal less than 4% and scavenging activity of the radical hydroxyl (OH-) less than 2%. Time of activated partial tromboplastin (aPTT) doubling the time of coagulation from 20μg of and protrombin time (PT) was not present. The data indicate that PS from Halodule wrightii could be considered for future applications in medicine, food production or cosmetic industry / Os polissacar?deos sulfatados (PS) s?o biomol?culas com um grande potencial biotecnol?gico por apresentarem uma diversidade estrutural e farmacol?gica muito grande. Poucos s?o os relatos da exist?ncia destes pol?meros em vegetais superiores, al?m disso, ainda n?o se tem relatos da identifica??o de atividades antioxidantes e anticoagulantes com PS extra?dos destes vegetais. Com o intuito de verificar a presen?a destes polissacar?deos em angiospermas marinhas conhecidas popularmente como capim do mar, foi coletada a esp?cie marinha Halodule wrightii. As por??es vegetativas (folha, caule e raiz) n?o foram separadas sendo preparado inicialmente um extrato denominado de extrato bruto (EB). Ap?s descontamina??o prot?ica o material obtido foi chamado de extrato de polissacar?deos totais (EPT). A presen?a destes polissacar?deos foi investigada e confirmada por an?lises qu?micas, espectroscopia de infravermelho e eletroforese em gel de agarose sendo denominados de extrato rico em polissacar?deos sulfatados (EPS). A an?lise histol?gica da localiza??o dos PS resultou na presen?a destes polissacar?deos principalmente na epiderme da por??o vegetativa raiz. As an?lises qu?micas mostraram que os polissacar?deos contem glicose, galactose, xilose e sulfato na propor??o de 1: 0,9: 1: 1 e massa molecular de aproximadamente 11 kDa. Os grupos sulfatos est?o provavelmente ligados principalmente em C2 de um monossacar?deo. Testes de atividade antioxidante demonstraram que os PS de H. wrightii n?o apresentaram resultado para o teste de capacidade antioxidante total pelo m?todo CAT. Desta forma foi utilizada a atividade de seq?estro do radical DPPH indicado na literatura por dosar a capacidade antioxidante total que resultou em 41,36%. O seq?estro do ?on super?xido tamb?m foi realizado e resultou em 32,23% assim como o poder redutor que equivaleu a 50% da atividade da Vit. C. N?o houve atividade de seq?estro do radical hidroxila assim como atividade quelante de metal. O teste de atividade anticoagulante (aPTT) mostrou que EPS dobra o tempo de coagula??o com 20 g, que ? apenas 2,5 vezes a quantidade da Clexane? (heparina de baixo peso molecular). Para o tempo de protrombina (PT) H.wrightii n?o apresentou atividade. Os dados indicam que EPS possuem um potencial biotecnol?gico anticoagulante e antioxidante e que futuras an?lises se fazem necess?rias para confirmarem esse potencial

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:03:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JulianaMCS.pdf: 573830 bytes, checksum: 9b4db031d8ca76bd1eed966ee42dfb5b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-11-25 / Sulfated polysaccharides (PS) are biomolecules with a great biotechnological potential. There are few data about PS from high plants. In addition, pharmacological activities of PS from plants have not been carrying out. The aim of this work was extract PS from the angiosperm Halodule wrightii and study their anticoagulant and antioxidant activities. Histological analysis showed the presence of the PS manly in the roots. A polysaccharide-rich extract was obtained from H. wrightii by proteolysis followed by methanol and TCA precipitation. Chemical, infra-red analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis in 1.3 diaminopropane acetate buffer confirmed the presence of sulfated polysaccharides made by glucose, galactose, xylose and sulfate residues in the proportion 1: 0,9: 1: 1. In addition polyacrilamide electrophoresis have shown that extract is mainly compose by 11kDa sulfated polysaccharides. Pharmacological analysis have shown total antioxidant capacity (CAT) that resulted in 15,21 μg for equivalent of ascorbic acid, scavenging activity of the DPPH radical with 41,36 % of scavenging, activity of reducing power with the maximum of 0,290 nm (50 % of vitamin C activity) and scavenging activity superoxide radical (O2-) with a maximum of 32,23 %. Chelating activity of metal less than 4% and scavenging activity of the radical hydroxyl (OH-) less than 2%. Time of activated partial tromboplastin (aPTT) doubling the time of coagulation from 20μg of and protrombin time (PT) was not present. The data indicate that PS from Halodule wrightii could be considered for future applications in medicine, food production or cosmetic industry / Os polissacar?deos sulfatados (PS) s?o biomol?culas com um grande potencial biotecnol?gico por apresentarem uma diversidade estrutural e farmacol?gica muito grande. Poucos s?o os relatos da exist?ncia destes pol?meros em vegetais superiores, al?m disso, ainda n?o se tem relatos da identifica??o de atividades antioxidantes e anticoagulantes com PS extra?dos destes vegetais. Com o intuito de verificar a presen?a destes polissacar?deos em angiospermas marinhas conhecidas popularmente como capim do mar, foi coletada a esp?cie marinha Halodule wrightii. As por??es vegetativas (folha, caule e raiz) n?o foram separadas sendo preparado inicialmente um extrato denominado de extrato bruto (EB). Ap?s descontamina??o prot?ica o material obtido foi chamado de extrato de polissacar?deos totais (EPT). A presen?a destes polissacar?deos foi investigada e confirmada por an?lises qu?micas, espectroscopia de infravermelho e eletroforese em gel de agarose sendo denominados de extrato rico em polissacar?deos sulfatados (EPS). A an?lise histol?gica da localiza??o dos PS resultou na presen?a destes polissacar?deos principalmente na epiderme da por??o vegetativa raiz. As an?lises qu?micas mostraram que os polissacar?deos contem glicose, galactose, xilose e sulfato na propor??o de 1: 0,9: 1: 1 e massa molecular de aproximadamente 11 kDa. Os grupos sulfatos est?o provavelmente ligados principalmente em C2 de um monossacar?deo. Testes de atividade antioxidante demonstraram que os PS de H. wrightii n?o apresentaram resultado para o teste de capacidade antioxidante total pelo m?todo CAT. Desta forma foi utilizada a atividade de seq?estro do radical DPPH indicado na literatura por dosar a capacidade antioxidante total que resultou em 41,36%. O seq?estro do ?on super?xido tamb?m foi realizado e resultou em 32,23% assim como o poder redutor que equivaleu a 50% da atividade da Vit. C. N?o houve atividade de seq?estro do radical hidroxila assim como atividade quelante de metal. O teste de atividade anticoagulante (aPTT) mostrou que EPS dobra o tempo de coagula??o com 20 ug, que ? apenas 2,5 vezes a quantidade da Clexane? (heparina de baixo peso molecular). Para o tempo de protrombina (PT) H.wrightii n?o apresentou atividade. Os dados indicam que EPS possuem um potencial biotecnol?gico anticoagulante e antioxidante e que futuras an?lises se fazem necess?rias para confirmarem esse potencial

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:13:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NednaldoDS_TESE.pdf: 2321205 bytes, checksum: c08caa8155a3fd7b840048363939c371 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-19 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Sulfated polysaccharides (SP) are widely distributed in animals and seaweeds tissues. These polymers have been studied in light of their important pharmacological activities, such as anticoagulant, antioxidant, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. On other hand, SP potential to synthesize biomaterials like as nanoparticules has not yet been explored. In addition, to date, SP have only been found in six plants and all inhabit saline environments. However, the SP pharmacological plant activities have not been carrying out. Furthermore, there are no reports of SP in freshwater plants. Thus, do SP from marine plants show pharmacological activity? Do freshwater plants actually synthesize SP? Is it possible to synthesize nanoparticles using SP from seaweed? In order to understand this question, this Thesis was divided into tree chapters. In the first chapter a sulfated polysaccharide (SPSG) was successfully isolated from marine plant Halodule wrightii. The data presented here showed that the SPSG is a 11 kDa sulfated heterogalactan contains glucose and xylose. Several assays suggested that the SPSG possessed remarkable antioxidant properties in different in vitro assays and an outstanding anticoagulant activity 2.5-fold higher than that of heparin Clexane? in the aPTT test; in the next chapter using different tools such as chemical and histological analyses, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), gel electrophoresis and infra-red spectroscopy we confirm the presence of sulfated polysaccharides in freshwater plants for the first time. Moreover, we also demonstrate that SP extracted from E. crassipes root has potential as an anticoagulant compound; and in last chapter a fucan, a sulfated polysaccharide, extracted from the brown seaweed was chemically modified by grafting hexadecylamine to the polymer hydrophilic backbone. The resulting modified material (SNFuc) formed nanosized particles. The degree of substitution for hydrophobic chains of 1H NMR was approximately 93%. SNFfuc-TBa125 in aqueous media had a mean diameter of 123 nm and zeta potential of -38.3 ? 0.74 mV, measured bydynamic light scattering. Tumor-cell (HepG2, 786, H-S5) proliferation was inhibited by 2.0 43.7% at SNFuc concentrations of 0.05 0.5 mg/ mL and RAEC non-tumor cell line proliferation displayed inhibition of 8.0 22.0%. On the other hand, nanogel improved CHO and RAW non-tumor cell line proliferation in the same concentration range. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that this fucan nanogel inhibited 786 cell proliferation through caspase and caspaseindependent mechanisms. In addition, SNFuc blocks 786 cell passages in the S and G2-M phases of the cell cycle / Os polissacar?deos sulfatados (PS) s?o amplamente distribu?dos em animais e tecidos de algas. Estes pol?meros t?m sido estudados em fun??o da import?ncia de suas atividades farmacol?gicas, tais como: anticoagulante, antioxidante, antitumoral, anti-inflamat?ria e as propriedades antivirais. Contudo, o potencial dos PS para sintetizar biomateriais, tais como nanopart?culas, ainda ? pouco explorado. At? ent?o, os PS s? foram encontrados em seis plantas e todas habitam ambientes salino. N?o havendo relatos de PS em plantas de ?gua doce. O que nos levou aos seguintes questionamentos: Os PS extraidos de vegetais marinhos n?o apresentam atividades farmacol?gicas? Os vegetais de ?gua doce realmente sintetizam PS? ? poss?vel sintetizar nanopart?culas utilizando PS a partir de algas marinhas? Para melhor entender as quest?es, esta tese foi dividida em tr?s cap?tulos. No primeiro cap?tulo, um polissacar?deo sulfatado (SPSG) foi isolado a partir de um vegetal marinho Halodule wrightii. Os dados aqui apresentados mostram que o SPSG ? uma heterogalactana sulfatada de 11 kDa constituida de glucose e xilose. Os ensaios realizados sugerem que o SPSG possue propriedades antioxidantes not?veis em diferentes ensaios in vitro e uma excelente actividade anticoagulante de 2,5 vezes mais elevadas do que a de heparina Clexane ? no teste APTT. No cap?tulo seguinte, utilizando ferramentas diferentes, tais como an?lises qu?micas e histol?gicas, an?lise de dispers?o de raios-X (EDXA), eletroforese em gel e espectroscopia de infra-vermelho,confirmamos, em primeira m?o, a presen?a de polissacar?deos sulfatados em vegetais de ?gua doce. Al?m de demonstrarmos que o PS extra?do a partir da raiz de E. crassipes tem potencial como um composto anticoagulante.No ?ltimo cap?tulo uma fucana, um polissac?rido sulfatado, extra?do a partir de uma alga marrom, foi quimicamente modificada por adi??o de hexadecilamina ? cadeia principal do pol?mero hidrof?lico. O material resultante (SNFuc) forneceu part?culas nanom?tricas. O grau de substitui??o para as cadeias hidrof?bicas de 1H RMN foi de aproximadamente 93%. SNFuc em meios aquosos tinha um di?metro m?dio de 123 nm e potencial zeta de -38,3 ? 0,74 mV. Os ensaios com c?lulas tumorais (HepG2, 786, H-S5) demonstrou a ocorr?ncia de uma inibi??o que variou de 2,0-43,7% em concentra??es diferentes de SNFuc (0,05-0,5 mg / mL) resultado semelhante foi obtido com a RAEC monstrando uma inibi??o entre 8,0-22,0%. Por outro lado, o nanogel estimulou a prolifera??o de linhagens celulares n?o tumorais como CHO e RAW nas mesmas concentra??es. An?lise por citometria de fluxo revelou que este nanogel de fucana inibiu a prolifera??o celular de 786 por mecanismos dependentes e independentes de caspases. Al?m disso, bloqueou a passagens da c?lula 786 na fase S e G2-M do ciclo celular / 2020-01-01

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Fanerógamas marinhas (gramas marinhas) são plantas com flores adaptadas ao ambiente marinho costeiro da maioria dos continentes do mundo. As gramas marinhas formam extensos bancos e proveem valiosos recursos em águas costeiras rasas em todo o mundo, servindo de alimento e berçário para espécies importantes de pescados comerciais e recreacionais. Nesse estudo foi realizada uma revisão sobre o estado de conhecimento das fanerógamas marinhas no Brasil até o presente momento; avaliou-se a importância do monitoramento em longo prazo e a influência de fatores ambientais, como o número de manchas solares; pesquisou-se também a distribuição espacial da grama marinha, bem como a fauna e flora associada; e o crescimento de Halodule wrightii em duas condições ambientais extremas (exposta no ciclo de maré baixa e permanentemente submersa). A revisão bibliográfica sobre as gramas marinhas foi abrangente e verificou a existência de algumas lacunas no conhecimento. Através do monitoramento a longo prazo pôde ser observado que o número de manchas solares tem forte relação negativa sobre a altura do dossel das gramas marinhas de região entre marés. A variação de marés na região de mediolitoral está relacionada diretamente com a distribuição espacial de Halodule wrightii e, consequentemente na distribuição da fauna e flora associada. A diferença de crescimento nos eixos de Halodule wrightii em condições ambientais diferentes é compensada pelas variações nas características de distribuição da planta no ambiente, tais como a altura do dossel, a densidade e biomassa de eixos. O monitoramento a longo prazo pode permitir a tomada de ações que auxiliem no manejo e na recuperação desses importantes habitats costeiros. / Seagrass are flowering plants adapted to coastal marine environments of most continents of the world. Seagrasses form extensive meadows and provide valuable resources in shallow coastal waters worldwide, serving as food and nursery areas for important species of commercial and recreational fish. This study is: a review of the state of knowledge up to now of seagrass in Brazil; an assessment of the importance of long-term monitoring and the influence of long-term environmental factors, such as sunspot number; an analysis of the spacial distribution of seagrass and its associated flora and fauna; an investigation of the growth of Halodule wrightii in two spatially discrete extreme environmental conditions (exposed at low tide cycle and permanently submerged). The literature review on the seagrass was comprehensive and verified the existence of some gaps in knowledge. By monitoring over the long term it could be observed that the number of sunspots has a strong negative relationship with the canopy height of seagrass in the intertidal region. The variation of tides in the intertidal region is directly related to the spatial distribution of Halodule wrightii, and consequently the distribution of fauna and flora associated. Under different environmental conditions the variation in shoot growth of Halodule wrightii is compensated for by variations in the distribution of biomass in the plants, such as canopy height, density and biomass of shoots. The long-term monitoring may allow action to be the taken in order to assist in the management and recovery of these important coastal habitats.

Les Invertébrés de l’épifaune vagile présents dans les herbiers de Magnoliophytes marins ont un rôle essentiel dans le transfert d’énergie des producteurs primaires vers les niveaux trophiques supérieurs. L’objectif de ce travail a été d’analyser la relation entre la complexité de l’herbier et la structure des communautés de l’épifaune vagile, et d’étudier le rôle de ce compartiment dans le fonctionnement des réseaux trophiques des herbiers à Thalassia testudinum. Deux sites d’herbiers ont été comparés, l’un proche de la mangrove côtière et l’autre près de la barrière récifale, au cours de deux saisons. L’utilisation de différentes sources trophiques par les Invertébrés a été montrée en utilisant les méthodes des isotopes stables du carbone et de l’azote et de la composition en acides gras. L’herbier côtier, qui présente une structure complexe du fait de ses longues feuilles, de sa litière abondante et de sa forte charge en épiphytes, abrite une faune abondante et diversifiée de Crustacés. La préférence alimentaire de ces Invertébrés pour les micro-algues et les fines particules détritiques favorise la contribution du biofilm au réseau trophique de l’herbier côtier. L’herbier du large, moins complexe, abrite une communauté d’Invertébrés dominée par les Gastéropodes Cerithiidae. La limitation de la disponibilité en nourriture existant dans cet herbier explique la contribution plus élevée de la litière et des feuilles vivantes de Thalassia au réseau trophique par rapport à l’herbier côtier. Le couplage de l’analyse des isotopes stables à celle des contenus stomacaux réalisé sur les poissons a montré le rôle essentiel des Crevettes en tant que proies. L’herbier côtier, qui présente des ressources en nourriture plus abondantes et diversifiées, assure mieux son rôle de « nurserie » pour les juvéniles de poissons que l’herbier du large. / In seagrass beds, vagile epifauna plays a major role in the energy transfer from primary producers to higher trophic levels. The main aim of the work was to examine the relationship between the seagrass complexity and the vagile epifauna community structure, and to study the role of this compartment within the food web of Thalassia testudinum seagrass beds. Two seagrass sites were compared, one near the coastal mangrove and another one near the barrier reef, during two seasons. Trophic resources used by primary consumers were assessed by combining stable isotopes analysis and fatty acid compositions. The coastal seagrass bed is complex due to its long leaves and its great biomass of litter and epiphytes. It shelters a great abundance and diversity of Crustaceans. The feeding preference of them for micro-algae and detrital particles promotes biofilm contribution to food web of the coastal seagrass bed. The seagrass bed located seawards, lesser complex, harbors an Invertebrate community dominated by the Gastropods Cerithiidae. The reduced food availability in that seagrass bed explains the higher contribution of litter and Thalassia leaves to that food web compared to the coastal seagrass bed. By coupling stable isotopes and stomach contents analyses, it was possible to highlight the major role of shrimps in the feeding diet of fishes. The coastal seagrass bed, where the trophic resources are more abundant and diverse, better plays its role of nursery for juveniles fishes than the seaward seagrass bed.

Located 100 km west of Key West, Florida, Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) is a largely untouched subtropical marine ecosystem that serves as an important developmental habitat, nesting ground, and foraging area for several species of sea turtles, including green turtles. The Park supports a recovering population of green turtles comprised of resident juveniles, subadults, and adults of both sexes; nesting females include residents and migrating females that only return to nest. Stable isotope analysis has been applied widely to describe the trophic ecology of green turtles, from urbanized bays with significant anthropogenic input, to relatively pristine ecosystems with healthy populations at carrying capacity. However, there is a paucity of published literature about the trophic ecology of green turtles in DRTO. This study describes the trophic ecology occupied by two distinct size groups (61 green turtles < 60 cm (SCL) and 98 green turtles > 60 cm (SCL)). Flipper tissue and plasma were analyzed for stable isotopic composition of C and N. Flipper tissue values for δ15N (3.41‰ to 9.69‰) and δ13C (-22.43‰ to -5.38‰) fall within literature values for green turtles, and the wide range of values indicated they could potentially feed at multiple trophic levels. Understanding the trophic ecology of this population of green sea turtles is instrumental to effective management and habitat preservation strategies in DRTO.

Seagrass meadows offshore Ras Ghanada, as elsewhere, are an important component to the ecosystem providing numerous benefits to both aquatic and human life. This work focused on mapping the spatial and temporal distribution of seagrass meadows offshore Ras Ghanada using aerial photography acquired in 1996 and high-resolution satellite images captured in 2006 and 2012. The movements of sand shoals were also tracked, so as to further explain the dynamics of this ecosystem, as it is the area between the shoal crests that hosts the best developed seagrass meadows. The natural limiting factor for seagrass on the Ras Ghanada coastal shelf seems to be the fact that they cannot inhabit the (mobile) crests of the sand shoals, but rather, are restricted to the (more stable) sands of the shoal troughs. In the considered time period, both sand shoals and seagrass meadows migrated predominantly in a southeastern direction. The changes of seagrass that occurred in this study occurred on a fairly rapid timescale, in such that they were able to come back when there was disturbance as long as they had available habitat to move into. Furthermore, although seagrass cover declined by 3.4% from 1996 – 2012, there was a greater increase than decline in the areal coverage of seagrass post-Khalifa port construction in 2010. If sediments offshore Ras Ghanada can remain stable and the waters are not polluted by further construction, seagrasses should continue to thrive in the future.

Les écosystèmes côtiers présentent une forte production biologique, soutenue par une grande diversité de sources de matière organique particulaire (autochtones : phytoplancton, microphytobenthos, phanérogames marines, macroalgues, épiphytes ; allochtones : apports continentaux), pouvant contribuer à la production secondaire. La diversité de ces sources complexifie de manière considérable le fonctionnement écologique des systèmes côtiers — e.g. cycles biogéochimiques, réseaux trophiques — et en rend sa compréhension difficile.Une étude spatio-temporelle réalisée en 2009 dans le Bassin d’Arcachon, une lagune semi-fermée qui abrite le plus grand herbier à Zostera noltii d’Europe, a été menée afin d'estimer l’origine et la composition des matières organiques particulaire en suspension (MOPS) et sédimentaire (MOS) et d'appréhender le devenir des différentes sources de matière organique dans le réseau trophique macrobenthique. Cette approche quantitative a été effectuée principalement à l’aide des rapports isotopiques et élémentaires (δ15N, δ13C et C/N) et/ ou des acides grasA l’échelle annuelle et en moyenne pour les trois stations étudiées, la MOPS est composée principalement de phytoplancton (48 ± 2%) mais aussi de matériel continental (19 ± 4%) et de microphytobenthos (16 ± 2%), les macroalgues et les phanérogames ne contribuant que peu (8 ± 1% et 5 ± 1%, respectivement). Cette composition, qui présente une saisonnalité (faible contribution du phytoplancton en hiver au profit des apports continentaux), est principalement dépendante du climat (température) et de l’hydrodynamique / hydrodynamique sédimentaire (apports continentaux, remise en suspension du sédiment). A l’échelle annuelle et en moyenne pour les six stations ayant fait l’objet du suivi annuel, la MOS est composée principalement de sources benthiques (phanérogames : 23 ± 3% ; microphytobenthos : 19 ± 1% ; macroalgues : 19 ± 5%), mais également de matériel continental (27 ± 8%) et de phytoplancton (11 ± 2%). A l’échelle de l’écosystème (étude printanière) la composition de la MOS est similaire — avec toutefois une plus forte contribution du phytoplancton, au dépend de la matière continentale. Elle est géographiquement homogène, ce que semble favoriser l’hydrodynamique du bassin d’Arcachon associée à sa faible profondeur. La principale différence spatiale apparaît entre le sédiment subtidal (faible contribution des macrophytes au profit du matériel continental) et le sédiment de l’herbier intertidal. L’étude des voies de transfert trophique de la matière organique particulaire a mis en évidence une organisation trophique complexe avec l’existence de sous-groupes au sein des déposivores d’interface et des brouteurs. A l’échelle annuelle et à l’échelle du Bassin d’Arcachon, le microphytobenthos et les phanérogames (incluant leurs épiphytes) soutiennent 90% de la production macrozoobenthique. Cette production secondaire est principalement effectuée par les déposivores (60%). Une forte bactérivorie a été mise en évidence notamment chez les déposivores et chez le suspensivore invasif Crepidula fornicata. Les bactéries représentent ainsi un intermédiaire important dans le transfert de MOP des producteurs primaires vers les consommateurs primaires. Toutefois la pression trophique qu’exercent les consommateurs primaires de la macrofaune benthique sur les producteurs primaires est relativement modeste puisque le macrozoobenthos n’absorbe que 10% de la production primaire totale du système, ce qui rend cette dernière potentiellement disponible pour d’autres compartiments biologiques. Malgré cela l’herbier à Zostera noltii représente une ressource importante pour la macrofaune benthique. Dans le contexte de sa régression, une disparition de l’herbier engendrerait une diminution de la biomasse du macrozoobenthos. / Abstract