Thesis (Ph. D.)--College of William and Mary. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Macome secta has been reported along the western coast of North America from the Aleution Islands to Lower California (Packard, 1918), Indicating adaptation to a wide range of habitats. In the Dillon Beach ares, Racons secta is found in a well protected cover just inside. and to the cast of the mouth of Tomales Bay. All specimens collected for this project wore takan from one site on a mudflat near Lesson's Landing, approximately one mile south of the Pacific Marine Station, Dillon Beach California. The exact location of the collection site on the mudflat may be seen in the serial photographs (Fig. 1 and 2).

L’aire de distribution des espèces est conditionnée à la fois par des facteurs biotiques et abiotiques et ses frontières dépendent généralement des limites physiologiques de l’espèce. Ainsi, en bordure d’aire de répartition, les populations se caractérisent par une diversité génétique moindre ainsi qu’une forte différentiation génétique et leur existence dépend d’un équilibre fragile entre événements de colonisation et d’extinction.Depuis les années 1970, l’augmentation et l’accélération des pressions anthropiques exercées sur les écosystèmes bouleversent ces équilibres et des modifications de l’aire de répartition sont observées chez certaines espèces dont le bivalve Macoma balthica, espèce clé des écosystèmes littoraux en Europe, dont la limite sud de répartition s’est décalée vers le nord-est au cours des quarante dernières années.Afin d’évaluer les capacités adaptatives de M. balthica et dans un but de conservation, deux approches complémentaires ont été menées dans des environnements contrastés qui ont permis de mettre en évidence des signes d’adaptation locale.D’une part, l’étude du génome neutre à l’aide des outils méthodologiques et concepts de la génétique des populations a permis d’inférer l’histoire démographique de l’espèce avec une attention particulière portée sur une baie en limite d’aire de répartition (Baie de Marennes Oléron, France) et sur une baie soumise à de fortes pressions physico-chimiques (Baie de Gdansk, Pologne). Nous avons mis en évidence notamment :(i) un polymorphisme significatif dans les populations en limite d’aire en opposition avec les attendus théoriques(ii) des ruptures au flux de gènes dans le golfe de Gascogne soumis au réchauffement des eaux de surface mais aussi le long d’un gradient environnemental dans la baie de Gdansk. D’autre part, l’étude moléculaire de la sélection a été menée par la méthode de pyroséquençage sur le transcriptome d’individus prélevés en milieux contrastés. Cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence des tendances d’expression différentielle de gènes de réponse générale au stress selon le milieu considéré. / Species distribution is conditioned by biotic and abiotic factors and its borders depend generally on physiological limits of species. At the edge of their distribution, populations are characterized by a less genetic diversity as well as a strong genetic differentiation and their existence depends on a fragile balance between colonization and extinction.Since the 1970s, the increase and the acceleration of the anthropological pressures exercised on ecosystems upset this balance. As a consequence, modifications of many species distributions are observed. As an example, the south end of the distribution of the bivalve Macoma balthica, a key species of the european littoral ecosystems has moved towards the northeast during the last forty years.In order to conserve this species, we need to estimate the adaptive capacities of M. balthica. Two complementary approaches were undertaken in contrasting environments. The neutral genome was studied using population genetics methods to the demographic history of the species with a particular attention at the edge of its distribution (Bay of Marennes Oléron, France) and in a bay subjected to strong physico-chemical pressures (Bay of Gdansk, Poland). We brought to light in particular:1) A significant polymorphism in the populations at the edge of the distribution in contrast to theoretical predictions.2) A geneflow rupture correlated with high sea surface temperature (in the Bay of Biscay) and also along an environmental gradient ( derived from multiple parameters) in the bay of Gdansk.The molecular study of natural selection was conducted by the method of pyroséquençage using transcriptome from individuals at specific locations. This study allowed us to bring to light tendencies of differential gene expression implicated in the general response to stress.

In order to improve the knowledge about polluted areas in Sweden, Naturvårdsverket has compiled a list of all establishments and other anthropological activities, so called MIFOobjects, which emit harmful chemicals. Those activities which are placed on land might, depending on factors such as closeness to the sea, water solubility, degradability and toxicity of the chemicals have an impact on the biota in the Baltic Sea. In this study, spatial and statistical methods were used to explore potential relations between the abundance of three indicator organisms (Macoma balthica, Marenzelleria and Monoporeia affinis), closeness and a second variable built risk class of MIFO-objects and local environmental factors (e.g., sea depth, salinity) at the coast of Blekinge. The impact of MIFO-objects on the abundance of the indicator organisms was analyzed with both graphical and numerical multivariate analysis methods such as spearman analysis, principal component analysis and canonical component analysis. Four types of variables were created to enable the analysis. The first two variables were based one distance from emission locations to the study sites. The other pair of variables comprised on variable built on the cumulative risk assessment of the MIFO-objects given by Naturvårdsverket and another that was based on a classification of the emitted pollutants according to their chemical toxicity. The analysis showed that the abundance of Marenzelleria was positively correlated with MIFO-objects both in terms of risk assessment and chemical toxicity. This was probably a result of the fact that Marenzelleria is less sensitive to pollutants and therefore more competitive than other species in its habitat. Since the abundance of Macoma balthica covaried a lot with environmental factors such as salinity it was difficult to distinguish the impact of MIFO-object on the mussel. The statistical base of the abundance of Monoporeia affinis was too small to make any conclusions about what is describing the abundance.

<p> Large high density populations, up to 3,000/m^2 of the bivalve Macoma balthica inhabit the muddy intertidal areas in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. The fecal pellets produced by Macoma b. are resistant to breakdown. Off Spencer's Point, the pellets are transported via small intertidal channels away from the shore onto a sand bar, at low tide. At high tide the channels act as traps for fecal pellets. The pellets breakdown over the sand bar at high tide, but a large proportion of the pellet remains in suspension as a mucous bound mud agglomerate. In an area of 2000 Macoma b./m^2, the rate of fecal pellet production is approximately 1 Kg dry wt/m^2/yr. </p> <p> The rate of pseudofecal production increases with water turbidity. The rate of sediment reprocessing is approximately 9 Kg dry wt. of sediment/m^2/yr., or a layer of wet sediment approximately 3.3 cm. deep. </p> <p> The Macoma b. in Cobequid Bay are largely deposit feeding. In areas of high population density and coarser sediment, this depletes the surface of sediment mud and fine sand. The influx of sediment necessary to sustain such a population is, in part, pseudofecal material from Macoma b. populations higher on the mud flats. </p> / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

L'aire de distribution des espèces est conditionnée à la fois par des facteurs biotiques et abiotiques et ses frontières dépendent généralement des limites physiologiques de l'espèce. Ainsi, en bordure d'aire de répartition, les populations se caractérisent par une diversité génétique moindre ainsi qu'une forte différentiation génétique et leur existence dépend d'un équilibre fragile entre événements de colonisation et d'extinction.Depuis les années 1970, l'augmentation et l'accélération des pressions anthropiques exercées sur les écosystèmes bouleversent ces équilibres et des modifications de l'aire de répartition sont observées chez certaines espèces dont le bivalve Macoma balthica, espèce clé des écosystèmes littoraux en Europe, dont la limite sud de répartition s'est décalée vers le nord-est au cours des quarante dernières années.Afin d'évaluer les capacités adaptatives de M. balthica et dans un but de conservation, deux approches complémentaires ont été menées dans des environnements contrastés qui ont permis de mettre en évidence des signes d'adaptation locale.D'une part, l'étude du génome neutre à l'aide des outils méthodologiques et concepts de la génétique des populations a permis d'inférer l'histoire démographique de l'espèce avec une attention particulière portée sur une baie en limite d'aire de répartition (Baie de Marennes Oléron, France) et sur une baie soumise à de fortes pressions physico-chimiques (Baie de Gdansk, Pologne). Nous avons mis en évidence notamment :(i) un polymorphisme significatif dans les populations en limite d'aire en opposition avec les attendus théoriques(ii) des ruptures au flux de gènes dans le golfe de Gascogne soumis au réchauffement des eaux de surface mais aussi le long d'un gradient environnemental dans la baie de Gdansk. D'autre part, l'étude moléculaire de la sélection a été menée par la méthode de pyroséquençage sur le transcriptome d'individus prélevés en milieux contrastés. Cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence des tendances d'expression différentielle de gènes de réponse générale au stress selon le milieu considéré.

Submitted by Alberto Vieira (martins_vieira@ibest.com.br) on 2017-08-25T00:04:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 278283.pdf: 11123243 bytes, checksum: 832a05131744b51a66210a478658cd35 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-25T00:04:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 278283.pdf: 11123243 bytes, checksum: 832a05131744b51a66210a478658cd35 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1982-12-29 / Estudo sobre bivalves marinhos da subfamília Macominae Olsson, 1961, são apresentadas as caracterizações dos grandes grupos desde subclasse até subfamília, a fim de situar a referida subfamília entre os Bivalvia. Dos gêneros e subgêneros são apresentadas as caracterizações, distribuições geológica a geográfica, considerações e ilustrações gerais das conchas de espécies representadas no litoral brasileiro. Sobre Macoma (Austromacoma) constricta (Bruguière, 1792), espécie Recente, que ocorre da Carolina do Norte (EUA) até o Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil), foram realizados estudos detalhados, com base no material examinado e bibliografia consultada, compreendendo: dados taxonômicos, aspectos anatômicos e microanatômicos, observações sobre as correntes ciliares no manto, sobre o local de captura (Praia do Cardo, Baía de Sepetiba, RJ) e sobre o animal em aquário. / Studies on marine bivalves of the Subfamily Macominae Olsson, 1961, the characterization of the major groups, from subclass to subfamily, is presented in order to place the refered subfamily among the Bivalvia. Characterization, as well as geological and geographic distribution, is presented for the genera and subgenera, along with general considerations and illustrations of the shells of the species occuring on the Brazilian coast. ln relation to Macoma (Austromacoma) constricta (Bruguière, 1792), a recente species which occurs from North Carolina (USA) to Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), detailed studies were developed based both in the material examined and in the bibliography. These studies comprised: taxonomy, anatomical and microanatomical remarks, comments on ciliary currents in the mantle, data related to the collecting site (Praia do Carbo, Baía de Sepetiba, RJ), and observations of the animal in aquarium.

An investigation to determine the factors responsible for the distribution of a population of Maaoma balthica (L.) on a mudflat receiving sewage effluent was carried out in the Fraser River estuary of British Columbia. The factors examined were those suggested by previous studies to be controlling the distribution of the macro-invertebrate community. They included reduced salinity, low levels of dissolved oxygen, effluent toxicity, toxicity due to chlorination, substrate grain size, and the effects of metal contaminated sediments. Results of the study showed that salinity, dissolved oxygen levels and sediment grain size did not satisfactorily explain the distribution of M. balthica. Both unchlorinated and chlorinated sewage effluent were shown to be non-toxic to the clam in laboratory tests, and these results were confirmed by 7 day in situ bioassays. The factor which appeared to be responsible for the distribution of M. balthica was the degree of contamination of the substrate which affected the settling and survival of larval and juvenile clams. Heavy metals occurred in high concentrations in the contaminated sediments and were considered to be the most likely controlling factor. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

La Barge à queue noire Limosa limosa est un oiseau limicole communément rencontré tout au long de l’année sur le territoire Français. Les individus présents sur la partie ouest de l’Europe sont représentés par deux sous-espèces : la sous-espèce L. l. limosa, dite barge à queue noire « continentale », est principalement observée pendant les phases de migration et en très faibles effectifs reproducteurs sur les marais ouest Atlantique; la sous-espèce L. l. islandica, dite « islandaise », est quant à elle, exclusivement présente en hivernage le long des côtes atlantiques et de la Manche. L’étude menée au cours de ces travaux de thèse porte principalement sur la barge « islandaise » en dehors de la période de reproduction sur les sites d’hivernage le long de la façade atlantique Française. Contrairement à L. l. limosa, la population de L. l. islandica connaît sur l’ensemble de son aire de répartition, une expansion aussi bien en termes d’effectif qu’en nombre de sites fréquentés. La synthèse des effectifs nationaux hivernants montre que la population hivernante en France suit cette même tendance, avec une progression de 1350 à 27000 individus au cours des vingt dernières années. Actuellement, la France accueille environ 30 % de la population sur un nombre de sites grandissant mais néanmoins restreint, principalement représentés par les Réserves Naturelles littorales abritant des vasières intertidales utilisés comme zone d’alimentation. À partir de données biométriques, génétiques ou encore des historiques de vie des oiseaux équipés de bagues couleurs, les périodes de présence des deux populations sur le territoire Français ont pu être mis à jour. De plus, au sein de la sous-espèce islandaise, plusieurs durées d’hivernage en France ont été avancées, pouvant varier de 2 à 8 mois selon les individus. La phénologie des effectifs étudiée sur chacun des sites suggère une utilisation très variée des sites ainsi que de nombreux échanges entre ces sites au cours d’un même hiver. Couramment utilisée dans la compréhension de la distribution des populations d’oiseaux, la disponibilité de la ressource trophique a également été étudiée au regard du régime alimentaire de la Barge queue noire à partir d’échantillonnages de macrofaune, de collecte de fèces mais aussi d’analyses d’isotopes stables. Au cours de l’hiver, à l’échelle des Pertuis Charentais, les barges montrent deux régimes distincts mais néanmoins monospécifiques. Elles s’alimentent de rhizomes de zostères (Zostera noltii) sur les herbiers des vasières de l’Ile de Ré et de bivalves (Macoma balthica) sur les vasières nues. Au cours de l’hiver, il est supposé que la déplétion de ces ressources conduit à une redistribution des effectifs de barges sur de nouvelles zones d’alimentation voire de nouveaux reposoirs. Les deux régimes alimentaires sont majoritairement retrouvés à l’échelle de la distribution nationale des barges. Néanmoins, leurs distributions au sein des sites français dépend des caractéristiques sédimentaires, des interactions intra et interspécifiques, de la disponibilité de reposoirs de marée haute et des dérangements tels que la chasse. Ce travail a permis d’établir de solides connaissances et aboutit à la collecte de données détaillées et complémentaires qui vont permettre de tester les modèles théoriques de distribution spatiale des organismes à l’échelle d’une région de leur aire de distribution. / The Black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa is a shorebird species commonly observed in France throughout the year. Two sub-species are dissociated in West European. The so called “continental” Godwit L. l. limosa is observed in France during migration cycles and some pairs breed in marshes on the Atlantic coast; the so called “Icelandic” Godwit winters exclusively along coast of the Western Europe. This present work mainly investigates the wintering ecology of Icelandic–godwit in coastal mudflats of France. Contrarily to the continental sub-species, the whole Icelandic-godwit L. l. islandica population increased quantitatively as long as the number of sites used. In France, national counts pointed out that wintering population follows this trend and have increased from 1350 to 27000 individuals during the last twenty years. This population represents now around 30% of the whole islandica population but individuals stage in large flocks in a very limited number of sites, mainly included in Nature Reserves. From standard biometrics, molecular analyses and resighting data, phenologies of the both sub-species can then be specified for France. Furthermore, this study allowed to define how long the wintering period lasts in France for Icelandic-Godwits, between 2 and 8 months depending on individuals. Phenology at site scale suggested that godwits used several sites throughout the winter. As currently used for understanding the distribution of bird populations, trophic resource availability was studied in regard to the diet of the Black-tailed godwit from macrofauna sampling, droppings collection and stable isotope analyses. At the Pertuis Charentais scale, two feeding behaviors were clearly distinguished: seagrass grazing (Zostera notlii) or bivalve probing (Macoma balthica). Food depletion along the winter is expected to lead to the decrease of local populations, and to the selection of new feeding area or roost. Considering the distribution of the species at the national level, the diets were recorded depending on the mudflats’ characteristics. Even if food distribution is commonly used to understand at first the bird population distribution, our observations point out that, here at a local level, more parameters may influence the wintering distribution such as sediment characteristics, intra and inter-specific interactions, high tide roosts availability and human disturbances as the hunt. This work allowed to establish a solid knowledge and to collect many complementary data to test the distribution theories on the Black-tailed Godwit population wintering in France.

Populations of the sympatric intertidal bivalves, Macoma secta and M. nasuta are compared as to reproductive ecology and population dynamics. Histological examination of seasonal gonadal changes indicate that both species undergo dormancy in the winter months and rapid gamete proliferation in the spring. However, the timing of spawning differs. The M. secta population synchronously spawned in August while the M. nasuta population spawned lightly in late spring and more heavily in the fall. Fecundity estimates indicate M. nasuta adds 140% of winter weight in gametes and M. secta only adds 43% of winter weight in gametes. Spat fall was detected in January for both species and was light in intensity, for either species only 24 per m2. Nursery areas were determined for M. nasuta, which corresponds to adult distributions, and for M. secta, which correspond to the upper and lower fringes of the intertidal distribution but not the center. Analysis of variance on distributional data indicate the temporal stability of density and size for M. secta. M. nasuta densities were also temporally stable but sizes were not. Both species demonstrated significant changes in density with tidal height. A measure of seasonal population variability, the Population-Time Mean Square, was found to have zero correlation with tidal height for M. secta, meaning that environmental stress was the same for individuals at each tidal height . This is believed related to the gradient of calm size to tidal height. An argument for density dependence in M. secta is given with emphasis on individual growth and realized population fecundity; the null hypothesis: As density increases, the resources per individual decrease, therefore the growth rate of individuals decreases. Analysis of sympatric populations indicate differing patterns of life history, pointing out that selection has favored these two species coexistence. Analysis of population dynamics indicated that in comparison to M. nasuta (Low Tide Horizon), M. secta (Mid Tide Horizon) was more stable (terminology from Ricketts, Calvin and Hedgpeth, 1969). This supports Castenholz’ (1967) idea that where climates are mild, the intertidal communities are more stable than the subtidal communities.