Habitat suitability for juvenile common sole (Solea solea, L.) in the Bay of Biscay (France): A quantitative description using indicators based on epibenthic fauna
Le Pape, O.; Baulier, L.; Cloarec, A.; Martin, J.; Le Loc'h, F.; Désaunay, Y. (2007). Habitat suitability for juvenile common sole (Solea solea, L.) in the Bay of Biscay (France): A quantitative description using indicators based on epibenthic fauna. J. Sea Res. 57(2-3): 126-136. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2006.08.011
In: Journal of Sea Research. Elsevier/Netherlands Institute for Sea Research: Amsterdam; Den Burg. ISSN 1385-1101; e-ISSN 1873-1414, more
Also appears in:Yamashita, Y.; Nash, R.D.M.; van der Veer, H.W. (Ed.) (2007). Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Flatfish Ecology, Part 1, held at Maizuru, Kyoto, Japan from 20-25 October 2005. Journal of Sea Research, 57(Spec. Issue 2-3). Elsevier: Amsterdam. IV, 89-235 pp., more
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| Keywords |
Aquatic communities > Benthos
Developmental stages > Juveniles
Epibionts
Habitat selection
Nursery grounds
Taxa > Species > Indicator species
Solea solea (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
ANE, Biscay Bay [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Solea solea; nursery ground; habitat suitability models; epibenthicfauna; ecotrophic guilds; Bay of Biscay |
| Authors | | Top |
- Le Pape, O.
- Baulier, L.
- Cloarec, A.
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- Martin, J.
- Le Loc'h, F.
- Désaunay, Y.
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| Abstract |
This study describes the spatial distribution of young-of-the-year common sole based on beam trawl surveys conducted in late summer in the coastal and estuarine parts of the Bay of Biscay (France). Previous studies showed that habitat suitability for juvenile common sole varies according to physical factors and notably bathymetry and sediment structure. Nevertheless, the use of these descriptors alone to model habitat suitability led to considerable unexplained variability in juvenile common sole distribution. Hence, the epibenthic macro- and megafauna collected during beam trawl surveys was taken into account to improve models of habitat suitability for these juvenile flatfish. Ecotrophic guilds based on life traits (behaviour, mobility and feeding) were used to develop generic indicators of trawled benthic fauna. These synthetic descriptors were used in generalized linear models of habitat suitability in order to characterize the distribution of juvenile common sole. This approach significantly improved the description based on physical descriptors and allowed demonstrating that young common sole distribution is related to the density of trawled deposit and suspension feeders and also of carnivorous organisms. These models provide a reliable method to develop indicators of nursery habitat suitability from trawl survey data with the aim of assessing and surveying their quality. |
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