The Fish Fauna of the Doubs River Prior to Completion of the Rhine–Rhône Connection

/ The part of the Doubs River between Montbeliard and Dole (France), i.e., downstream from the confluence with the Allan River, will be affected by the Rhine- Rhone connection project. In order to improve the understanding of the Doubs ichthyofauna, aquatic environments of the Doubs were sampled by electrofishing. Fish diversity and the presence of some rheophilic species demonstrated the good ecological quality of some stretches of the Doubs. This quality was due to alternating areas with very diversified aquatic environments (riffles, islands and side-arms, backwaters) and a considerable range of flow velocities. The differences in the structure of the fish communities of the different types of aquatic environments were more qualitative (fish species) than quantitative (number of species and number of fish). However, the mean number of fish was statistically lower in the canals (Freycinet canal and channelized part of the Allan River) than in the main course and in the backwaters. The natural parts of the Doubs (unnavigable reaches) showed the most diversified environmental structure and had the most rheophilic fish communities. Thus, the rheophilic species were well represented, but they proved also the most vulnerable to river regulation. However, the most abundant fishes throughout the Doubs River were generalists with no special requirements for food sources or spawning substrate.KEY WORDS: Fish communities; Regulation; Restoration; Floodplain; Large ship canal; Doubs River     

Framework and Tools for Agricultural Landscape Assessment Relating to Water Quality Protection

While many scientific studies show the influence of agricultural landscape patterns on water cycle and water quality, only a few of these have proposed scientifically based and operational methods to improve water management. Territ’eau is a framework developed to adapt agricultural landscapes to water quality protection, using components such as farmers’ fields, seminatural areas, and human infrastructures, which can act as sources, sinks, or buffers on water quality. This framework allows us to delimit active areas contributing to water quality, defined by the following three characteristics: (i) the dominant hydrological processes and their flow pathways, (ii) the characteristics of each considered pollutant, and (iii) the main landscape features. These areas are delineated by analyzing the flow connectivity from the stream to the croplands, by assessing the buffer functions of seminatural areas according to their flow pathways. Hence, this framework allows us to identify functional seminatural areas in terms of water quality and assess their limits and functions; it helps in proposing different approaches for changing agricultural landscape, acting on agricultural practices or systems, and/or conserving or rebuilding seminatural areas in controversial landscapes. Finally, it allows us to objectivize the functions of the landscape components, for adapting these components to new environmental constraints.     

Data assimilation for short range atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides: a case study of second-order sensitivity

This article presents the application of variational data assimilation to a simple Gaussian plume model for radionuclides. Adjoint modeling is applied to the model in order to minimize discrepancies between contamination observations and model outputs. The interest of such an approach is to get a better estimation of some parameters such as emissions or dispersion parameters. A second-order analysis is also performed to assess the sensitivity of the optimized parameters to some poorly known parameters. Sensitivity with respect to network design is also done.     

On the ecology of a North Adriatic benthic community: Distribution,standing crop and composition of the macrobenthos

The boundaries as well as the macro-epibenthic biomass distribution and composition of a North Adriatic benthic community, dominated by the brittle star Ophiothrix quinquemaculata (D.Ch.), the sponges Reniera ssp., and the ascidians Microcosmus ssp. were determined. Transects totalling more than 80 km (i.e., a recorded area of approximately 150 000 m²) were taken by means of a combined TV- and photocamera sled. The observations, TV-recordings, and photos, together with 392 diver-collected quantitative samples were evaluated. The biomass values were used to establish isobenths. Within the community, the mean biomass, measured as wet weight, amounted to 370 (±73) g/m² with maxima of more than 1000 g/m². 64% of the biomass was due to the designating group Ophiothrix-Reniera-Micrcosmus, 87.5% were represented by filter- and suspension-feeding species alone. The mean biomass in the peripheral areas was evaluated at 166 (±62) g/m². Biomass distribution and composition is examined, and the ecological function and meaning of the observed patterns is discussed.This investigation was carried out within the frame of a joint programme between the Lehrkanzel für Meeresbiologie, University of Vienna, and the Marine Biological Station, Portoroz, University of Ljubljana.     

Stochastic Multi-species MSY to Achieve Ecological-Economic Sustainability of a Coral Reef Fishery System in French Polynesia

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - This paper investigates the ecological-economic sustainability of coral reef socio-ecological systems under fishing and environmental pressures. To achieve...     

Pollution of water in Africa: a review of contaminants and fish as biomonitors and analytical methodologies—the case of Senegal

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental pollution is one of the major problems facing human health, ecosystems, and biodiversity. This is particularly the case for water...     

A goal oriented indicator framework to support integrated assessment of new policies for agri-environmental systems

The goal oriented framework (GOF) for indicators has been developed as part of a comprehensive research project developing computerised tools for integrated assessment of the effects of new policies or technologies on agricultural systems (SEAMLESS-IF). The ambition has therefore been to create an indicator framework where the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainable development can be related to each other in a consistent way. Integrated assessment tools rely on such frameworks to capture and visualise trade-offs (antagonisms or synergies) among indicators between and within the three dimensions of sustainable development. The specific aims of this paper are to (i) present the GOF (ii) present how the GOF can be used to select indicators within the integrated assessment framework SEAMLESS-IF and (iii) discuss the advantages and limitations with the proposed approach. We show that the GOF has several advantages. Its major rewards are its relative simplicity and the possibility to link indicators to policy goals of each dimension of sustainability and thereby facilitate the comparison of the impacts of the new policy on the different dimensions. Another important feature of the GOF is its multi-scale perspective, which will enable the comparison of effects of a new policy between scales. Yet, as typical for all indicator frameworks, the GOF has also biases either instigated by the issues the included models cover or by the stakeholders’ selection of indicators. However, due to the way the GOF and its indicators are technically implemented in SEAMLESS-IF, it can easily be extended and include new indicators to increase and update its policy relevance.     

Supplying honey bees with waterers: a precautionary measure to reduce exposure to pesticides

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Water is essential for honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), but contaminated sources of water in agricultural environments represent a risk of exposure to...     

Overview of Traditional and Environmental Factors Related to Bone Health

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bone mass in adulthood depends on growth and mineralization acquired during childhood and adolescence. It is well known that these stages of life are...