Éditeur(s) : Wiley-blackwell Publishing, Inc
Résumé : Oceanic larvae of the European (Anguilla anguilla) and American (A. rostrata) eels have to cross the Atlantic Ocean from the Sargasso Sea to European or North American coasts before entering continental habitats. In some European rivers, eel recruitment is now < 1% of levels in the 1980s. A better understanding of the effects of anthropogenic pressures and environmental fluctuations on eel larvae and subsequent recruitment is a prerequisite to build efficient management plans. The present paper provides insight into the critical oceanic phase of the eel life cycle with a focus on the duration of the larval migration whose estimates varies between 7 months and more than 2 years in both species. Does this range correspond to a natural variability in larval duration or does it stem from methodological artefacts? We first review the different methods used to estimate the duration of larval migration and critically describe their possible sources of misinterpretation. We then evaluate the consistency of these methods with the current knowledge about the ecology and physiology of eel larvae and the physical oceanography. While a moderate discrepancy in migration duration was found between methods for the American eel, the discrepancy was large in the European eel. In this species, otolith microstructure studies indicated migration durations between 7 and 9 months, while other methods pointed to durations of about 2 years. We show that estimates in favour of a long migration duration seem more robust to methodological caveats than methods estimating short durations of migration.
Fish And Fisheries (1467-2960) (Wiley-blackwell Publishing, Inc), 2010-09 , Vol. 11 , N. 3 , P. 289-306

Droits : 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00011/12208/9033.pdf
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-2979.2010.00362.x
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00011/12208/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
The cyp19a1 gene that encodes aromatase, the only enzyme permitting conversion of C19 aromatizable androgens into estrogens, is present as a single copy in the genome of most vertebrate species, except in teleosts in which it has been duplicated. This study aimed at investigating the brain expression of a cyp19a1 gene expressed in both gonad and brain of Japanese eel, a basal teleost. By means of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we show that cyp19a1 is expressed only in radial glial cells of the brain and in pituitary cells. Treatments with salmon pituitary homogenates (female) or human chorionic gonadotrophin (male), known to turn on steroid production in immature eels, strongly stimulated cyp19a1 messenger and protein expression in radial glial cells and pituitary cells. Using double staining studies, we also showed that aromatase-expressing radial glial cells exhibit proliferative activity in both the brain and the pituitary. Altogether, these data indicate that brain and pituitary expression of Japanese eel cyp19a1 exhibits characteristics similar to those reported for the brain specific cyp19a1b gene in teleosts having duplicated cyp19a1 genes. This supports the hypothesis that, despite the fact that eels also underwent the teleost specific genome duplication, they have a single cyp19a1 expressed in both brain and gonad. Such data also suggest that the intriguing features of brain aromatase expression in teleost fishes were not gained after the whole genome duplication and may reflect properties of the cyp19a1 gene of ancestral Actinopterygians.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-00877375
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00877375
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00877375/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00877375/file/Expressionsur Aromatase-accepted.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0044750

Éditeur(s) : Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
Résumé : In a context of decline of European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) and search for biological markers of habitat use and quality, a multidisciplinary approach was engaged on the Adour estuary and its associated wetlands. Two axes were developed. The first axe aimed at highlighting the successive presence of the species in different ecosystems based on the otolith elemental composition. The second aimed at the evaluation of the chemical pressure underwent by eels based on the contaminant bioconcentration in soft tissues and the early molecular response to the chemical stress. With a view to the analyses of otolith elemental composition taking into account the 3D structure, the low elemental concentration in the matrix and keeping the finest spatial resolution, four micro sampling strategies and multi elemental analyses using femtosecond laser ablation ICP-MS were tested (crater, 1D scan, 2D scan, flash ablation). The strategy showing the best compromise according to the objectives (continuous recording, multi elemental approach) was applied on otolith of yellow eels from the Adour. The simultaneous use of Sr and Ba profiles, after validation, represents a new tool, easy, fast and reliable for the reconstruction of freshwater and brackish ecosystems use by eel avoiding misinterpretation due to vaterite inclusions. Three major behaviors were highlighted on the Adour: a residency in brackish water, a residency in freshwater and nomad behavior. The last one is illustrated by a shift to brackish water after three to four years spent in freshwater. Simultaneously, the study of inorganic and organic contamination of eel soft tissues showed that sampled wetlands are moderately contaminated. These results were confirmed by the first estimation, in wild conditions, of the early response to the chemical stress using the hepatic expression of CYP1A1 gene measured by real time RT-PCR. Conversely, in the downstream part of the Adour estuary, Hg loads in eels, especially methyl mercury, and PCBs analyses indicate values that need further investigations considering the European norms of consumption. The comparison of the different markers used (heavy metal and organochlorinated compounds contamination of soft tissues, condition index) support a lower quality of the estuary despite higher eel growth rate on this site. This study supports the use of numerous markers in integrated studies in order to understand and specify the relationships between eels and their continental growth zones.
Dans un contexte de déclin de l'anguille européenne (Anguilla anguilla L.) et de recherche de marqueurs biologiques retraçant la fréquentation des divers habitats et renseignant sur la qualité de ceux-ci, une approche pluridisciplinaire a été mise en place sur l'estuaire de l'Adour et ses zones humides. Deux axes ont été privilégiés. Le premier cherchait à visualiser la présence successive de l'espèce dans différents écosystèmes en se basant sur la composition élémentaire des otolithes. Le deuxième avait pour but d'évaluer la pression chimique inorganique et organique subie par l'anguille dans les zones d'études en s'appuyant sur la bioconcentration des contaminants dans les tissus mous et la réponse moléculaire précoce au stress chimique. En vue des analyses de la composition élémentaire des otolithes et pour répondre au mieux à la structure en trois dimensions, à la faible concentration des éléments dans la matrice tout en conservant une résolution spatiale la plus fine possible, quatre stratégies de micro-échantillonnage et d'analyses multiélémentaires par ablation laser femtoseconde ICP-MS ont été testées (cratère, scan 1D, scan 2D, ablation flash). La méthodologie présentant le meilleur compromis par rapport aux objectifs fixés (enregistrement continu, approche multiélémentaire) a ensuite été appliquée sur les otolithes d'anguilles jaunes du Bas-Adour. L'utilisation simultanée des profils continus de Sr et de Ba, après validation, constitue un outil facile d'utilisation, rapide et fiable pour reconstruire les historiques de fréquentation des différents écosystèmes estuariens et dulçaquicoles par l'anguille tout en s'affranchissant des problèmes potentiels liés aux inclusions de vatérite, un polymorphe du carbonate de calcium. Trois grands types de comportement ont pu être mis en évidence sur l'Adour : résidence en eau saumâtre, résidence en eau douce et nomadisme. Ce dernier est plus particulièrement illustré par un mouvement marqué vers l'eau saumâtre pour des individus ayant passé de trois à quatre ans dans l'eau douce. Parallèlement, l'étude de la contamination organique et inorganique des tissus mous de l'anguille a permis de déduire à la faible contamination des zones humides échantillonnées. La première estimation en condition naturelle de la réponse précoce au stress chimique par évaluation de l'expression hépatique du gène CYP1A1 par RT-PCR en temps réel confirme ces résultats. En revanche, dans la partie estuarienne aval de l'Adour, les niveaux en Hg, présent en majorité sous sa forme méthylée dans les anguilles, et l'analyse des PCBs indiquent des valeurs qui suscitent un examen plus approfondi au regard des normes européennes en vigueur. La confrontation des différents descripteurs (contamination des tissus mous par les métaux lourds et organochlorés, indice de condition) utilisés conforte la qualité moindre de la zone estuarienne malgré des performances de croissance de l'anguille favorisées sur ces sites. Ainsi, cette étude supporte l'intérêt de la mise en oeuvre de descripteurs multiples utilisés (niveaux de métaux lourds et organochlorés dans les tissus mous, réponse moléculaire au stress chimique, microchimie de l'otolithe, indice de condition, taux de croissance) dans des approches intégrées pour comprendre et préciser les relations existantes entre l'anguille et ses zones de croissance continentales.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/these-7381.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/7381/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Station Biologique
Résumé : International audience
This study deals with temporal variations in eel diet Anguilla anguilla sampled at each of the four seasons in the Languedocian Prévost lagoon (Gulf of Lion) from Autumn 1998 to Summer 1999. The following feeding indices were calculated based on observations of 12 categories of prey found in the contents of full stomachs: coefficient of vacuity CV, degree of fullness DR, occurrence frequency PP, relative abundance N (in %) and relative weight P (in %). The interpretation of results is also based on the Costello's method (1990) which combines PP and N. Anguilla anguilla mainly feeds on benthic organisms, primarily Gammarus gr. locusta, Polychaeta, insect larvae, small fish. Based on variations in eel diet, seasonal influence is illustrated by a decrease in feeding activity in summer which gradually increases during the following seasons. The good trophic quality available to eels in the Prévost lagoon depends on its hydrodynamics which is directly related to the movement of water entering and leaving lagoon by a short communication with the sea. This water movement accelerates the enrichment and production processes of this ecosystem. Changes observed during the four seasons illustrate an opportunistic type of feeding behaviour. Eels consume the most available benthic prey. They favour the importance of the prey at a given moment without using a particular feeding strategy like specialisation or generalisation. Thus, eel adapts its diet in adjusting available energy resources in the ecosystem. Because of this, the lagoon-resident species Anguilla anguilla is an obvious indirect bioindicator of the trophic capacity and present level of confinement in the brackish water lagoon ecosystem of Prévost.
ISSN: 0007-9723

hal-00753021
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00753021

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split
Résumé : International audience
This study deals with temporal variations in eel Anguilla anguilla diet, sampled seasonally in the Languedocian Mauguio lagoon (Gulf of Lion), from Autumn 1998 to Summer 1999. Eel mainly feeds on benthic organisms, primarily small Amphipoda, Crustacea (mainly Gammarus gr. locusta), Polychaeta, insect larvae (Chironomidae) and small fish. Based on variations in the eels feeding regime, seasonal influence is illustrated by decreased feeding activity in summer, which progressively increases during the following seasons. The trophic quality available to eels in the Mauguio lagoon depends more on allochtonous inputs from the catchment area than on its own hydrodynamics on which water of marine origin has little influence due to its long distance from the sea. Variations observed during the four seasons illustrate the opportunist type feeding behaviour of eels. They consume the most available benthic preys at a given moment without using a particular feeding strategy like specialisation or generalisation. Eel adapts its diet according to the available resources offered by the ecosystem. Because of this eel, as an amphihaline migrant species, can be characterised as an obvious indirect bioindicator of the trophic capacity and very marked level of confinement in the brackish lagoon ecosystem of Mauguio.
ISSN: 0001-5113

hal-00750416
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00750416
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00750416/document
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00750416/file/Acta_Adriatica_2009_50_2_.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Station Biologique
Résumé : International audience
This study focuses on the diet of the eel Anguilla anguilla, sampled during one month of each of the four seasons from autumn 1998 to summer 1999 in the Languedocian Ingril Lagoon (Gulf ot Lion). The following feeding indices were calculated based on observations of 11 categories of prey found in the contents of full stomachs: coefficient of vacuity (CV), degree of fullness (DR), occurrence frequency (PP, in %), relative abundance (N, in %) and relative weight (P, in %). A parallel monitoring of the benthic macrofauna was conducted in autumn and spring. The interpretation of the results is based on the degree III of the scale of confinement established by Guélorget & Perthuisot (1983) and on the Costello et al. (1990) method, which combines PP and N. A. anguilla mainly feeds on benthic organisms, primarily amphipods crustaceans, polychaetes, insect larvae and small fish. The eel's feeding activity is very low in November and February and usually increases during May. The trophic quality available to the eel population in the Ingril Lagoon depends on its hydrodynamic variables, which are directly related to its close communication with the sea. Changes observed in the eel's diet over this year long study illustrate an opportunist type of feeding behaviour that reflects the typical composition of the macroinvertebrate species assemblage at a given point in time. Eels consume the type of benthic prey that is most available at a given moment without using a particular feeding strategy (e.g., specialisation or generalisation). The eels adapt by shifting their diet according to the energetic resources available in the ecosystem, which vary depending on hydrological regime. Thus, the facultative catadromous migrant species Anguilla anguilla could be used as a bioindicator of changes in the biological zonation and in the available food resources in the brackish ecosystem of Ingril Lagoon during its lagoon-resident ecophase.
ISSN: 0007-9723

hal-00753020
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00753020

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Background information. Marine nematodes belonging to the Stilbonematidae (Desmodoridae) family are described as living in obligatory association with sulfur-oxidizing chemoautotrophic ectosymbionts. The symbiotic bacteria carrying out this chemosynthesis should contain elemental sulfur in periplasmic granules as sulfur granules of chemoautotrophic endosymbionts described in various marine invertebrates. Results. Based on TEM analyses, extracellular bacteria surrounding Eubostrichus dianae possess these spherical periplasmic granules. Few investigative techniques can be used to identify elemental sulfur S8 such as EDXS (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) and EELS (electron energy loss spectroscopy) associated with cryo-fixation of the sample to avoid sulfur loss. These techniques are time consuming, expensive and require technical skills. Raman microspectrometry applied to the analysis of E. dianae allowed us to detect elemental sulfur S8 and confirmed the location of these sulfur clusters in the bacterial coat. In the same way, Raman spectrometry was positively applied to the endosymbiotic bivalve Codakia orbicularis, suggesting that this technique can be used to characterize sulfur in ecto- as well as in endo-symbiotic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Conclusions. As Raman spectrometry can be used on living organisms (without preliminary fixation) without sample damage and preserving the molecular structure of the sulfur (denatured during chemical fixation) it represents a very well-adapted investigative tool for biologists. This technique therefore permits us to detect quickly and easily (in a few seconds and on entire living animals) the presence of sulfur compounds in the symbiotic nematode.
ISSN: 0248-4900

hal-00753017
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00753017