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Maerl-associated macroalgae in the bay of Brest (Brittany, France)

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Abstract

Maerl beds are unique marine habitats hosting a great diversity of organisms while macroalgae are a major component of this diversity. The bay of Brest is one of the most studied coastal ecosystems in the world; in addition, it has a significant background concerning historical seaweeds check-lists associated to maerl beds. However, no recent work aimed at compiling and completing these data. In this study, a total of 7 subtidal and 3 intertidal maerl beds have been surveyed between 2020 and 2022. These data complete 4 previous inventories, giving the most accurate description of seaweeds colonizing maerl beds in the bay of Brest. The total number of macroalgal species reaches 170 among which 127 are Rhodophyta, 22 Phaeophyceae, and 21 Ulvophyceae, with 51 additions to the French and 19 additions to the European maerl beds check-list. A comparison with other maerl beds of the northeastern Atlantic coasts is compiled. It appears that the maerl beds from the bay of Brest are the most diverse in Atlantic France and among the most diverse in Europe. A description of the stratification of maerl beds and the associated macroalgal communities is proposed. It includes maerl species, encrusting species, maerl-entangling species, erect isolated species, and free-living species. In addition, specimens of the rarely recorded Rytiphlaea tinctoria, reaching its northernmost population in the bay, a possible introduced species/relict population, are described.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the crew of the Albert-Lucas, M. Maguer and L. Pinsivy for sampling in the bay, as well as the crew of the Saint-Guénolé. Thanks are due to V. Peña and S. Connan for sharing their data. Thanks are due to the divers from the GMAP (Groupe Manche Atlantique de Plongée) and particularly P. Praud, U. Cadour, S. Carlo, J.C. Jézequel, and F. Ferellec. Thanks are due to M. Le Duff for reviewing the manuscript. The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. The authors are indebted to J. Grall for his advices and the preliminary concept of the study.

Funding

This study was supported by the REBENT program.

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  1. Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, F-29280, Plouzané, Brittany, France

    Mathieu Helias & Thomas Burel

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  1. Mathieu Helias
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Correspondence to Thomas Burel.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Sampling and field studies

All necessary permits for sampling and observational field studies have been obtained by the authors from the competent authorities. The study is compliant with the REBENT protocols.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the IUEM repository, https://www-iuem.univ-brest.fr/observatoire.

Author contribution

M.H. and T.B. conceived the ideas, collected the field data; M.H. analyzed the data with substantial contributions from T.B.; M.H. led the writing with contributions from T.B. All authors gave final approval for publication.

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Communicated by H. Hillebrand

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Helias, M., Burel, T. Maerl-associated macroalgae in the bay of Brest (Brittany, France). Mar. Biodivers. 53, 14 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-022-01322-z

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