Claude Bouchon

Université des Antilles | Reunion

The present study, conducted in the Galion Bay in Martinique, aims to highlight the temporal and seasonal variations of chlordecone contamination (an organochlorine pollutant) in the ambient environment (seawater) and also in the marine organisms in three main coastal marine habitats (mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs). To this end, two meth...

In contrast to most Caribbean corals, the mustard hill coral Porites astreoides Lamarck, 1816 has seen its relative coverage increasing across its distribution range in recent years. Interpreting the reasons of such success remains, however, challenging. On the one hand, genetic homogeneity has been observed over large distances, in line with a lar...

The Caribbean Sea is reported to have one of the highest levels of plastic pollution of any marine ecosystem. Much less is known about the levels of microplastics as an emerging pollutant in the marine environment, especially in the water column and benthic substrates where they can be easily ingested by marine organisms. This study was carried out...

Chapter 12. Status and trends of coral reefs of the Caribbean region, pp. 1-25. In: Souter, D., Planes, S., Wicquart, J., Logan, M., Obura, D., & Staub, F. (Eds.) Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, International Coral Reef Iniciative, Australian Institute of Marine Science, & Australian Governement.

The organochlorine pollution by chlordecone, an insecticide spread in the past in banana plantations, is now recognized as a major ecological, economic, and social crisis in Guadeloupe and Martinique Islands. Due to its physical and chemical properties, this molecule is particularly persistent in the natural environment. Volcanic soil of Guadeloupe...

The taxonomy of cyclostome bryozoans is founded on characters of the skeleton, but molecular sequence data have increasingly shown that established higher taxa are not monophyletic. Here we describe the skeletal morphology of a new species from Guadeloupe (French West Indies) with erect ramose colonies consisting of long, curved zooids that are typ...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) participate in the immune system to avoid infection, are present in all living organisms and can be used as drugs. Fish express numerous AMP families including defensins, cathelicidins, liver-expressed antimicrobial peptides (LEAPs), histone-derived peptides, and piscidins (a fish-specific AMP family). The present stud...

Unlike most other corals that have been declining since the 1980s, the population of Porites astreoides, one of the dominant species of coral in Caribbean reefs, appears to be resilient. We investigated the physiological regulation of the electron transport chain of Symbiodiniaceae chloroplasts during the light / dark transition in P. astreoides co...

The critically endangered coral species Acropora palmata used to dominate shallow Caribbean reefs but since the early 1980s, populations have dramatically declined. At the Caribbean scale, A. palmata is divided into two genetically divergent lineages and most of previous works investigating population connectivity among populations involved the wes...

Chlordecone is an organochlorine pesticide, used in the Lesser Antilles from 1972 to 1993 to fight against a banana weevil. That molecule is very persistent in the natural environment and ends up in the sea with runoff waters. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the level of contamination in several trophic groups of marine animals ac...

Stegastes adustus and Stegastes planifrons are two species of damselfishes commonly found in the Caribbean. These territorial fishes have been widely studied due to their major ecological role on coral reef in controlling the growth of macroalgae that compete with corals for space and, inversely, on their deleterious role in destroying coral tissue...

Chlordecone is a persistent organochlorine pesticide used in the banana fields of the French West Indies from 1972 to 1993. Three marine habitats (mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs) of two study sites located downstream contaminated rivers were chosen to evaluate the level of contamination of marine food webs. On each habitat, the food chain...

List of the species collected in each habitat at Goyave and Petit-Bourg. [CHD]: mean concentration of chlordecone (± SE in μg.kg-1), δ15N: nitrogen isotope ratios (in ‰). n is the number of sample. T: Teleostei, E: Echidermata, P: Porifera; M: Mollusca, C: Crustacea, A: Annelida, Cn: Cnidaria. (DOC)

The present study characterizes for the first time an antimicrobial peptide in lionfish (Pterois volitans), a venomous fish. Using a peptidomic approach, we identified a mature piscidin in lionfish and called it pteroicidin-α. We detected an amidated form (pteroicidin-α- CONH2) and a non-amidated form (pteroicidin-α-COOH), and then performed their...

Seagrass bed ecosystems occupy the most important part of coastal shelf in the French West Indies. They also constitute nurseries for many invertebrates and fishes harvested by local fisheries. In Guadeloupe, coastal fish stocks are declining meanwhile several agroecosystems revealed to be heavily contaminated by pollutants (agricultural lands, riv...

The age and growth of the Critically Endangered Atlantic goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara of equatorial French Guiana was determined by a non-lethal aging method using dorsal fin rays. Goliath grouper deposit 1 complete annulus per year, with the translucent zone of the annulus laid down at the beginning of the dry season (July). Two readers ind...

Mangroves and seagrass beds represent suitable fish habitats as nurseries or feeding areas. This study was conducted in a Caribbean lagoon to assess the foraging habits of juvenile transient reef fishes in these two habitats. Twelve fish species were sampled in coastal mangroves, an offshore mangrove islet, and a seagrass bed site, and stable isoto...

Chlordecone is an organochlorine pesticide, used in the Lesser Antilles from 1972 to 1993 to fight against a banana weevil. That molecule is very persistent in the natural environment and ends up in the sea with runoff waters. From 2003 to 2013, seven campaigns of samplings have been conducted to evaluate the level of contamination of fish, crustac...

The ecology, particularly the trophic ecology, of the Critically Endangered goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara (Lichtenstein 1822) in French Guiana (France) is relatively unknown. Such information would provide a better understanding of the role that goliath groupers play in the marine ecosystem of French Guiana. This study focused on the feeding...

Since the 1980s, population densities of Acroporidae have dramatically declined in the Caribbean Sea. Quantitative censuses of Acroporidae provide information on the number of colonies (i.e. ramets), but not on the number of genetically distinct individuals (i.e. genets). In this context, the aim of our study was to provide an overview of the genet...

Trophic interactions between primary sources and the main invertebrates of the vagile epifauna associated to Thalassia testudinum seagrass beds from Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles) were studied through stable isotope analyses (carbon and nitrogen) and fatty acids composition as biomarkers. This study was carried out in two seagrass beds : a site near...

The island of Guadeloupe has schemes promoting the preservation of biodiversity, to protect the reef ecosystems that have been subjected to overfishing. The fishing industry has to incorporate legal requirements into the traditional practices still largely passed on through practical apprenticeship. Gorgonian corals found in the coral reefs of Guad...

In the Caribbean, Acropora palmata (Lamarck 1816) and A. cervicornis (Lamarck 1816) are major coral species for reef building. Since the 1980s, these species populations are decreasing and are now classified as critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). To implement the development of an efficient an...

Stegastes planifrons and Stegastes adustus are two abundant territorial damselfishes of Caribbean coral reefs. Their trophic niches and their food utilisation on Guadeloupean reefs at two contrasting sites were compared on the basis of stomach content and stable isotope analyses (N-15/N-14 and C-13/C-12 ratios). While ingested food items slightly d...

The present work analyses the spatial and temporal variations of the herbivorous fish assemblage on 10 coral reef sites in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe (French West Indies). The herbivorous fish assemblage was assessed by visual census along band transects; environmental data were collected to determine the relationship between environmental...

Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and stable isotope ratios of nitrogen and carbon were measured in a tropical freshwater ecosystem to evaluate the contamination level of biota and examine the bioaccumulation patterns of pollutants through the food web. Chemical analyses showed a general and heavy contamination of the entire food web. The...

The rising temperature of the world's oceans has become a major threat to coral reefs globally as the severity and frequency of mass coral bleaching and mortality events increase. In 2005, high ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean resulted in the most severe bleaching event ever recorded in the basin. Satellite-based tools prov...

Sea surface temperature during the 2005 Caribbean bleaching event. Sea surface temperature (SST) averaged across the 0.5-degree pixels that contained or were nearest Caribbean reef locations (bounded by 35°N, 55°W, 5°N and the coast of the Americas). The ‘+’ symbols indicate the average climatological temperature during each month and the dashed li...

Complete data record for all survey data used in the analyses. Multiple observations from the same reef site, date and depth (±5 m) were combined as either means of percent cover data or proportion of the number of colonies surveyed to provide 2575 bleaching surveys and 1077 mortality surveys. (0.17 MB PDF)

Animation of the development of thermal stress during the 2005 Caribbean bleaching event, measured using NOAA Coral Reef Watch Degree Heating Week product from 4 June 2005 to 14 February 2006 with a pause during the peak of the event at 28 October 2005. (5.54 MB TIF)

Comparison of bleaching survey methods. All observations of percent coral colonies (gray circles) and cover (black diamonds) are plotted versus observed Degree Heating Week (DHW). Linear regressions for colonies (gray line) and cover (black line) were highly significant (cover slope = 3.91, intercept = 19.99, df = 212, p<0.0001, r2 = 0.26; colonies...

Locations of 2575 bleaching surveys submitted from sites across the greater Caribbean region. Colors denote number of surveys at each of the 1212 sites. See Table S1 for location details. (0.18 MB TIF)

Seagrass beds, mangroves, and coral reefs are often located adjacent to one another, but few studies have focused on the influence that their proximity may have on their fish assemblages. Juvenile fish assemblages of seagrass beds, differing according to their adjacent habitats, were investigated in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. We tested whe...

Fish communities were studied in 38 stations located in two mangrove lagoons of Guadeloupe (Caribbean): the bays of Petit Cul-de-Sac Marin (PCSM) and Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin (GCSM). Fishes were sampled with nets during the dry season, and 14 environmental descriptors were recorded in each site. A total of 105 fish species were observed in mangrove l...

The role of herbivorous fishes in maintaining low macroalgal cover was evaluated on coral reefs on several reef sites from Guadeloupe, either protected or not. Grazing by herbivorous fishes was assessed on different algal facies using fish-bite counts. Algal consumption by fish was estimated as well as algal production. Bite counts revealed that he...

The development of macroalgae to the detriment of corals is now one of the major threats to coral reefs. Herbivorous fishes are partly responsible for algal regulation on coral reefs and their overexploitation favours the shift from scleractinian coral‐dominated systems towards macroalgae‐dominated systems. Marine protected areas (MPAs) that have b...

Mangroves are recognized as important habitats for fish communities and serve as nurseries, feeding grounds or shelters. However, several studies have reported a worldwide regression of mangrove extent due to coastal management, land reclamation and wood cutting. Studies of fish assemblage patterns in mangroves are needed in order to understand the...

1. Stable isotope analysis, coupled with dietary data from the literature, was used to investigate trophic patterns of freshwater fauna in a tropical stream food web (Guadeloupe, French West Indies). 2. Primary producers (biofilm, algae and plant detritus of terrestrial origin) showed distinct δ13C signatures, which allowed for a powerful discrimin...

Mangroves are considered as important source of organic matter for adjacent marine ecosystems due to their high primary production. Yet, there is still a debate on the contributions of mangrove carbon to food webs due to the influence of adjacent habitats, such as seagrass beds. To determine the importance of these two ecosystems as fish feeding gr...

Mangroves are known to represent a suitable habitat for fish species of commercial interest in their adult phase life and above all to play a role of nursery for many species coming from neighbouring ecosystems like seagrass beds or coral reefs. In most of the Caribbean areas, mangroves are regressing due to coastal management, land reclamation and...

The marine environments of these small and predominantly mountainous islands are all threatened by similar stressors: sediment runoff from the steep volcanic slopes; rapid development, particularly from the tourism sector; nutrient pollution from inadequately treated wastes and excessive use of fertilizers; over-fishing, especially from subsistence...

the FrenCh west indies, the netherlands antilles, anguilla, antigua, grenada, trinidad and toBago Claude bouCHon, pedro portillo, yolande bouCHon-navaro, max louis (FrenCH W.i.); paul HoetJes, kalli de meyer dunCan maCrae (netHerlands antilles); HyaCintH armstrong, viJay datadin, simon Harding, Jennie mallela, riCHard parkinson, Jan-Willem van boCH...

The Guadeloupe Archipelago (with Guadeloupe, La Désirade, Marie-Galante, Les Saintes and Petite-Terre Islands), St. Barthélemy and St. Martin are located in the Lesser Antilles between 15°50'and 18°00' N. Guadeloupe possesses a barrier reef on its northern part, fringing reefs on the windward coast and highly diversified non-reef building coral com...

Recent evolution of the coral reefs of Guadeloupe and Saint-Barthélemy Islands.– The Guadeloupe Archipelago (with Guadeloupe, La Désirade, Marie-Galante, Les Saintes and Petite-Terre Islands), St. Barthélemy and St. Martin are located in the Lesser Antilles between 15° 50’ and 18° 00’ N. Guadeloupe possesses a barrier reef on its northern part, fri...

Weight–length relationships (WLR) are reported for 20 fish species from the mangroves of Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles). The fishes were collected using fishing hoop nets. In the present study, the regressions were calculated after separating juveniles and adults. The b coefficient in the WLR varied between 2.37 and 3.85, with a mean of 3.15 ± 0.15.

The fish fauna of Thalassia testudinum (König) seagrass beds was studied at two sites in the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Bay (Guadeloupe, French West Indies). The first seagrass bed was located near a coral reef and the second was near coastal mangroves. Both habitats were sampled during day and night, using a purse-seine and a trap net. A total of 98 s...

Weight–length relationships (WLR) are presented for 50 fish species from the seagrass beds of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Samples were taken in shallow waters (<2 m) with different types of fishing gear: seine net, hoop net and gill net. The b coefficient in the WLR varied between 2.63 and 3.61 and showed a mean value of 3.07 (SE = ± 0.06).

The aim of the study is to describe the spatial patterns of the mangrove shoreline fish assemblages in the lagoon of the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin of Guadeloupe and to try to understand the processes affecting this distribution. For that, fishes were collected at 32 stations and 18 environmental variables were simultaneously measured. Canonical corres...

This paper explores the factors influencing or controlling West Indies reef fish assemblages, using an extensive underwater survey (mensurative experiment). The sampling units represented variation in substrate type, depth, and geography. For that, the distribution of coastal species assemblages was examined in different islands, from the Dominican...

Almost all the coral reefs of the Caribbean region present important signs of alteration. In the French Antilles, about 80 % of the coral communities are more or less damaged. A study has been undertaken in order to describe and understand the dynamics of this recent evolution. The aim of this study was also to detect the ecological descriptors abl...

Almost all the coral reefs of the Caribbean region present important signs of alteration. In the French Antilles, about 80 % of the coral communities are more or less damaged. A study has been undertaken in order to describe and understand the dynamics of this recent evolution. The aim of this study was also to detect the ecological descriptors abl...

Les communautés de poissons des herbiers de Phanérogames marines à Thalassia testudinum ont été étudiées simultanément dans deux stations de la baie de Fort-de-France en Martinique et trois stations situées dans la réserve du Grand Cul-de-sac Marin en Guadeloupe. Un total de 88 espèces a été observé dans les deux îles, avec respectivement 64 espèce...

In the framework of a comprehensive study of the coastal marine ecosystems of Guadeloupe Island (French West Indies), a remote sensing survey of marine communities was conducted in the Bay of the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin. Pictures of SPOT satellite were used. At first sight, XS data from SPOT did not seem to be well adapted to extract information fro...

In the framework of a comprehensive study of the coastal marine ecosystems of Guadeloupe Island (French West Indies), a remote sensing survey of marine communities was conducted in the Bay of the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin. Pictures of SPOT satellite were used. At first sight, XS data from SPOT did not seem to be well adapted to extract information fro...

Swamp forest covers c. 2600 ha of coastal wetlands in Guadeloupe. An inventory of all vascular plants was conducted together with a characterization of the main abiotic descriptors within seventeen 10-m × 40-m plots, systematically sampled throughout the forest. Girth at breast height (GBH) was measured for all trees [greater-than-or-equal]10 cm GB...

The need for high resolution maps in the management of tropical environments is increasing and emphasized by the rapid anthropogenic development often occurring in coastal zones. In areas subject to humid tropical climate, such as the West Indies, cloud coverage often disturbs image acquisition by orbital imagery. Moreover, as these tropical coasta...