Frank D’Amico

Frank D’Amico
Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour | UPPA · Department of Applied Mathematics

PhD

About

121
Publications
17,544
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Citations
Introduction
Using sampling theory concepts, my research is explicitly ecological and unified under the theme of species/environment interactions study in the context of global change. The diversity in research models used so far allows for a better understanding of current socio-environmental challenges at different levels of organization from local to regional and beyond. I maintain activities that augment my experience in scientific mediation.
Additional affiliations
January 2015 - present
Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
Position
  • Senior Researcher
Description
  • Using sampling theory concepts, my research is explicitly ecological and addresses understanding of socio-environmental challenges at different levels of organization.
September 2007 - September 2016
Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
Position
  • Head of Master Course “Dynamics of Aquatic Ecosystems” DYNEA
Description
  • Master DYNEA “Dynamics of Aquatic Ecosystems”, a specialist postgraduate course that involves both staff of the home University and specialists from industry and government bodies. This high-standard course exists since 1996 and is fully accredited.

Publications

Publications (121)
Article
Full-text available
En 2019 se diseñó una red de muestreo basada en puntos fijos de censo para monitorizar poblaciones de pequeñas aves riparias en Gipuzkoa. El objetivo de este programa es obtener estimas robustas sobre la probabilidad de ocupación (presencia; ψ), detectabilidad (p), tasa de colonización (γ) y tasa de extinción (ε) de especies como la lavandera casca...
Article
Effective planning and management strategies of the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) stock in Arcachon Bay rely on a co-management approach, involving scientific advice and the fishing industry. In order to strengthen this management process, a specific compartmental single-species model has been developed to assess different management strate...
Technical Report
Full-text available
Report of the Webinar Data Collection and Quality Control with Excel, organised by Florèn Hugon and with the interventions of Xavier Navarro, Frank D'Amico, Charlotte Cazeau and Nicolas Gasco. In partnership with the University of Pau and Pays Adour and the National Museum of Natural History, in Pau, on 31/05/2022
Article
Full-text available
(Article written in French, summary in pdf) In many scientific disciplines, experimental studies or field monitoring ensure the data collection. The data is stored on raw files with an intuitive format, easily entered by the experimenter. However, this raw format is rarely directly compatible with the analysis of the collected data and the data may...
Article
Full-text available
Setting up a survey may be very complex, especially when no previous data are available on the population of interest. Survey results must be non debatable (i.e. whose results are not open to question and cannot be interpreted in different ways) and precise enough to allow to answer the initial research question. A probabilistic sampling design wit...
Article
Full-text available
Arcachon Bay, in the southern Bay of Biscay, is the first French production area of Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) with an annual commercial fisheries production around 400 tons in recent years. This bivalve mollusc was introduced into the bay in the 1980s for aquaculture purpose and quickly succeeded in natural settlement so that its high m...
Article
Full-text available
Commonly, when studies deal with the effects of climate change on biodiversity, mean value is used more than other parameters. However, climate change also leads to greater temperature variability, and many papers have demonstrated its importance in the implementation of biodiversity response strategies. We studied the spatio-temporal variability o...
Article
Capsule: Linear censusing and occupancy models based on fixed sampling points are alternative widely used techniques to determine bird densities in riparian ecosystems, although it cannot be always properly executed. Aims: The aim is to assess the survey efficiency for river birds using occupancy models in contexts of impaired visibility owing to d...
Article
The results of a 3 years monitoring program to assess the effects associated with recurrent dredged spoil disposal activity in a naturally stressed subtidal coastal area subjected to estuarine inputs are described. Changes observed through time in environmental and anthropogenic variables have been analyzed using cumulated sums and compared to macr...
Article
La Cistude d’Europe Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758) est une tortue d’eau douce menacée sur toute son aire de répartition. Le site Natura 2000 « Grande Brenne » qui fait l’objet de l’étude se situe au centre de la France dans le département de l’Indre (Région Centre-Val de Loire) au sein du Parc naturel régional de la Brenne, territoire propice à...
Article
Issues on sampling procedure definition led numerous study results to be biased and object of controversy. Choosing relevant sampling design and number of samples is a difficult task when wanted to set up or optimize a survey. The survey design choice is very important to avoid bias and increase the survey cost-efficiency. It can have a strong effe...
Article
Full-text available
This study assesses the impacts of wave action and freshwater outflow on soft-bottom benthic macrofauna spatial distribution and temporal stability along the highly exposed French Basque coast. Sediment characteristics and macrofauna abundance have been seasonally investigated during two years for nine stations located at the same (6 m) depth and s...
Article
Full-text available
Some environmental studies use non-probabilistic sampling designs to draw samples from spatially distributed populations. Unfortunately, these samples can be difficult to analyse statistically and can give biased estimates of population characteristics. Spatially balanced sampling designs are probabilistic designs that spread the sampling effort ev...
Article
Full-text available
The development of long-term monitoring programmes is essential to determine the con- servation status of populations and species. The white-throated dipper, Cinclus cinclus L., 1758 is included in several lists of threatened species and is, consequently, an interesting species from the point of view of conservation and management of our natural he...
Article
Lack of funds is one major issue in ecology, in particular at local scale. It is known that sustainable management of a natural population requires a good understanding of its functioning, itself dependent on a good long term monitoring program. Such programs are usually very difficult to implement, especially for resources characterized by high sp...
Presentation
Sustainable management of natural populations requires an efficient standardized long term monitoring program, which is often difficult to implement, especially for resources characterized by high spatiotemporal variability in their distribution such as Clams. It exist a trade off between improving efficiency obtained by increasing sample size and...
Article
Full-text available
The French southern marine subregion of the Bay of Biscay presents local environmental features explaining the presence of specific communities in remarkable habitats. The aim of the study is, for the first time, to assess benthic macrofaunal assemblages and to identify indicator species of each assemblage within intertidal boulder field habitats i...
Preprint
Full-text available
1. Using data on a dipper population gathered in northeastern France (1981-2002) we tested if global (climatic indices) or local (temperatures, rainfall) changes in environment affected its dynamics. For this aim we used the likelihood of generalized models and the Akaike weights to select and classify the different groups of parameters: global, lo...
Poster
Full-text available
Poster préparé pour les sixièmes rencontres R à Anglet dans le but de présenter l’utilisation des packages R ”spsurvey” et ”SDraw”, notamment dans la conception de protocoles d’échantillonnages spatialement équilibrés. Primé meilleur poster lors de ces rencontres.
Article
Full-text available
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00410/52102/52808.pdf Bivalves are important components of benthic marine and freshwater ecosystems throughout the world. One of the most exploited bivalves used for human consumption is manila clam (Venerupis philippinarum). In Arcachon Bay (SW France), commercial fishers and scientists have developed a monitoring s...
Poster
Full-text available
The aim of the BIGORNO project is to implement new tools to assess the rocky intertidal biocenoses in the southern marine subregion of the Bay of Biscay by integrating fauna communities assessment in front of habitats. Algal communities are already monitored in WFD (Water Directive Framework). The rocky Basque coast is a good experimental sampling...
Presentation
Full-text available
The rocky Basque coast presents an interest in terms of biogeography natural heritage. To determine the environmental and conservation status of the southern marine area of the Bay of Biscay, implementation of new rocky intertidal habitats monitoring is needed. Currently, no protocol has been validated for fauna in front of southern characters of t...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Large-scale univariate climate indices such as NAO are thought to outperform local weather variables in the explanation of trends in animal numbers but might not suit to describe regional scale patterns. We advocate the use of a multivariate oceanic and climatic index called SBC (South Biscay Climate Index). We used 44 initial variables describing...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
A collaborative joint management approach is being developed for the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) resource in Arcachon Bay between scientists and fishermen. The basis of decisions in this management framework is information on the resource from data collected in field surveys. It is relatively time consuming and costly for the local commun...
Article
Over the past fifteen years, gillnets used by fishermen of the Basque coast of France have been seasonally covered with aggregates. By making the nets more visible, this disrupts the coastal fishing activity and sometimes causes skin allergies. In 2010, we deployed for the first time a fine mesh device which was immersed permanently and attached to...
Article
Megabunus diadema (Fabricius, 1779) is an Atlantic and European harvestman species characterized by a discontinuous distribution from Scandinavia to the Iberian Peninsula. With very few male individuals ever observed in the field until now, the biological uniqueness of the species lies in its reproduction mode, hitherto regarded as asexual, faculta...
Article
Three years monitoring of the French populations of Rana pyrenaica Serra-Cobo, 1993 (Amphibia: Ranidae): first data on tadpole abundance. The Pyrenean frog Rana pyrenaica Serra-Cobo, 1993 is an endemic species from the western Pyrenees. The discovery of this species is recent, and its French distribution has long been restricted to the southern sid...
Article
Full-text available
Occupancy estimates can inform biodiversity managers about the distribution of elusive species, such as the Pyrenean desman Galemys pyrenaicus, a small semi-aquatic mammal that lives along streams. Occupancy models rely on replication within a sampling site and provide estimates of the probability of detection. However, we still do not know how occ...
Article
For species' dynamics highly influenced by environmental conditions, sustainable management for conservation and/or exploitation purposes requires the ability to segregate natural processes from anthropogenic impacts. In this context, identification of phenotypic variations in morphological patterns, and clarification of the mechanisms involved, co...
Article
As an estuary being restored, the Scheldt (Belgium/The Netherlands) offers an interesting setting to study the response of organisms and ecosystems to changing conditions. This study specifically deals with this with regard to the spatio-temporal distribution and possible genetic differentiation among the species complex Eurytemora affinis (copepod...
Article
Full-text available
Nuevos registros de la mosca endémica de la nieve Chionea (Sphaeconophilus) pyrenaea (Bourne, 1981) y actualización de la distribución de las especies de mosca de nieve en los Pirineos ABSTRACT.– Wingless snow flies Chionea spp are highly specialized winter active arthropods of the supranivean fauna, for which little is known yet about their life h...
Article
To date, the scarcity of year-round and long-term programmes integrating multi-dimensional data has hindered the development of a good understanding of cetacean mortality worldwide. This study uses data from: 1) standardised shipboard surveys (1980–2002), 2) standardised stranding surveys (1980–2002) and 3) landings of fishing fleets (2000–2002) in...
Article
Full-text available
While gradual allometric changes of shells are intrinsically driven by genotype, morphometrical shifts can also be modulated by local environmental conditions. Consequently the common use of a unique dimension (usually length) to assess bivalves’ growth may mask phenotypic differences in valve shape among populations. A morphometric exhaustive stud...
Article
Full-text available
1. A recent study comparing adult and exuvial odonate richness concluded that adult surveys overestimate the number of species reproducing successfully. The authors called this phenomenon the “dragonfly delusion” and recommended that only exuviae be used for biomonitoring and habitat quality assessment. However, they drew this conclusion from limit...
Article
Full-text available
The endemic Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is an elusive, rare, and vulnerable species declining over its entire and narrow range (Spain, Portugal, France, and Andorra). The principal set of conservation measures in France is a 5-years National Action Plan based on 25 conservation actions. Priority is given to update its present distribution...
Conference Paper
The aim of this paper is to identify significant changes, otherwise known as change-points, in short time series. The practical application that motivated this work concerns the detection of change-point differences in behavioural annual routines of living organisms (i.e. how they schedule activities in a regular way over the year). Our study case...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Il Merlo acquaiolo (Ciclus cinclus) è l'unico tra i Passeriformi a dipendere dalla sua capacità di tuffarsi in corsi d'acqua a rapido flusso per ricavarne energia. Tale suo comportamento è più complesso di quanto si ritenesse in passato, dal momento che è costituito da diverse tattiche alternative di immersione: 1) immersioni da un substrato o dall...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
This study is part of a larger ongoing research programme, encompassing different trophic levels from the zooplankton community to the seabird and mammal communities of the southern Bay of Biscay. Altogether these studies aim at quantifying the impacts of anthropic-borne and global oceano-climatic changes.
Article
From September 2000 to December 2006, surface plankton samples were collected on a monthly basis, from a station located in the southern Bay of Biscay (43°37N; 1°43W France), near the deep Capbreton canyon. In this paper, the results for the ichthyoplankton assemblage are presented. Among the 62 taxa recorded, only 35 were present in the larval sta...
Article
Full-text available
This study details the phylogeographic pattern of the white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), a Palearctic, temperate, passerine bird that is exclusively associated with flowing water. Our results reveal a complex phylogeographic structure with at least five distinct lineages for the Western Palearctic region. As for many species of the Western Pa...
Article
River regulation for hydroelectrical power generation has presumably considerable impact on the two feeding strategies (diving vs foraging) of White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus. In the Pyrenees, during early winter, time-activity budgets of individuals living along regulated streams involve more time spent diving rather than foraging entailing...
Article
The white-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) is unique among passerine birds by its reliance on diving to achieve energy gain in fast-flowing waters. Consequently, it should have evolved behavioural adaptations allowing responding directly to runoff patterns (one of the assumptions of the Natural Flow Regime Paradigm-NRFP). In this study (October 19...
Article
Full-text available
.—Estimating actual seabirds mortality at sea and relationship with oil spills: lesson from the "Prestige" oilspill in Aquitaine (France). Aims: Estimations were made of seabirds mortality at sea and drift in relationship with oil arrival during the "Prestige" oilspill. Location: South Bay of Biscay (Aquitaine), South-West France. Methods: meteorol...
Article
Large-scale univariate climate indices (such as NAO) are thought to outperform local weather variables in the explanation of trends in animal numbers but are not always suitable to describe regional scale patterns. We advocate the use of a Multivariate Oceanic and Climatic index (MOCI), derived from ‘synthetic’ and independent variables from a line...
Article
Cytochrome b gene sequence variation (902bp) was used to investigate phylogenetic relationships and genetic differentiation among the four subspecies of European white-throated dipper Cinclus cinclus (Aves; Cinclidae). Six cytochrome b haplotypes were revealed, the most common one (H 13–4) was shared by all seven populations studied. Central Europe...
Article
Full-text available
Cytochrome b gene sequence variation (902 bp) was used to investigate phylogenetic relationships and genetic differentiation among the four sub-species of European white-throated dipper Cinclus cinclus (Aves; Cinclidae). Six cytochrome b haplotypes were revealed, the most common one (H 13–4) was shared by all seven populations studied. Central Euro...
Article
Full-text available
Abstract Odonate,assemblages,were,compared,between,replicate sets of shallow,lakes that had,been,created,and acidified by open-cast mining across a large area (2,451ha) of south- west France (Arjuzanx, Landes); one set of lakes (n 55) was,experimentally,restored,by,liming,with,calcium carbonate, whereas another group (n 55) was left as untreated,re...
Article
Full-text available
We investigated the impact of the "Erika" oil spill in the Bay of Biscay (France) on seabird populations. Relative abundance and spatial distribution at sea between 1980-1999 and 2000-2002 periods were compared. This study took place in a standardized monitoring at sea carried out with Coast Guard vessels following the line transect method. This wo...
Article
1. As far as river bird community is concerned, the operational assessment of connectivity for an upland river has not been addressed, despite its interest for policy makers and managers. Connectivity is defined here as the 'degree to which a landscape facilitates or impedes movement of organisms among (between) resource patches' (TISCHENDORF & FAH...
Article
Full-text available
Cette recherche permet de déterminer des lieux de confrontation entre savoirs communs et savoirs scientifiques à partir du point de vue théorique du fonctionnement d'un hydro système. Cette théorie se fonde sur des aspects fonctionnels et des phénomènes physiques nécessaires, à court et long terme, à l'existence et à la pérennité de la dynamique fl...
Article
Using the binomial law we modelled field data to estimate the probability (p̂) of detecting pairs of breeding White-throated Dippers, and the population size (N̂± confidence limits). The model was divided into two parts according to whether the actual size of the population under study was known or not; in the latter case the truncated binomial mod...
Article
Full-text available
Capsule: Three visits during the breeding season are sufficient to estimate breeding numbers of Common Sandpipers.
Article
The French breeding population of Common Sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucos) is fragmented and the number of breeding pairs is estimated to be less than 1000. Many small isolated populations, especially those in The Pyrenees, remain undiscovered. We provide here the first results concerning a small population breeding along upland rivers (740-1,720 m a...
Article
The morphology of two Mediterranean and one Atlantic populations of European Storm-Petrel was analysed using discriminant analysis. Four separate morphological characters were studied to separate Mediterranean and Atlantic populations; five were used within the Mediterranean meta-populations. Results confirm Mediterranean Storm-Petrels to be marked...