P. Laffaille et al., Impact of sheep grazing on juvenile sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L., in tidal salt marshes, BIOL CONSER, 96(3), 2000, pp. 271-277
The diet of young of the year sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L., from sheep
grazed and ungrazed tidal salt marshes were compared qualitatively and qua
ntitatively in Mont Saint-Michel Bay. In areas without grazing pressure, th
e vegetation gradient changes from a pioneer Puccinellia maritima dominated
community at the tidal hat boundaries through a Atriplex portulacoides dom
inated community in the middle of the marsh to a mature Elymus pungens domi
nated community at the landward edge. The A. portulacoides community is hig
hly productive and provides important quantities of litter which provides a
habitat and good supply to substain high densities of the detrivorous amph
ipod Orchestia gammarellus. In the grazed areas, the vegetation is replaced
by P. maritima communities, a low productive grass plant, and food availab
ility and habitat suitability are reduced for O. gammarellus. Juvenile sea
bass colonise the salt marsh at flood during 43% of the spring tides which
inundate the salt marsh creeks. They forage inside the marsh and feed mainl
y on O. gammarellus in the ungrazed marshes. In grazed areas, this amphipod
is replaced by other species and juvenile sea bass consume less food from
the marsh. This illustrates a direct effect of a terrestrial herbivore on a
coastal food web, and suggests that management of salt marsh is complex an
d promotion of one component of their biota could involve reductions in oth
er species. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.