Chapter 13
Can We use a Landscape Approach to Assess
Natural and Anthropogenic Perturbations
of the Rocky Shore Ecosystems?
Christian Hily and Maud Bernard
Abstract Intertidal zone is a marine area which can be reached easily at low tide
periods and consequently allows observation at the landscape scale, much larger
than that of the subtidal zone. Then an intertidalscape approach can be developed,
particularly on the rocky shores where a macroalgal and faunal zonation based on
emersion rates help the understanding of structure and evolution of the ecosystem.
In this paper, we give the baseline of a new approach of intertidalscape ecology
from examples on the Brittany rocky shores and particularly by developing a visual
index (Intertidalscape Boulder Field Index, IBFI) using the opportunistic behavior
of the green macroalgae to characterize the hand-fishing impacts on the boulder field
habitat of the low eulittoral zone, on the rocky shores of Brittany, France.
Keywords Intertidalscape · Rocky shores · Anthropogenic pressure · Boulder fields
· Green opportunistic macroalgae
13.1 Introduction
Unlike the subtidal, the intertidal zone is a very original part of the marine
environment because it is accessible without scuba diving during low tide periods.
These periods vary with tidal magnitude and the time of day when they occur. The
consequences of the emersion are numerous and the whole structure and functioning
of the intertidal ecosystem are driven by the stressful physical conditions running
up and down the shore. Because its accessibility during low periods, the intertidal
zone can be investigated with methods close to those of terrestrial habitats. Thus,
the measurement of spatial patterns and their temporal variability is possible with
the landscape ecology approach (Risser et al. 1984) in such complex environments
C. Hily () · M. Bernard
UMR 6539 CNRS LEMAR Technopole Brest Iroise, 29280 Plouzané, France
e-mail: Christian.hily@univ-brest.fr
M. Bernard
e-mail: Maudbernard@hotmail.fr
O. Musard et al. (eds.), Underwater Seascapes, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-03440-9_13,
201
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014
Can We use a Landscape Approach to Assess
Natural and Anthropogenic Perturbations
of the Rocky Shore Ecosystems?
Christian Hily and Maud Bernard
Abstract Intertidal zone is a marine area which can be reached easily at low tide
periods and consequently allows observation at the landscape scale, much larger
than that of the subtidal zone. Then an intertidalscape approach can be developed,
particularly on the rocky shores where a macroalgal and faunal zonation based on
emersion rates help the understanding of structure and evolution of the ecosystem.
In this paper, we give the baseline of a new approach of intertidalscape ecology
from examples on the Brittany rocky shores and particularly by developing a visual
index (Intertidalscape Boulder Field Index, IBFI) using the opportunistic behavior
of the green macroalgae to characterize the hand-fishing impacts on the boulder field
habitat of the low eulittoral zone, on the rocky shores of Brittany, France.
Keywords Intertidalscape · Rocky shores · Anthropogenic pressure · Boulder fields
· Green opportunistic macroalgae
13.1 Introduction
Unlike the subtidal, the intertidal zone is a very original part of the marine
environment because it is accessible without scuba diving during low tide periods.
These periods vary with tidal magnitude and the time of day when they occur. The
consequences of the emersion are numerous and the whole structure and functioning
of the intertidal ecosystem are driven by the stressful physical conditions running
up and down the shore. Because its accessibility during low periods, the intertidal
zone can be investigated with methods close to those of terrestrial habitats. Thus,
the measurement of spatial patterns and their temporal variability is possible with
the landscape ecology approach (Risser et al. 1984) in such complex environments
C. Hily () · M. Bernard
UMR 6539 CNRS LEMAR Technopole Brest Iroise, 29280 Plouzané, France
e-mail: Christian.hily@univ-brest.fr
M. Bernard
e-mail: Maudbernard@hotmail.fr
O. Musard et al. (eds.), Underwater Seascapes, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-03440-9_13,
201
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014