First observations in a high rocky-shore community after the Erika oil spill (December 1999, Brittany, France)

The high mediolittoral rocky-shore community on the island of Groix (Brittany, France), was studied for the year immediately following the Erika oil spill (12/12/1999). The macrofaunal assemblages of three habitats (exposed bedrock, crevices, boulders) under three situations (non-impacted, impacted and not washed, impacted and washed) were monitored monthly. The assemblage of each habitat showed specific responses to the impacts and initiated various patterns of succession: the bed rock assemblage changed in terms of abundance but no species-richness variations occurred; in the crevices richness variations occurred both in the disappearance of some species and the immigration of opportunistic ones; the boulder assemblage lost many species and remained unstructured one year after the oil spill. These first results of this most recent oil spill in Europe, raised the question of the relative importance of habitat-species and species interactions on the community structure.