TAXOcean
TAXOcean is a technology transfer unit at the University of Bordeaux, supported by the Coastal Systems Ecology and Biogeochemistry Team (ECOBIOC) within the Joint Research Unit for Oceanic and Continental Environments and Palaeoenvironments (EPOC, CNRS/University of Bordeaux, INP, EPHE).
TAXOcean supports engineering consultancies, local authorities and research organisations in analysing and understanding marine and estuarine biodiversity, drawing on world-class scientific expertise in taxonomy. TAXOcean produces reliable, well-documented and actionable data to inform decisions regarding research, environmental management and ecosystem monitoring.
Managers
Scientific supervisor
Nicolas Lavesque
Operations Supervisor
Antoine Nowaczyk
Expertises
Expertise 1: Benthic macrofauna
Identification of benthic invertebrates in the context of consultancy work, impact assessments or environmental monitoring.
Nicolas Lavesque, Benoit Gouillieux, Hugues Blanchet, Xavier de Montaudouin.
Expertise 2: Plankton
Identification of phytoplankton and zooplankton as part of consultancy services, impact assessments or environmental monitoring programmes.
Antoine Nowaczyk, Yolanda del Amo.
Areas of activity
Benthos
-Sampling of benthic macrofauna in coastal and estuarine, subtidal and intertidal environments.
-Equipment: dredges, trawl nets, supra-benthic sleds, core samplers…
Plankton
– Sampling of phytoplankton and zooplankton in coastal and estuarine areas.
– Equipment: nets of various mesh sizes and diameters, Niskin bottles, multi-parameter probes, etc.
Services offered
Service 1: Sampling
-Development of a sampling strategy
-Sediment and water column sampling
-Estuarine and coastal environments, Arcachon Bay
Service 2: Taxonomic analyses
– Detailed identification of pelagic and benthic invertebrate species.
– Data processing
– Report writing
Instruments
Instrument 1: Scanning electron microscope
Personnel involved: Nicolas Lavesque, Benoit Gouillieux
Instrument 2: Optical system
A set of binocular microscopes and magnifying glasses, fitted with cameras.
Staff involved: Nicolas Lavesque, Benoit Gouillieux, Antoine Nowaczyk
Instrument 3 : Zooscan
Enables the identification of zooplankton into major taxonomic groups and the measurement of various individual morphological parameters
Staff involved: Antoine Nowaczyk
Examples of our work
Monitoring of environmental parameters and the zooplankton community at the Gravelines, Penly, Paluel, Flamanville and Blaye nuclear power stations as part of the IGA monitoring programme (EDF-Ifremer-UB): field surveys at sea and identification of communities using imaging and a binocular magnifying glass.
ENI – OFB Monitoring
MSFD (Marine Strategy Framework Directive) monitoring of non-native marine species: sampling and identification of macrobenthic and zooplankton communities in the Arcachon Basin.
WFD: Benthic Invertebrates
Sampling and analysis of ‘Benthic Macro-Invertebrates’ parameters under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) for the monitoring of coastal and transitional waters in the Adour-Garonne basin.
Personnel involved
Nicolas Lavesque
Benthos, expertise in polychaete annelids
IR
CNRS
(Principal Investigator)
Antoine Nowaczyk
Plankton, expertise in gelatinous (meso) zooplankton
Project Manager, ADERA
(Operations Manager)
- Xavier de Montaudouin, Professor, University of Bordeaux: trematode parasites and benthic macrofauna
- Hugues Blanchet, PhD, University of Bordeaux: benthic macrofauna, indicators, data processing
- Benoit Gouillieux, Researcher, University of Bordeaux: benthic macrofauna, crustacean expertise
- Yolanda del Amo, PhD, University of Bordeaux: phytoplankton