Delphine NICOLAS

Themes: Species Conservation | Management and restoration of Natural and Agricultural ecosystems

Contact: e-mail | Ph. +33 (0)4 90 97 29 80

Joined our team: December 2015

Profile: Research Gate

Research interests and expertise

My research aims to improve our understanding of:

• The spatial and temporal distribution of fish species, based on macro-ecological approaches (long spatial and/or temporal series);
• Population dynamics through a long-term capture-mark-recapture monitoring programme.

My work aims to improve the conservation and management of endemic species in the Mediterranean Basin in times of global change.

I am currently focusing on two threatened species in two different study areas: the European Eel in the Camargue and the Marble Trout at the head of the Soča basin in Slovenia. I am particularly interested in the impact of extreme events (floods, droughts, and landslides), as well as in the arrival of introduced species, such as Wels Catfish and Topmouth Gudgeon in the Camargue, and Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout in Slovenia.

Projects

In the Camargue, from freshwater canals to salt marshes:

• 1993 – present: Long-term monthly monitoring of fish populations and fish cancer in the Fumemorte Canal (see project).
• 1993 – present: Monitoring of the different phases of the European Eel at La Capelière in the Vaccarès Lagoon.
• 2001 – present: Capture-mark-recapture monitoring of the European Eel in the Fumemorte Canal (see project).
• 2016 – 2021: Monitoring of the hydrobiological connectivity in the ponds and marshes on the former Camargue saltworks site. Monitoring of the recruitment of species coming from the sea (glass eel phase for the European Eel, migratory marine fish species such as sole, bass, and bream, and decapod crustaceans such as green crab and grey shrimp). Monitoring of the downstream migration of European Eel (see project).
• 2019 – present: Telemetric monitoring by radio identification (RFID) set up in the Fumemorte basin to study the longitudinal movements of European Eels in the yellow stage between the Vaccarès Lagoon and the Fumemorte Canal, as well as the dynamics of downstream migration during the silver stage.
  – 2020-2021: Meta-analysis of glass eel recruitment throughout the Camargue delta. 

In Slovenia, at the head of the Soča basin:

• 1993 – present: Marble Trout project conducted in collaboration with the Tolmin fishing association in Slovenia. Monitoring the population dynamics of genetically pure marble trout, and naturalised allopatric or sympatric populations of brown trout and rainbow trout (see project).

Scientific collaborations

• 2019 – 2020: Development of a fish indicator in lagoons adapted to the French context, INPOLAG Project (Indicateur Poisson Lagune). With Ifremer, UMR MARBEC / University of Montpellier, CEFREM / University of Perpignan.
• 2019 -2020: Use of the Three-spined stickleback to study the effects of a cocktail of pesticides produced by rice cultivation in the Camargue, under variable salinity conditions: influence of rapid selection mechanisms on the ecotoxicological response. With the UMR MARBEC / University of Montpellier, the UMR SEBIO / INERIS and the Camargue National Nature Reserve.
• 2018 – 2019: Participation in the ROSETTA project, setting up a monitoring network for the Rosette agent, a pathogen carried by the Stone moroko (Pseudorasbora parva) that can have an impact on other teleost species. With AFB, IRD, FNPF.

Postdoctoral supervision

• Bouchard, Colin. 2020-2021. Meta-analysis of glass eel recruitment : Synthesis and analysis of the ecological continuity
  throughout the Camargue delta. Postdoctorate. Co-supervision : Olivier Boutron, Hilaire Drouineau, and Patrick Lambert of INRAE Bordeaux

Supervision of students

• Mollier, Esther. 2021. Characterisation of the dynamics of downstream migrations of the European Eel in a Camargue drainage canal. End of studies internship (Master 2), Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, de l’Alimentation et de l’Environnement de Dijon (Higher National Institute of Agricultural Science, Food and Environment). Co-supervision : D. Nicolas & C. Bouchard
• Giraud, Jules. 2020 Evaluation of the detection efficiency of an RFID telemetry device. 3-month M1 internship as part of a tutored gap year at the SupAgro Institure of Montpellier. Co-supervision : D. Nicolas & C. Bouchard
• Dupont, Luna. 2019-2020. Discovering scientific fish monitoring. 3 internships of 3 weeks in Year 12 & 13 of a vocational baccalauréat, Management of Natural Environments and Wildlife, Lycée des Calanques, Marseille
• Parent, Maude. 2019. “Assessment of the hydro-biological connectivity between the marine environment and the Vaccarès lagoon complex via the ponds and marshes on the former Camargue saltworks site.” End of studies internship (Master 2), Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Toulouse (School of Agricultural and Life Sciences)
• Marc, François. 2019. Setting up fish monitorings. Internship BTEC Higher National Diploma, Management and Protection of Nature, 1^st year, Cours Diderot, Aix-en-Provence
• Mutel, Stéphane. 2018. “Temporal variability of the trophic ecology of the Wels Catfish and European Eel in a drainage canal in the Camargue.” Master 2 internship, Polytech Tours, Urban and Territorial Planning and Environment, University of Tours. Co-supervision: D. Nicolas & C. Musseau (IGB, Berlin)
• Chericoni, Nicolas. 2017. “Comparison of two temporal monitoring campaigns on wild fish in the Vaccarès Lagoon.” Master 2 internship, Statistics for Life and Healthcare Sciences
• Chevallier, Adrien. 2016. “Transfer of ichthyofauna from the Rhone to the Camargue through irrigation pumping.” End of studies internship, Polytech Montpellier

Education

• 2006-2010: PhD in Estuary Ecology, Irstea Bordeaux / University of Bordeaux 1
• 2004-2006: MSc in Oceanography with a concentration in Marine Biology and Ecology, Oceanology Centre, University of the Mediterranean, Aix-Marseille University II
• 2003-2004: BSc Biology of Living Organisms, ERASMUS programme, University of St Andrews
• 2001-2003: two-year degree in Life Sciences, University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis

Publications

Find below the most recent publications of Delphine Nicolas, or see the full list on the Tour du Valat’s documentary web portal:

• Impacts of environmental conditions and management of sluice gates on glass eel migration
  de Colin Bouchard, Olivier Boutron, Jordane Labremon, Hilaire Drouineau, Patrick Lambert, Delphine Nicolas In Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Online (November, 2022), 108139 En ligne : www.sciencedirect.com[...] Anthropogenic barriers such as tidal gates impair animal migration and ecological continuity. For migratory fishes, barriers may ... read more
• Cancer Susceptibility as a Cost of Reproduction and Contributor to Life History Evolution
  de Antoine M. Dujon, Justine Boutry, Sophie Tissot, Jean-François Lemaître, Amy M. Boddy, Anne-Lise Gérard, Alexandra Alvergne, Audrey Arnal, Orsolya Vincze, Delphine Nicolas, et al. In Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Online (May, 2022), 18 En ligne : www.frontiersin.org[...] Reproduction is one of the ... read more
• Temporal trends and determinants of fish biomass in two contrasting natural lake systems: insights from a spring long-term monitoring scheme
  de Anastasios Bounas, Giorgos Catsadorakis, Irene Koutseri, Harris Nikolaou, Delphine Nicolas, Myrsini Malakou, Alain J. Crivelli In Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, 422 (2021), 28 En ligne : www.kmae-journal.org[...] Freshwater fish declines are triggered by a suite of anthropogenic threats, including habitat degradation, ... read more
• Presence of the introduced ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865 in a lagoon system within the River Rhône delta (southeast France)
  de Guillaume Marchessaux, Delphine Nicolas, Alain Crivelli, Silke Befeld, Pascal Contournet, Delphine Thibault In BioInvasions Records, 9(3) (2020), 471-481 En ligne : www.reabic.net[...] The introduced ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865 was observed in the Vaccarès Lagoon (River Rhône delta, southeast France) for the first time in 2016. ... read more
• Morphological and physiological traits of Mediterranean sticklebacks living in the Camargue wetland (Rhone river delta)
  de Khalid Rind, Quentin Rodriguez‐Barucg, Delphine Nicolas, Patricia Cucchi, Jehan-Hervé Lignot In Journal of Fish Biology, On line (12/03/2020), 13 En ligne : onlinelibrary.wiley.com[...] Three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) living at the southern limit of the species distribution range could possess specific morphological and physiological traits that enable ... read more
• Estimating biodiversity changes in the Camargue wetlands: An expert knowledge approach
  de Sara Fraixedas, Thomas Galewski, Sofia Ribeiro-Lopes, Jonathan Loh, Jacques Blondel, Hugo Fontes, Patrick Grillas, Philippe Lambret, Delphine Nicolas, Anthony Olivier, et al. In PLOS ONE, 14:10 (24 oct. 2019), e0224235 En ligne : journals.plos.org[...] Mediterranean wetlands are critical strongholds for biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem functions ... read more
• Dietary niche expansion and niche shift in native marble trout (Salmo marmoratus) living in sympatry with introduced rainbow trout(Oncorhynchus mykiss)
  de C. Musseau, S. Vincenzi, D. Jesensek, S. Boulêtreau, F. Santoul, Delphine Nicolas, Alain Jean Crivelli In Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 27:3 (2018) The non-native rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) has been introduced worldwide for angling purposes and has established self-reproducing populations in many parts of the world. Introduced ... read more
• Physico-chemical thresholds in the distribution of fish species among French lakes
  de Vincent Roubeix, Martin Daufresne, Christine Argillier, Julien Dublon, Anthony Maire, Delphine Nicolas, Jean-Claude Raymond, Pierre-Alain Danis In Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, 418 (2017), 14 En ligne : www.kmae-journal.org[...] The management of lakes requires the definition of physico-chemical thresholds to be used for ecosystem preservation or ... read more