Characterization of the ecological quality of the coastal Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean). A comparative approach based on three biotic indices.

Abstract The ecological quality of the Gulf of Lions coast was assessed using three biotic indices ( H ′, AMBI and BQI). The three indices correlated positively. The positive correlation between AMBI and BQI was surprising and was mostly due to the fact that the dominant species Ditrupa arietina featured a low ES50 0.05 but was classified in GI by AMBI. Both H ′ and BQI were efficient in distinguishing impacted from un-impacted sites but AMBI was not. Differences between H ′ and BQI were mainly due to the scale used to translate indices in terms of EcoQ. The three indices were able to detect the major changes in macrofauna composition, which occurred in the Bay of Banyuls-sur-Mer during the last 40 years. However, the interpretations of such changes in terms of EcoQ differed between indices. These results are discussed relative to the characteristics of the tested indices.