Succession des communautés de gastéropodes dans deux milieux différant par leur degré d'eutrophisation
This paper compares the succession of gastropods in two environments that are adjacent in space but differ as to their eutrophic level. One is hypereutrophic (du Sud River), the other is mesotrophic (Richelieu River). Canonical correlation analysis brings out the main differences between these two stations, while principal component analysis is used to describe the succession of species within each community. These analyses indicate that the occurrence of gastropod species, as well as their development cycles, may be adapted to the particular synecological evolution of each environment. Thus, the species would not react directly to nutrient concentrations but indirectly, through the effects of these concentrations on oxygen content, plant cover, and predators. In these two environments, some benthic species seem to be good indicators of the eutrophic level of the ecosystem.