Clément Dumont

  Tel. (831) 655-6251
  E-mail: cdumont@stanford.edu

  Ph.D. Laval University, Canada (2005)
  M.S. Montpellier II University, France (2000)
  Curriculum Vitae

Project description

(1) Role of connectivity conservation in fisheries management.

I examine the potential spillover of small marine reserves over which meaningful quantities of abalone larvae might be expected to disperse on adjacent fishery areas. My goal is to quantify the dispersal distances as a measure of connectivity among marine reserves and fishery areas. I am hoping to show ecological and economical benefits of the integration of small marine reserves within fishery management areas for a sustainable exploitation of marine resources.

The study is conducted at Natividad Island, Baja California, Mexico which still supports acommercial fishery of pink (Haliothis corrugata) and green (H. fulgens) abalone. My work is part of the Pilot project of marine reserves at Isla Natividad, in collaboration with Comunidad y Biodiversidad (www.cobi.org.mx) that has negotiated with the fishing cooperative the protection of 4% of the fishery area for an initial period of 6 years. We monitor the marine reserves (using BACI design) in collaboration with Reefcheck California (www.reefcheck.org and the participation of local fisherman divers to assess commercial species and ecosystem recovery.

(2) Ecological resistance of native benthic communities to invasion by marine exotic species.

I examine the biotic resistance of native marine communities to invasion. I conduct this project along the northern Chilean coast where a low occurrence of exotic species has been reported but a growing expansion of aquaculture facilities generates a high propagule supply of exotic species. Many of established exotic species are restricted to fouling communities (i.e. floating structures) and apparently fail to spread on benthic communities. I postulate that the invasion resistance is higher on benthic than fouling communities due to biotic resistance of native species. My main goal is to examine colonization processes of marine exotic species and the role of benthic predators in preventing or regulating invasion in native communities.

Publications

Dumont CP, Roy JS, Himmelman JH. (in press) Predation by the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis on egg capsules of the whelk Buccinum undatum. Journal of Marine Biological Association of UK

Dumont CP, Himmelman JH. (2008) Movement behaviour of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. The Canadian Naturalist 132: 68-74(In French)

Dumont CP, Himmelman JH, Russell MP. Growth of the green sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, in contrasting habitats in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, eastern Canada. Accepted pending minor revision in Marine Biology.

Himmelman JH, Dumont CP, Gaymer CF, Drolet D, Vallières C. (In press) Spawning synchrony and aggregative behavior of cold-water echinoderms during multispecies mass spawning.  Marine Ecology Progress Series

Dumont CP, Drolet D, Deschênes I, Himmelman JH (2007). Multiple factors explain the covering behaviour in the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. Animal Behaviour 27: 979-986 (PDF)

Thiel M,  Macaya E, Acuña E, Arntz W, Bastias H, Brokordt K, Camus P, Castilla J-C, Castro LR, Cortés M, Dumont CP, Escribano R, Fernandez M, Lancellotti DA, Gajardo JA, Gaymer CF, Gomez I, González AE, Gonzalez HE, Haye PA, Illanes J-E, Iriarte JL, Luna-Jorquera G, Luxoro C, Manriquez PH, Marin V, Muñoz P, Navarrete SA, Perez E, Poulin E, Sellanes J, Sepúlveda A, Stotz W, Tala F, Thomas A, Vargas CA, Vasquez JA, Vega A (2007). The Humboldt Current System of Northern-central Chile – Oceanographic processes, ecological interactions and socio-economic feedback. Annual review of Oceanography and Marine Biology 45: 195-345

Dumont CP, Himmelman JH, Robinson SM (2007). Random movement pattern of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 340: 80-89 (PDF)

Dumont CP, Himmelman JH, Russell MP (2006) Daily movement of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis in different subtidal habitats in eastern Canada. Marine Ecology Progress Series 317: 87-99 (PDF)

Dumont CP, Pearce CM, Stazicker C, Xin An Y, Keddy L (2006) Can photoperiod manipulation affect gonad development of a boreo-artic echinoid (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) following exposure in the wild after the autumnal equinox? Marine Biology 149: 365-378 (PDF)

Dumont CP, Himmelman JH, Russell MP (2004) Size-specific movement of green sea urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis on urchin barrens in eastern Canada.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 276: 93-101 (PDF)

Dumont CP, Himmelman JH, Russell MP (2004) Mass mortality of sea urchins associated with macroalgae debris from ice scour. In: Heinzeller and Nebelisck (eds) Echinoderms: München, Balkema, Munich, p 177-182 (PDF)