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La question de l’antagonisme apparent entre biodiversite, d’une part, et agriculture et systemes alimentaires, d’autre part, est posee par de nombreuses analyses recentes realisees a l’echelle mondiale. L’un des enjeux de la recherche agronomique du XXIe siecle est d’explorer de nouvelles pistes pour transformer cet antagonisme en synergie. Il s’agit, grâce aux recherches sur et pour la biodiversite, de contribuer a transformer les systemes agri-alimentaires pour assurer la securite alimentaire et nutritionnelle, en particulier via la diversification et la transition agroecologique ; de conserver et restaurer la biodiversite, tout en promouvant son utilisation durable ; de proteger et gerer durablement les ressources naturelles indispensables a la vie (l’eau, les sols, l’air) ; de preserver la sante humaine et celle de l’environnement ; et de contribuer a la lutte contre les changements climatiques et leurs impacts dans une double strategie d’attenuation et d’adaptation.

A profound transformation of agricultural production methods has become unavoidable due to the increase in the world’s population, and environmental and climatic challenges. Agroecology is now recognized as a challenging model for agricultural systems, promoting their diversification and adaptation to environmental and socio-economic contexts, with consequences for the entire agri-food system and the development of rural and urban areas. Through a prospective exercise performed at a large interdisciplinary institute, INRAE, a research agenda for agroecology was built that filled a gap through its ambition and interdisciplinarity. It concerned six topics. For genetics, there is a need to study genetic aspects of complex systems (e.g., mixtures of genotypes) and to develop breeding methods for them. For landscapes, challenges lie in effects of heterogeneity at multiple scales, in multifunctionality and in the design of agroecological landscapes. Agricultural equipment and digital technologies show high potential for monitoring dynamics of agroecosystems. For modeling, challenges include approaches to complexity, consideration of spatial and temporal dimensions and representation of the cascade from cropping practices to ecosystem services. The agroecological transition of farms calls for modeling and observational approaches as well as for creating new design methods. Integration of agroecology into food systems raises the issues of product specificity, consumer behavior and organization of markets, standards and public policies. In addition, transversal priorities were identified: (i) generating sets of biological data, through research and participatory mechanisms, that are appropriate for designing agroecological systems and (ii) collecting and using coherent sets of data to enable assessment of vulnerability, resilience and risk in order to evaluate the performance of agroecological systems and to contribute to scaling up. The main lessons learned from this collective exercise can be useful for the entire scientific community engaged in research into agroecology.

National audience; Production de bois, espace de loisirs, puits de carbone…Les forêts offrent de multiples services essentiels aux humains et à la Terre. Face à des aléas météorologiques qui s’intensifient avec le réchauffement climatique et des changements globaux menaçants (commerce international, déforestation), certains massifs dépérissent à un rythme inquiétant et nous invite à revoir la façon de gérer les forêts.

International audience; L’agroécologie a été choisie par l’Inra comme l’un des chantiers de prospective interdisciplinaire destiné à identifier les fronts de recherche en réponse à de grands défis sociétaux. Quatre-vingt chercheurs ont dressé un bilan, et proposé des pistes de recherche pour l’agroécologie, et cet ouvrage en synthétise les principales conclusions. L’agroécologie, en tant que discipline scientifique, remettant l’écologie au centre de la conception des systèmes agricoles, est maintenant bien présente. Diversifier le vivant dans des agroécosystèmes est une visée à large spectre, pour les rendre plus robustes, plus résilients. Les recherches en génétique et en écologie du paysage sont mobilisées pour que l’agroécologie utilise des leviers de la parcelle au paysage. La modélisation des systèmes agroécologiques se développe pour mieux comprendre les interactions biotiques et abiotiques multiples, les prédire, et commencer à piloter certains systèmes. La diversification du vivant dans la production agricole (espèces, variétés, successions culturales, etc.) conduit à des produits plus variés. Les conséquences seront importantes sur les filières, ou plus exactement sur les systèmes agri-alimentaires, allant du mode de production aux produits consommés. Ces changements s’inscrivent sur le long terme. La transition agroécologique, adaptative, se coconstruisant avec les acteurs, est en soi un sujet de recherche, et pourra s’appuyer sur des dispositifs expérimentaux, des exploitations agricoles, des territoires d’innovation.

Les relations entre arbres et agriculture, souvent conflictuelles jusque dans un passé récent, doivent être aujourd’hui envisagées de manière renouvelée, notamment sur la base d’associations d’une large gamme d’espèces présentant des complémentarités aux échelles de la parcelle et du paysage. Les pratiques agroforestières ont prouvé leur intérêt notamment dans : - la réduction du ruissellement et de l’érosion des sols ; l’amélioration de la structure des sols de l’activité microbienne, du taux d’infiltration, de la disponibilité en eau et en nutriments des sols ; - l’augmentation de la productivité globale des mélanges par rapport aux monocultures en raison d’une complémentarité de niches entre les espèces ; - la fourniture d’habitats ou de corridors pour les mouvements de nombreuses espèces, notamment les auxiliaires utiles au contrôle biologique des bioagresseurs ; - la diversification des productions à l’échelle de l’exploitation.La transition agroécologique fait émerger de nouveaux enjeux pour la recherche et les travaux sur et pour l’agroforesterie y ont toute leur place, sur des thèmes aussi prioritaires que la multifonctionnalité de l’arbre ou des associations agroforestières, y compris en terme de fourniture de services autres que la production, tels que l’atténuation du changement climatique ou l’adaptation à ses effets. Le récent rapport de la FAO sur l’état de la biodiversité pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture dans le monde met en évidence un progrès de l’agroforesterie dans de nombreux pays. Selon les estimations faites pour la période 2008-2010, plus de 5 millions de km2 de terres agricoles présentent une couverture arborée d’au moins 20 %, soit une augmentation de 1,8 % depuis 2000. L’agroforesterie est fréquemment au cœur des programmes de développement, en appui à l’amélioration des conditions de vie des agriculteurs, au développement d’une agriculture « climato-intelligente », à la conservation de la biodiversité et à la restauration des sols. De la même manière, le rapport spécial du GIEC sur l’usage des terres a identifié l’agroforesterie comme un levier susceptible d’être actionné avec un effet très positif sur l’atténuation, l’adaptation au changement climatique et la sécurité alimentaire, ainsi que dans la lutte contre la désertification ou la dégradation des terres. En particulier, les systèmes agroforestiers peuvent jouer un rôle pour répondre à l’objectif du « 4 pour 1000 ». A l’issue des Directoriales 2019, plusieurs départements qui avaient mentionné la question des recherches sur les systèmes agroforestiers dans leurs rapports et présentations ont été sollicités par le collège de direction en vue de participer à une réflexion globale sur la stratégie de l’institut sur ces objets, le DS Environnement étant désigné comme référent pour le collège de direction. Outre la réalisation d’un état des lieux, l’objectif était d’identifier les priorités pour les recherches sur et pour l’agroforesterie au sein d’INRAE, afin qu’elles puissent ensuite être positionnées dans le projet global INRAE 2030 et dans les Schémas Stratégiques des départements concernés. Un groupe de travail a été constitué sur la base de propositions des chef.fes de départements concerné.e.s après présentation du projet en réunion de chef.fe.s de département le 01/10/2019. Il réunissait 19 expert.e.s INRAE ou membres d’UMR INRAE, issus de 7 départements (ACT, AgroEcoSystem, BAP, ECODIV, EcoSocio, PHASE et SPE) et travaillant dans 18 unités de recherche ou expérimentales. Il a été animé par le DS Environnement et son équipe. Ce groupe de travail s’est réuni 4 fois en séance plénière (essentiellement en visioconférence en raison de la crise sanitaire) : 13/02, 05/05, 17/07 et 26/08. Un site sharepoint dédié a été mis en place. Après avoir cartographié le dispositif scientifique et expérimental INRAE mobilisé, le groupe a réalisé une analyse SWOT détaillée. Il a ensuite travaillé à identifier et hiérarchiser les priorités pour la recherche INRAE et les besoins de compétences. Pour cela, des sous-groupes ont été mis en place sur 5 thèmes : - Processus d’acquisition des ressources et d’interactions entre le sol et les autres composantes (arbre/culture/linéaire sous-arboré) dans les systèmes agroforestiers ; - Productions agricoles ; - Services écosystémiques rendus par l’agroforesterie à l’échelle du paysage ; - Perception et valeurs symboliques de l’agroforesterie des territoires ruraux ; - Questions génériques. Les productions de ces groupes sont présentées dans les Annexes 1 à 5 de ce rapport.

Higher-tier ecological risk assessment (ERA) in mesocosms is commonly performed in lotic or lentic experimental systems. These systems differ in their physico-chemical and hydrological properties, leading to differences in chemical fate, community characteristics and potential recovery. This raises the issue of the relevance and sensitivity of community-level endpoints in different types of mesocosms. In this study, macroinvertebrate abundance and biomass estimates were used to assess the effects of a dithiocarbamate fungicide, thiram (35 and 170 A mu g l(-1)), and a petroleum middle distillate (PMD; 0.01, 0.4, 2 and 20 mg l(-1)) in outdoor stream and pond mesocosms. Streams were continuously treated during 3 weeks followed by a 2-month long post-treatment period. Ponds were treated weekly for 4 weeks, followed by a 10-month long post-treatment period. Taxonomic structure of macroinvertebrate communities was characterized using the alpha, beta and gamma components of taxa richness, Shannon and Gini-Simpson indices. Computations were based either on abundance or biomass data. Results clearly highlighted that the effects of chemicals depended on the exposure regime (for thiram) and type of system (for the PMD). Causes of the differences between streams and ponds in the magnitude and nature of effects include differential sensitivity of taxa dwelling in lentic and lotic systems and the influence of hydrology (e.g., drift from upstream) and mesocosm connectivity on recovery dynamics. This study also showed complementarities in the use of both types of mesocosms to improve the characterization of chemical effects on communities in ERA.

Ecological risk assessment of chemicals in mesocosms requires measurement of a large number of parameters at the community level. Studies on invertebrate communities usually focus on taxonomic approaches, which only provide insights into taxonomic structure changes induced by chemicals. In the present study, abundance, biomass (B), theoretical production (P), and instantaneous P/B ratio were used as endpoints to assess the effects of the commercial form of the dithiocarbamate fungicide thiram (35 µg/L and 170 µg/L nominal concentrations) and of the hydrocarbon water accommodated fraction (HWAF) of a petroleum distillate (0.01 mg/L, 0.4 mg/L, 2 mg/L, and 20 mg/L loadings) on the zooplankton community in freshwater pond mesocosms. Endpoints were measured during a 4-wk treatment period (1 pulse/wk) followed by a 5-mo posttreatment period to evaluate zooplankton population recovery. The chlorophyll a concentration in water was significantly increased after treatment with HWAF, whereas it was not affected by thiram treatment. Zooplankton abundance-based analysis showed effects on a limited number of taxa, whereas other endpoints (mainly the P/B ratio) revealed that more taxa were impacted, with recovery depending on the chemical and concentration. Exposure to HWAF mainly had a negative impact on cladocerans, which resulted in top-down effects (between cladocerans and phytoplankton). Thiram negatively affected rotifers and copepods, suggesting more direct toxic effects. The results show that the use of secondary production as an endpoint provides a more comprehensive assessment of potential direct and indirect effects of chemicals on a community, and they also support evidence of alteration in functional processes.

This review examines information generated over the past decade on the pollution of rivers in regions with a mediterranean-type climate (med-climate). Pollution has clearly increased in the last 100 years and is correlated with the development of industry, agriculture and human population. Important efforts have been made in some med-climate countries in order to characterise the chemical status of rivers. In addition, the number of chemical substances detectable in mediterranean-climate rivers (med-rivers), as well as the limits of detection, have improved from the development of better analytical methods. New substances detected in rivers are gaining attention. We discuss available knowledge regarding real and potential effects of pollutants on the biota and ecosystems in med-rivers, taking into account natural environmental characteristics of these rivers. The extreme seasonal conditions in med-rivers add to the potential risk because these characteristics can enhance pollutant effects. Efforts and policies to prevent or reduce pollution effects on med-rivers are linked to the knowledge about pollution pressures associated with the degree of economic development. Aquatic communities in med-rivers are more sensitive to pollutants because they are exposed to strong natural and human stressors.

Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) is commonly used for selective control of larval populations of mosquitoes in coastal wetlands. A two year-study was implemented to investigate whether repeated treatments with Bti applied either as a liquid (VectoBac (R) 12AS) or a water-dispersible granule (VectoBac (R) WG) formulation may affect the abundance and diversity of non-target aquatic invertebrates in saltmarsh pools. Taxonomic composition of the invertebrate communities was typical of brackishwater intermittent ecosystems, with a dominance of annelids, crustaceans and nematocerans. Conditions were contrasted between the two years of the survey, both in terms of annual cumulative rainfall and rainfall distribution throughout the year. As a consequence, the hydroperiod and some other environmental characteristics associated with pool drying played a major role in the dynamics of the invertebrate community. In summer 2006, pool drying reduced the abundance of the polychaete worm Nereis diversicolor, of the amphipod crustacean Corophium volutator and of chironomid larvae. These taxa were able to recolonize rapidly the pools after flooding in September 2006. In 2007, rainfall was more regularly distributed across the year, and the pools did not get dry. Hydrozoans, Chironomini and Orthocladiinae larvae, and oligochaetes were more abundant in treated than in control pools, especially in VectoBac (R) WG-treated pools. No adverse effects of the treatments were shown on the abundance of N. diversicolor, C. volutator and midge larvae, suggesting that the availability of these food sources for birds was not negatively affected by Bti applications. It is concluded that, as currently performed in Western France coastal wetlands, land-based treatments of saltmarsh pools for larval mosquito control with Bti, used either as VectoBac (R) 12AS or VectoBac (R) WG, did not adversely impact non-target aquatic invertebrate communities. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The immediate response and recovery of the macrobenthic communities of nonisolated and isolated freshwater outdoor 9 ml mesocosms following an acute stress caused by the addition of deltamethrin were studied over a 14-month period. To discriminate between internal and external recovery mechanisms, half of the treated ponds were covered by 1-mm mesh lids that restricted aerial recolonization. Both structural (abundance of the different taxonomic groups) and functional (litter breakdown) parameters were monitored. Insects were broadly reduced in numbers by deltamethrin addition. In general, noninsect groups were not affected or increased in abundance in deltamethrin-treated ponds, probably because of relative insensitivity to deltamethrin, reduced predation, and lower competition for food. No major change in litter breakdown rates were seen, probably because of functional redundancy among the macrobenthic community. Chironominae larvae recovered in open, treated mesocosms 62 d after deltamethrin addition and most insect groups recovered 84 d after the treatment date. However, the presence of lids significantly reduced insect recovery rate, suggesting that it largely depends on the immigration of winged forms (i.e., external recovery) from surrounding non- or less affected systems. These results indicate that the recovery time of macrobenthic communities in an affected natural pond would depend on spatial characteristics of the landscape and also the season that exposure occurs. Isolated ecosystems would display posttreatment insect recovery dynamics very different from highly connected ones, evolving toward alternate pseudoequilibrium states, possibly with lower biodiversity but with preserved functionality. Consequences for higher tier risk assessment of pesticides are discussed.

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La croissance pondérale estimée par le taux instantané de croissance (b) d'Asellus aquaticus L. a été évaluée dans des conditions de laboratoire et en milieu naturel dans des mésocosmes. L'influence d'une contamination par du lindane (insecticide organochloré) a été étudiée. Au laboratoire, la durée d'exposition au lindane a été de 20 jours, sa concentration de 4 µg.l-1 au départ était de l'ordre de 2 µg.l-1 à la fin de la période d'exposition : la température a été constante (15 °C) et la photopériode 12/12 heures. Dans les mésocosmes, l'expérimentation a duré du mois de juin au mois de février. Au départ, la concentration du lindane était de 4,5 µg.l-1, elle était voisine de zéro en février. On constate que le taux instantané de croissance (b) est plus élevé dans les mésocosmes qu'au laboratoire, en milieu contaminé qu'en milieu témoin. Dans les conditions de laboratoire il est environ 2,6 lois plus élevé pour des aselles contaminées (de poids compris entre 7 et 12 mg) que pour les aselles témoins. Cette augmentation est significative de l'action du lindane. Dans les mésocosmes, l'augmentation du taux instantané de croissance des aselles maintenues en milieu contaminé par rapport à celles provenant de milieu non contaminé n'est statistiquement significative qu'au septième mois après le début de la contamination par le lindane, elle ne l'est plus au huitième. Il semble que d'autres facteurs puissent expliquer cette augmentation, en particulier la qualité de l'alimentation est discutée. Aussi ne peut-on affirmer que le lindane dans les conditions naturelles est responsable d'une élévation du taux instantané de croissance de l'aselle., We estimated the ponderal growth (instantaneous growth rate) of a fresh-water invertebrate Asellus aquaticus L. (Crustacea, isopoda), bred under laboratory conditions and in experimental mesocosms. Contamination by the insecticide lindane (Pepro 99 % purity) was studied.To estimate the instantaneous growth rate we used the formula Wt = Wo exp Mt) in what Wo is the median weight class of Asellus at the beginning of experiment. Wt is the median weight after 20 days, dj is the days number multiplied by median temperature above 3 °C of considered period (3 °C is considered as minimal temperature below that no development is possible). Seven classe were constituted : class 1 (2 mg to 6.99 mg), 2 (7 to 11.99), 3 (12 to 16.99), 4 (17 to 21.99), 5 (22 to 26.99), 6 (27 to 31.99) and 7 (32 to 36.99). The instantaneous growth rate is calculated for this seven class weight and for each replicate, next median and standard error were calculated for each class. The number of replicate vary among class weight. It was : 22, 33, 29, 22, 16, 15 and 13 respectively for class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.Asellus were preleved in natural ponds, acclimated in laboratory conditions during a minimal period of 15 days before that they are used for experiment. (glass containers of 30 litres, filled with hall tap-water hall pond-water, feed with maple leaves).In laboratory conditions Asellus were kept in glass aquarium (15 x 20 x 18 cm) filled with 2 litres of water.Physico-chemical parameters of water were : pH = 8.2; total hardness =155 mg 1-1 measured as Ca C03; nitrites = 0.055 mg 1-1; nitrates = 3 mg 1-1; chloride = 73 mg l-1 as Na C1. Laboratory breeding conditions were a tempera-tare of 15 °C and a 12/12 hours photoperiod. Contamination tasted 20 days, lindane concentration was 4,5 µg. l-1 (near the median lethal concentration, 48 hours : 5.14 µg.1-1) at the beginning of the experiment and approximatively 2 µg.1-1 at the end. Twenty Asellus of the same weight class were deposed in each glass. The diet was constitued with maple leaves. For contamination study only Asellus of class 7 to 11.99 was study. Ten replicates were realised.The mesocosms were constituted by two rectangular basins 10 meters in length, 2.5 m in width and 50 to 60 cm in deep. To secure a good water-thightness, bottom and sides were covered with black polyane 150 µm in thick, sediment and sand were deposed on the bottom on 5 to 10 cm in thick. Next basins were gradually (July 1987 to January 1988) filled up with tapwater. Natural colonization by phytoplankton and insects were observed, whereas vegetable (Ranunculus aquatilis, Typha angustifolia, Scirpus palustris and Ceratophyllum submersum) and invertebrates (Asellus, Planaria and Leech) were introduced by us. One mesocosm was contaminated by surface spraying with lindane acetonic solution.Thirty of a same weight class were placed in 25 x 12 x 7 cm plastic box, with a total of 20 lateral openings on either side (1.2 cm in diameter) disposed in two rows and covered with fine mesh net (150 µm in opening). The center part of the lid was cut out and also covered with the same fine mesh net. A bed of maple leaves was placed on the bottom of the box. This containers were then distributed throughout bath the control and lindane contaminated basins. Between 15 to 20 days later, this containers were collected and brought back to the laboratory. All the specimens were weighted and once divided into size classes and returned to their experimental basins. The experiment started in June 1988 and lasted till February 1989. The lindane concentration was 4.5 µg.l-1 at the beginning and near zero at the end.For the control, in laboratory condition or in mesocosm, we observed that the instantaneous growth rate decrease when the median weight of the class increase. It vary to 0.1131 mg.mg- 1.dj-1 to 0.0183 mg.mg-1.dj-1 and to 0.2704 mg.mg-1.dj-1 to 0.0879 mg.mg-1.dj-1 respectively in laboratory condition and mesocosm. Significant correlation (level 0.001) was observed between the logarithm of instantaneous growth rate and logarithm of the weight. Slope of regression lines does not vary, only position differ. Growth rate was higher in the mesocosm than in laboratory. In laboratory conditions lindane contamination induce a variation of instantaneous growth rate. An significant increase of 2.6 was observed between contaminated and control for Asellus of weight class 7 to 11.99 mg. In the contaminated mesocosm, a correlation is noted between instantaneous growth rate and weight, it is significant only for 3 collections dates (December 1988, January 1989 and February 1989). No variation in the slope of linear regression is noted, position differ significatively (level 0.01) only in February. For this collection date instantaneous growth rate is higher in contaminated mesocosm than in control. It appear that other factors that lindane contamination may also explain this increase. Among these, food quality has been envisaged by different authors. In conclusion is noted that in laboratory condition lindane induce an increase of instantaneous growth rate, in mesocosm we can't affirm that lindane was the responsible for the increase of instantaneous growth rate. Other experiments are necessary to confirm this observation.

INRA-Onema "Phylogeny and Polluosensitivity" program This work was supported by the INRA-Onema 2013-2014 "Phylogeny and Polluosensitivity" program. The authors thank Marc Collinet and Antoine Gallard for technical assistance. Elsevier sci ltd; International audience; The use of standardized monospecific testing to assess the ecological risk of chemicals implicitly relies on the strong assumption that intraspecific variation in sensitivity is negligible or irrelevant in this context. In this study, we investigated genetic variation in copper sensitivity of the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis, using lineages stemming from eight natural populations or strains found to be genetically differentiated at neutral markers. Copper-induced mortality varied widely among populations, as did the estimated daily death rate and time to 50% mortality (LT50). Population genetic divergence in copper sensitivity was compared to neutral differentiation using the Qs-r-FsT approach. No evidence for homogenizing selection could be detected. This result demonstrates that species-level extrapolations from single population studies are highly unreliable. The study provides a simple example of how evolutionary principles could be incorporated into ecotoxicity testing in order to refine ecological risk assessment. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ISI Document Delivery No.: CF3II Times Cited: 0 Cited Reference Count: 52 Cited References: Szoecs Eduard, 2012, SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, V437, P121 Szoecs, Eduard Van den Brink, Paul J. Lagadic, Laurent Caquet, Thierry Roucaute, Marc Auber, Arnaud Bayona, Yannick Liess, Matthias Ebke, Peter Ippolito, Alessio ter Braak, Cajo J. F. Brock, Theo C. M. Schafer, Ralf B. Interface Recherche-Expertise pour l'Evaluation du Risque en Ecotoxicologie; Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy; TOTAL S.A. [10, 11]; Region Bretagne; INRA; Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs; TOTAL S.A.; [BO-20-002-001] The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions from scientists and technicians from the INRA Experimental Unit of Aquatic Ecology and Ecotoxicology and Ecotoxicology and Quality and Aquatic Research Group during mesocosm experiments. These experiments were conducted in programmes funded by the Interface Recherche-Expertise pour l'Evaluation du Risque en Ecotoxicologie coordinated by the Structure Scientifique Mixte INRA-Direction Generale de l'Alimentation (Study no. 8), by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy through its "Pesticides" research programme (Study Nos. 3, 4), and by TOTAL S.A. (Study Nos. 10, 11). A. Auber and Y. Bayona PhDs were funded through a grant from The Region Bretagne and INRA and by TOTAL S.A., respectively. The studies conducted at Wageningen UR (Study nos. 1, 7 and 9) were financially supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, as well as the contribution of Paul Van den Brink and Theo Brock to this paper (Project BO-20-002-001). The data sets of these studies are available upon request. Springer Dordrecht Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Toxicology; International audience; Mesocosm experiments that study the ecological impact of chemicals are often analysed using the multivariate method 'Principal Response Curves' (PRCs). Recently, the extension of generalised linear models (GLMs) to multivariate data was introduced as a tool to analyse community data in ecology. Moreover, data aggregation techniques that can be analysed with univariate statistics have been proposed. The aim of this study was to compare their performance. We compiled macroinvertebrate abundance datasets of mesocosm experiments designed for studying the effect of various organic chemicals, mainly pesticides, and re-analysed them. GLMs for multivariate data and selected aggregated endpoints were compared to PRCs regarding their performance and potential to identify affected taxa. In addition, we analysed the inter-replicate variability encountered in the studies. Mesocosm experiments characterised by a higher taxa richness of the community and/or lower taxonomic resolution showed a greater inter-replicate variability, whereas variability decreased the more zero counts were encountered in the samples. GLMs for multivariate data performed equally well as PRCs regarding the community response. However, compared to first axis PRCs, GLMs provided a better indication of individual taxa responding to treatments, as separate models are fitted to each taxon. Data aggregation methods performed considerably poorer compared to PRCs. Multivariate community data, which are generated during mesocosm experiments, should be analysed using multivariate methods to reveal treatment-related community-level responses. GLMs for multivariate data are an alternative to the widely used PRCs.

Higher-tier ecological risk assessment of chemicals often relies upon studies in dynamic and/or static mesocosms. Physico-chemical and hydrological properties of each type of mesocosm result in specific chemicals fate, community functioning, and potential recovery. In the present study, macroinvertebrate abundance- and biomass-weighted biological and ecological trait matrices were used to assess the effects of a dithiocarbamate fungicide, thiram (35 and 170 A mu g l(-1)), and of a petroleum middle distillate (0.01, 0.4, 2 and 20 mg l(-1)) in outdoor stream and pond mesocosms. Trait sensitivity was characterized using functional diversity indices and trait modality distributions to assess the influence of the type of experimental systems and the ability of traits to disentangle chemical-induced effects from temporal and stochastic variations. In addition, leaf litter breakdown was used as an integrative functional endpoint. Regardless to the substance, treatments had a direct effect on the functional structure of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in streams but not in ponds, suggesting that global functional responses to chemicals are system-specific. Although both substances had an effect in streams, differences were noticed in the nature of the affected traits suggesting that chemical mode of action plays a role in functional alterations. This was illustrated by the link between negative effects of chemical exposure on detritivorous taxa and reduced litter breakdown rate in streams. Therefore, characterisation of macroinvertebrate biological traits associated with the measurement of a functional process such as litter breakdown may provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects occurring in mesocosms exposed to organic chemicals.

International audience; Human activities have altered continental ecosystems worldwide and generated a major environmental crisis. To truly develop integrative ecosystem biology and to assess the consequences of various forcing factors, such as pollutions, we therefore need new approaches and tools that bridge the traditional gap between life and environmental sciences. To deal with that challenge, the infrastructure for Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems (AnaEE-France) is an integrated network of the major French experimental, analytical and modeling platforms dedicated to the biological study of continental ecosystems, both aquatic and terrestrial. This infrastructure aims at understanding and predicting ecosystem dynamics under global change. It comprises five complementary nodes offering access to the best experimental facilities and associated biological resources and data: Ecotrons, semi-natural experimental platforms to manipulate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, in natura sites equipped for large scale and long-term experiments. AnaEE-France also provides shared instruments and analytical platforms dedicated to environmental (micro)-biology. Finally, AnaEE-France provides users with data bases and modeling tools designed to represent ecosystem dynamics and to go further in coupling ecological, agronomical and evolutionary approaches. AnaEE-France offers adequate services to tackle the new challenges of research in ecotoxicology, positioning its various types of platforms in an ecologically advanced ecotoxicology approach. AnaEE-France is a leading international infrastructure and it is pioneering the construction of a European AnaEE infrastructure in the field of ecosystem research. This infrastructure is open to the international community of scientists in the field of continental ecotoxicology.

The effects of fenitrothion exposure on fourth-instar Chimnomus riparius larvae were investigated on biochemical, physiological, and population-level parameters. Biochemical effects were investigated through measurements of acetylcholinesterase and cytosolic superoxide dismutase activities. Water content and dry weight of the larvae were used as physiological parameters, and the emergence rate of adults was used as a descriptor of population-level effects. Results showed that the response of most parameters exhibited a concentration-dependent relationship. Although biochemical parameters proved to be very sensitive, no direct relation was observed with effects at a higher level of biological organization. Perturbations of osmoregulation, as reflected by changes in water content of the larvae, were more directly related with emergence failure. This study demonstrates that the use of several biological parameters can provide complementary information about the effects of chemical exposure. Therefore, use of a multilevel approach in C. riparius seems to be a promising way to diagnose environmental quality.

Short-term (24 h) effects of four stressors (hypoxia, hyperoxia, potassium dichromate, fenitrothion) on the activity of the electron transport system (ETS) and total lipid, glycogen and protein contents were assessed in 4th instar larvae of Chironomus riparius. Hypoxia and hyperoxia caused an increase in ETS activity and protein content. Glycogen content decreased when larvae were placed under hypoxic conditions. ETS activity increased following exposure to 2 microg x l(-1) of fenitrothion. It decreased in larvae exposed to 20 microg x l(-1) of this insecticide. A decrease in lipid and glycogen contents was observed in larvae exposed to potassium dichromate or fenitrothion. Changes in ETS activity and lipid and glycogen contents may be related to the activation of the respiratory chain due to an increase in energy cost associated with homeostatic phenomena, such as detoxification processes. These results suggest that some parameters related to energy metabolism, such as ETS activity and lipid and glycogen contents, may be used as biomarkers of environmental disturbance in Chironomus riparius larvae.

Micro- and mesocosms are frequently required in regulatory procedures of aquatic risk assessment for pesticides. However, many questions are still a matter of debate with regard to the use of these systems for environmental risk assessment, especially considering the inter-system variability of the measured parameters and its consequences on experimental design and data analysis. In this paper, variability of physico-chemical and biological parameters measured during two long-term experiments (8 to 9 months) in uncontaminated outdoor freshwater lentic mesocosms (8 m3) is analysed. Consequences on the design of ecotoxicity tests in mesocosms and on data analysis are also addressed. Water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen concentration and concentration of suspended solids exhibited a very low variability whereas nutrient concentrations displayed elevated levels of variability. Among biological parameters, those measured at the individual level were less variable than those measured at the community level. Functional descriptors frequently exhibited a lower inter-mesocosm variability than structural descriptors. Aggregation of data proved to significantly reduce inter-mesocosm variability. The results indicate that univariate statistical methods may be used for physico-chemical or species-level (e.g. biometric parameters) data which exhibit a moderate inter-mesocosm variability. The use of multivariate techniques is suggested for other levels of investigation. Nevertheless, variability is not sufficient to identify useful parameters. The sensitivity towards chemicals and ecological relevance of descriptors within the experimental context must also be considered.

Effects of physical (hypoxia, hyperoxia) and chemical (potassium dichromate, fenitrothion) stress on antioxidant enzyme activities and hemoglobin content in Chironomus riparius Mg. (Diptera, Chironomidae) larvae were evaluated under laboratory conditions in order to identify pertinent biomarkers of stress. Hypoxia and hyperoxia caused an increase in Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Mn-SOD activities and a simultaneous decrease in total peroxidase (Px) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. A parallel increase in hemoglobin concentration in the hemolymph was observed. The exposure to sublethal concentrations of both potassium dichromate and fenitrothion led to an increase in Cu,Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD activities and to a decrease in GSH-Px activity. Activation of catalase (CAT) was observed in the larvae exposed to high fenitrothion concentration (20 micrograms/L). The response of SODs was rapid and sensitive to low chemical concentrations, but changes in CAT, Px, and GSH-Px were more specific and less sensitive.

The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoenzymes were measured in fourth instar larvae of Chironomus riparius Mg. Three types of superoxide dismutase were identified: Cu,Zn-SOD in hemolymph and postmitochondrial fraction; Mn-SOD in mitochondrial fraction and presumably Fe-SOD in postmitochondrial fraction. The latter could have an endosymbiotic or a parasitic origin. Extracellular and cytosolic SOD activities, especially Cu,Zn-SOD, tended to increase in the last phase of larval development, independently of protein or hemoglobin contents. This supposes that SOD activity in Ch. riparius larvae is probably activated at the end of fourth instar stage. Cu,Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD activities showed a significant increase under severe hypoxia and slight hyperoxia. Oxygen radical scavengers such as SOD may play a role in the increased tolerance of Ch. riparius to oxidative stress. These results suggest that the specific induction of some SOD isoenzymes could be used as a biomarker of environmental disturbance such as oxidative stress initiated by xenobiotics.

Both the increase in human mobility and climate change contribute to the globalization of vector-borne diseases. Some mosquito species are efficient disease vectors in Europe, thus increasing the risk of epidemic (re)emergence.Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) is considered as the most efficient larvicide to control mosquito populations with negligible environmental impacts. However, repeated field applications of Bti over many years raise the question of possible long-term effects on non-target invertebrates with putative subsequent alterations of food webs. Environmental effects of Bti have mainly been studied in continental freshwater wetlands. Much less is known for brackish water coastal wetlands. We investigated whether repeated treatments with Bti, applied as VectoBac((R)) WG over seven consecutive years, may affect non-target invertebrate communities in wetlands of the French Atlantic coast. Particular attention was devoted to invertebrates potentially used as food sources by shorebirds and wading birds. Invertebrates were sampled in the water and sediment of control and VectoBac((R))-treated saltmarsh pools between 2006 and 2012. Taxa abundance data were used to calculate community descriptors and to analyse the potential structural changes due to VectoBac((R)) using the principal response curve method and similarity analysis. Physicochemical parameters were measured in the same pools so that homogeneity of the environmental conditions between the control and treated areas could be tested. We demonstrated that long-term use of VectoBac((R)) WG in French Atlantic coastal wetlands had no influence on the temporal evolution of the taxonomic structure and taxa abundance of non-target aquatic invertebrate communities, which is highly driven by abiotic factors. In addition, over the long term, the amount of invertebrates that could be used as food resources by birds is maintained in VectoBac((R))-treated areas.Synthesis and applications. Reduced application rate and targeted spraying of VectoBac((R)) WG in mosquito breeding sites minimize potential environmental impacts of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti). Even so, surveillance of its possible primary side effects is needed, which requires comparable control and treated areas. Indeed, systematic temporal trends and subtle differences in the range of variation of abiotic factors result in discrepancies between control and treated area in terms of invertebrate abundance, which could be wrongly attributed to VectoBac((R)). Management decisions and mitigation measures may therefore benefit from (i) extending surveillance to a time frame that allows for coverage of the immense temporal variation in taxa abundance and diversity and (ii) the inclusion of environmental variables in the monitoring of non-target animal communities potentially exposed to Bti. Reduced application rate and targeted spraying of VectoBac((R)) WG in mosquito breeding sites minimize potential environmental impacts of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti). Even so, surveillance of its possible primary side effects is needed, which requires comparable control and treated areas. Indeed, systematic temporal trends and subtle differences in the range of variation of abiotic factors result in discrepancies between control and treated area in terms of invertebrate abundance, which could be wrongly attributed to VectoBac((R)). Management decisions and mitigation measures may therefore benefit from (i) extending surveillance to a time frame that allows for coverage of the immense temporal variation in taxa abundance and diversity and (ii) the inclusion of environmental variables in the monitoring of non-target animal communities potentially exposed to Bti.

The sensitivity of diatom taxonomy and trait-based endpoints to chemicals has been poorly used so far in Environmental Risk Assessment. In this study, diatom assemblages in outdoor flow-through mesocosms were exposed to thiram (35 and 170 mu g/L), and a hydrocarbon emulsion (HE; 0.01, 0.4, 2 and 20 mg/L). The effects of exposure were assessed for 12 weeks, including 9 weeks post-treatment, using taxonomic structure and diversity, bioindication indices, biological traits, functional diversity indices, indicator classes and ecological guilds. For both chemicals, diversity increased after the treatment period, and responses of ecological traits were roughly identical with an abundance increase of motile taxa tolerant to organic pollution and decrease of low profile taxa. Bioindication indices were not affected. Traits provided a complementary approach to biomass measurements and taxonomic descriptors, leading to a more comprehensive overview of ecological changes due to organic chemicals, including short- and long-term effects on biofilm structure and functioning. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Life-history patterns and food habits are described for two sympatric species of Hydropsyche (H. pellucidula and H. contubernalis) sampled for 15 months in a second-order stream, the Essonne (France). Both species showed univoltine life-cycles with remarkable differences in winter. H. contubernalis overwintered mainly in the 4th or 5th larval instar; whereas, the more abundant H. pellucidula overwintered in the 2nd or 3rd larval instar. The main larval growth periods of the two species were also different, and this could be due to ecological segregation, which allows both species to share a similar ecological niche. The two species shared the same food habits throughout all larval instars; however, they both changed their food habits as they passed from one instar to another, and earlier instars were more predatory than the older ones.

International audience; Estuarine areas represent complex and highly changing environments at the interface between freshwater and marine aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, the aquatic organisms living in estuaries have to face highly variable environmental conditions. The aim of this work was to study the influence of environmental changes from either natural or anthropogenic origins on the physiological responses of Mytilus edulis. Mussels were collected in the Vilaine estuary during early summer because this season represents a critical period of active reproduction in mussels and of increased anthropogenic inputs from agricultural and boating activities into the estuary. The physiological status of the mussel M. edulis was evaluated through measurements of a suite of biomarkers related to: oxidative stress (catalase, malondialdehyde), detoxication (benzopyrene hydroxylase, carboxylesterase), neurotoxicity (acetylcholinesterase), reproductive cycle (vitelline, condition index, maturation stages), immunotoxicity (hemocyte concentration, granulocyte percentage, phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species production, oxidative burst), and general physiological stress (lysosomal stability). A selection of relevant organic contaminant (pesticides, (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorobiphenyls) was measured as well as environmental parameters (water temperature, salinity, total suspended solids, turbidity, chlorophyll a, pheopigments) and mussel phycotoxin contamination. Two locations differently exposed to the plume of the Vilaine River were compared. Both temporal and inter-site variations of these biomarkers were studied. Our results show that reproduction cycle and environmental parameters such as temperature, organic ontaminants, and algal blooms could strongly influence the biomarker responses. These observations highlight the necessity to conduct integrated environmental approaches in order to better understand the causes of biomarker variations.

Freshwater invertebrates may be regularly exposed to pesticides in agricultural landscapes, as water bodies such as ditches and ponds are the final recipient of many chemicals, through various transfer pathways. Local evolutionary impacts may hence be expected on populations, especially for species with a completely aquatic life cycle. We tested the hypothesis that exposure to combinations of pesticides used in crop protection programmes could increase the effect of random genetic drift in a non-target species, via demographic impacts. To do so, experimental populations of the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis were created from a common genetic pool and exposed for three successive generations to treatments corresponding to two different crop protection plans (conventional and low pesticide input). Population genetic parameters were estimated in each generation on the basis of ten polymorphic microsatellite loci. Effects consistent with increased random genetic drift were observed for one sampling campaign performed in the third generation, i.e., decreased genetic variability and increased population differentiation in the group of populations exposed to the treatment programme whose demographic impact was the most effective on L. stagnalis. Otherwise, no clear pattern emerged and even opposed effects could be observed. All populations were found significantly inbred, mostly due to biparental inbreeding. Conversely, selfing was generally not significant, and did not express preferentially under high pesticide pressure. We conclude from this study that population genetics should be used very cautiously in the context of ecological risk assessment, especially when applied to natural populations.

Freshwater mesocosms were used to study the long-term sublethal effects of atrazine and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) on a basommatophoran gastropod, Lymnaea palustris (Mueller). Growth, fecundity, and biochemical parameters related to polysaccharide metabolism of pesticide-exposed snails were compared with those of control animals maintained in untreated mesocosms. HCB inhibited body growth and stimulated egg production, whereas atrazine had no relevant effect on these physiological parameters. Also, HCB stimulated the activity of polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzymes, suggesting that changes in the metabolism of reserve polysaccharides (glycogen) may be involved in the inhibition of growth and increase of fecundity. In contrast, atrazine had no effect on the metabolism of polysaccharides. It is concluded that the effects of HCB are related to its neurotoxicity that would have affected the neurohormonal control of growth and reproduction of exposed snails. It is suggested that polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzymes may be used as biomarkers to predict the effects of neurotoxic pesticides on freshwater snail populations.

The ecological consequences of freshwater land-based salmonid farms on rivers were studied by monitoring eight farms with substantial differences in annual trout production (29–368 t year −1 ) connected to rivers of contrasted hydrology (mean annual discharge ranging from 0.3 to 4.8 m 3 s −1 ) in France. Samples of water and benthic invertebrates were collected in the river immediately upstream and at two locations downstream of fish farm outlets during low flow period in summer. Suspended solids, PO 4 3− and NH 4 + concentrations increased downstream of the outlets, suggesting that fish food-derived wastes led to a dilute mixture of suspended solids and dissolved nutrients. The total abundance of benthic invertebrates consistently increased immediately downstream of the effluent outlets, and a positive correlation was observed with the biomass of fish in the aquaculture facilities at the sampling date. The proportions of oligochaetes and chironomids increased downstream of the farms and, conversely, proportions of ephemeropterans, plecopterans and trichopterans decreased. Similarly, the relative abundances of shredders and scrapers decreased in the benthic invertebrate community downstream of the outlets, whereas deposit-feeders and filter feeders increased. This consistent pattern outlined a major change in the ecosystem functioning, with particulate organic matter from fish food-derived wastes becoming a central source of energy in river benthic food webs. Furthermore, the taxonomic-based ecological indicator usually used for monitoring biotic integrity in French Rivers overlooked these functional impairments in larger streams (mean annual discharge above 2 m 3 s −1 ). This study outlines the interest of using benthic invertebrate functional feeding groups together with the results of water chemistry analyses for monitoring the ecological disturbances induced by land-based salmonid farm effluents in running waters.

Although a number of biomarkers of pollutant exposure have been identified in invertebrate species, direct linkage with changes at population and/or community levels are poorly documented and, despite the ecological importance of invertebrates, there is no conclusive evidence that individual measurements of biochemical parameters may allow the effects of pollutants on populations and communities to be predicted. Among the various biochemical parameters used as biomarkers in invertebrates exposed to pollutants in the field, only those for which changes at population or community level can be suggested are discussed in the present review. At population and community levels, the development of resistance to pesticides and changes in behaviour, reproduction and development are analysed as putative consequences of biochemical and physiological alterations. Limits to the use of biochemical parameters as biomarkers of invertebrate exposure to pollutants are discussed. Future research trends and experimental approaches to the validation of invertebrate biomarkers in environmental pollution assessment are suggested.

Action 9 INRA Thonon-Rennes / ONEMA; Des bioindicateurs pour évaluer l’impact ou la restauration vis-à-vis des pesticides - Diatomées. Colloque ONEMA Les méthodes d'évaluation de l'état des eaux: situation et perspectives dans le contexte de la DCE

International audience; The impacts of current and alternative wheat crop protection programs were compared in outdoor pond mesocosms in a 10-month long study. Realistic exposure scenarios were built based upon the results of modelling of drift, drainage and runoff of pesticides successively applied under two environmental situations characteristics of drained soils of northern France. Each situation was associated to two crop protection programs ("Conventional" and "Low-input") differing in the nature of pesticides used, number of treatments and application rate. Both programs induced significant direct negative effects on various invertebrate groups. Bifenthrin and cyprodynil were identified as the main responsible for these effects in conventional and low-input program, respectively. Indirect effects were also demonstrated especially following treatments with cyprodynil. Litter breakdown was significantly reduced in all treated mesocosms as the functional consequence of the decrease in the abundance of shredders (asellids, Gammarus pulex) illustrating the link between structural and functional effects of pesticides on macroinvertebrate communities. Recovery was observed for many taxa before the end of the study but not for the most sensitive non mobile taxa such as G. pulex. No influence of the agropedoclimatic situation on the effects was shown, suggesting than the main impacts were associated to inputs from drift. The results confirm that the proposed low-input program was less hazardous than the conventional program but the observed structural and functional impact of the low-input program suggest that further improvement of alternative crop protection programs is still needed.

Human-induced environmental stress may lead to rapid evolutionary processes, and can affect the ability of natural populations to respond to other environmental change or stress. We used quantitative genetics tools, pesticide exposure and a gradient of biotic stress to investigate these questions in the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis. The study focused on the genetic component of variance for life-history traits within populations, and the ability of different lines to respond differently to stress. The effect of parental exposure to a xenobiotic stress on the reaction norm of the progeny to another stress was also estimated (parental non-genetic effect). First, under laboratory conditions, inter-family variance suggested significant heritability for most traits. Second, under outdoor exposure to various pesticides, variation among families was significant for individual growth. Clutch size and hatching rate of the clutches laid in the laboratory after exposure showed similar results, and moreover, family interacted significantly with pesticides. Third, under a gradient of biotic stress (food and competition), inter-family variation was again significant for growth, and a significant interaction with biotic stress was observed for juvenile growth and ultimate size. Family heterogeneity and family × environment interactions indicate the possibility of differential evolutionary responses among lines, through different reaction norms. Stressful conditions did not affect the estimated heritability, and for pesticides, no transgenerational effect was detected on progeny growth in response to the biotic stress. Focused on short-term evolutionary responses, the present study illustrates a possible way of incorporating evolutionary approaches into ecotoxicological risk assessment procedures, for example, by accounting for inter-family variation.

Chitobiase is involved in exoskeleton degradation and recycling during the moulting process in arthropods. In aquatic species, the moulting fluid is released into the aqueous environment, and chitobiase activity present therein can be used to follow the dynamics of arthropod populations. Here, chitobiase activity was used for monitoring the impact of mosquito candidate larvicides on Daphnia pulex and Daphnia magna under laboratory conditions. Both species were exposed to spinosad (2, 4, 8 mu g L-1) and diflubenzuron (0.2, 0.4, 0.8 mu g L-1) for 14 days. Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti: 0.25, 0.5, 1 mu L L-1) was used as the reference larvicide. Chitobiase activity, adult survival, individual growth and fecundity, expressed as the number of neonates produced, were measured every 2 days. Average Exposure Concentrations of spinosad were ten-fold lower than the nominal concentrations, whereas only a slight deviation was observed for diflubenzuron. In contrast to Bti, spinosad and diflubenzuron significantly affected both species in terms of adult survival, and production of neonates. As compared to D. pulex, D. magna was more severely affected by diflubenzuron, at low and medium concentrations, with reduced adult growth and much lower chitobiase activity. Chitobiase activity was positively correlated with the individual body length, number of neonates produced between two consecutive observation dates, and number of females and neonates. In addition, the significant positive correlations between chitobiase activity measured on the last sampling date before the first emission of neonates and the cumulative number of neonates produced during the whole observation period strongly support the potential of the activity of this chitinolytic enzyme as a proxy for assessing the dynamics of arthropod populations exposed to larvicides used for mosquito control. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The present study was undertaken to assess the impact of a candidate mosquito larvicide, spinosad (8, 17 and 33 μg L−1) on a field population of Daphnia magna under natural variations of water temperature and salinity, using Bti (0.16 and 0.50 μL L−1) as the reference larvicide. Microcosms (125 L) were placed in a shallow temporary marsh where D. magna was naturally present. The peak of salinity observed during the 21-day observation period may have been partly responsible for the decrease of daphnid population density in all the microcosms. It is also probably responsible for the absence of recovery in the microcosms treated with spinosad which caused a sharp decrease of D. magna abundance within the first two days following treatment whereas Bti had no effect. These results suggest that it may be difficult for a field population of daphnids to cope simultaneously with natural (water salinity and temperature) and anthropogenic (larvicides) stressors. Significant interaction between salinity and spinosad exposure impairs the recovery of a natural population of Daphnia magna

Two freshwater mesocosms (10 and 20 m 3 ) were sprayed with lindane and deltamethrin, respectively. We determined the time-dependent changes in pesticide concentration in water, sediment, macrophyte and gastropod samples and the effects on phytoplanktonic, periphytic and insect communities. Lindane residues persisted 19 weeks in water, 18 weeks in sediment, 14 weeks in macrophytes and 13 weeks in gastropods. Lindane had only transitory effects on periphytic and insect communities, resulting in a slight increase in periphyton ash-free dry weight and a moderate reduction of the number of captured insects. Deltamethrin residues persisted in water for only 96 h. Residues were detected in the macrophyte samples for 5 weeks after treatment but never in the sediment and only 24 h after treatment in the gastropod samples. The phytoplanktonic and periphytic communities were positively affected by the treatment whereas emerging insect abundance was strongly reduced. The presence of the control mesocosms as a source of fauna significantly enhanced the re-establishment of the insect community in the treated mesocosms.

The influence of tank-mix adjuvants on pesticide toxicity remains largely unknown. Agral 90, a nonylphenol polyethoxylated tank-mix adjuvant, has been used with diquat (bipyridylium herbicide) and fomesafen (diphenyl-ether herbicide) in aquatic indoor microcosms in order to compare the toxicity of the single compounds and of binary herbicide-adjuvant mixtures to Lemna minor. Twenty-four microcosms were used and treatments were performed with substances alone or with herbicide-adjuvant binary mixtures, at two concentrations levels (44.4 and 222.2 microg/L for the herbicides, and 100 and 500 microg/L for Agral 90). Toxicity was assessed weekly for 1 month through growth measurements, as inferred from the relative frond number (RFN) and relative frond area (RFA). Concentrations of diquat and fomesafen in water and sediments were measured weekly. The herbicides showed very different behaviour in microcosms, with a rapid disappearance of diquat from the aqueous phase whereas fomesafen levels remained almost constant over time. Diquat strongly inhibited the growth of L. minor whereas fomesafen had no effect on plant growth. Presence of the adjuvant only slightly reduced the effect of the lowest concentration of diquat, probably as a result of dispersion of the herbicide at the water surface. It is concluded that tank-mix adjuvant designed to improve herbicide efficiency in the terrestrial environment did not have any effect on aquatic plants when applied to the aquatic environment.

The uptake and elimination of lindane by adult Lymnaea palustris (Muller) were studied using a static contamination system. First-order one-and two-compartment models were used to quantitatively describe these phenomena. The accumulation of residues was triphasic and the observed steady-state bioconcentration factor lay between 36.8 and 56.4 but did not significantly depend on the initial lindane concentration (6, 60, and 600 μg liter −1 ). Accumulation was inferior to that observed for other aquatic organisms and this was attributed to the relatively low lipid content of L. palustris tissues (mean of 0.81 ± 0.17% of fresh weight). The transfer of snails to lindane-free water after 72 hr of exposure was followed by a biphasic elimination of residues with a halflife of 0.7 hr in the central compartment and of 130.2 hr in the peripheral compartment. Additional experiments showed that the residues enter the snails through the foot and are afterward stocked within the visceral mass which contains approximately three times more lipids than the foot (1.03 ± 0.13% of fresh weight vs 0.37 ± 0.03%).

There is a growing interest for the use of ecological models to improve the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) of toxic pollutants. However, although several models have been proposed, there is little information available on their relevance (i.e., validation through comparison with original data) and on their sensitivity to the input parameters. In this study, the Aquatox Model was used to simulate biomass dynamics of various biological compartments in artificial streams designed for measuring the effects of pollutants on aquatic communities. Calibration and validation of the model were performed using data from control streams. Multi-variate sensitivity analysis was implemented to identify those parameters that exert a prominent role in the outputs of the model. The calibrated model was able to adequately describe the dynamics of most of the simulated biological compartments of a stream. Using data from other streams, it was shown that between-streams natural variability was a source of discrepancy between observed and simulated data. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model was highly sensitive to the parameters related to the temperature limitation, maximum rate of photosynthesis of producers and consumption by consumers. This strongly suggests that particular attention should be devoted to the estimation of these parameters if this model has to be used for ERA of toxicants in aquatic ecosystems.

The distribution (both specific and individual) of four pulmonate gastropods was studied in a ditch near Orsay, France, from April 1987 to August 1988. Physa fontinalis L. and Anisus albus (Muller) were restricted to the part of the ditch which never dries up and positively associated with the hydrophytes Ceratophyllum submersum L. and Callitriche hamulata Kuntz. On the other hand, Anisus rotundatus (Poiret), which is drought resistant, was abundant in the shallowest part of the ditch and was positively associated with helophytes while Lymnaea palustris (Muller) was ubiquitous and present throughout the ditch. Plant morphology appears to be a major factor determining snail-plant relationships. Within their respective habitats, each species presented an aggregated distribution; their variances were stabilized by logarithmic transformation for L. palustris, Downing's transformation for P. fontinalis and Taylor's transformation for the two remaining species.

There is a paucity of large-scale field investigations on the effects of organic toxicants on stream macro invertebrate community structure and ecosystem functions. We investigated a total of 29 streams in two study areas of France and Finland for pesticide exposure, invertebrates and leaf-litter breakdown. To link pesticide exposure and community composition we applied the trait-based Species At Risk (SPEAR) indicator system. In the French region, pesticide stress was associated with a decrease in the relative abundance and number of sensitive species in the communities. The presence of undisturbed upstream reaches partly compensated the effects of pesticide contamination. Functional effects of pesticides were identified by a 2.5-fold reduction of the leaf-litter breakdown rate that was closely correlated with the structural changes in the contaminated streams. No effects of pesticides were observed in Finnish streams since contamination with pesticides was very low. In a follow-up analysis, the SPEAR approach successfully discriminated between reference and contaminated sites across different biogeographical regions, also including results of a previous field study in North Germany. Furthermore, change of the community structure was detectable at a concentration range as low as 1/100 to 1/1000 the acute 48 h-LC50 of Daphnia magna. Our findings demonstrate that pesticides may influence the structure and function of lotic ecosystems and that the SPEAR approach can be used as a powerful tool in biomonitoring over large spatial scales. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International audience; The influence of relative isolation on the ecological recovery of freshwater outdoor mesocosm communities after an acute toxic stress was assessed in a 14-month-long study. A single concentration of deltamethrin was applied to 8 out of 16 outdoor 9-m3 mesocosms to create a rapid decrease of the abundance of arthropods. To discriminate between external and internal recovery mechanisms, four treated and four untreated (control) mesocosms were covered with 1-mm mesh screen lids. The dynamics of planktonic communities were monitored in the four types of ponds. The abundance of many phytoplankton taxa increased after deltamethrin addition, but the magnitude of most increases was relatively small, probably due to low nutrient availability and the survival of rotifers. The greatest impact on zooplankton was seen in Daphniidae and, to a lesser extent, calanoid copepods. Recovery (defined as when statistical analysis failed to detect a difference in the abundance between the deltamethrin-treated ponds and corresponding control ponds for two consecutive sampling dates) of Daphniidae was observed in the water column 105 and 77 d after deltamethrin addition in open and covered mesocosms, respectively, and 42 d for both open and covered ponds at the surface of the sediments. Rotifers did not proliferate, probably because of the survival of predators (e.g., cyclopoid copepods). These results confirm that the recovery of planktonic communities after exposure to a strong temporary chemical stress mostly depends upon internal mechanisms (except for larvae of the insect Chaoborus sp.) and that recovery dynamics are controlled by biotic factors, such as the presence of dormant forms and selective survival of predators.

International audience; As compared to other groups of aquatic gastropods, documented examples of endocrine disruption in pulmonates are rather limited. This is quite surprising because the endocrine control of physiological functions has been extensively studied in these animals. In the model-species Lymnaea stagnalis, the neurohormonal regulation of reproduction has been thoroughly investigated, and the primary structure of several peptides and receptors involved in endocrine processes has been established. However, the use of this knowledge has been fairly limited in the context of ecotoxicology, to investigate the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The present review summarizes the main and more recent findings on the neuroendocrine control of reproduction in aquatic pulmonate snails (Basommatophora). It then comprehensively describes selected in vivo laboratory and semi-field studies which provide evidence for possible endocrine disrupting effects of estrogenic and androgenic test compounds [e.g., ethynylestradiol, methyltestosterone (MT)], and of environmental contaminants [e.g., cadmium (Cd), tributyltin (TBT), and nonylphenol (NP), pesticides]. Finally, challenging perspectives for future research are discussed.

In this study, the value of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios were determined in nymphs of a top-predator, the common backswimmer (Notonecta glauca L.), collected in 18 m3 outdoor freshwater mesocosms used to assess the fate and ecotoxicological effects of a diphenyl ether herbicide, fomesafen, applied alone or in combination with Agral 90® (mixture of polyethoxylated derivatives of nonylphenol). Both treatments had a negative effect on δ13C values which may reflect changes in carbon fluxes across food webs in the treated ponds associated with a shift in phytoplankton structure. A decrease in δ15N values was observed in the nymphs collected in mixture-treated ponds, which was presumably due to an increase in the abundance of rotifers and Chironominae larvae in these ponds. These preliminary results indicate that stable isotope ratios may be used as shortcuts to detect qualitative or quantitative shifts in the structure of aquatic food webs caused by pollutants. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios may be used to detect the impact of pollutants on aquatic food webs.