Éditeur(s) : Montpellier 1
Résumé : Understanding bioaccumulation mechanisms of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is a major issue for environmental risk assessment. In this work, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a model contaminant family, has been studied in the European hake (Merluccius merluccius), a high trophic level species from the Gulf of Lions. High concentrations of PCBs were measured in hake from this area compared to those encountered in the population of the Bay of Biscay. PCB biomagnification was highlighted along its food web from marine phytoplankton, suggesting a strong influence of diet on contamination levels. The role of other biological processes was also apprehended in order to understand the high variability of observed levels. Thus, growth, sex, and also the degree of sexual maturity appear as major factors explaining the measured concentrations in fish. A PCB bioaccumulation model in the hake, based on the Dynamic Energy Budget theory (DEB), was developed. This approach is based on a bioenergetic model, reproducing the main physiological functions of an organism (feeding, growth and reproduction), coupled with a kinetic model of contaminants. The growth and evolution of contamination levels of several PCB congeners during the life of male and female hakes is satisfactorily simulated, both in the Gulf of Lions and in the Bay of Biscay, validating the processes taken into account. This combined modelling approach appears well adapted to study the fate of contaminants in fish, and paves the way for a realistic understanding of their effects on major biological functions of fish.
La compréhension des mécanismes de bioaccumulation des contaminants organiques persistants (POP) est un enjeu majeur pour l'évaluation des risques environnementaux. Lors de ce travail, le devenir d'une famille de contaminants modèles, les polychlorobiphényles (PCB), a été étudié chez une espèce de rang trophique élevé du golfe du Lion, le merlu Européen (Merluccius merluccius). Des concentrations élevées en PCB ont été mesurées dans les merlus de ce secteur en comparaison à celles rencontrées dans la population du golfe de Gascogne. La mise en évidence d'une bioamplification des PCB le long de son réseau trophique, depuis le phytoplancton marin, suggère une influence importante de l'alimentation sur les niveaux de contamination. Le rôle d'autres processus biologiques a également été appréhendé afin de comprendre la forte variabilité des niveaux observés. Ainsi, la croissance, le sexe, mais également le degré de maturité sexuel apparaissent comme des facteurs explicatifs majeurs des concentrations en PCB mesurées dans les poissons. Un modèle de bioaccumulation des PCB chez le merlu, basé sur la théorie de Budget d'Energie Dynamique (DEB), a été développé. Il s'agit d'une approche basée sur le couplage d'un modèle bioénergétique, reproduisant les principales fonctions physiologiques de l'organisme (nutrition, croissance et reproduction), avec un modèle de cinétique des contaminants. La croissance et l'évolution des niveaux de contamination de plusieurs congénères de PCB au cours de la vie des merlus mâles et femelles est simulée de manière satisfaisante, tant dans le golfe de Gascogne que dans le golfe du Lion, validant ainsi les processus pris en compte. Cette approche combinée de modélisation apparaît tout à fait adaptée à l'étude du devenir des contaminants chez les poissons, et ouvre la voie à une compréhension réaliste de leurs effets sur les grandes fonctions biologiques de ces organismes.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/these-6490.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6490/

Éditeur(s) : Inter-research
Résumé : Environmental conditions experienced by aquatic organisms are archived in biogenic carbonates such as fish otoliths, bivalve shells and coral skeletons. These calcified structures present an accretionary growth and variations in optical properties - color or opacity - that are used to reconstruct time. Full and reliable exploitation of the information extracted from these structures is, however, often limited as the metabolic processes that control their growth and their optical properties are poorly understood. Here, we propose a new modeling framework that couples both the growth of a biogenic carbonate and its optical properties with the metabolism of the organism. The model relies on well-tested properties of Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory. It is applied to otoliths of the Bay of Biscay anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) for which a DEB model has been previously developed. The model reproduces well-known otolith patterns and thus provides us with mechanisms for the metabolic control of otolith size and opacity at the scale of an individual lifespan. Two original contributions using this framework are demonstrated. First, the model can be used to reconstruct the temporal variations in the food assimilated by an individual fish. Reconstructing food conditions of past and present aquatic species in their natural environment is key ecological information to better understand population dynamics. Second, we show that non-seasonal checks can be discriminated from seasonal checks, which is a well-recognized problem when interpreting fish otoliths. We discuss further developments of the model and the experimental settings required to test this new promising framework.
Marine Ecology-progress Series (0171-8630) (Inter-research), 2012 , Vol. 447 , P. 151-164

Droits : 2012 Inter-Research
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00060/17082/14593.pdf
DOI:10.3354/meps09492
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00060/17082/

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : Bioaccumulation is difficult to document because responses differ among chemical compounds, with environmental conditions, and physiological processes characteristic of each species. We use a mechanistic model, based on the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory, to take into account this complexity and study factors impacting accumulation of organic pollutants in fish through ontogeny. The bioaccumulation model proposed is a comprehensive approach that relates evolution of hake PCB contamination to physiological information about the fish, such as diet, metabolism, reserve and reproduction status. The species studied is the European hake (Merluccius merluccius, L. 1758). The model is applied to study the total concentration and the lipid normalised concentration of 4 PCB congeners in male and female hakes from the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean sea) and the Bay of Biscay (NE Atlantic ocean). Outputs of the model compare consistently to measurements over the life span of fish. Simulation results clearly demonstrate the relative effects of food contamination, growth and reproduction on the PCB bioaccumulation in hake. The same species living in different habitats and exposed to different PCB prey concentrations exhibit marked difference in the body accumulation of PCBs. At the adult stage, female hakes have a lower PCB concentration compared to males for a given length. We successfully simulated these sex-specific PCB concentrations by considering two mechanisms: a higher energy allocation to growth for females and a transfer of PCBs from the female to its eggs when allocating lipids from reserve to eggs. Finally, by its mechanistic description of physiological processes, the model is relevant for other species and sets the stage for a mechanistic understanding of toxicity and ecological effects of organic contaminants in marine organisms.
Journal of Sea Research (1385-1101) (Elsevier), 2009-10 , Vol. 62 , N. 2-3 , P. 124-134

Droits : 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6789.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.seares.2009.02.006
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6789/

Éditeur(s) : Public Library Science
Résumé : The blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, is a commercially important species, with production based on both fisheries and aquaculture. Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) models have been extensively applied to study its energetics but such applications require a deep understanding of its nutrition, from filtration to assimilation. Being filter feeders, mussels show multiple responses to temporal fluctuations in their food and environment, raising questions that can be investigated by modeling. To provide a better insight into mussel–environment interactions, an experiment was conducted in one of the main French growing zones (Utah Beach, Normandy). Mussel growth was monitored monthly for 18 months, with a large number of environmental descriptors measured in parallel. Food proxies such as chlorophyll a, particulate organic carbon and phytoplankton were also sampled, in addition to non-nutritious particles. High-frequency physical data recording (e.g., water temperature, immersion duration) completed the habitat description. Measures revealed an increase in dry flesh mass during the first year, followed by a high mass loss, which could not be completely explained by the DEB model using raw external signals. We propose two methods that reconstruct food from shell length and dry flesh mass variations. The former depends on the inversion of the growth equation while the latter is based on iterative simulations. Assemblages of food proxies are then related to reconstructed food input, with a special focus on plankton species. A characteristic contribution is attributed to these sources to estimate nutritional values for mussels. M. edulis shows no preference between most plankton life history traits. Selection is based on the size of the ingested particles, which is modified by the volume and social behavior of plankton species. This finding reveals the importance of diet diversity and both passive and active selections, and confirms the need to adjust DEB models to different populations and sites.
Plos One (1932-6203) (Public Library Science), 2014-10 , Vol. 9 , N. 10 , P. 1-13

Droits : 2014 Picoche et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00218/32895/31380.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00218/32895/31381.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00218/32895/31382.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00218/32895/31383.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00218/32895/31384.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Transport of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons through focused fluid flow systems is a widespread process in continental margins and sedimentary basins, which is gaining increased attention in the assessment of geohazards, environment conservation, and securing fossil energy resources. Studying the abundance, distribution and drivers for this process is crucial for understanding its role in 1) the dynamics of gas hydrate accumulation and destabilization, 2) submarine slope stability and related tsunamis, 3) the plethora of chemosynthetic benthic ecosystems that develop in deep seep sites, and 4) the input of greenhouse gases (e.g. methane) into the ocean/atmosphere system, which may influence the atmospheric carbon budget and Earth's paleo- and present climate. New ocean exploration tools provide ever more data and improve our understanding of these systems. However, the subject still suffers from a lack of interdisciplinary knowledge dissemination. The ongoing international debate about the timing and the processes that control fluid expulsion in sedimentary basins is fuelled by their implications for structural and petroleum geology. Because fluids expelled at cold seeps originate at depth they represent open windows into the underlying petroleum systems and are valuable indicators for the reservoir systems. They may also help in deciphering past and predicting future climate change because worldwide release of large amounts of fluids may have an impact on the chemistry of the ocean and atmosphere.
ISSN: 0025-3227

hal-00772472
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00772472
DOI : 10.1016/j.margeo.2012.10.012