Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Climatic changes result in an increased in mean temperature and in a higher incidence of extreme weather events such as heat and cold waves. For ectotherms, such as insect parasitoids, the ability to remain active under extreme climatic conditions is a significant key to fitness. The body size of individuals, and in particular their surface to volume ratio, may play a role in their resistance to thermal conditions. The thermal tolerances are investigated of two closely-related sympatric parasitoid species [Aphidius avenae Haliday and Aphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani-Perez (Hymenoptera: Aphidiinae)] that have a similar ecology but differ in body size and phenologies. The critical thermal limits of individuals are assessed in both sexes of each parasitoid species and the influence of surface-volume ratios on their thermal tolerances. Aphidius avenae is less resistant to low temperatures and more resistant to high temperatures than A. rhopalosiphi. The lower surface to volume ratio of A. avenae individuals may help them to remain active in summer when experiencing heat waves. However, body size is not the sole factor that plays a role in differences of thermal tolerance between species and body size may not be an adaptation to extreme temperatures but rather a by-product of developmental regulation. Closely related sympatric species from the same ecological guild can have different thermal tolerances that may allow them to occur within the same habitat. The present study also highlights the importance of clearly defining how to measure critical thermal limits to determine the thermal tolerance of a species.
ISSN: 0307-6962

hal-00589094
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00589094
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-3032.2010.00758.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Abstract View references (38)This work presents a facile, scalable method for the fabrication of graphene oxide-iron oxide (GO-Fe3O4) nanocomposites produced by co-precipitation of iron ions onto the GO surfaces in basic aqueous media. FTIR and XRD characterisation suggests that Fe3O4 was chemically anchored to the GO sheets, possibly via the carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. Small GO loadings of 0.5 and 1 wt% were not sufficient to alter the Fe3O4 structures. However, increasing the GO loading to 5 and 10 wt% resulted in significant loss in pore volume, thus suggesting the lamellar GO sheets decorated with Fe3O4 were assembling into GO-Fe3O4 nanocomposite stacks. It was found that the GO-Fe3O4 nanocomposites had an enhanced catalytic activity in the heterogeneous Fenton-like oxidation of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) compared to pure GO flat sheets and Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Interestingly, the GO-Fe3O4 nanocomposite with 5 wt% loading ratio exhibited the best catalytic activity with 76% degradation of AO7 dye observed within 90 min of reaction. This was attributed to the synergistic effect of GO by enriching the adsorbed AO7 molecules onto the nanocomposite to be further oxidised in the vicinities of active sites. This finding suggests the promising employment of GO-Fe3O4 nanocomposites in removing organic dyes from polluted water by heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction. © 2014 by American Scientific Publishers.
SCIENCE OF ADVANCED MATERIALS

hal-01683207
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01683207
DOI : 10.1166/sam.2014.1812

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The cyanobacteria-derived neurotoxin β-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) represents a plausible environmental trigger for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a debilitating and fatal neuromuscular disease. With the eutrophication of water bodies, cyanobacterial blooms and their toxins are becoming increasingly prevalent in France, especially in the Brittany region. Cyanobacteria are monitored at only a few recreational sites, preventing an estimation of exposure of the human population. By contrast, phosphorus, a limiting nutrient for cyanobacterial growth and thus considered a good proxy for cyanobacteria exposure, is monitored in many but not all surface water bodies. Our goal was to develop a geographic exposure indicator that could be used in epidemiological research. We considered the total phosphorus (TP) concentration (mg/L) of samples collected between October 2007 and September 2012 at 179 monitoring stations distributed throughout the Brittany region. Using readily available spatial data, we computed environmental descriptors at the watershed level with a Geographic Information System. Then, these descriptors were introduced into a backward stepwise linear regression model to predict the median TP concentration in unmonitored surface water bodies. TP concentrations in surface water follow an increasing gradient from West to East and inland to coast. The empirical concentration model included five predictor variables with a fair coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.51). The specific total runoff and the watershed slope correlated negatively with the TP concentrations (p = 0.01 and p < 10− 9, respectively), whereas positive associations were found for the proportion of built-up area, the upstream presence of sewage treatment plants, and the algae volume as indicated by the Landsat red/green reflectance ratio (p < 0.01, p < 10− 6 and p < 0.01, respectively). Complementing the monitoring networks, this geographical modeling can help estimate TP concentrations at the watershed level, delivering a proxy for cyanobacteria exposure that can be used along with other risk factors in further ALS epidemiologic case–control studies
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01175538
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01175538
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2015.04.007
PUBMED : 25913322