Microorganisms-contaminants: reciprocal influences
Moderator : Léa Cabrol
Our aim is to understand the reciprocal influences between contaminants and marine microorganisms, at both population and molecular levels.
Historically, the team has acquired solid expertise in organic contaminants (such as hydrocarbons), which has been supplemented in recent years by expertise in inorganic contaminants such as trace metals.
The studies developed in this area aim to understand :
- the effects of contamination on biodiversity and the activity of microbial communities
- the contribution of these communities to the dynamics and fate of contaminants.
Our main areas of study are natural ecosystems (coastal environments under anthropogenic influence) and bioremediation processes designed to reduce the impact of industrial waste at sea. This theme is closely associated with the multidisciplinary transverse axis CONTAM the MIO, which brings together chemists, physicists and biologists.
Examples of studies
Hydrocarbons
Figure: French Guiana mangrove ecosystem (1), monitoring the biodegradation of a crude oil (2); mesocosm study of the fate of a crude oil in brine after 106 days of incubation at in situ temperature and lighting (3).
We are studying the degradation and transformation of hydrocarbons in the mangroves of French Guiana, taking into account the network of micro-, meio- and macro-benthic fauna interactions.
Metals and Metalloids
Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia) and experience of resuspension of contaminated marine sediments in the laboratory.
Firstly, we are identifying the microorganisms responsible for the methylation of mercury, generating a highly toxic compound in various marine sites (Black Sea, Mediterranean, Pacific). We are also looking at the microorganisms involved in the oxidation-reduction and im/mobilisation processes of a cocktail of metals in highly anthropised ecosystems (Toulon harbour). In particular, we are assessing the impact of phosphogypsum discharges in the Gulf of Gabès during the resuspension of marine sediment and identifying the key players potentially involved in metal immobilisation, with a view to possible applications in bioremediation (Area 5), in partnership with the CBS (Sfax, Tunisia) as part of the LMI COSYSMED.