Toxic Activity and Chemical Composition of Lithuanian Wormwood (Artemisiaabsinthium L.) Essential Oils

Toxicity tests of wild wormwood essential oils were performed using the brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) test. N auplii lethality (LC 50) ranged 15.7-31.9 µg/mL, depending on oil composition. The most toxic A. absinthium oils were found to be those containing appreciable amount of trans-sabinyl acetate (45.2%) and (cis+trans) thujones (12.3%), while other samples with equivalent amounts of sabinyl acetate, but without thujones were determined to be notably less toxic. Herb material for the tests was collected in Lithuania, the volatile oils were obtained by hydrodistillation from different plant organs (inflorescences and leaves) and analysed by GC-MS

Evaluation of a potential candidate for heavy metal phytostabilization in polluted sites of the Mediterranean littoral (SE Marseille): endomycorrhizal status, fitness biomarkers and metal content of Atriplex halimus spontaneous populations

This study showed that Atriplex halimus forms endomycorrhizae on heavy metal polluted-soils. But no variation of chlorophylls content in leaves was observed. Only low concentrations of heavy metals were found in leaves compared with the high levels of pollutants in the soil. A. halimus appears as a good candidate for phytostabilization of heavy metals in brackish soils

Mise en place d’une approche intégrée pour la restauration écologique des milieux pollués du Parc national des Calanques

Depuis 2008, sur le site de la friche industrielle de l’Escalette à Marseille, au sein de la zone cœur du Parc national des Calanques (PNCal), scientifiques, gestionnaires et praticiens travaillent de pair pour ­développer des alternatives aux techniques conventionnelles de dépollution du sol. La particularité de ce site est cependant d’abriter une biodiversité riche, façonnée par le climat et la pression anthropique depuis l’époque gréco-romaine, aujourd’hui menacée par la pollution en éléments traces métalliques et métalloïdes (ETMM) liée aux activités industrielles du XIXe siècle. En parallèle d’une action publique de gestion des déchets industriels (scories) sur la zone littorale du PNCal, une réflexion est menée sur la gestion de la ­pollution diffuse sur ce territoire. Les objectifs de la restauration écologique visent à la fois la conservation de la biodiversité locale, l’optimisation des fonctions racinaires et rhizosphériques qui ­permettent la ­réduction des transferts des ETMM, la refonctionnalisation des sols et, de façon plus globale, le développement ­d’écotechnologies pour la restauration des sols pollués dans un contexte méditerranéen. La caractérisation des écosystèmes contaminés a permis d’identifier des ­communautés de plantes natives tolérantes à la pollution, puis de développer des outils d’ingénierie écologique, notamment basés sur la transplantation d’individus de Coronilla juncea L., considérée comme une espèce ingénieur. La collaboration initiée en 2013 avec le Lycée agricole des Calanques (LPA) a aussi permis la multiplication des plantes cibles et de disposer d’une expertise en agro­écologie. Des essais de restauration écologique sont maintenant menés ­conjointement entre partenaires scientifiques, du LPA et du PNCal depuis septembre 2015.On the former lead smelting factory of l’Escalette (South-East coast of Marseille, France), recently included in the first peri-urban French national park, the Calanques National Park (PNCal), scientists and stakeholders have been working together since 2008 to develop alternatives to conventional soil remediation techniques. However the particularity of this site is to support a rich biodiversity, shaped by the climate and the anthropic pressure since the Greco-Roman era, now threatened by the pollution of trace metals and metalloids (TMM) linked to the industrial activities of the 19th century. In parallel with a government action to manage industrial wastes (slag) on the coastal zone of the PNCal, the management of the diffuse pollution by ecological engineering tools is explored by scientists and practitioners. Thereby, the aims of this ecological restoration project are the local biodiversity conservation, the optimizisation of the roots and rhizospherics functions reducing TMM transfer, the rehabilitation of soil functions, and more globally, the development of ecotechnologies to restore polluted soils in the Mediterranean context. In a first step, researches focused on the characterization of soil pollution and ecosystem contamination (i.e. calcareous shrublands and grasslands), in order to select the most tolerant native plants to be used as pioneer species. The results obtained highlighted a high heterogeneity in the soil contamination. Observations of soil-plant-microorganism interactions led to the development of ecological engineering tools to optimize phytostabilization potential of native plant communities. Moreover, the growth of native plants should improve the soil quality by reducing erosion and pollutant (TMM) availability. Thus, we aimed at developing ecological engineering tools, based on the use of engineer species such as the legume Coronilla juncea L., expected to promote the resilience of soil and plant community. A local agricultural high-school (LPA) has also been invested in the project since 2013 to allow the multiplication of the targeted native plants, consequently providing an expertise in agroecology. Since September 2015, the first ecological restoration field trials were being performed by academics, practitioners and stakeholders, always under of approval of the PNCal Charter.</p

Les calanques industrielles de Marseille et leurs pollutions - Une histoire au présent

International audienceno abstrac

Le littoral marseillais

International audienc

17. La remédiation naturelle et l’autoépuration des milieux aquatiques

Selon la Directive-cadre sur l'eau (DCE*, 2000), les hydrosystèmes européens doivent avoir atteint le bon état chimique et écologique des masses d’eaux d’ici 2015 et 2027, respectivement. Actuellement, les actions de gestion préconisées en faveur d’une meilleure qualité de l’eau dépassent rarement le niveau de diagnostic et la mise en place des redevances. Mieux comprendre le fonctionnement de la biodiversité de ces hydrosystèmes et leur géomorphologie peut permettre de définir des plans de r..

Les calanques industrielles de Marseille et leurs pollutions - Une histoire au présent

International audienceno abstrac

Effets potentiels des contaminants sur l’environnement continental : différentes échelles et leviers de la recherche scientifique pour les réduire

International audienc

Effects of climatic factors on native arbuscular mycorrhizae and Meloidogyne exigua in a Brazilian rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) plantation

International audienceThe root-knot nematode Meloidogyne exigua and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi may both occur in the roots of Brazilian rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis). AM fungi may stimulate plant growth whereas nematodes usually reduce it. Variations of native AM fungi and M. exigua populations in soil and roots of rubber trees were studied for one year in a Brazilian plantation. The number of AM spores in the soil was generally greater in the rainy season than in the dry season, although AM colonization of roots was unaffected by season. During the dry season, numbers of juveniles and eggs of M. exigua in roots were lower than in the rainy season. A site without nematodes in the soil or roots showed the greatest numbers of AM spores in soil and highest AM colonization of roots. A negative correlation was observed between the percentage of AM colonization and the number of second-stage juveniles in soil and second-stage juveniles and eggs in roots. Microscope observations revealed (i) tissue specificity for each of the microorganisms in the roots, with a cortical location of mycorrhizae and a mainly vascular cylinder location of nematodes, and (ii) that Gigaspora was the most abundant AM genus in the plantation soil