The impact of maturity on the ability of

The sporulation of oocysts of Eimeria that infect poultry is known to be under the influence of environmental conditions, including temperature, oxygen supply, and moisture. However, even when these conditions are optimal, the level of sporulation can remain low. The effect of oocyst maturity on their ability to sporulate was investigated for two species of Eimeria: E. acervulina of chickens, and E. meleagrimitis of turkeys. After oral infection of birds, oocysts were collected at their production site in the intestine at different times around the prepatent period. The percentage of sporulation was determined by observation of 100 oocysts for each sample. With E. acervulina, it was observed that sporulation depended on the time of collection of the oocysts in the intestine, and that it increased with aging oocysts (from 5% to 40% globally in 8 h). With E. meleagrimitis, sporulation remained low with oocysts collected in the duodenum (below 20%), but oocysts collected in the midgut and in the lower intestine sporulated more efficiently (around 80%) than oocysts collected in the duodenum at the same time. One explanation for these results is the assumption that oocysts may be produced before fertilization, and that microgametes have not yet fertilized the newly produced oocysts. As time goes on, more oocysts would be fertilized, locally in the duodenum for E. acervulina, and descending along the gut for E. meleagrimitis. This hypothesis needs to be investigated further, but it could lead to new approaches to control these parasites by targeting the microgametes

Comparison of benthic oxygen exchange measured by aquatic Eddy Covariance and Benthic Chambers in two contrasting coastal biotopes (Bay of Brest, France)

International audienceTo the best of our knowledge, the understanding of benthic metabolism of coastal sedimentary areas is still limited due to the complexity of determining their true in situ dynamics over large spatial and temporal scales. Multidisciplinary methodological approaches are then necessary to increase our comprehension of factors controlling benthic processes and fluxes. An aquatic Eddy Covariance (EC) system and Benthic Chambers (BC) were simultaneously deployed during the winter of 2013 in the Bay of Brest within a Maerl bed and a bare mudflat to quantify and compare exchange at the sediment–water interface. Environmental abiotic parameters (i.e., light, temperature, salinity, current velocity and water depth) were additionally monitored to better understand the mechanisms driving benthic exchange. At both sites, EC measurements showed short-term variations (i.e. 15 min) in benthic fluxes according to environmental conditions. At the Maerl station, EC fluxes ranged from -21.0 mmol m−2 d−1 to 71.3 mmol m−2 d−1 and averaged 22.0 ± 32.7 mmol m−2 d−1 (mean SD), whilst at the bare muddy station, EC fluxes ranged from -43.1 mmol m−2 d−1 to 12.1 mmol m−2 d−1 and averaged -15.9 ± 14.0 mmol m−2 d−1 (mean SD) during the total deployment. Eddy Covariance and Benthic Chambers measurements showed similar patterns of temporal flux changes at both sites. However, at the Maerl station, BC may have underestimated community respiration. This may be due to the relative large size of the EC footprint (compared to BC), which takes into account the mesoscale spatial heterogeneity (e.g. may have included contributions from bare sediment patches). Also, we hypothesize that the influence of bioturbation induced by large-sized mobile benthic fauna on sediment oxygen consumption was not fully captured by BC compared to EC. Overall, the results of the present study highlight the importance of taking into account specific methodology limitations with respect to sediment spatial macro-heterogeneity and short-term variations of environmental parameters to accurately assess benthic exchange in the various benthic ecosystems of the coastal zone

Action of a clay suspension on an Fe(0) surface under anoxic conditions: Characterization of neoformed minerals at the Fe(0)/solution and Fe(0)/atmosphere interfaces

International audienceTo better understand the reaction mechanisms involved at the Fe(0)/clay minerals interface, we investigate in the present study the reaction between an Fe(0) surface and a clay suspension extracted from the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx). Batch experiments were carried out under anoxic conditions in sealed autoclave, at 90 degrees C to mimic predicted radioactive waste disposal conditions. An Fe(0) foil was introduced into the autoclave so that the lower part of the foil was immersed in the clay suspension while the upper part was contacted with the atmosphere of the experimental setup. After two months, the mineralogical deposits that precipitated at the surface of the Fe(0) foil were analyzed using multiple techniques, namely X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning/transmission electron microscopy associated to microanalysis (SEM/TEM-EDXS), and micro-spectroscopic measurements (l-FTIR and l-Raman). Both parts of the Fe(0) foil were then shown to react: magnetite was the main resulting mineral formed at the Fe(0) surface in the atmospheric conditions whereas serpentine 1:1 phyllosilicates were the main end-products in the clay suspension. The analyses performed on the immersed part of the foil revealed a spatial heterogeneity in both serpentine cristallochemistry and morphology, with a gradient from the Fe(0) contact point toward the clay suspension. A pure Fe-Si phyllosilicate ring was observed at the direct contact point with the Fe(0) foil and a progressive incorporation of Al instead of Fe into the clay phases was identified as deposit thickness increased from the Fe(0) surface to the clay suspension. Our findings suggest that reaction mechanisms include several steps, corresponding to successive regimes depending on the availability of the main reactive elements at the Fe(0)/solution interface, namely Fe, Si and Al. Thus, our results provide new information to support the understanding of both mineral organization and composition at the clay/Fe(0) interface