Functional diversity of microbial communities associated to the mucus of scleractinians around Moorea (French Polynesia)

Mucus production by scleractinians appears as an antifouling mechanism which prevents settlement of other organisms and accumulation of sediments on their surface. This Surface Muccopolysaccharide Layer (SML) harbours dense populations of bacteria which play a paramount role in scleractinians nutrition, metabolism and good health maintenance. However, environmental disturbances can alter these microbiocenoses. Characterization of bacterial communities was carried out using a set of simple techniques that enable us to describe the state and functions of whole microbial communities associated with different hard coral species. Multi-comparisons have been performed on bacterial communities from open water, interstitial water, sedimentary interface and macro algae as well as between healthy and bleached colonies, and patches associated or not with Pomacentridae fishes. The functional study included measurements of bacterial biomass, respiration, oxydative and hydrolytic metabolisms. Non-Fungiidae corals and sedimentary interface have a quite similar bacterial biomass but open water, interstitial water and macro-algae are characterized by higher bacterial biomass. Bacterial respiration potential is similar on corals and at the sedimentary interface, but it is higher in interstitial water and lower in open water and for bacterial community associated with macro-algae. Hydrolytic activities are highest in SML. Bleached corals and patches associated with Pomacentridae fishes show more abundant bacteria, with higher respiration rate and higher hydrolytic activity than corals without fishes and healthy ones. In addition, bacteria of bleached corals display a higher division percentage, a higher growth rate and a lower turn-over time We confirmed that bleaching events or the presence of sedentary fishes modify the bacterial communities structure and affect relationships between coral, endosymbiotic algae, SML-associated microbial community and associated organisms. Such results highlight that SML-bacterial communities are modified by bleaching and raise the question of a potential protection of fishes against pathogens

Cocaïne dans nos rivières : une approche méthodologique originale dans le domaine de la toxicologie environnementale

peer reviewedLa cocaïne et ses métabolites dans les eaux Belges résiduelles et de surfac

MICROPOLLUTANTS ISSUES: A MODELLING STUDY OF HEAVY METALS WITHIN TWO FRENCH BASINS AND A TEST APPLICATION TO COCAINE IN BELGIUM

European policies (European Framework Directive: Water 2000/60/CE, Directive 76/464/CE) impose to reduce the releases of about a hundred substances in surface water. In the last years, the AQUAPOLE has been involved in two studies related to this matter. First, on the request and with the financial support of both the French Ministry of Environment and ONEMA (“Office National de l’Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques”), INERIS (“Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et des Risques”) drew up the guidelines of a methodology allowing fixing the local Limit Values to Emission so as to abide by the quality standards on the whole watershed. Within this context, INERIS wishes to test the use of pollutant transfer models on pilot sub-basins. The PEGASE model has been used to simulate micropollutants on two concrete use cases (1): (iii) in the Meuse sub-basin, managed by the French Water Agency Rhine-Meuse, for simulations concerning cadmium and zinc; (iv) in the Adour sub-basin, managed by the French Water Agency Adour-Garonne, for simulations applied to cadmium and copper. The choice of each substances and sub-basins was made by mutual agreement between INERIS, the concerned Water Agencies, and the AQUAPOLE. A major selection criterion for the substances and the sub-basins was the availability of data (sources and in situ measurements). For the second study, the PEGASE model has been adapted to describe the cocaine’s behaviour (using a stable metabolite of the cocaine in the environment: the benzoylecgonine (BZE)) in waste water, waste water treatment plants (WWTP) and surface water (2). The cocaine is newly described in the model as an additional micropollutant (PEGASE already treats numerous heavy metals), thanks to the implementation of new state variable equations and their specific parameterizations. Simulations of BZE have been done in the Walloon and Flemish regions, where many measurements from the COWAT project (3) were available. The first results are showing good agreement between calculated and measured values. The ability of the model to simulate the fate of studied micropollutants (cadmium, zinc, copper, and the cocaine derivatives) in surface waters should be enhanced and extended to other substances and basins. Moreover, additional data still have to be collected and measured.Amélioration des inventaires de rejets industriel

Studie van het marktaandeel van cannabis dat in België wordt geteeld op de Belgische cannabismarkt

Cannabis is de meest gebruikte (illegale) drug in heel Europa. In de 20ste eeuw zagen we het opkomen van een nieuw probleem in Europa: cannabis wordt nu lokaal geteeld, hoofdzakelijk binnen in een gecontroleerde omgeving. Het doel van voorliggend onderzoek was het deel van de lokaal geteelde cannabis op de Belgische illegale markt bestuderen. Om tegemoet te komen aan deze doelstellingen werd het onderzoek opgebouwd rond drie assen : -Een differentiatie tussen de verschillende fenotypes van geteelde hennep (drug, vezel of tussenvorm) op basis van hun cannabinoide verhouding. -Een bepaling van de geografische locatie van teelt van cannabisplanten en bloemen (nationaal, geproduceerd in buurlanden of geïmporteerd). -Een juridische vergelijking van de verschillende wetgeving betreffende de cannabis teelt, handel en bezit in verschillende Europese landen