Contrasting responses of different functional groups stabilize community responses to a dominant shrub under global change
Changes in precipitation regimes and nitrogen deposition levels due to global change are altering terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Most attempts at understanding how biotic interactions affect plant species and community responses to global change have focused on biotic interactions measured at the community level. However, these approaches ignore that communities include functionally dissimilar species that might respond differently to changes in the effects of dominant neighbours along environmental gradients. We test the hypothesis that plant species with differences in functional traits may exhibit contrasting interactions with a dominant shrub species within a single community, thereby stabilizing community-level responses to the effects of global change. We manipulated water and nitrogen applications in a semi-arid dune community in northern China, quantified the biomass of herbaceous species occurring below the dominant shrub, Artemisia ordosica, and in adjacent open patches (without the shrub), and measured herbaceous species height and leaf dry matter content. The effects of A. ordosica were quantified at the species, group and community levels using the relative interaction index (RII). Redundancy analysis was performed on species traits and the RII values to assess the relationships between functional differences in species and plant–plant interactions. Species were then grouped using a cluster analysis and the RII values were recalculated at the group level. The redundancy analysis showed that species height and leaf dry matter content were significantly correlated to the changes in species' responses to the effect of A. ordosica along treatments. The four groups of species identified by the cluster analysis showed contrasting variations in competitive or facilitative responses depending on species traits and environmental treatments. However, the interactions measured at the group level balanced the community-level responses, as we found no significant changes in the effects of A. ordosica along treatments for community biomass, richness and functional diversity indices. Synthesis. Our findings indicate that species with different functional strategies within a community exhibit contrasting responses to a dominant shrub along environmental gradients. These contrasting changes in plant–plant interactions of functionally different species may balance the responses of community-level metrics. This suggests that functional differences between species groups and the balance of plant–plant interactions stabilize community responses to global change. © 2021 British Ecological Society
(Journal of Ecology. vol. 109, n° 0022-0477, pp. 1676-1689, 26/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Does parasitism influence sediment stability? Evaluation of trait-mediated effects of the trematode Bucephalus minimus on the key role of cockles Cerastoderma edule in sediment erosion dynamics
In coastal environments, bioturbators greatly influence the physical and biogeochemical properties of sediments with consequences for central ecological processes such as erosion dynamics. In addition to their direct impact on sediment stability, bioturbators can have an impact on sediment erosion processes by modulating the growth of microphytobenthic organisms that stabilise the surface layer of sediments. The direct and indirect influences of bioturbators on sediment dynamics depend on the magnitude of their activity and inherently on their physiological state. Bioturbators are infected by various parasites, which have a substantial impact on their physiology and behaviour. However, the knock-on effects of parasites on key ecosystem functions like sediment dynamics remain poorly studied. We conducted flume experiments to investigate the indirect influence of the trematode Bucephalus minimus parasitising the common cockle Cerastoderma edule on the dynamics of sandy sediments enriched or not with microphytobenthos (MPB). Cockles modified bed roughness, sediment surface erodibility and hence destabilised sandy sediments. In sediments not enriched with MPB, both unparasitised and parasitised organisms had a similar impact on the stability of sandy sediments. In contrast, parasitism slightly reduced the destabilisation effect of cockles in MPB-enriched sediments. In the latter, parasitised cockles did not interfere with MPB growth whereas unparasitised organisms constrained the microalgae development. However, the enrichment of the surface layers of sandy sediments with MPB did not modulate the erosion dynamics of these environments. Thus, the lower destabilisation effect of parasitised cockles was not here linked to a stabilisation effect of MPB. When standardised for length, parasitised cockles were lighter than unparasitised organisms. Weakened cockles may have had a lower bioturbation potential than unparasitised conspecifics. If so, the influence parasitised cockles had on sediment erodibility and sediment roughness may have been reduced. The absence of a parasitism effect on the dynamics of MPB-unenriched sediments remains nonetheless unclear.
(Science of the Total Environment. vol. 733, n° 0048-9697, pp. 139307, 26/04/2026)
BOREA, UNICAEN, NU, MNHN, IRD, SU, CNRS, UA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, CHRU Besançon
Estrogenic activity of surface waters using zebrafish- and human-based in vitro assays : The Danube as a case-study
Most in vitro reporter gene assays used to assess estrogenic contamination are based on human estrogen receptor α (hERα) activation. However, fish bioassays can have distinct response to estrogenic chemicals and mixtures, questioning the relevance of human-based bioassays for assessing risk to this species. In this study, zebrafish liver cells stably expressing zebrafish ERβ2 (ZELHβ2) and human breast cancer cells expressing hERα (MELN) were used to quantify the estrogenic activity of 25 surface water samples of the Danube River, for which chemicals have been previously quantified. Most samples had a low estrogenic activity below 0.1 ng/L 17β-estradiol-equivalents that was more often detected by MELN cells, while ZELHβ2 response tend to be lower than predicted based on the chemicals identified. Nevertheless, both bioassays quantified well a higher estrogenic activity at two sites, which was confirmed in vivo using a transgenic zebrafish assay. The results are discussed considering the effect-based trigger values proposed for water quality monitoring.
(Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology. vol. 78, n° 1382-6689, pp. art. 103401, 26/04/2026)
SEBIO, INERIS, URCA, ULH, NU, URCA, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INERIS, LPTC, UB, CNRS, UFZ, RWTH Aachen
SESAM mode-locked Tm:LuYO 3 ceramic laser generating 54-fs pulses at 2048 nm
(Applied optics. vol. 59, n° 1559-128X, pp. 10493, 26/04/2026)
JSNU, HNU, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, CIMAP - UMR 6252, UNICAEN, NU, IRAMIS, CEA, ENSICAEN, NU, CNRS, IRMA, UNICAEN, NU, ENSICAEN, NU, CEA, UNIROUEN, NU, INSA Rouen Normandie, INSA, NU, CNRS
Organotropism and biomarker response in oyster Crassostrea gigas exposed to platinum in seawater
Platinum (Pt) is a technology critical element (TCE) for which biogeochemical cycles are still poorly understood. This lack of knowledge includes Pt effects on marine organisms, which proved to be able to bioconcentrate this trace element. Oysters Crassostrea gigas were exposed to stable Pt isotope spiked daily in seawater for 35 days. Seawater was renewed daily and spiked (with Pt(IV)) to three nominal Pt concentrations (50, 100, and 10,000 ng L−1) for two replicate series. Organotropism study revealed that gills, and to a lesser extent mantle, are the key organs regarding Pt accumulation, although a time- and concentration-dependent linear increase in Pt levels occurred in all the organs investigated (i.e., digestive gland, gonads, gills, mantle, and muscle). In oysters exposed to Pt concentrations of 10,000 ng L−1, significant biomarker impairments occurred, especially at cellular levels. They reflect altered lipofuscin and neutral lipid contents, as well as intralysosomal metal accumulation. These observations were attributed to activation of excretion/detoxification mechanisms, including Pt elimination through feces and clearly support the importance of the digestive gland in the response to direct Pt exposure. Despite relatively constant condition index, the integrative biological response (IBR) index suggests a generally decreasing health status of oysters
(Environmental Science and Pollution Research. vol. 27, n° 0944-1344, pp. 3584-3599, 26/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UPV / EHU
Des concrétions fuligineuses en contextes archéologiques : quel potentiel informatif ?
Les spéléothèmes (concrétions carbonatées de grottes) sont des archives naturelles qui se caractérisent par leur capacité à enregistrer les environnements passés ainsi que par leur haute résolution temporelle, en particulier lorsqu’ils sont laminés annuellement. Leur potentiel d’étude ne se limite pas qu’aux recherches sur les reconstitutions paléo-climatiques. Les concrétions peuvent par exemple piéger des particules anthropiques comme de la suie, et ces concrétions fuligineuses ont un fort potentiel informatif en archéologie. Dans cet article, nous présenterons les potentiels d’application archéologique de l’analyse fuliginochronologique à travers plusieurs cas, dans des contextes temporels différents. Les cas les plus récents (en Belgique, en France et en Slovénie), pour lesquels nous disposons parfois d’informations historiques et textuelles autorisant un contrôle des faits archéologiques enregistrés, permettront de valider le potentiel d’archive micro-chronologique des spéléothèmes dans le cadre d’une étude fuliginochronologique. Ensuite, nous étendrons l’utilisation de cette méthode à un site paléolithique français afin de mettre en lumière le potentiel informatif de cette approche en préhistoire.
(Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement. vol. 26, n° 1266-5304, pp. 241-254, 26/04/2026)
UP1 UFR03, UP1, ArScAn, UP1, UP8, UPN, MCC, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LAMPEA, AMU, CNRS, MC, TRACES, EHESS, UT2J, Comue de Toulouse, MCC, Inrap, CNRS
On the small‐scale fractal geometrical structure of a living coral reef barrier
Topographical complexity of coral reefs is of primary importance for a number of hydrodynamical and ecological processes. The present study is based on a series of high‐resolution seabottom elevation measurements along the Maupiti barrier reef, French Polynesia. Several statistical metrics and spectral analysis are used to characterize the spatial evolution of the coral geometrical structure from the reef crest to the backreef. A consistent fractal‐like power law exists in the spectral density of bottom elevation for length‐scales between 0.1 and 7m while, at larger scale, the reef structure shows a different pattern. Such a fine characterization of the reef geometrical structure provides key elements to reconstruct the reef history, to improve the representation of reef roughness in hydrodynamical models and to monitor the evolution of coral reef systems in the global change context.
(Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. vol. 45, n° 0197-9337, pp. 3042-3054, 26/04/2026)
SIAME, UPPA, MIO, IRD, AMU, INSU - CNRS, UTLN, CNRS, INSU - CNRS, UM, CNRS, UA, CEREGE, IRD, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, IMAGES-Espace DEV, IRD, UPVD, AU, UR, UM, UG, UA, IMAG, UM, CNRS, UM, CNRS, LEMON, Inria, IMAG, UM, CNRS, HSM, IRD, INSU - CNRS, UM, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LabEX CORAIL, IRD, UAG, EHESS, EPHE, PSL, IFREMER, UR, UPF, UNC, UA
Extreme Wave Events on Barrier Reefs: A Driver for Critical Regime?
This paper describes the hydrodynamic regimes reached over barrier reefs during extreme wave events. The study is based on a combined approach relying, on one hand, on an extensive in-situ experiment over the Ouano reef-lagoon system, New Caledonia and, on the other hand, on wave-resolving numerical modeling.
(Journal of Coastal Research. vol. 95, n° 0749-0208, pp. 654-658, 26/04/2026)
SIAME, UPPA, MIO, IRD, AMU, INSU - CNRS, UTLN, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INSU - CNRS, UM, CNRS, UA, LOPS, IRD, IFREMER, INSU - CNRS, UBO EPE, CNRS
Seismo‐Turbidites in Aysén Fjord (Southern Chile) Reveal a Complex Pattern of Rupture Modes Along the 1960 Megathrust Earthquake Segment
Grainsize analysis and end-member modeling of a long sediment core from Aysen Fjord (southern Chile) allows to identify over 25 seismo-turbidites in the last 9,000 years. Considering the shaking intensities required to trigger these turbidites (V1/2-VI1/2), the majority can be related to megathrust earthquakes. Multiple studies in south-central Chile have aimed at finding traces of giant, tsunamigenic megathrust earthquakes leading to the current 5,500-year-long paleoseismological record of the Valdivia segment. However, none of these cover the southern third of the segment. Aysen Fjord allows to fill this data gap and presents the first, crucial paleoseismic data to demonstrate that the 1960 event was not unique for the Valdivia segment, yielding a recurrence rate of 321 116 years in the last two millennia. Moreover, the oldest identified events in Aysen Fjord date back to 9,000 cal years BP and, thus, also extend the regional paleoseismological record in time. We infer a large temporal variability in rupture modes, with successions of full-segment ruptures alternating with partial and cascading ruptures. The latter seems to significantly postpone the occurrence of another full rupture when consecutively occurring in different parts of the segment. Additionally, one outstanding period of seismic quiescence-during which no megathrust earthquake evidence has been found at any paleoseismic site-occurred after a full rupture in AD similar to 745 that presents an unusual uplift/subsidence pattern. Such variability makes it highly speculative to anticipate the rupture mode of the next megathrust earthquake along the Valdivia segment.
(Journal of Geophysical Research : Solid Earth. vol. 125, n° 2169-9313, 26/04/2026)
UGent, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, CLIMAG, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, GEOPS, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UB
Transfer and Transcriptomic Profiling in Liver and Brain of European Eels ( Anguilla anguilla ) After Diet‐borne Exposure to Gold Nanoparticles
A nanometric revolution is underway, promising technical innovations in a wide range of applications and leading to a potential boost in environmental discharges. The propensity of nanoparticles (NPs) to be transferred throughout trophic chains and to generate toxicity was mainly assessed in primary consumers, whereas a lack of knowledge for higher trophic levels persists. The present study focused on a predatory fish, the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) exposed to gold NPs (AuNPs; 10 nm, polyethylene glycol–coated) for 21 d at 3 concentration levels in food: 0 (NP0), 1 (NP1), and 10 (NP10) mg Au kg−1. Transfer was assessed by Au quantification in eel tissues, and transcriptomic responses in the liver and brain were revealed by a high‐throughput RNA‐sequencing approach. Eels fed at NP10 presented an erratic feeding behavior, whereas Au quantification only indicated transfer to intestine and kidney of NP1‐exposed eels. Sequencing of RNA was performed in NP0 and NP1 eels. A total of 258 genes and 156 genes were significantly differentially transcribed in response to AuNP trophic exposure in the liver and brain, respectively. Enrichment analysis highlighted modifications in the immune system–related processes in the liver. In addition, results pointed out a shared response of both organs regarding 13 genes, most of them being involved in immune functions. This finding may shed light on the mode of action and toxicity of AuNPs in fish.
(Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. vol. 39, n° 0730-7268, pp. 2450-2461, 26/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS/LECO, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS, IRSN, GENOTOUL, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, ENVT, Toulouse INP, INSERM, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Comue de Toulouse, INRAE, MIAT INRAE, INRAE, INRAE, GET, IRD, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, INSU - CNRS, CNES, CNRS, ICMCB, UB, INC-CNRS, CNRS