Multiple phytoplankton community responses to environmental change in a temperate coastal system: A trait-based approach
The effect of environmental change in structuring the phytoplankton communities of the coastal waters of the Eastern English Channel was investigated by applying a trait-based approach on two decades (1996-2019) of monitoring on diatoms and Phaeocystis . We show that phytoplankton species richness in an unbalanced nutrient supply context was influenced by wind-driven processes, ecological specialization for dissolved inorganic phosphorous, temporal niche differentiation, and a competition-defense and/or a growth-defense trade-off, a coexistence mechanism where weak competitors (i.e., slower growing) are better protected against predation. Under the influence of both environmental perturbations (e.g., wind-driven processes, freshwater influence, unbalanced nutrient levels) and biotic interactions (e.g., competition, predation, facilitation), phytoplankton species exhibited specific survival strategies such as investment on growth, adaptation and tolerance of species to environmental stresses, silicification and resource specialization. These strategies have led to more speciose communities, higher productivity, functional redundancy and stability in the last decade. Our results revealed that the unbalanced nutrient reduction facilitated Phaeocystis blooms and that anthropogenic climate warming and nitrate reduction may threaten the diatom communities of the eastern English Channel in a near future. Our results provide strong support for biogeographical historical and niche-based processes in structuring the phytoplankton community in this temperate region. The variety of species responses that we characterized in this region may help to better understand future changes in pelagic ecosystems, and can serve as a basis to consider functional approaches for future ecosystem management.
(Frontiers in Marine Science. vol. 9, n° 2296-7745, pp. 914475, 13/04/2026)
LOG, INSU - CNRS, ULCO, CNRS, IRD [Ile-de-France], ULCO, BOREA, UNICAEN, NU, MNHN, IRD, SU, CNRS, UA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, TUMSAT, OOB, SU, CNRS, OASU, UB, INSU - CNRS, ULR, CNRS, INRAE, UCA Faculté Médecine, UniCA, MIO, IRD, AMU, INSU - CNRS, UTLN, CNRS, DYNECO, IFREMER
Primary drivers of multidecadal spatial and temporal patterns of shoreline change derived from optical satellite imagery
Understanding and predicting shoreline change along sandy coasts requires continuous (in both time and space) long-term (decades) shoreline data at good spatial (e.g. 100 s of metres) and temporal (e.g. months) resolution. Publicly available satellite imagery can now provide such time series. However, satellite-derived shorelines (SDS) are associated with uncertainties, particularly at high-energy meso-macrotidal coasts, which challenge the assessment of long-term trends and interannual variability. In this paper we address the 1984–2020 time- and space-evolution of 269 km of high-energy meso-macrotidal sandy coast in southwest France using uncertain (no tide and runup correction) SDS data. The shoreline trends are validated with field data collected over the period 2008–2019. Over 1984–2020, the shoreline eroded by 0.55 m/yr with maximum erosion (accretion) reaching 15.61 m/yr (6.94 m/yr), with the largest changes observed along coasts adjacent to the inlet and estuary mouths. We show that, away from the presence of ebb-tide deltas and swash bars affecting offshore wave transformation and nearshore circulation, the long-term shoreline trend is well explained by the gradients in longshore drift computed from a regional wave hindcast and an empirical longshore transport formula. By averaging the yearly SDS along the entire coastline, we find that interannual shoreline variability is well correlated with the winter West Europe Pressure Anomaly (WEPA), which outscores the other conventional teleconnection pattern indices. WEPA even explains >80 % of the space-averaged shoreline variability over the recent period 2014–2020 when more and higher quality satellite images are available. A more local assessment of the links between climate indices and shoreline response shows that correlation with all climate indices dramatically drops downdrift of the large-scale estuary mouths and inlets. This suggests that along this 10–20 km stretch of downdrift coast, shoreline response is controlled factors internal to the estuary mouth/inlet system. The rest of the coast is mostly controlled by factors external to the system, which are primarily the variability in winter-mean wave height correlated to winter WEPA index. Overall, we demonstrate that an adapted space-averaging of uncorrected (noisy) SDS dataset can allow addressing the time- and space variability of shoreline change and their primary drivers including large-scale climate patterns of atmospheric variability. We also advocate that such SDS analysis can be performed along any coastline in the world in order to guide future model development and application.
(Geomorphology. vol. 413, n° 0169-555X, pp. 108360, 13/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, OCNA, BRGM
In-phase millennial-scale glacier changes in the tropics and North Atlantic regions during the Holocene
Based on new and published cosmic-ray exposure chronologies, we show that glacier extent in the tropical Andes and the north Atlantic regions (TANAR) varied in-phase on millennial timescales during the Holocene, distinct from other regions. Glaciers experienced an early Holocene maximum extent, followed by a strong mid-Holocene retreat and a re-advance in the late Holocene. We further explore the potential forcing of TANAR glacier variations using transient climate simulations. Since the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) evolution is poorly represented in these transient simulations, we develop a semi-empirical model to estimate the "AMOC-corrected" temperature and precipitation footprint at regional scales. We show that variations in the AMOC strength during the Holocene are consistent with the observed glacier changes. Our findings highlight the need to better constrain past AMOC behavior, as it may be an important driver of TANAR glacier variations during the Holocene, superimposed on other forcing mechanisms.
(Nature Communications. vol. 401, n° 2041-1723, pp. 108125, 13/04/2026)
CEREGE, IRD, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, SUNY, IGE, IRD, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, Fédération OSUG, UGA, Grenoble INP, UGA, EEOS, UMass Boston, UMASS, UNSW, CRPG, INSU - CNRS, UL, CNRS, ULB, ETH Zürich, DAES, SUNY, TECLIM, ELI, UCLouvain, BC
Higher facilitation for stress‐intolerant ecotypes along a metal pollution gradient are due to a decrease in performance in absence of neighbours
The study of variation in plant-plant interactions along metal-pollution gradient is in its infancy, although this is worth to be assessed for both restoration and theoretical perspectives. Additionally, the mechanisms of facilitation at stake in these particular stressed conditions are poorly known. We aim at understanding the importance of species and ecotypes stress-tolerance in competitive and facilitative responses to neighbours along metal-pollution gradients. We addressed this goal in a field experiment conducted in a former mining area located in a subalpine grassland of the French pyrenees. Two ecotypes of Armeria muelleri (a highly tolerant species to metal stress) and Agrostis capillaris (a less stress-tolerant species) were harvested at the highest and lowest levels of pollution within their distribution range and transplanted with and without neighbours along a strong metal-pollution gradient. The relative interaction index (RII) was used to assess both the effect of neighbours at different stress levels and the effect of metallic stress with and without neighbours. With increasing pollution, plant-plant interactions shifted from negative to positive for Agrostis, but did not vary significantly for Armeria. At high pollution level, the unpolluted Agrostis ecotype was more facilitated than the polluted one, and in benign habitats the polluted Armeria ecotype was more sensitive to competition than the less polluted ecotype. Interestingly, the increase in facilitation with increasing metal stress for the stress-intolerant Agrostis ecotype was primarily due to a decrease in performance without neighbours, whereas the increase in competition with decreasing metal stress for the stress-tolerant Agrostis ecotype was primarily due to an increase in performance with neighbours. More generally, these results suggest that the high size-plasticity of competitive (and stress-intolerant) species or ecotypes may explain both their competitive effects in benign habitats through neighbour-trait effects and facilitative responses in stressed habitats in the context of environmental-severity effects.
(Oikos, n° 0030-1299, 13/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UMR ISPA, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, INRAE
First assessment of Atlantic open ocean Sargassum spp. metal and metalloid concentrations
Over the last decade, increasing proliferations of Atlantic Sargassum populations have led to massive beaching with disastrous environmental consequences. This study is a preliminary assessment of open ocean Sargassum spp. element concentration to assess their potential contribution on coastal ecosystems. Sargassum spp. samples from seven sites, collected along a transect from the center of the Atlantic Ocean to near the coast of Martinique (French West Indies), were analyzed to determine their potential metal and metalloid contamination. Mean element concentrations from the Sargassum spp. samples were ranked in the following descending order: As > Fe > Mn > Al > Zn > V > Ni > Cu > Cr > Cd > Hg. Element concentrations are relatively low compared to previous results of beached Sargassum spp. except for As that need to be carefully considered before reusing Sargassum spp.
(Environmental Science and Pollution Research. vol. 29, n° 0944-1344, pp. 17606-17616, 13/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, ISYEB, MNHN, EPHE, PSL, SU, CNRS, UA
Particle tracking as a vulnerability assessment tool for drinking water production
The simulation of concentration values and use of such data for historymatching is often impeded by the computation time of groundwater transport models based on the resolution of the advection-dispersion equation. This is unfortunate because such data are often rich in information and the prediction of concentration values is of great interest for decision making. Particle tracking can be used as an efficient alternative under a series of simplifying assumptions, which are often reasonable at groundwater sinks (wells and drains). Our approach consists of seeding particles around a sink and tracking particles backward, up to the source boundary condition, such as a contaminated stream. This particle tracking approach allows the use of parameter estimation and optimization methods requiring numerous model calls. We present a Python module facilitating the pre-and post-processing operations of a modeling workflow based on the widely used USGS MODFLOW6 and MODPATH7 programs. The module handles particle seeding around the sink and estimation of the mixing ratio of water withdrawn from the sink. This ratio is computed with a mixing law from the particle endpoints, accounting for particle velocities and mixing in the source model cells. We investigate the best practice to obtain robust derivatives with this approach, which is a benefit for the screening methods based on linear analysis. We illustrate the interest of the approach with a real world case study, considering a drinking water well field vulnerable to a contaminated stream. The configuration is typical of many other drinking water production sites. The modeling workflow is fully script-based to make the approach easily reproducible in similar cases.
(Frontiers in Earth Science, n° 2296-6463, 13/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, HSM, IRD, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UM, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UA, UM
Three new deep-sea species of Marphysa (Annelida, Eunicida, Eunicidae) from Papua New Guinea (Bismarck and Solomon seas)
Three new species of Marphysa Quatrefages, 1866, Marphysa banana sp. nov., Marphysa papuaensis sp. nov., and Marphysa zanolae sp. nov. are described from deep-sea sunken vegetation off Papua New Guinea, using both morphology and molecular data (for two species). With the presence of compound spinigers only and the branchiae present over many chaetigers, Marphysa banana sp. nov. belongs to the group B2. This species is characterised by the presence of eyes, the presence of branchiae starting from chaetiger 20, and by the presence of three types of pectinate chaetae and bidentate subacicular hooks starting from chaetigers 13-52. With the presence of compound falcigers only and the branchiae restricted to a short anterior region, Marphysa papuaensis sp. nov. belongs to the group C1. This species has a bilobed prostomium but no eyes, has branchiae from chaetigers 7 to 14-16 with up to 16 filaments. Marphysa papuaensis sp. nov. is also characterised by the presence of bidentate subacicular hooks from chaetiger 20 and by a single type of pectinate chaetae. Finally, Marphysa zanolae sp. nov. belongs to the group C2, with the presence of compound falcigers only and the branchiae present over many chaetigers. This species is characterised by the absence of eyes, by the presence of branchiae with a single long filament starting from chaetiger 31, by unidentate subacicular hooks starting from chaetiger 28 and finally by one type of pectinate chaetae with very long outer teeth.
(Zookeys. vol. 1122, n° 1313-2989, pp. 81-105, 13/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UMS POREA, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, AMRI, LECOB, SU, CNRS, OOB, SU, CNRS
Absence of a strong, deep-reaching Antarctic Circumpolar Current zonal flow across the Tasmanian gateway during the Oligocene to early Miocene
The vigorous eastward flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) connects all major ocean basins and plays a prominent role in the transport of heat, carbon and nutrients around the globe. However, the establishment of a deep circumpolar flow, similar to the present-day ACC, remains controversial thereby obscuring our understanding of its climatic impact. Deciphering the chemical composition of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) within the ACC can provide critical insights about its development and evolution. Here we present new fossil fish teeth/bone debris neodymium isotope (εNd) records from Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Sites 278 and 274 in the southwest Pacific Ocean, with the aim to trace changes in deep water masses across the Tasmanian Gateway between the early Oligocene and early Miocene (~ 33-22 Ma). Site 274 provides the first Nd isotope record proximal to the Ross Sea during the Oligocene (33.5-23.4 Ma). Its Nd isotope composition shows excursions to very radiogenic values, εNd(t) = -3.1 and εNd(t)= - 3.7, at 33.5 Ma and 23.8 Ma, respectively, in response to major steps in Antarctic ice sheet expansion. A shift to lower, more unradiogenic εNd(t) values between 29.7 and 29.1 Ma is linked to an increased influence of proto-CDW upwelling at the site. In contrast, the Nd isotope record from Site 278 in the southern Emerald Basin shows little variability (εNd(t) = -6.0 to -6.7) throughout the Oligocene and early Miocene (30.9-21.8 Ma). Comparison with published data north of the ACC path, demonstrates the presence of two deep water masses in the South Pacific prior to the inferred onset of the ACC (33-30 Ma), one occupying depths between ~2500 and 3000 m (εNd(t)= ~ -3 to -5) and a deep/bottom water mass (> 3000 m) with a more unradiogenic Nd isotope composition (εNd(t)= ~ -6). Site 278 located close to the proto-polar front (proto-PF) indicates that following the inferred onset of the ACC, deep waters bathing the southern Emerald Basin remained more radiogenic in the Southwest Pacific compared to sites along the proto-PF in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean (εNd(t)= ~ -8.1). This indicates a provinciality in Nd isotope compositions of deep waters along the proto-PF across the Tasmanian Gateway. Our data are incompatible with the existence of a modern-like homogenous (lateral and vertical) Nd isotope composition of CDW along the main flow path of the ACC in all oceanic basins in the Oligocene to early Miocene. We attribute distinct Nd isotope compositions of deep waters across the Tasmanian Gateway to reflect a less deep reaching and weaker ACC (proto-ACC) than today. Our findings suggest that the modern strong and deep-reaching ACC flow must have been developed at a later point in the Neogene.
(Global and Planetary Change. vol. 208, n° 0921-8181, pp. 317, p. 18-38., 13/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Screening of the Toxicity of Polystyrene Nano-and Microplastics Alone and in Combination with Benzo(a)pyrene in Brine Shrimp Larvae and Zebrafish Embryos
The occurrence of nanoplastics (NPs) and microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems and their capacity to sorb hydrophobic pollutants is nowadays an issue of great concern. This study aimed to assess the potential bioavailability and acute toxicity of polystyrene (PS) NPs (50 and 500 nm) and of MPs (4.5 µm), alone and with sorbed benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), in the embryo/larval stages of brine shrimps and zebrafish. Exposure to pristine plastics up to 50.1 mg PS/L did not cause significant impact on brine shrimp survival, while some treatments of plastics-B(a)P and all concentrations of B(a)P (0.1–10 mg/L) resulted acutely toxic. In zebrafish, only the highest concentrations of MPs-B(a)P and B(a)P caused a significant increase of malformation prevalence. Ingestion of NPs was observed by 24–48 h of exposure in the two organisms (from 0.069 to 6.87 mg PS/L). In brine shrimps, NPs were observed over the body surface and within the digestive tract, associated with feces. In zebrafish, NPs were localized in the eyes, yolk sac, and tail at 72 h, showing their capacity to translocate and spread into the embryo. MP ingestion was only demonstrated for brine shrimps. In zebrafish embryos exposed to plastics-B(a)P, B(a)P appeared in the yolk sac of the embryos. The presence of B(a)P was also noticeable in brine shrimps exposed to 500 nm NPs-B(a)P. In conclusion, NPs entered and spread into the zebrafish embryo and PS NPs, and MPs were successful vectors of B(a)P to brine shrimp and zebrafish embryos. Particle size played a significant role in explaining the toxicity of plastics–B(a)P. Our study provides support for the idea that plastics may pose a risk to aquatic organisms when combined with persistent organic pollutants such as B(a)P.
(Nanomaterials. vol. 12, n° 2079-4991, pp. 941, 13/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UPV / EHU
The underestimated effects of nanoplastics on living organisms
Scientific Sessions S-31 | Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) and human health
(Toxicology Letters. vol. 368, n° 0378-4274, pp. S72-S72, 13/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, GR, UR, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, ULaval, INSU - CNRS, CNRS