Cadmium Highlights Common and Specific Responses of Two Freshwater Sentinel Species, and .

Zebra mussel (ZM), , commonly used as a sentinel species in freshwater biomonitoring, is now in competition for habitat with quagga mussel (QM), This raises the question of the quagga mussel's use in environmental survey. To better characterise QM response to stress compared with ZM, both species were exposed to cadmium (100 µg·L), a classic pollutant, for 7 days under controlled conditions. The gill proteomes were analysed using two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry.

CRISPR/Cas as a Genome-Editing Technique in Fruit Tree Breeding.

CRISPR (short for "Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats") is a technology that research scientists use to selectively modify the DNA of living organisms. CRISPR was adapted for use in the laboratory from the naturally occurring genome-editing systems found in bacteria. In this work, we reviewed the methods used to introduce CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing into fruit species, as well as the impacts of the application of this technology to activate and knock out target genes in different fruit tree species, including on tree development, yield, fruit quality, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Fate, subcellular distribution and biological effects of rare earth elements in a freshwater bivalve under complex exposure.

Rare earth elements (REE) are emerging contaminants due to their increased use in diverse applications including cutting-edge and green-technologies. Their environmental concerns and contradicting results concerning their biological effects require an extensive understanding of REE ecotoxicology. Thus, we have studied the fate, bioaccumulation and biological effects of three representative REE, neodymium (Nd), gadolinium (Gd) and ytterbium (Yb), individually and in mixture, using the freshwater bivalve Corbicula fluminea.

Spatial and seasonal use of biomarkers in dreissenids: implications for biomonitoring.

In addition to pollution, organisms are exposed to natural variations of the biotic and abiotic factors of their environment. A battery of sub-cellular biomarkers has been measured seasonally in several populations of both Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis. To observe and understand the variability associated with biomarker responses, water physicochemistry, sediment contamination, and internal concentrations of contaminants in soft tissues were also considered.

Orchard Management and Incorporation of Biochemical and Molecular Strategies for Improving Drought Tolerance in Fruit Tree Crops.

Water scarcity is one of the greatest concerns for agronomy worldwide. In recent years, many water resources have been depleted due to multiple factors, especially mismanagement. Water resource shortages lead to cropland expansion, which likely influences climate change and affects global agriculture, especially horticultural crops.

Assessing the effects of silver nanoparticles on the ecophysiology of Gammarus roeseli.

Being part of the macrobenthic fauna, gammarids are efficient indicators of contamination of aquatic ecosystems by nanoparticles that are likely to sediment on the bottom. The present study investigates the effects of silver nanoparticles (nAg) on ecophysiological functions in Gammarus roeseli by using a realistic scenario of contamination. Indeed, an experiment was conducted during 72 h, assessing the effects of 5 silver nAg from 10 to 100 nm diluted at concentrations of maximum 5 µg L in a natural water retrieved from a stream and supplemented with food.

Spontaneous, Artificial, and Genome Editing-Mediated Mutations in .

Mutation is a source of genetic diversity widely used in breeding programs for the acquisition of agronomically interesting characters in commercial varieties of the species, as well as in the rest of crop species. Mutation can occur in nature at a very low frequency or can be induced artificially. Spontaneous or bud sport mutations in somatic cells can be vegetatively propagated to get an individual with the mutant phenotype.

The integrated biomarker response in three anuran species larvae at sublethal concentrations of cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, glyphosate, and glufosinate-ammonium.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the response in larvae of the anuran species , and exposed to glyphosate (GLY, 2.5 mg L), cypermethrin (CYP, 0.013 mg L), chlorpyrifos (CP, 0.

Impacts of chemical stress, season, and climate change on the flounder population of the highly anthropised Seine estuary (France).

The main objective of this study was to improve our knowledge on the responses of fish populations to multistress (diffuse pollution and warming waters) in estuaries. Adult flounders were caught in two estuaries in the Eastern English Channel: the heavily polluted Seine estuary vs the moderately contaminated Canche estuary. Fish samplings were conducted in January just before the reproduction period, and in July when gonads were at rest.

Does the environmental history of mussels have an effect on the physiological response to additional stress under experimental conditions?

Expected effects on marine biota of the ongoing elevation of water temperature and high latitudes is of major concern when considering the reliability of coastal ecosystem production. To compare the capacity of coastal organisms to cope with a temperature increase depending on their environmental history, responses of adult blue mussels (Mytilus spp.) taken from two sites differentially exposed to chemical pollution were investigated during an experimental exposure to a thermal stress.

Molecular response of a sub-antarctic population of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis platensis) to a moderate thermal stress.

The Kerguelen Islands (49°26'S, 69°50'E) represent a unique environment due to their geographical isolation, which protects them from anthropogenic pollution. The ability of the endemic mussel, part of the Mytilus complex, to cope with moderate heat stress was explored using omic tools. Transcripts involved in six major metabolic functions were selected and the qRT-PCR data indicated mainly changes in aerobic and anaerobic energy metabolism and stress response.

How does interspecific competition modify the response of grass plants against herbicide treatment? A hierarchical concentration-response approach.

Ecological interactions are rarely taken into account in environmental risk assessment. The objective of this work was to assess how interspecific competition affects the way plant species react to herbicides and more specifically how it modifies the concentration-response curves that can be built using ecotoxicological bioassays. To do this, we relied on the results of ecotoxicological bioassays on six herbaceous species exposed to isoproturon under two conditions: in presence and in absence of a competitor.

Effect of interspecific competition on species sensitivity distribution models: Analysis of plant responses to chemical stress.

Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSD) are widely used in environmental risk assessment to predict the concentration of a contaminant that is hazardous for 5% of species (HC). They are based on monospecific bioassays conducted in the laboratory and thus do not directly take into account ecological interactions. This point, among others, is accounted for in environmental risk assessment through an assessment factor (AF) that is applied to compensate for the lack of environmental representativity.

Environmental transcriptomes of invasive dreissena, a model species in ecotoxicology and invasion biology.

Dreissenids are established model species for ecological and ecotoxicological studies, since they are sessile and filter feeder organisms and reflect in situ freshwater quality. Despite this strong interest for hydrosystem biomonitoring, omics data are still scarce. In the present study, we achieved full de novo assembly transcriptomes of digestive glands to gain insight into Dreissena polymorpha and D.

A sub-individual multilevel approach for an integrative assessment of CuO nanoparticle effects on Corbicula fluminea.

Because they are widely used, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are likely to enter the aquatic environment and then reach the sediment. We have examined the effect of CuO NPs in the freshwater endobenthic bivalve Corbicula fluminea. Some previous studies have investigated effects at biochemical and physiological levels, but molecular endpoints are still poorly studied despite they are sensitive in early detection of NPs effect.

Corbicula fluminea gene expression modulated by CeO nanomaterials and salinity.

Cerium dioxide nanomaterials (CeO NMs) are used in different fields and incorporated in daily products. Several studies highlighted their effects on organism physiology, although molecular studies remain scarce. NM behavior is strongly dependent on the environment but few data are available using complex exposure media, raising the question of its environmental impacts.

Energy allocation in two dreissenid species under metal stress.

Measurements of biological responses on living organisms are essential in aquatic biomonitoring. In freshwaters, Dreissena polymorpha is an invasive bivalve commonly used in ecotoxicological studies and considered as a model organism. However, D.

Impact of multiple stressors on biomarker responses in sympatric dreissenid populations.

Dreissenid mussels, well-known invaders of the northern hemisphere, also constitute good biomonitors for freshwater quality assessment. Whereas the oldest, Dreissena polymorpha, is relatively well-known, the new invasive, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis, has been very little characterized. The aim of this study was to compare subcellular biomarker responses within these species, by taking into account inter- and intra-specific variability in biomarker responses during a multi-stress assessment.

Toward Self-Aware Robots.

Despite major progress in Robotics and AI, robots are still basically "zombies" repeatedly achieving actions and tasks without understanding what they are doing. Deep-Learning AI programs classify tremendous amounts of data without grasping the meaning of their inputs or outputs. We still lack a genuine theory of the underlying principles and methods that would enable robots to understand their environment, to be cognizant of what they do, to take appropriate and timely initiatives, to learn from their own experience and to show that they know that they have learned and how.

Genotoxicity and physiological effects of CeO NPs on a freshwater bivalve (Corbicula fluminea).

The rapid development of nanotechnology and the increased use of nanomaterials in products used in everyday life have raised the question of the potential release of nanoparticles into the aquatic environment. Their fate and effects in natural ecosystems are not currently well understood but harmful effects of nanoparticles have been demonstrated at low concentrations on some freshwater and marine species. Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO NPs) are produced in large quantities and used in products in many different fields, such as automotives or optics.

Differential tolerance to nickel between Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis populations.

Differential tolerance to stress is partly responsible for the heterogeneity of biomarker responses between populations of a sentinel species. Although currently used for freshwater biomonitoring, studies concerning inter-populational variability in tolerance to contaminants for the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) are scarce. Moreover, this well-known invader is currently replaced by another, the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis).

Assessment of baseline ecotoxicity of sediments from a prospective mining area enriched in light rare earth elements.

Rare earth elements (REEs) disperse from indigenous rocks to the environment, thus making sediments one of the major sinks and sources of metal pollution. The emerging use of REEs and the subsequent opening of new mining areas may contribute to their release into surrounding ecosystems. For this reason, this study was performed in a natural area with geological material abundant in ferrocarbonatites and light REE.

The integrated biomarker response: a suitable tool to evaluate toxicity of metal-based nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology is a much promising field of science and technology with applications in a wide range of areas such as electronics, biomedical applications, energy and cosmetics. Metal-based engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are common in many technological applications; some of the most common nanoparticles available commercially are silver, gold, copper oxide (CuO), zinc oxide (ZnO) and cadmium sulphide (CdS). The toxicity of metal-based NPs may be either due to their specific physical characteristics as NPs or to the specific toxicity of metals released from NPs under environmental conditions.