Temperature modulates phototrophic periphyton response to chronic copper exposure.

Streams located in vineyard areas are highly prone to metal pollution. In a context of global change, aquatic systems are generally subjected to multi-stress conditions due to multiple chemical and/or physical pressures. Among various environmental factors that modulate the ecological effects of toxicants, special attention should be paid to climate change, which is driving an increase in extreme climate events such as sharp temperature rises.

Transfer of metal(loid)s in a small vineyard catchment: contribution of dissolved and particulate fractions in river for contrasted hydrological conditions.

The use of inorganic pesticides in viticulture leads to the accumulation of metal(loid)s in soils which can be transferred to the hydro-systems (groundwater and surface water) via several processes. This study reports on the occurrence and behavior of metal(loid)s (Li, Al, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, and Ba), with a particular focus on Cu, Zn, and As, in a small stream draining a vineyard catchment. Base flow and flood events were monitored in order to assess the spatiotemporal variability of metal(loid) concentrations and to evaluate the contribution of the particulate fraction to the transfer of metal(loid)s according to the hydrological conditions.

Improved short-term toxicity test protocol to assess metal tolerance in phototrophic periphyton: toward standardization of PICT approaches.

Pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT) approaches involve comparing tolerance levels of natural communities to a particular contaminant or a contaminant mixture using short-term toxicity tests performed under controlled conditions. However, results from toxicity tests can be modulated by various environmental and experimental conditions, raising questions about their reproducibility and comparability. In this context, the present study aimed to determine the influence of exposure duration, periphyton suspension concentration, and periphyton maturation stage on the measurement of short-term effects of copper on phototrophic periphyton communities.

Body residues: a key variable to analyze toxicity tests with Chironomus riparius exposed to copper-spiked sediments.

Fourth instar Chironomus riparius larvae were exposed to four sediments spiked with copper. Length and copper concentration in the tissue were monitored daily. Kinetics data analysis was performed by fitting a one-compartment model.

Survival tests with Chironomus riparius exposed to spiked sediments can profit from DEBtox model.

DEBtox model is a biologically based model used to analyse aquatic toxicity data (The analysis of aquatic toxicity data, VU University Press, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1996, 149pp.). To date, it has not been used to analyse sediment survival tests, mainly because this would require daily counting of survivors, which is difficult for benthic organisms.