Publications by authors named "Laura Malbezin"
Extensive pesticide use for agriculture can diffusely pollute aquatic ecosystems through leaching and runoff events and has the potential to negatively affect non-target organisms. Atrazine and S-metolachlor are two widely used herbicides often detected in high concentrations in rivers that drain nearby agricultural lands. Previous studies focused on concentration-response exposure of algal monospecific cultures, over a short exposure period, with classical descriptors such as cell density, mortality or photosynthetic efficiency as response variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFew ecotoxicity studies are available on thorium (Th) which hinders the ability to evaluate its ecotoxicological risk. Its release in the environment is often associated with the extraction of rare earth elements and uranium, as well as the field applications of phosphate fertilizers. This study investigates the effects of Th on microbial communities of periphytic biofilms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Fatty acids are essential for maintaining membrane fluidity and are important for energy storage, particularly in freshwater diatoms like Gomphonema gracile, which were studied for their fatty acid profiles in response to pesticides.
- The research focused on the effects of the pesticides diuron and S-metolachlor, examining their impact on classical descriptors such as growth rate, photosynthesis, and gene expression over a seven-day exposure period.
- Findings revealed that S-metolachlor primarily affected growth and gene expression without altering fatty acid profiles, while diuron inhibited growth and photosynthesis but shifted fatty acid composition, highlighting how fatty acids could serve as indicators of energy content under herbicide stress.