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Missions

Within the EABX unit, the research conducted by the ECOVEA team (Ecology of Aquatic Plant Communities and the Impact of Multiple Pressures) focuses on understanding the biodiversity and functioning of plant communities (macrophytes, phytoplankton, phytobenthos) in freshwater ecosystems, as well as their responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. In summary, the team's research activities revolve around the following themes: assessing exposure to contaminants, the impact of alterations to hydrological systems on plant communities at different biological organization levels, biodiversity, vulnerability, and adaptation to global changes.

Operationally, based on acquired knowledge, these works aim to produce tools for diagnosing the ecological status of water bodies. ECOVEA's expertise in bioindication, recognized at national and European levels, is also valued through strong involvement in supporting water policies by developing methods and tools for assessing the ecological quality of continental waters and supporting their operational implementation (knowledge and know-how transfer, contribution to policy guidance).

The in situ and experimental research activities of ECOVEA mobilize equipment, infrastructures, and staff from two platforms:

• The Aquatic Vegetation Facility, part of the XPO platform (eXPérimentation et d'Observation sur les Écosystèmes Aquatiques), which is a Collective Scientific Infrastructure and a component of the national LIFE (Living In Freshwaters and Estuaries) Research Infrastructure and AnaEE France.
• The Bordeaux Metabolome platform (to which ECOVEA's Biomarkers laboratory staff are affiliated), which is part of the national MetaboHub Infrastructure focusing on metabolomics and fluxomics activities.

Research axes

Through in situ, experimental approaches, or data analysis, the team conducts research aimed at understanding the responses of aquatic plant biodiversity to global changes. By crossing the disciplinary fields of ecology and ecotoxicology, at complementary study scales ranging from molecules to communities (phytoplankton, biofilms, and macrophytes), the team addresses the following questions:

• Interspecific regulation capacities through molecules released into the environment by aquatic organisms, effects, and ecological role of allelopathic relationships.
• Spatio-temporal dynamics of aquatic plant biodiversity in the context of global changes (artificialization of natural habitats, eutrophication of waters, biological invasions, and climate change).
• Structure and response of aquatic plant communities to physical and chemical alterations of hydrosystems.
• Ecotoxicological risks for organisms at the basis of trophic networks and impacts on key ecological functions.
• Intracellular mechanisms involved in the response to toxic stress and altered metabolic pathways (including lipids).

Competencies

The team's identity relies on a strong interdisciplinarity coupling between environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, and community ecology. We also have expertise in statistical analysis and modeling.

Disciplines

Physicochemistry, environmental chemistry of synthetic organic micropollutants, biochemistry, community ecology, functional ecology, plant hydrobiology, hydroecology, ecotoxicology, ecophysiology, lipidomics, metabolomics, macroecology, biostatistics, modeling.

Team composition

Head

• MORIN Soizic, Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology, Research Director (HDR)

Permanent staff

• BERTRIN Vincent, Aquatic Macrophyte Ecology, Research Engineer
• BONNINEAU Chloé, Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology, Research Scientist
• CHAUVIN Christian, Aquatic Plant Ecology, Water Policy Support, Research Engineer
• CREUSOT Nicolas, Ecotoxicology and Metabolomics, Research Scientist
• DELMAS François, Plant Ecology-Ecotoxicology, Engineer
• EON Mélissa, Metabolomic Analyses, Engineer
• JAMONEAU Aurélien, Plant Community Ecology, Research Scientist
• JAN Gwilherm, Biological Sampling, Research Assistant
• LAPLACE-TREYTURE Christophe, Phytoplankton Taxonomy, Research Engineer
• MAZZELLA DI BOSCO Nicolas, Environmental Chemistry and Lipidomics, Research Engineer (HDR)
• MILLAN NAVARRO Débora, Micropollutant Analyses and Physicochemistry, Technician
• MOREIRA Aurélie, Micropollutant Analyses and Lipidomics, Research Assistant
• MOREIRA Sylvia, Experimentation and Instrumentation, Engineer
• ROSEBERY Juliette, Diatom Community Ecology, Research Director (HDR)
• VEDRENNE Jacky, Microbial Ecology, Engineer

Contract staff

• BLANQUART Estelle-Marie, Ph.D. student in Lake Macrophyte Biodiversity
• HEINRY Léonard, Engineer in Applied Biostatistics for Aquatic Ecology
• HERSCHEL Margaux, Scientific mediator
• MEDINA Arthur, Ph.D. student in Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology
• MEYER Albin, Postdoctoral Researcher in Aquatic Ecology
• ROUX Caroline, Ph.D. student in Aquatic Ecotoxicology (co-supervised by FREEMA)
• VILLEFOURCEIX-GIMENEZ Pierre, Engineer in Web Development and Data Processing
• WUNDERLICH Rainer, Postdoctoral Researcher in Aquatic Plant Ecology and Modeling