The Aquatic Vegetation unit provides a set of facilities for in situ (field) and ex situ (experimental rooms and laboratory) observation and experimentation. These facilities (workspaces, equipment) are mainly dedicated to the study of aquatic plant communities (macrophytes, phytoplankton, phytobenthos). They can also be used in other environments and/or as part of in-house and/or academic training courses.

Observation and experimentation equipment, in situ and ex situ

A non-exhaustive list of equipment owned and managed within the division is presented below.

• automatic and manual water samplers
• manual sediment samplers (Van Veen grab, Eckman grab, corer)
• plankton nets
• surber
• manual and electric filtration pumps
• field and laboratory fluorometers, including:

- algae Torch® is a waterproof instrument used in aquatic environments to quantify cyanobacteria and total phytoplankton. It allows for the rapid determination of chlorophyll a concentration in total phytoplankton and that originating from cyanobacteria, as well as the measurement of turbidity,

- fluoroprobe® : is a field instrument used in aquatic environments for the analysis of phytoplankton and phytobenthos. This bbe spectrofluorometric probe is submersible and provides continuous measurements of the concentration in μg equivalent of chl a.L-1 of different classes of algae, for example along the water column of a body of water. It measures the following parameters: depth, temperature, transmission, total chlorophyll a concentration reflecting the amount of algae present in the environment from different algae groups (chlorophyta, cyanobacteria, diatoms, cryptophytes, and yellow substances),

- 3 fluorimètres (PHYTO-PAM®, Imaging-PAM®, DIVING-PAM®) enable the measurement of photosynthetic performance: of the different groups of algae present in phytoplankton, biofilms, and macrophytes.

• 1 Firesting-02® (Optical oximeter) enabling continuous monitoring of dissolved oxygen levels during photosynthesis or respiration.

• Light radiation measuring instrument: consisting of a housing (LI-COR 250) combined with either a LI-193SA spherical quantum sensor (bulb) or a LI-190SA quantum sensor. These sensors measure photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in air and/or water, i.e., the light used by plants for photosynthesis (between 400 and 700 nm)
• Flow meter: MARSH McBIRNEY's FLO MATE 2000 allows the flow velocity of a liquid to be measured at specific points using a directional electromagnetic sensor. It is suitable for measuring medium to high velocities (0.00 to 2.50 m/s)
• Various multi-parameter sensors (temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen)
• echo sounders
• within a centimete
• agitators
• sieve
• aquascope
• experimental devices:

- Assortment of biofilm collection boxes,

- benthic bells.

 

Metrology room

A metrology room allows XPO equipment to be maintained at the highest level. This room is used to perform all metrology-related operations.

Main equipment in this metrology room

• Wet and dry bench fixed at 6 m
• water tap (hot, cold)
• air conditioning
• 1 recirculation hood, 1 m
• fridge

 

Storage room for samples awaiting processing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main equipment

• 1 ventilated safety cabinet (only for samples with fixing solution)
• 1 refrigerated cabinet
• Air conditioning available in the room

 

Room dedicated to sample preparation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main equipment

• 14 m of fixed wet bench
• 1 mobile dry bench measuring 1.5 m
• 2 ovens
• 1 refrigerated cabinet
• vacuum network
• city gas network
• 1 ventilated safety cabinet (for chemicals)
• 1 centrifuge
• 1 1.5 m extractor hood
• 1 1.8 m extractor hood
• 1 safety shower
• necessary for preparing permanent diatom slides
• 1 demineralized water production plant
• 1 vibrating table
• 1 laboratory dishwasher (glass, plastic), thermal disinfection possible

 

Macroscopic and microscopic observation and identification room

Three rooms with several observation stations are dedicated to the characterization (phenotyping) and identification (taxonomy) of samples of aquatic microorganisms (phytoplankton, phytobenthos, and micro-mesofauna) and aquatic plants (macrophytes). Observations are carried out using macro and microscopic tools, all equipped with a digital video acquisition system. These rooms contain a large collection of reference works on taxonomy (microalgae, micro-mesofauna, macrophytes). Two of these rooms can be darkened to allow, for example, epifluorescence observations.

 

 

 

 

 

Main equipment

• 6 dry banks measuring 13 m
• 7 microscopes (5 upright and 2 inverted), including 1 equipped for epifluorescence. Objectives range from x1.5 to x100 sec or immersion (allowing observation up to x2500). Depending on the model, the microscopes are equipped with: bright field (BF), dark field (DF), differential interference contrast (DIC), phase contrast (Cph), fluorescence (FL) or polarization (POL). Some are equipped with transmitted and/or incident lighting and motorized stages
• Related software for image analysis
• 1 micromanipulator for selecting microorganisms
• 1 binocular magnifier
• 1 mantis

 

Rooms for measuring abiotic and biotic parameters

A physiological parameter measurement room is mainly dedicated to the study of biofilms and phytoplankton, while a biometrics room is dedicated to macrophytes.

Main equipment in the physiological parameter measurement room

• 6 m of fixed wet bench
• vacuum network
• 1 flow cytometer coupled to a x4, x10, and x20 photonic microscope (FlowCam®), equipped to detect fluorescence emitted by chlorophyll. The device uses a color camera to generate digital images of the detected particles according to user-defined parameters. These images provide access to 64 two-dimensional measurement parameters (size, shape, etc.), allowing them to be classified according to user-defined imaging filters
• 3 fluorometers (PHYTO-PAM®, Imaging-PAM®, DIVING-PAM®) (see Equipment usable in situ and ex situ)
• 1 Firesting-02® (optical oximeter) (see Equipment usable in situ and ex situ)
• room that can be completely darkened and air-conditioned

Main equipment in the biometrics room

• 2 ovens
• 3 m of removable worktop
• precision scales
• water tap (hot, cold)
• fridge

 

Rooms intended for experimentation or cultivation of organisms under controlled conditions (temperature, light)

Five rooms are mainly dedicated to experiments on microalgae and aquatic plants (macrophytes). Examples of experiments carried out: toxicity tests of micropollutants on biofilms (in particular pesticides and metals), germination tests, growth tests.

Main shared equipment in these experiment rooms

• Programmable lighting system (LED) (e.g., day/night cycle, light intensity)
• These rooms can be darkened to allow experiments to be carried out in darkness
• experimental channels and aquariums of various sizes
• ring reactor
• Peristaltic and submersible pumps
• vibrating tables
• Refrigerated cabinets, -80°C freezer available nearby
• All equipped with a wired computer network and Wi-Fi connected to the site's computer servers
• All tools and resources related to observations and data acquisition by the PVA division

The experimental station at Saint-Seurin-sur-l'Isle can also be used to conduct other types of experiments on aquatic plant communities.

 

Experiment room no. 1

This 8 m² room with a ceiling height of 3.0 m can be used for experiments and/or cultures on benches and in incubators. An autoclave is located near this room.

 

 

 

 

Main equipment, experiment room no. 1

• Several culture incubators that allow independent regulation of temperature and light levels (e.g., day/night cycle, light intensity)
• vacuum network
• city gas network
• 3 m fixed wet bench
• water tap (hot, cold)
• 1 microbiological safety cabinet (MSC)
• Anti-vibration table for precision balance measurements

 

Experiment room no. 2

This 25 m² room with a ceiling height of 2.5 m can accommodate experiments on benches or on the floor.

Main equipment, experiment room no. 2

• 11 meters of fixed wet benches
• water tap (hot, cold)
• possible drainage of uncontaminated water into the ground

 

Experiment room no. 3

It is particularly versatile, with removable benches (up to 6 m of benches) allowing the entire volume of this room (36 m³, 12 m²) to be used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main equipment, experiment room no. 3

• 3 m of removable dry matting
• A removable experimental structure allows the workspace to be adjusted in length (up to 3 m), depth (up to 1 m), and height (up to 2 m)
• water tap (hot, cold)
• possible drainage of uncontaminated water into the ground

 

Experiment room no. 4

This 44 m² room can accommodate experiments requiring large-volume experimental structures, which can be placed directly on the floor or on workbenches.

Main equipment, experiment room no. 4

• 10 meters of removable dry straw mattresses
• ceiling height of 6 m
• possible drainage of surface water
• water tap (hot, cold)
• refrigerated cabinet
• 1 freezer (-18°C)

 

Experiment room no. 5

This 19 m² room with a ceiling height of 3.6 m can accommodate experiments requiring large-volume experimental structures, which can be placed directly on the floor or on workbenches.

Main equipment, experiment room no. 5

• 7 m of removable dry bench and 1.5 m of fixed dry bench
• A removable experimental structure allows the workspace to be adjusted in length (up to 3 m), depth (up to 1 m), and height (up to 2 m).
• water tap (hot, cold)