EABIOmEDOCT INRA ; This opinion article aims to foster the debate about pesticide legislation in the European Union (EU). Numerous formerly authorized and widely used pesticides are now banned in the EU because unexpected and unacceptable risks emerged after their initial introduction to the market. Throughout this time lapse, environmental quality and human health have been threatened by the use of these compounds. These hazards could have been prevented by a more responsive pesticide regulatory framework. This article provides detailed insights into the pros and cons of pesticides, and points out weaknesses of the current pesticide environmental risk assessment procedures. Possibilities for improving the robustness and reliability of the pesticide regulatory framework are discussed.
EA BIOME ; International audience ; 'Ecosystem recovery' is a concept that emerged from the need to preserve our environment against increasing contamination from human activity. However, ecological indicators of ecosystem recovery remain scarce, and it is still difficult to assess recovery of ecological processes at relevant spatial and temporal scales. Microbial communities hold key relevance as indicators of ecosystem recovery as they are ubiquitous among diverse ecosystems, respond rapidly to environmental changes, and support many ecosystem functions and services through taxonomic and functional biodiversity. This chapter summarizes the state-of-the-art in knowledge on the processes driving the structural and functional recovery of phototroph and heterotroph microorganisms following chemical pollution. It covers several successful case studies providing proof of principle for the relevance of using microorganisms in recovery studies in various ecosystems such as soil, freshwater and seawater. Questions remain for microbial ecotoxicologists to fully understand and predict how structural and functional recovery observed at microbial scale can reflect the recovery of an ecosystem. Moreover, new standards and norms taking into account recent advances in microbial ecotoxicology are now necessary in order to inform legislators and policymakers on the importance of considering microorganisms in environmental risk assessment, including ecological recovery monitoring.
'Ecosystem recovery' is a concept that emerged from the need to preserve our environment against increasing contamination from human activity. However, ecological indicators of ecosystem recovery remain scarce, and it is still difficult to assess recovery of ecological processes at relevant spatial and temporal scales. Microbial communities hold key relevance as indicators of ecosystem recovery as they are ubiquitous among diverse ecosystems, respond rapidly to environmental changes, and support many ecosystem functions and services through taxonomic and functional biodiversity. This chapter summarizes the state-of-the-art in knowledge on the processes driving the structural and functional recovery of phototroph and heterotroph microorganisms following chemical pollution. It covers several successful case studies providing proof of principle for the relevance of using microorganisms in recovery studies in various ecosystems such as soil, freshwater and seawater. Questions remain for microbial ecotoxicologists to fully understand and predict how structural and functional recovery observed at microbial scale can reflect the recovery of an ecosystem. Moreover, new standards and norms taking into account recent advances in microbial ecotoxicology are now necessary in order to inform legislators and policymakers on the importance of considering microorganisms in environmental risk assessment, including ecological recovery monitoring.
EABIOmEDOCT INRA ; This opinion article aims to foster the debate about pesticide legislation in the European Union (EU). Numerous formerly authorized and widely used pesticides are now banned in the EU because unexpected and unacceptable risks emerged after their initial introduction to the market. Throughout this time lapse, environmental quality and human health have been threatened by the use of these compounds. These hazards could have been prevented by a more responsive pesticide regulatory framework. This article provides detailed insights into the pros and cons of pesticides, and points out weaknesses of the current pesticide environmental risk assessment procedures. Possibilities for improving the robustness and reliability of the pesticide regulatory framework are discussed.
National audience ; 'Ecosystem recovery' is a concept that emerged from the need to preserve our environment against increasing contamination from human activity. However, ecological indicators of ecosystem recovery remain scarce, and it is still difficult to assess recovery of ecological processes at relevant spatial and temporal scales. Microbial communities hold key relevance as indicators of ecosystem recovery as they are ubiquitous among diverse ecosystems, respond rapidly to environmental changes, and support many ecosystem functions and services through taxonomic and functional biodiversity. This chapter summarizes the state-of-the-art in knowledge on the processes driving the structural and functional recovery of phototroph and heterotroph microorganisms following chemical pollution. It covers several successful case studies providing proof of principle for the relevance of using microorganisms in recovery studies in various ecosystems such as soil, freshwater and seawater. Questions remain for microbial ecotoxicologists to fully understand and predict how structural and functional recovery observed at microbial scale can reflect the recovery of an ecosystem. Moreover, new standards and norms taking into account recent advances in microbial ecotoxicology are now necessary in order to inform legislators and policymakers on the importance of considering microorganisms in environmental risk assessment, including ecological recovery monitoring.
EA BIOME ; International audience ; 'Ecosystem recovery' is a concept that emerged from the need to preserve our environment against increasing contamination from human activity. However, ecological indicators of ecosystem recovery remain scarce, and it is still difficult to assess recovery of ecological processes at relevant spatial and temporal scales. Microbial communities hold key relevance as indicators of ecosystem recovery as they are ubiquitous among diverse ecosystems, respond rapidly to environmental changes, and support many ecosystem functions and services through taxonomic and functional biodiversity. This chapter summarizes the state-of-the-art in knowledge on the processes driving the structural and functional recovery of phototroph and heterotroph microorganisms following chemical pollution. It covers several successful case studies providing proof of principle for the relevance of using microorganisms in recovery studies in various ecosystems such as soil, freshwater and seawater. Questions remain for microbial ecotoxicologists to fully understand and predict how structural and functional recovery observed at microbial scale can reflect the recovery of an ecosystem. Moreover, new standards and norms taking into account recent advances in microbial ecotoxicology are now necessary in order to inform legislators and policymakers on the importance of considering microorganisms in environmental risk assessment, including ecological recovery monitoring.
National audience ; 'Ecosystem recovery' is a concept that emerged from the need to preserve our environment against increasing contamination from human activity. However, ecological indicators of ecosystem recovery remain scarce, and it is still difficult to assess recovery of ecological processes at relevant spatial and temporal scales. Microbial communities hold key relevance as indicators of ecosystem recovery as they are ubiquitous among diverse ecosystems, respond rapidly to environmental changes, and support many ecosystem functions and services through taxonomic and functional biodiversity. This chapter summarizes the state-of-the-art in knowledge on the processes driving the structural and functional recovery of phototroph and heterotroph microorganisms following chemical pollution. It covers several successful case studies providing proof of principle for the relevance of using microorganisms in recovery studies in various ecosystems such as soil, freshwater and seawater. Questions remain for microbial ecotoxicologists to fully understand and predict how structural and functional recovery observed at microbial scale can reflect the recovery of an ecosystem. Moreover, new standards and norms taking into account recent advances in microbial ecotoxicology are now necessary in order to inform legislators and policymakers on the importance of considering microorganisms in environmental risk assessment, including ecological recovery monitoring.
'Ecosystem recovery' is a concept that emerged from the need to preserve our environment against increasing contamination from human activity. However, ecological indicators of ecosystem recovery remain scarce, and it is still difficult to assess recovery of ecological processes at relevant spatial and temporal scales. Microbial communities hold key relevance as indicators of ecosystem recovery as they are ubiquitous among diverse ecosystems, respond rapidly to environmental changes, and support many ecosystem functions and services through taxonomic and functional biodiversity. This chapter summarizes the state-of-the-art in knowledge on the processes driving the structural and functional recovery of phototroph and heterotroph microorganisms following chemical pollution. It covers several successful case studies providing proof of principle for the relevance of using microorganisms in recovery studies in various ecosystems such as soil, freshwater and seawater. Questions remain for microbial ecotoxicologists to fully understand and predict how structural and functional recovery observed at microbial scale can reflect the recovery of an ecosystem. Moreover, new standards and norms taking into account recent advances in microbial ecotoxicology are now necessary in order to inform legislators and policymakers on the importance of considering microorganisms in environmental risk assessment, including ecological recovery monitoring.
Communication orale, résumé ; Vineyard is among the crops the most heavily treated with pesticides. In the context of the new EU policy for the protection of water resources, vineyard area will account as one of the major contributor to water contamination. Grass buffer strips have recently been developed as a solution for reducing pesticide transfer by surface runoff from vineyard parcels to adjacent streams. Although pesticide interception by grass strips has generally been proven effective, little is known about the fate of intercepted pesticides. In order to tackle this question we worked since several years at the scale of a small watershed located in the Beaujolais vineyard (France). The ability of the soil microflora to degrade diuron, an herbicide belonging to phenyl-urea family, was addressed by radiorespirometric analyses showing that the grass buffer strip could develop efficient degrading ability if regularly exposed to the contaminant1. Interestingly, we revealed the presence of bacterial populations able to rapidly mineralize this herbicide in the grass buffer strips. We also showed that their genetic potential (puhA and puhB genes) could be transferred by erosion to the sediment of the river adjacent to the grass buffer strip2. With the aim to promote natural attenuation of pesticides in the grass buffer strip, bioaugmentation experiments with diuron-degrading bacterial populations are ongoing. All these data seem to indicate that the development of a second generation of engineered grass buffer strip acting as an 'in field bioreactor' favoring pesticide biodegradation could represent an interesting tool to protect water resources in the vineyard area.
Vineyard is among the crops the most heavily treated with pesticides. In the context of the new EU policy for the protection of water resources, vineyard area will account as one of the major contributor to water contamination. Grass buffer strips have recently been developed as a solution for reducing pesticide transfer by surface runoff from vineyard parcels to adjacent streams. Although pesticide interception by grass strips has generally been proven effective, little is known about the fate of intercepted pesticides. In order to tackle this question we worked since several years at the scale of a small watershed located in the Beaujolais vineyard (France). The ability of the soil microflora to degrade diuron, an herbicide belonging to phenyl-urea family, was addressed by radiorespirometric analyses showing that the grass buffer strip could develop efficient degrading ability if regularly exposed to the contaminant1. Interestingly, we revealed the presence of bacterial populations able to rapidly mineralize this herbicide in the grass buffer strips. We also showed that their genetic potential (puhA and puhB genes) could be transferred by erosion to the sediment of the river adjacent to the grass buffer strip2. With the aim to promote natural attenuation of pesticides in the grass buffer strip, bioaugmentation experiments with diuron-degrading bacterial populations are ongoing. All these data seem to indicate that the development of a second generation of engineered grass buffer strip acting as an 'in field bioreactor' favoring pesticide biodegradation could represent an interesting tool to protect water resources in the vineyard area.
