Ecodynamics and ecotoxicology of soil contaminants

We are also initiating research on emerging contaminants such as microplastics and PFAS. We are studying i) the state of soil contamination and its evolution, integrating the spatio-temporal dynamics of contamination within the landscape mosaic with the assessment of contaminant (bio)availability, ii) the consequences of this contamination on soil organisms and plants, and iii) the impacts on soil function.

Our research is thus divided into three sub-themes:

• Understanding the links between contaminant dynamics in the soil, exposure of non-target organisms, and effects on individuals and populations;
• Assessing the risks associated with the presence of contaminants on soil function and defining (bio)indicators of impact on non-target organisms;
• Identifying levers for action to limit soil contamination, organism exposure, and the resulting effects.

Objectives

i) Better characterize multiple exposures, both to initial contaminants and their transformation products.
ii) Understand the effects of interactions between multiple stressors, such as climate variations, on contaminant dynamics and their effects.
iii) Improve the prediction of the spread of direct and indirect contaminant effects at different biological and spatial scales.
iv) Propose insights into the processes involved in contaminant fate, or the potential effectiveness of levers for action aimed at limiting contamination and organism exposure.

Examples of projects 

• Microplast. Juliette Faburé
• MixTox : Characterization of soil contamination by pesticide cocktails and associated ecotoxicological risks; Colette Bertrand
• DEPOLECO : Degradation of organic contaminants catalyzed under environmental conditions (neutral pH, air as the sole oxidant) by Fe(II)-containing minerals in water, soil, and sediments. Sylvie Nélieu
• EEWORM : Eco-evolutionary dynamics in earthworms exposed to pesticide mixtures. Raphaël Royauté
• MSCA DN Pharm-ERA  -   https://pharm-era.hub.inrae.fr. Improving monitoring and environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals, antimicrobial resistance and pathogens from terrestrial to aquatic environments (2024-2028) - Laure Mamy

Staff involved

Researchers

Pierre Benoit, Colette Bertrand, Thérèse de Caldas, Marjolaine Deschamps, Juliette Faburé, Claire Sophie Haudin, Sylvie Nélieu, Laure Mamy, Christian Mougin, Valérie Pot-Genty, Raphaël Royauté, Laure Vieublé Gonod

Engineers & Technicians

Grigorios Andronidis, Antoine Bamière, Valérie Dumény, Sébastien Breuil, Ghislaine Delarue, Véronique Etiévant, Nathalie Lempereur, Erell Naslain, Jean-Pierre Pétraud, Françoise Poiroux, Valentin Serre, Amélie Trouvé