Biodiversa Joint Research Call 2022-2023 on "Improved transnational monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem change for science and society (BiodivMon)"
LIENSs research unit is a joint structure of two major institutions: the CNRS and the University of La Rochelle. Using field and laboratory approaches, LIENSs scientists have acquired leading-edge expertise in integrated studies of the interactions between environmental parameters and biological processes. The coupling between field observations (port area and mesocosm experiments) and experimental laboratory work sheds new light on the understanding of the consequences of environmental pollution in Atlantic and Mediterranean ports. The QUALIPERTUIS and FEAMP QUAMPO projects aim to define the state of the environment in the marinas and commercial harbours of La Rochelle (French Atlantic coast & mediteranean ecosystems). In this context, the health of bivalves such as mussels and oysters were monitored at several study sites in port areas, using the "cage" technique. A study was also carried out to observe the potential impact of cathodic protection of port structures on the health of marine bivalves. In addition, the quality of port environments in Haute-Corse by targeting limpets and Mediterranean mussels and associating three disciplines: (1) biochemistry to assess the state of health of marine invertebrates; (2) analytical chemistry to measure contaminants in the integrating matrices (biota, water, sediment); (3) ecotoxicogenomics to understand the effect of pollution in a port area on marine invertebrates on a finer spatiotemporal scale.
Ecotoxicology
LIENSs proposes to better understand the responses of marine bivalves to environmental stress caused by underwater noise. Specifically, the actions will focus on measuring biochemical and physiological biomarkers of harbour organisms; the results will allow extrapolation of effects occurring at higher levels of biological organisation from state indicators (biomarkers, energy reserves, reproductive processes) and at the individual level (biological indices, behavioural biomarkers). In addition, we will seek to use experimental devices such as the experimental coastal mesocosm to simulate an environmental situation (study of the impact of plastics on marine bivalves). These actions will allow a better understanding of the potential effects of environmental pressures (microplastics) in the port area and the development of port monitoring tools; in addition, a citizen science approach will be undertaken in the ports to describe the port biodiversity (including the eDNA approach) in order to raise awareness among the different local audiences and stakeholders and decision makers of the diversity of marine species present in the selected sites; we will also strive to interoperate the project data with the open source information system developed in the FEAMP QUAMPO project.