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Research
PhD theses
Ongoing PhD theses
Nans BARTHÉLÉMY
BARTHÉLÉMY Nans
nans.barthelemy@inrae.fr
2021-
Fate, Transport, and Ecological Consequences of Microplastic Presence in Intermittent Rivers
Supervisors: Florian Mermillod-Blondin (LEHNA, E3S team), Thibault Datry (UR RiverLy, EcoFlowS team), and Stefan Krause (University of Birmingham)
Doctoral School: Evolution, Ecosystems, Microbiology, Modeling (E2M2)

Microplastics (MPs) are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that are of growing concern due to their widespread presence in many ecosystems as well as the threats they pose to ecosystems, organisms, and human health. Rivers were initially considered simple “pipelines” transporting MPs to the oceans. However, recent studies have shown that MPs can accumulate in rivers, whether in lentic zones or in the hyporheic zone, and can affect the communities of organisms inhabiting these environments. Despite this, the effects of drying (i.e., the disappearance of surface water) on the transport, fragmentation, and accumulation of MPs in rivers remain poorly understood, even though the majority of rivers experience regular natural drying events.

Throughout this PhD project, we explored, through laboratory and field experiments, the effects of river intermittency (i.e., the alternation of aquatic and terrestrial phases) on microplastic fragmentation and transport, as well as the impacts of their presence on ecosystem functioning.
In the first part of the thesis, we assessed under controlled conditions the effects of drying duration combined with continuous UV irradiation on the fragmentation of PVC film induced by artificial mechanical abrasion. Plastic fragmentation was measured through the abundance and size of generated MPs, as well as the mass loss of the original plastic object.
In the second part, we studied the effects of MPs of different sizes and concentrations on Gammarus fossarum, a model species of freshwater amphipod common in temperate European rivers. The effects of MPs on both the functional role and health of these organisms were quantified after four weeks of exposure in mesocosms using ecophysiological (feeding rate, assimilation rate, and mortality) and metabolic approaches (energy reserves and proteomics).
In the final part, we collected fine sediment samples from depositional zones located in both intermittent and perennial sections of the Albarine River catchment (Ain, France). The sediment samples underwent a series of extraction steps to recover the MPs, followed by a characterization of MPs (abundance, size, polymer type) using Fourier Transform Microscopy (μFTIR). This allowed us to compare the characteristics of MPs found in sediments according to the hydrology of the sampling sites.

Barthélémy-Fig1

References :

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