On the following subject:
"Impacts of multiple trace metal contamination on microbial communities in a highly anthropised coastal environment: the Toulon roadstead".
Edited by Cédric Garnier , Jean-François Briand and Benjamin Misson
Summary: The Toulon roadstead is a highly anthropised coastal ecosystem with a multiple gradient of trace metal contamination, making it a remarkable workshop site. A combination of field campaigns and laboratory experiments was used to study the impact of metal contamination on planktonic and biofilm microbial communities. The use of analytical chemistry, flow cytometry and metabarcoding made it possible to study several aspects of the communities, such as abundance and taxonomic diversity in response to metal contamination in the Toulon roadstead. Ultraphytoplankton and bacterioplankton communities showed strong spatial structuring along metal gradients. Laboratory experiments showed that TMEs played a major role in the abundance and diversity of ultraplankton communities, through direct effects (toxicity) and indirect effects (phytoplankton-bacterioplankton coupling). The microbial biofilm community was much less affected by metal gradients in Toulon roadstead than the ultraplankton community. On the other hand, the biofilm community appeared to be influenced by its proximity to the sediment compartment, which may have provided colonising microorganisms during episodes of resuspension. In conclusion, TMEs appeared to have an impact on all the microbial communities in Toulon roadstead, although with variations in influence depending on the compartment.
Key words: Trace metals, microbial communities, bacterioplankton, ultraphytoplankton, microbial biofilm, coastal ecosystem, Toulon harbour