Combined effects of environmental factors on phytoplankton physiology

农药和金属造成的污染是许多水生生态系统面临的实际问题。在这些沃茨中发现的浮游植物（藻类和蓝细菌）是食物网的第一个生物体，不幸的是，它们可能对水质变化非常敏感。湖泊和河流很少只受到一种污染物的影响，这些化学品的毒性可能受到其他环境因素的影响，如光线、水温和其他物质。过去很少有研究来了解这些环境压力对藻类和蓝藻生理学的综合影响。 在这项研究计划中，我们将研究镉和一些农药（草甘膦，氟磺胺草醚，二嗪农和captane）结合在一起或其他环境因素（温度和光照）对浮游植物生理的影响。我们将重点关注这些环境因素对光系统II -光系统I电子传递和替代电子途径（例如循环电子流）的影响。我们亦会研究浮游植物抵抗环境因素组合的机制（例如非光化学能量耗散过程及抗氧化酶系统）。 这项研究将允许获得不同的环境胁迫对藻类和蓝藻代谢的相互作用的更好的理解。从长远来看，这项研究可能有助于建立新的水质标准的基础上，污染物与自然发生的环境因素的相互作用。

Pollution caused by pesticides and metals is an actual problem for many aquatic ecosystems. Phytoplankton (algae and cyanobacteria) found in these waters are the first organisms of the food web and may, unfortunately, be very sensitive to water quality variations. Lakes and rivers are impacted rarely by only one pollutant and the toxicity of these chemicals may be affected by other environmental factors, such as light, water temperature and other substances. Very few studies were performed in the past to understand the combined effect of these environmental stressors on the physiology of algae and cyanobacteria. In this research program we will study the effects of cadmium and some pesticides (glyphosate, fomesafen, diazinon and captane) when combined together or to other environmental factors (temperature and light) on phytoplankton physiology. We will focus on the impacts that these environmental factors have on photosystem II - photosystem I electron transport and alternative electron pathways (e.g. cyclic electron flow). We will also study the mechanisms involved in the resistance of phytoplankton species to the combination of environmental factors (e.g. the non-photochemical energy dissipation processes and the antioxidant enzyme system). This research will permit to obtain a better understanding of the interaction of different environmental stressors on algal and cyanobacterial metabolism. On a long term, this research may help to establish new water quality criteria based on the interaction of pollutants with natural occurring environmental factors.