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Diatoms are among the most productive photoautotrophic organisms on Earth. Within the diatom genus Leptocylindrus, two species, L. danicus and L. minimus, are reported as abundant in coastal waters worldwide and in the Gulf of Naples (GoN). This thesis aimed at a closer characterisation of Leptocylindrus species through different approaches, including the study of their morphology, molecular phylogeny, metagenomics and biochemistry. Eighty-three strains from the GoN and one strain (CCMP 1856) from the Atlantic US coast were analysed. Based on the morphological, molecular and life cycle differences, the taxonomy of the genus was revised. The GoN species previously identified as L. minimus was in fact identified as L. belgicus Meunier and was placed in a new genus, Tenuicylindrus Nanjappa and Zingone which, along with Leptocylindrus Cleve, belongs to the family Leptocylindraceae. Five species in all were included in the genus Leptocylindrus: L. danicus Cleve and L. minimus Gran, two novel species L. hargravesii and L. convexus, and L. aporus (Hargraves) Nanjappa & Zingone, which was raised from the variety to the species status. The real Leptocylindrus minimus was not found in the GoN. To address the distribution of the 6 species outside the GoN, two metagenomic databases, BioMarKs (Europe) and Tara Oceans (worldwide) were explored. Sequences of L. aporus, L. convexus and L. danicus were recovered at many sites in European waters and across the world's seas, while those of L. minimus were retrieved only in the Oslo fjord and those of T. belgicus were only found in the GoN and Oslo fjord. Additional diversity was observed in the Tara Oceans dataset but, in lack of morphological information, whether this diversity is real remains to be clarified. All species except L. minimus were also categorised based on the diversity in their oxylipins pathways. Leptocylindrus danicus and L. hargravesii shared common lipoxygenase pathways, different from the ones shared by the species L. aporus and L. convexus. Tenuicylindrus belgicus exhibits a pathway distinct from that of Leptocylindrus species. Species-specific compounds produced in minor quantities were also observed. Physiological experiments show that L. aporus can withstand higher (26 "C) temperature but not lower (12 CC) temperature, while L. danicus can withstand low temperature but not high temperature. This corresponds to the species occurrence in the natural environment, where L. aporus blooms during summer and L. danicus is found in all seasons except summer. Altogether, through an interdisciplinary approach, the studies described in this thesis provide substantial information that may have important implications in the field of ecology, evolution, conservation biology and biotechnology.

The marine pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata has a heterothallic life cycle and the two mating types ('+' and '-') need to be in contact to allow sexual reproduction to occur. In this thesis, results 'are presented of an investigation using con focal and time lapse microscopy aimed at describing the different stages of the life cycle of this species. Results are also presented of various experiments aimed at defining the endogenous and exogenous factors that induce sexual, reproduction. Parental strains need to reach a certain cell density before undergoing sexual reproduction and an inverse correlation was observed between the inoculum size and the time required for the induction of sexual reproduction. This suggests that sexual reproduction is a density-dependent event, regulated by a chemical mediator. Support for this latter hypothesis was provided by experiments on single parental strains which underwent gametogenesis and formation of gametes when exposed to culture medium conditioned by the growth of the opposite mating type. Other support was provided by the fact that sexual reproduction was considerably reduced in cultures incubated in mixed conditions versus still ones. In the latter experimental setting, cells could settle to the bottom, therefore increasing their density and facilitating the onset of the sexual phase. Evidence was also obtained to support the hypothesis that chemical compounds produced during sexual reproduction might reduce the growth of parental strains. The results obtained in the project have provided novel insights into the mechanisms that regulate the life cycle of this planktonic diatom, showing that the transition from vegetative to sexual phase is regulated by chemical mediators. This information represents an experimental background that will allow future studies, aimed at the characterization of the chemical signalling molecules and/or at molecular investigation, to characterize the genes involved in the different life phases.

Diatom-derived polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) are secondary metabolites acting as teratogens against grazers, allelochemicals by inhibiting the growth of closeby phytoplankton species, and also as signal molecules to determine the cell fate of diatom populations. The work presented here focuses on Nitric Oxide (NO) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production in response to PUAs in Skeletonema marinoi, a cosmopolitan, bloom forming and PUA-producing diatom species. In the first part of the thesis I addressed the problem of whether PUA-producing species might have evolved different stress response mechanisms with respect to non-PUA producing ones and if this may r underlie their different ecological success. S. marinoi was exposed to different PUAs: DECA, which is not produced by S. marinoi, OCTA and HEPTA, which are PUAs commonly produced by this diatom and a mixture of these last two (MIX). A reduction in NO production was observed in response to all PUAs tested, probably due to consumption of physiological levels of NO, possibly indicating that this messanger acts as a growth regulator under optimal growth conditions. In the second part, a comparison with the non-PUA producing diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum revealed different reactions to the same PUAs (i.e. DECA), with an increase in NO production in DECA-exposed P. tricornutum, whereas in response to OCTA a reduction in NO production was evident. Thus, NO production in response to PUAs appears to be both PUA-specific and species-specific. Additionally, S. marinoi cells exposed to the photoinhibitor DCMU presented an increase in NO production, indicating that NO production in S. marinoi is likely to be also stress specific.

Haslea ostrearia est une diatomée cosmopolite pouvant proliférer en milieu naturel et dont les efflorescences sont particulièrement fréquentes dans les claires à huîtres de la côte Atlantique française. Cette diatomée produit la marennine, un pigment bleu-vert hydrosoluble connu pour induire le verdissement des branchies des huîtres, augmentant ainsi leur valeur marchande. La marennine présente des activités allélopathiques, antioxydantes ou encore antibactériennes in vitro et son utilisation en aquaculture a été envisagée suite à la mise en évidence d’effets prophylactiques chez des bivalves. Les objectifs de ce doctorat étaient 1) d’identifier les effets de ce pigment sur la croissance des bactéries du genre Vibrio, fréquemment impliquées dans la mortalité massive de bivalves et 2) de s’assurer de son innocuité sur des organismes marins (e.g. mollusques, échinodermes). Nos résultats sur la croissance bactérienne ont montré que les relations dose-effet ne présentaient pas systématiquement une tendance linéaire et également que la marennine pouvait totalement inhiber ou bien stimuler la croissance de Vibrio en fonction de la souche testée. De plus, des concentrations écologiquement pertinentes ont induit des effets négatifs sur la survie et le développement d’animaux marins. Ces effets indésirables n’ont cependant été observés que chez des stades fragiles de développement tels que les embryons et les larves. Enfin, nos résultats questionnent l’utilisation de H. ostrearia en aquaculture et soulignent la nécessité d’établir des doses seuils d'exposition afin de prévenir tout effet indésirable, tout en bénéficiant des effets prophylactiques de la marennine. / Blooms of the diatom Haslea ostrearia are recorded worldwide in marine environments and occur frequently in oyster ponds in the Western French coast. This diatom produces a blue-green water soluble pigment named marennine that is known to turn oyster gills green, which provides a higher market value to the bivalves. Although H. ostrearia has been identified centuries ago, little is known about the ecological significance of the blue pigment. Marennine displays allelopathic, antioxidant or antibacterial activities in vitro and its use in aquaculture was considered as some prophylactic effects were demonstrated on farmed shellfish. The aims of this thesis were thus 1) to further identify the effects of this pigment on the growth of bacteria from the genus Vibrio that are frequently involved in bivalve mass mortality and 2) to ensure its safety on marine organisms (e.g. molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms). Our results on bacterial growth demonstrated that the dose-response curves did not systematically present a linear pattern (e.g. “U shape”, hormetic responses) and that marennine could either totally inhibit the growth of Vibrio or stimulate it depending on the strain tested. Also, ecologically relevant doses could impair the survival and the development of the marine organisms tested. Such noxious effects seemed to only target early and fragile developmental stages as embryos and larvae, while adults appeared unaffected. Finally, our results question the exploitation of H. ostrearia in aquaculture and highlight the need to set exposure threshold doses to prevent any adverse effects but to benefit from the prophylactic strategy resulting from the use of marennine.

Pour préciser l’architecture du système turbiditique du Congo (marge Ouest-Africaine, Atlantique Sud-Est), et les variations climatiques et paléocéanographiques de la zone au cours du dernier million d’années, on a étudié les variations de la productivité des diatomées sur deux carottes de référence, KZAI-02 et RZCS-26, prélevées respectivement à 248 et 800 Kms de l’embouchure du fleuve. Cette étude est intégrée au projet REPREZAÏ, REtrogradation/PRogradation dans l’Eventail du ZAÏre, Les périodes de forte productivité diatomique sont observées vers le milieu du stade MIS6, le MIS 5d, et durant le MIS 3, liées à l’apport de nutriments, notamment la silice dissoute, par le fleuve. Les faibles taux d’accumulation en diatomées sont enregistrés au début et à la fin du MIS 6, le MIS 5e, le début du MIS 4 et l’Holocène, quand la charge terrigène dans les eaux de surface empêche la mise en place d’une forte productivité. Au large il faut un apport conséquent de silice dissoute via les décharges du fleuve, et une faible consommation de ce nutriment en amont, pour avoir une forte productivité. L’intensification des conditions d’upwelling océanique favorise la productivité diatomique. L’abondance des diatomées d’estuaires saumâtres coïncide avec l’augmentation de l’influence des décharges fluviatiles vers ~230 ka BP, période de mise en place de l’édifice axial du système turbiditique du Congo. Deux études exploratoires ont été menées en complément: L’étude de la variabilité morphométrique de l’espèce Fragilariopsis doliolus qui montre une variation importante de la surface valvaire au cours du Quaternaire ; l’étude des isotopes de la silice qui s’est avérée complexe, à cause du mélange important de silice biogénique et lithogénique dans nos échantillons. / To precise the evolution of the Congo deep sea fan (western African margin, eastern tropical South Atlantic), and the paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic conditions of the zone during the last million years, variations of diatom productivity have been studied on two reference cores, KZAI-02 and RZCS-26, located respectively at 240 and 800 Kms of the Congo river mouth. This study is part of the REPREZAI project, REtrogradation/PRogradation in the ZAÏre deep-sea fan. High diatom accumulation rates were registered during the mid-part of MIS 6, the cold substage MIS 5d and the MIS 3-2, sustained essentially via nutrients, including dissolved silica, injected by the Congo River into the ocean. Low diatom accumulation rates were recorded during the early and late MIS 6, the MIS 5e, the early MIS 4 and the Holocene, when the terrigenous load in surface waters prevent a strong productivity. Further offshore, a substantial dissolved silica input by the discharges of the Congo river, but also a low consumption of this nutrient upstream, are required to have a strong productivity. The intensification of oceanic upwelling conditions also favors the siliceous productivity. The increasing influence of fluvial discharges, marked by a greater abundance of brackish diatoms off the mouth, corresponds fairly well to the establishment of the axial edifice of the Congo deep sea fan around ~ 230 ka BP. Two exploratory studies were conducted in complement: The study of morphometric variability of the diatom species Fragilariopsis doliolus, that highlighted important variation of the valvar surface during the Quaternary; the study of the silica isotopes that proved to be complex, because of important mix of biogenic and lithogenic silica in the samples.