The repercussions of climate change are felt worldwide, but Arctic and subarctic regions, where climate warming is expected to be amplified, are especially vulnerable. An episode of mass fish mortality in the Sutton River in the Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) of Northern Ontario has elicited the interest of the scientific community. Several lakes were sampled over three years in an effort to better understand and document the changes that may be occurring in these lakes. This study uses sediment cores to assess the history of mercury (Hg) deposition and to assess changes occurring in autochthonous productivity in these lakes. Sediments deposited after the onset of the industrial revolution contained significantly higher concentrations of Hg, with the highest concentrations found in the most recently deposited sediments. Hg concentrations in these pristine lakes rival those of lakes in heavily urbanized areas, indicating that they are in fact subjected to atmospheric deposition of Hg. There was a large variation in [Hg] of the surface sediments of 13 lakes; underscoring the importance of in situ processes in the fate of atmospherically deposited Hg. Methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations were not correlated with total mercury concentrations (THg), demonstrating how THg is a poor predictor of MeHg; the bioaccumulative neurotoxic form of mercury. The S2 fraction of Rock-Eval® Pyrolysis, C:N ratios and ∂13C signatures were used as proxies of autochthonous carbon and all indicated that the lakes have become increasingly productive, presumably due to warmer water temperatures and longer ice-free seasons. Additionally, I use molecular techniques to detect and quantify the merA gene in the sediment; a proxy of bacterial mercury resistance involved in redox transformations. In Aquatuk, Hawley and North Raft Lakes, I observed a subsurface increase in merA genes in the sediment core, independently of a control gene and the [THg]. While I have not been able to explain the driving variables of this subsurface increase, I believe that the role of merA within remote lake sediments deserves further work. Lastly, microcosms were used to measure the production of volatile elemental mercury (Hg(0)) from surface sediments of Aquatuk Lake. I used a combination of analytical and molecular techniques to show that the production of Hg(0) is biogenic and tested the effect of nutrients, pH and ionic strength on the Hg(0) production rates. Ionic strength alone had the greatest impact on Hg(0) production rates, with increased Hg(0) production as ionic strength increases.

The repercussions of climate change are felt worldwide, but Arctic and subarctic regions, where climate warming is expected to be amplified, are especially vulnerable. An episode of mass fish mortality in the Sutton River in the Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) of Northern Ontario has elicited the interest of the scientific community. Several lakes were sampled over three years in an effort to better understand and document the changes that may be occurring in these lakes. This study uses sediment cores to assess the history of mercury (Hg) deposition and to assess changes occurring in autochthonous productivity in these lakes. Sediments deposited after the onset of the industrial revolution contained significantly higher concentrations of Hg, with the highest concentrations found in the most recently deposited sediments. Hg concentrations in these pristine lakes rival those of lakes in heavily urbanized areas, indicating that they are in fact subjected to atmospheric deposition of Hg. There was a large variation in [Hg] of the surface sediments of 13 lakes; underscoring the importance of in situ processes in the fate of atmospherically deposited Hg. Methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations were not correlated with total mercury concentrations (THg), demonstrating how THg is a poor predictor of MeHg; the bioaccumulative neurotoxic form of mercury. The S2 fraction of Rock-Eval® Pyrolysis, C:N ratios and ∂13C signatures were used as proxies of autochthonous carbon and all indicated that the lakes have become increasingly productive, presumably due to warmer water temperatures and longer ice-free seasons. Additionally, I use molecular techniques to detect and quantify the merA gene in the sediment; a proxy of bacterial mercury resistance involved in redox transformations. In Aquatuk, Hawley and North Raft Lakes, I observed a subsurface increase in merA genes in the sediment core, independently of a control gene and the [THg]. While I have not been able to explain the driving variables of this subsurface increase, I believe that the role of merA within remote lake sediments deserves further work. Lastly, microcosms were used to measure the production of volatile elemental mercury (Hg(0)) from surface sediments of Aquatuk Lake. I used a combination of analytical and molecular techniques to show that the production of Hg(0) is biogenic and tested the effect of nutrients, pH and ionic strength on the Hg(0) production rates. Ionic strength alone had the greatest impact on Hg(0) production rates, with increased Hg(0) production as ionic strength increases.

The repercussions of climate change are felt worldwide, but Arctic and subarctic regions, where climate warming is expected to be amplified, are especially vulnerable. An episode of mass fish mortality in the Sutton River in the Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) of Northern Ontario has elicited the interest of the scientific community. Several lakes were sampled over three years in an effort to better understand and document the changes that may be occurring in these lakes. This study uses sediment cores to assess the history of mercury (Hg) deposition and to assess changes occurring in autochthonous productivity in these lakes. Sediments deposited after the onset of the industrial revolution contained significantly higher concentrations of Hg, with the highest concentrations found in the most recently deposited sediments. Hg concentrations in these pristine lakes rival those of lakes in heavily urbanized areas, indicating that they are in fact subjected to atmospheric deposition of Hg. There was a large variation in [Hg] of the surface sediments of 13 lakes; underscoring the importance of in situ processes in the fate of atmospherically deposited Hg. Methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations were not correlated with total mercury concentrations (THg), demonstrating how THg is a poor predictor of MeHg; the bioaccumulative neurotoxic form of mercury. The S2 fraction of Rock-Eval® Pyrolysis, C:N ratios and ∂13C signatures were used as proxies of autochthonous carbon and all indicated that the lakes have become increasingly productive, presumably due to warmer water temperatures and longer ice-free seasons. Additionally, I use molecular techniques to detect and quantify the merA gene in the sediment; a proxy of bacterial mercury resistance involved in redox transformations. In Aquatuk, Hawley and North Raft Lakes, I observed a subsurface increase in merA genes in the sediment core, independently of a control gene and the [THg]. While I have not been able to explain the driving variables of this subsurface increase, I believe that the role of merA within remote lake sediments deserves further work. Lastly, microcosms were used to measure the production of volatile elemental mercury (Hg(0)) from surface sediments of Aquatuk Lake. I used a combination of analytical and molecular techniques to show that the production of Hg(0) is biogenic and tested the effect of nutrients, pH and ionic strength on the Hg(0) production rates. Ionic strength alone had the greatest impact on Hg(0) production rates, with increased Hg(0) production as ionic strength increases.

A 17.1 Kb genetic element encoding for mercury resistance (OCT-Hg^r) was shown to translocate from its original location on the OCT plasmid to the resistance plasmid, RPl, in Pseudomonas putida. Analysis of RPl-Hg^r recombinant plasmids revealed that insertion of mercury resistance genes into RPl could occur at a variety of sites, with all recombinants having common EcoRI restriction fragments of 9.4, 3.8, 2.3, and 1.6 Kb, derived from the insertion. Hybridization analysis suggested the existence of extensive homology between this insertion and the prototypic mercury resistance transposon, Tn501, as well as the location of a similar merA sequence. Although the overall size was shown to be quite different from Tn501, striking physical similarities are shared between these two elements.

Translocation of a 17.1 kilobase region of the OCT plasmid encoding mercury resistance (mer) in Pseudomonas putida was shown to occur in a recombination-deficient host with plasmid PP1 serving as a recipient replicon. The frequency of transposition in Pseudomonas was estimated at 10^3 -10 -^2, but undetectable in Escherichia soli. ' DNA comprising all of mr as well as subregions there of were cloned and subjected to DNA sequence analysis. Like other transposons, mer was found to contain inverted repeat sequences at its termini. These were similar to, but not identical to the inverted repeat structures found in the prototypical mercury resistance transposon Tn501 from E. aeruginosa.

Le sol possède un capital naturel qui lui confère la capacité à produire des services écosystémiques aussi bien culturel que de régulation ou d’approvisionnement, il est indispensable à la Vie telle que nous la connaissons et au développement des activités humaines. Cependant les activités anthropiques et les pollutions, notamment par les éléments traces métalliques (ETMs) tel que le mercure (Hg), perturbent les sols et modifient en profondeur l’organisation des écosystèmes. Face à ces enjeux, des projets de remédiation et de gestion des sites et sols pollués se sont multipliés durant les dernières décennies en vue de futures ré-exploitations de ces sols. Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre des projets ANR-BIOFILTREE et EC2CO FREIDI-Hg gérés par le laboratoire Chrono-Environnement. Mes travaux ont permis l’exploration de la diversité des communautés de microorganismes associées à une plantation de peuplier sur un site contaminé par le Hg et géré par phytomanagement, via les approches combinées de séquençage à très haut débit et par l’approche culture dépendante. Ces méthodes combinées ont permis de révéler i) la diversité des communautés bactériennes et fongiques de la peupleraie ; ii) les groupes de microorganismes particulièrement résistant au Hg (Trichoderma et Pseudomonas) ; et iii) des bactéries promotrices de croissance des plantes (PGPB). Par ailleurs, la compréhension des mécanismes cellulaires liés à l’accumulation de Hg par les microorganismes a été un de mes sujets d’étude en partenariat avec le LIEC (Université de Lorraine). Les modèles eucaryotes Saccharomyces cerevisiae et Podospora anserina ont été utilisés pour tester le rôle potentiel de certains transporteurs d’ions dans l’entrée du Hg dans les cellules fongiques. Les résultats ont montré que le transporteur de magnésium Alr1 situé sur la membrane plasmique pourrait participer au transport du Hg. En outre, une approche de transcriptomique chez Saccharomyces cerevisiae après une courte exposition au Hg des souches mutantes et sauvages a été mise en œuvre. Pour conclure, ce travail de thèse ambitionne d’être un travail de référence pour les futurs projets de phytomanagement en milieux contaminé par le Hg, qui met en avant les communautés de microorganismes et leurs rôles fondamentaux. / Soil has a natural capital that gives it the capacity to produce ecosystem services, cultural as well as regulation or supply, it is essential to the Life as we know it and the development of human activities. However, anthropogenic activities and pollution, in particular by trace elements (ETs) such as mercury (Hg), disrupt the soil and modify in depth the organization of ecosystems. Facing these challenges, remediation and management projects for polluted sites and soils have emerged during the last decades with a view to future re-exploitation of these soils. This thesis is part of the ANR-BIOFILTREE and EC2CO FREIDI-Hg projects managed by the Chrono-Environnement laboratory. My Ph-D work explored the diversity of microorganism communities associated with a poplar plantation at a Hg-contaminated site managed by phytomanagement, combining approaches such as very high-throughput sequencing and conventional culture-based techniques. These combined methods revealed i) the diversity of the bacterial and fungal communities of the poplar plantation; ii) the groups of microorganisms particularly resistant to Hg (Trichoderma and Pseudomonas); and iii) plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). In addition, understanding the cellular mechanisms related to the accumulation of Hg by microorganisms was one of my objectives carried out in collaboration with the LIEC (University of Lorraine). The eukaryotic models Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Podospora anserina were used to test the potential role of some ion transporters in the entry of Hg into fungal cells. The results showed that the magnesium transporter Alr1 located on the plasma membrane could participate in the transport of Hg. In addition, a transcriptomic approach in Saccharomyces cerevisiae after a short exposure to Hg of mutant and wild strains has been implemented. To conclude, this work aims to be a reference work for future phytomanagement projects in Hg-contaminated environments, which highlights micro-organism communities and their fundamental roles.

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