No description available.

Trace amounts of xenobiotic organic contaminants have been frequently identified in the environment, including surface water and wastewater streams, and some are even in drinking water. The concern of unintended ingestion by humans or wildlife of such compounds resulting from the uptake by plants has risen in recent years. Although the uptake of a variety of xenobiotic organic contaminants by plants has been reported and the contaminants are found in the fruits in some cases, the differences between plant species are not fully understood. The emphasis of this research is to investigate the unique uptake ability of zucchini that has been reported repeatedly in recent years. Xylem saps, collected using a pressure chamber technique, were used to determine the values of Transpiration Stream Concentration Factor (TSCF), the ratio of the contaminant concentration in the xylem to that in the solution. Soybean "hoyt," squash "zephyr," and zucchini "gold rush" were used to compare the uptake ability of each plant. The root tissue was analyzed for total carbon and lipid content. Xylem sap was analyzed for total organic carbon and protein contents. The solubilities of the compounds in the xylem sap and deionized water were also determined using a modified shake flask method. From the measurement of TSCF, the uptake of hydrophobic contaminants in zucchini "gold rush" was found to be three-to tenfold of the other two plant species. The lipid content of the root tissue from zucchini "gold rush" was twice as much of that in soybean and squash "zephyr," indicating enhanced adsorption of the hydrophobic compounds. The solubility of triclocarban in the xylem sap of zucchini "gold rush" was also twice the amount of that in soybean xylem sap. The enhanced solubility could be a result of high protein content measured in zucchini "gold rush" xylem sap, which may be increasing the facilitated transport of the hydrophobic compounds. The data generated in this study will be used to better understand the mechanistic differences associated with the plant uptake of organic contaminants by different species. This information can also be used in the selection of the plant species used in risk assessment studies and phytoremediation studies.

Dans le contexte du développement d'une agriculture durable visant à préserver les ressources naturelles et les écosystèmes, il s'avère nécessaire d'approfondir notre compréhension des processus souterrains et des interactions entre le sol et les racines des plantes.Dans cette thèse, on utilise des outils mathématiques et numériques pour développer des modèles mécanistiques explicites du mouvement de l'eau et des nutriments dans le sol et de l'absorption racinaire, gouvernés par des équations aux dérivées partielles non linéaires. Un accent est mis sur la prise en compte explicite de la géométrie du système racinaire et des processus à petite échelle survenant dans la rhizosphère, qui jouent un rôle majeur dans l'absorption racinaire.La première étude est dédiée à l'analyse mathématique d'un modèle d'absorption du phosphore (P) par les racines des plantes. L'évolution de la concentration de P dans la solution du sol est gouvernée par une équation de convection-diffusion avec une condition aux limites non linéaire à la surface de la racine, que l'on considère ici comme un bord du domaine du sol. On formule ensuite un problème d'optimisation de forme visant à trouver les formes racinaires qui maximisent l'absorption de P.La seconde partie de cette thèse montre comment on peut tirer avantage des récents progrès du calcul scientifique dans le domaine de l'adaptation de maillage non structuré et du calcul parallèle afin de développer des modèles numériques du mouvement de l'eau et des solutés et de l'absorption racinaire à l'échelle de la plante, tout en prenant en compte les phénomènes locaux survenant à l'échelle de la racine unique. / In the context of the development of sustainable agriculture aiming at preserving natural resources and ecosystems, it is necessary to improve our understanding of underground processes and interactions between soil and plant roots.In this thesis, we use mathematical and numerical tools to develop explicit mechanistic models of soil water and solute movement accounting for root water and nutrient uptake and governed by nonlinear partial differential equations. An emphasis is put on resolving the geometry of the root system as well as small scale processes occurring in the rhizosphere, which play a major role in plant root uptake.The first study is dedicated to the mathematical analysis of a model of phosphorus (P) uptake by plant roots. The evolution of the concentration of P in the soil solution is governed by a convection-diffusion equation with a nonlinear boundary condition at the root surface, which is included as a boundary of the soil domain. A shape optimization problem is formulated that aims at finding root shapes maximizing P uptake.The second part of this thesis shows how we can take advantage of the recent advances of scientific computing in the field of unstructured mesh adaptation and parallel computing to develop numerical models of soil water and solute movement with root water and nutrient uptake at the plant scale while taking into account local processes at the single root scale.

L’attività di ricerca ha previsto il confronto fra due siti inquinati da metalli pesanti e due siti controllo naturali. Contrariamente ai parametri chimico-fisici e ai contenuti in metallo dei suoli, le analisi vegetazionali non hanno evidenziato differenze significative tra i siti. E’ stata necessaria la messa a punto strumentale di tecniche ICP-OES, ED(P)XRF per la calibrazione empirica di un XRF portatile, per le osservazioni puntiformi in situ di suoli e flora ed è stata modificata la metodica ufficiale per le stime della biodisponibilità dei metalli pesanti nei suoli inquinati. 6 specie comuni ai 4 siti sono state valutate per i loro TF e BAF. Viene confermata la specie-specificità del TF e del BAF per il quale è stato elaborato un inedito algoritmo per un corretto confronto tra le specie. Tra le sei specie, Silene Alba ha i migliori TF e BAF. Successivamente, sono state valutate alcune caratteristiche del Pennisetum clandestinum, candidato per la fitodepurazione: tollera le concentrazioni di arseniato tipiche dei suoli inquinati, l’arseniato è un inibitore competitivo del trasporto del fosfato, possiede un’elevata velocità di assorbimento dell’arseniato che accumula nella radice, ma non lo trasloca nella frazione epigea, parte dell’As(V) viene ridotto ad As(III) che viene efflusso dalla radice / The research has provided a comparison between two heavy metals polluted sites and two natural control sites. Unlike physical-chemical parameters and metal content in the soils, vegetation analysis showed no significant differences between sites. The development and optimization of instrumental techniques ICP-OES and ED(P)XRF was necessary to calibrate empirically a portable XRF for soil and flora point observations in situ and the official method for estimation of bioavailability of heavy metals in polluted soil was changed. Six species, common to the four sites, were evaluated for their TF and BAF. Were confirmed the TF and the BAF species-specificity for which it was developed a novel algorithm to obtain a correct comparison among species. Among the six species, Silene Alba has the best TF and BAF. In the second stage, some characteristics of Pennisetum clandestinum, candidate for the phytoremediation, were assessed: it tolerates arsenate concentrations typical of polluted soil, arsenate is a competitive inhibitor of phosphate transport, it has a high uptake rate of arsenic that accumulates in the root, but it doesn’t move in the aboveground fraction and part of As(V) is reduced to As(III), which is efflux from roots.

No description available.

Des particules ultrafines y compris nanométriques, enrichies en métaux (PM) sont émises dans l'atmosphère en zones industrielles et urbaines, puis sont transférées vers les écosystèmes terrestres et aquatiques, avec des conséquences sur la qualité des plantes et la santé humaine. Dans un contexte socio-scientifique mondial où la réglementation sur l’impact (éco)toxicologique des substances et les pressions de l'espace public se renforcent, des études d'impacts environnement-santé sur tout le cycle de vie des PM sont indispensables. La thèse visait tout d'abord l’étude du devenir et de l’impact des métaux des PM: leur cinétique de transfert, les mécanismes de phytodisponibilité, phytotoxicité, et les risques pour la santé humaine lors de l’ingestion de végétaux pollués. Ensuite, à travers le cas de potagers urbains en Chine, une étude socio-scientifique a été réalisée afin de proposer des moyens de gestion durable des risques environnement-santé. Les légumes peuvent accumuler des quantités importantes de métaux par absorption foliaire lorsque des PM pénètrent par les stomates. Des PM de PbO et des nano-CuO induisent une forte phytotoxicité (réduction de la biomasse et des échanges gazeux, nécroses). La phytotoxicité n’est pas simplement régie par la concentration totale en métaux car des bio-transformations se produisent et modifient les formes chimiques des métaux. L’analyse par résonance paramagnétique électronique (EPR) a mis en évidence un changement de spéciation du cuivre dans les tissus des feuilles. Par ailleurs, une influence significative de la nature du métal, de l’espèce végétale et du type d’exposition (foliaire/racinaire) sur la bioaccessibilité gastro-intestinale des éléments a été démontrée. A proximité d’un incinérateur de déchets ou d’une autoroute, l’absorption foliaire des PM induit des concentrations élevée en métaux dans les plantes, en plus du transfert sol-plante. Une bioaccessibilité humaine relativement élevée (60-79%) a été mesurée, suggérant un risque potentiel pour la santé en cas de consommation régulière. Les jardins potagers étudiés présentent un risque sanitaire faible (cas de l’incinérateur) ou modéré (cas de l’autoroute) à l'égard de la consommation humaine des légumes étudiés. Mais, une exposition à différents polluants organiques en plus des métaux est souvent possible. Cette thèse souligne l'importance de prendre en compte l'influence de l'atmosphère en plus de la qualité du sol pour estimer la qualité des plantes consommées cultivées en zones anthropisées (fermes et jardins urbains), pour la gestion durable des agricultures urbaines / Ultrafine particles including nanosized enriched with metal(loid)s (PM) are emitted into the atmosphere of industrial or urban areas, these PM can transfer into soil and water ecosystems and have consequences on plant quality and human health. In a global socio-scientific context that regulation on (eco)toxicity of chemicals and public space pressures are recently increased, studies of environmental and health impacts throughout the life cycle of PM are of crucial sanitary concern. The PhD aims first to study metal(loid)s present in the PM: their transfer kinetic and mechanism of phytoavailability, phytotoxicity, and human health risks-ingestion bioaccessibility. Then, through the case of vegetable gardens near an incinerator and a highway in China, a socio-scientific study was performed in order to give suggestions for sustainable environmental and health risk management for these sites. Vegetables can significantly accumulate metal(loid)s by foliar uptake when PM directly enter into leaves through stomata apertures. Ultrafine PbO and nano-CuO particles caused serious phytotoxicity (reduced biomass and gaseous exchange, and necrosis) after interaction with leaf surface. Phytotoxicity of metal(loid)s is not simply governed by their total concentration, but also depended on the potential bio-transformation. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis clearly evidenced copper speciation change in leaf tissues. Moreover, a significant influence of the nature of metal, plant species and the exposure pathways (foliar/root) on gastro-bioaccessibility of metal(loid)s had been demonstrated. For a social-scientific study near waste incinerator and roadside, we found that atmosphere PM fallouts can induce significant metal foliar uptake in addition to soil-plant transfer. The relatively high human bioaccessibility of metal (60-79%) was measured, suggesting a potential health risk in the case of regular consumption of polluted vegetables. Vegetable gardens present a low (waste incinerator) or moderate (highway) health risk with respect to human consumption quantity of the investigated vegetables, but exposure to different organic pollutants in addition to metals is often possible. Our studies highlight the importance of taking atmosphere and soil quality into account for estimating the quality of consumed plants grown in anthropic areas (farms and kitchen gardens), and for sustainable management of urban agricultures.