Research

Environmental pollution is one of the major anthropogenic changes affecting the balance of aquatic ecosystems. In particular, metallic contamination from historical mining activities can spread in the environment over time (several centuries) and space (several kilometers), and can accumulate along the food chain with deleterious effects on aquatic population dynamics. However, the adaptive capacities of fish are still poorly known and remain widely unexplored in wild, where multiple stressors (pollution, parasites, etc.) can interact in complex ways, affecting identical physiological pathways. During my thesis, I therefore investigated the combined effect of multiple stressors (metal contamination and infection by an emerging pathogen) on the health and adaptability of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in wild.

The French Pyrenees provide an ideal geographical area to study this issue, as this mountain region and its aquatic ecosystems are deeply affected by the legacy of past mining activities and the emergence of a particularly virulent pathogen, Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, a myxozoan responsible for the proliferative kidney disease (PKD) which can lead to high mortalities in wild trout populations (ranging from 20 to 100%). By combining multidisciplinary approaches in biogeochemistry, ecotoxicology, and evolutionary biology, and using innovative techniques, this project aims to enhance our understanding of the current and future impact of multiple stressors on the health and adaptability of wild aquatic fauna in the context of global changes.

Teaching

Je suis intervenue en tant que DCCE (Doctorante Contractuelle Chargée d’Enseignement) en approche pratique en biodiversité animale (niveau L1), en anatomie comparée des vertébrés (niveau L2) et en zoologie (niveau L3) de la licence Biodiversité & Biologie Environnementale à l’Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier.

List of selected publications

Metal Contaminants in Fish: Blood as a Potential Non-lethal Monitoring Tool
Contributors: Laurine Gouthier; Lisa Jacquin; Jules Giraud; Séverine Jean; Sophia V. Hansson
DOI: 10.1007/s00128-023-03762-0

Spatial Patterns of Neutral and Functional Genetic Variations along Dendritic Networks of Riverscape in Brown Trout Populations
Contributors: Laurine Gouthier; Eloïse Duval; Simon Blanchet; Géraldine Loot; Charlotte Veyssière; Maxime Galan; Erwan Quéméré; Lisa Jacquin
DOI: 10.3390/d15060784