This paper deals with aquatic ecosystem model in estuaries context. These systems are described with functional organizations which are producers, consumers and decomposers. We use a hierarchical representation which is based on compartmental model. The different compartments exchange various fluxes of their global components, like oxygen for example, as well as fluxes of population individuals...

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are increasingly appreciated for their contributions to primary productivity through promotion of growth and triggering of induced systemic resistance in plants. Here we focus on the beneficial effects of one particular species of PGPR (Pseudomonas fluorescens) on plants through induced plant defense. This model organism has provided much understandin...

The effects of radioactive contamination on ecosystem processes such as litter decomposition remain largely unknown. Because radionuclides accumulated in soil and plant biomass can be harmful for organisms, the functioning of ecosystems may be altered by radioactive contamination. Here, we tested the hypothesis that decomposition is impaired by increasing levels of radioactivity in the environm...

The photodegradation of polymers has been studied from the early years due to its commercial production. Most plastics are affected by exposure to sunlight in conjunction with other natural weathering forces such as oxygen, water, and heat. Almost all synthetic polymers require stabilization against adverse environmental effects. The consequences of photodegradation depend on the nature of the ...

1. In the conventional view of soil carbon (C) cycling, mycorrhizal fungi are primarily considered vectors for plant C input to soils. However, there is accumulating evidence that mycorrhizal fungi may also contribute to the direct loss of soil C by acting as decomposers, that is by producing extracellular lytic enzymes and metabolizing soil C. 2. Most of the evidence that mycorrhizal fungi can...

1. Organic matter decomposition is the main process by which carbon (C) is lost from terrestrial ecosystems, and mycorrhizal associations of plants (i.e. arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) and ectomycorrhizas (ECM)) may have different indirect effects on this loss pathway. AM and ECM plants differ in the soil decomposers they promote and the quality of litter they produce, which may result in differen...