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Double attribution du prix Otto Jaag pour 2025

13 mars 2026 | Andri Bryner

Remarque: ce texte a été traduit automatiquement en français avec DeepL Pro. Pour l'article original, veuillez sélectionner l'allemand ou l'anglais (changement de langue en haut de la page).


Utiliser des marqueurs isotopiques pour décomposer les réseaux trophiques et leurs modifications ainsi que suivre les voies et l'accumulation de polluants dans les organismes aquatiques - le prix Otto-Jaag pour la protection des eaux a été décerné en 2025 pour deux thèses de doctorat passionnantes et très actuelles sur le plan thématique.

Grâce à une augmentation du prix Otto Jaag pour la protection des eaux par l'ancienne directrice de l'Eawag, Janet Hering, deux prix ont pu être décernés en 2025 pour d'excellentes thèses de doctorat. Ils ont été décernés au chimiste de l'environnement Johannes Raths et au biologiste de l'évolution Grégoire Saboret.

Une chaîne alimentaire reconstituée grâce à l'analyse isotopique

Grégoire Saboret a effectué ses recherches à l'Eawag à Kastanienbaum sous la direction du professeur Carsten Schubert (département Eaux de surface). Jakob Brodersen et le Dr Blake Matthews (département Écologie et évolution des poissons), il a poursuivi le développement des analyses isotopiques des acides aminés et les a appliquées notamment aux poissons. Il a ainsi pu élargir la compréhension des réseaux alimentaires, car les marqueurs renseignent sur les producteurs primaires (algues et bactéries) et sur tous les consommateurs intermédiaires dont ils se sont nourris. Saboret a notamment montré comment l'eutrophisation des lacs influence les sources de production dans les réseaux alimentaires des lacs suisses ou comment, actuellement, la fonte des glaciers au Groenland modifie l'alimentation des poissons.

Des yeux de poisson avec des cernes

Grégoire Saboret a obtenu une bourse de mobilité du Fonds national et séjourne actuellement à l'Université de Californie à Santa Cruz. Il continue toutefois à faire de la recherche et à publier en collaboration avec des collègues de l'Eawag. Une publication est actuellement en préparation, qui analyse les isotopes du carbone et de l'azote provenant des lentilles des yeux de poisson. Comme les lentilles poussent en forme d'anneaux, ces anneaux forment, comme les cernes d'un arbre, des archives qui fournissent des informations sur l'ensemble du cycle de vie du poisson.

Comment les organismes aquatiques absorbent les polluants

Johannes Raths a effectué ses recherches pour sa thèse dans le département de chimie environnementale, sous la direction du Dr Juliane Hollender. Son travail a étudié les processus toxicocinétiques chez les organismes aquatiques, c'est-à-dire par exemple comment les pesticides et les médicaments sont absorbés, s'accumulent, se modifient dans l'organisme et sont éventuellement éliminés. Ces mécanismes constituent un pont entre la pollution des eaux d'une part et son impact sur les communautés aquatiques et les écosystèmes d'autre part. "Une protection efficace des eaux n'est en fait possible que si nous comprenons ces processus et leur évolution dans le cadre des changements globaux de l'environnement", explique la responsable de l'encadrement, le professeur Juliane Hollender. Elle est convaincue que les recherches interdisciplinaires de Rath trouveront un écho aussi bien dans les manuels scolaires que dans la pratique.

Les deux chercheurs récompensés n'ont malheureusement pas pu participer à la remise des prix lors de la journée de l'ETH en novembre dernier. Interrogés, Raths et Saboret ont tous deux déclaré qu'ils considéraient cette distinction comme un grand honneur et ont souligné le soutien dont ils ont bénéficié à l'Eawag. Saboret souligne que le prix est également une reconnaissance pour un travail qui honore la protection des écosystèmes aquatiques. Raths, quant à lui, met en avant l'interaction entre le changement climatique et la pollution dans ses travaux : "Cela nous occupera encore beaucoup à l'avenir.
 

Recherche de nouveaux candidats

Le prix Otto-Jaag pour la protection des eaux récompense la meilleure thèse de doctorat, ou dans des cas particuliers le meilleur travail de master, de l'ETH Zurich dans le domaine de la protection et de la connaissance des eaux. Les membres du corps enseignant de l'ETH Zurich sont habilités à proposer des projets pour le prix. Le montant du prix est de 5000 francs. Les candidatures pour le prix 2026 peuvent être déposées jusqu'au 1er juin.

Thèses de doctorat

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         isotopes
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          ecosystems, influencing sustainability and carbon fluxes. Ecosystems are in
         terconnected, exchanging energy, nutrients, and organic matter—a concept c
         aptured by meta-ecosystem theory. Consequently, changes in one ecosystem can
          have cascading effects on others. This interconnectedness becomes increasin
         gly important as global change drives significant alterations in food webs.
         Therefore, there is a pressing need to characterize food web functioning in
         complex settings, such as meta-ecosystems, and to study how these webs are i
         mpacted by global change. [...]
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Raths, J. (2023) Bioaccumulation of polar organic contaminants in aquatic invertebrates: impact of climate, uptake pathways and spatial distribution, 288 p, doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000641995, Institutional Repository
Saboret, G. (2024) Trophic dynamics in meta-ecosystems: insights from compound-specific stable isotopes, 197 p, doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000699978, Institutional Repository

Autres documents originaux

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         bsp;B.; Aquino, N. J.; Janssen, D. J.; Brodersen, J
         .; Schubert, C. J.
' (180 chars) title => protected'Impact of glaciers on trophic dynamics and polyunsaturated fat accumulation
         in Southern Greenland Fjord ecosystems
' (114 chars) journal => protected'Global Change Biology' (21 chars) year => protected2025 (integer) volume => protected31 (integer) issue => protected'1' (1 chars) startpage => protected'e70044 (19 pp.)' (15 chars) otherpage => protected'' (0 chars) categories => protected'amino acid isotope; arctic char; fjord; food web; glacier; Greenland; polyun
         saturated fatty acid; trophic position
' (114 chars) description => protected'The primary production of fjords across the Arctic and Subarctic is undergoi
         ng significant transformations due to the climatically driven retreat of gla
         ciers and ice sheets. However, the implications of these changes for upper t
         rophic levels remain largely unknown. In this study, we employ both bulk and
          compound-specific stable isotope analyses to investigate how shifts at the
         base of fjord food webs impact the carbon and energy sources of consumers. F
         ocusing on two rapidly changing fjords in Southern Greenland, we used the mi
         gratory Arctic char as an indicator species, sampling populations along envi
         ronmental gradients within the fjords, building upon the assumption that cha
         r populations feed primarily close to their natal stream, thereby integratin
         g a dietary gradient. Our analysis of bulk stable isotopes in Arctic char ti
         ssue confirmed this premise, revealing a consistent change in resource use f
         rom the outer to the inner fjord, which nonetheless served as preferred feed
         ing grounds. Essential amino acid analysis further indicated shifts in carbo
         n and nitrogen sources, consistent with changes in nutrient use near glacier
          inputs characterized by low turbidity and high iron levels. Notably, these
         changes in the source of primary production were associated with shifts in t
         rophic positions and the transfer of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with Arcti
         c char in glacier-influenced inner fjords feeding at lower trophic level (si
         ze-corrected) and accumulating higher levels of high-quality docosahexaenoic
          acid (DHA). These findings highlight the usefulness of new analytical tools
          in revealing that glacial retreat can substantially alter food web dynamics
         , enhancing both carbon flow and the nutritional quality of fish in fjord ec
         osystems. The two Southern Greenland fjords studied could represent the futu
         re of other fjords, where retreating glaciers become land-terminating and gl
         acial inputs decrease. Our study underscores the critical role of glacier dy
         namics in affecting high...
' (2075 chars) serialnumber => protected'1354-1013' (9 chars) doi => protected'10.1111/gcb.70044' (17 chars) uid => protected33871 (integer) _localizedUid => protected33871 (integer)modified _languageUid => protectedNULL _versionedUid => protected33871 (integer)modified pid => protected124 (integer)
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         , C. J.; Gossner, M. M.; Ilić, M.
' (135 chars) title => protected'Quantifying the utilisation of blue, green and brown resources by riparian p
         redators: a combined use of amino acid isotopes and fatty acids
' (139 chars) journal => protected'Methods in Ecology and Evolution' (32 chars) year => protected2024 (integer) volume => protected15 (integer) issue => protected'8' (1 chars) startpage => protected'1450' (4 chars) otherpage => protected'1462' (4 chars) categories => protected'amino acids; CSIA; food webs; MixSIAR; nutrient fluxes; polyunsaturated fatt
         y acids; spiders; stable isotopes
' (109 chars) description => protected'1. Global change drives multiple facets of biodiversity including interactio
         n diversity, which is fundamental for ecosystem functioning. However, studyi
         ng trophic interactions is challenging in meta-ecosystems, that is ecosystem
         s connected by spatial flows of energy, materials and organisms across ecosy
         stem boundaries. While analytical methods based on abundances of polyunsatur
         ated fatty acids (PUFAs) and stable isotopes of amino acids (AAs) are being
         increasingly used, it has never been explored if both approaches could be: (
         i) combined in mixing models to enhance precision in dietary inference (ii)
         compared to disentangle transfers of various PUFAs and proteins in food webs
          in the wild.<br />2. We explore the utility of analytical approaches based
         on PUFA abundances and AA isotopes to resolve resource transfers in a natura
         l riparian food web. We focus on spiders and their potential prey from blue,
          green and brown sources to address three important and persisting methodolo
         gical issues in food-web ecology, namely whether (i) essential AA carbon iso
         topes can resolve protein origin from blue, green and brown resources, (ii)
         PUFA relative abundance and AA isotopes can be combined in a mixing model to
          provide higher precision estimates (i.e. narrower intervals) and (iii) comb
         ining the two approaches can unveil the coupling of protein and PUFA transfe
         rs in food webs. 3. Our research demonstrates the power of AA isotopes and P
         UFAs to distinguish blue, green, and brown sources and their transfer up to
         consumers. We show that combining PUFA relative abundance and AA isotopes in
          a mixing model provides overall estimates similar to the individual estimat
         es but significantly increases precision. In addition, we showcase how combi
         ning approaches unveil the coupling of protein and PUFA transfers. For insta
         nce, we show that most PUFAs are less concentrated from prey to predators, r
         elative to proteins, highlighting uncoupling of PUFAs and protein transfer a
         long food chains.<br />4...
' (2301 chars) serialnumber => protected'2041-210X' (9 chars) doi => protected'10.1111/2041-210X.14371' (23 chars) uid => protected33076 (integer) _localizedUid => protected33076 (integer)modified _languageUid => protectedNULL _versionedUid => protected33076 (integer)modified pid => protected124 (integer)
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         ct of climate, uptake pathways and spatial distribution
' (131 chars) journal => protected'' (0 chars) year => protected2023 (integer) volume => protected0 (integer) issue => protected'' (0 chars) startpage => protected'288&nbsp;p' (10 chars) otherpage => protected'' (0 chars) categories => protected'' (0 chars) description => protected'Global freshwater resources are threatened by a range of human activities in
         cluding pollution and accelerating global climate change. Environmental cont
         aminants are numerous and can form complex contamination patterns and mixtur
         es in aquatic systems. The vast majority of organic contaminants originates
         from human use and enters aquatic environments from agricultural, industrial
          and household emissions. Pharmaceuticals and pesticides are contaminants of
          particular concern as they are specifically designed to be biologically act
         ive and thus cause adverse effects on non-target organisms such as aquatic i
         nvertebrates. Aquatic invertebrates, including amphipods, provide important
         ecological functions such as detritus processing and transfer of energy to h
         igher trophic levels that maintain the functionality and diversity of aquati
         c ecosystems. [...]
' (855 chars) serialnumber => protected'' (0 chars) doi => protected'10.3929/ethz-b-000641995' (24 chars) uid => protected36402 (integer) _localizedUid => protected36402 (integer)modified _languageUid => protectedNULL _versionedUid => protected36402 (integer)modified pid => protected124 (integer)
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         .
' (77 chars) title => protected'Elimination resistance: characterizing multi-compartment toxicokinetics of t
         he neonicotinoid thiacloprid in the amphipod <em>Gammarus pulex</em> using b
         ioconcentration and receptor-binding assays
' (195 chars) journal => protected'Environmental Science and Technology' (36 chars) year => protected2023 (integer) volume => protected57 (integer) issue => protected'24' (2 chars) startpage => protected'8890' (4 chars) otherpage => protected'8901' (4 chars) categories => protected'bioaccumulation; invertebrates; micropollutants; organic contaminants; insec
         ticides
' (83 chars) description => protected'Delayed toxicity is a phenomenon observed for aquatic invertebrates exposed
         to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonists, such as neonicotinoids
         . Furthermore, recent studies have described an incomplete elimination of ne
         onicotinoids by exposed amphipods. However, a mechanistic link between recep
         tor binding and toxicokinetic modeling has not been demonstrated yet. The el
         imination of the neonicotinoid thiacloprid in the freshwater amphipod <em>Ga
         mmarus pulex</em> was studied in several toxicokinetic exposure experiments,
          complemented with in vitro and in vivo receptor-binding assays. Based on th
         e results, a two-compartment model was developed to predict the uptake and e
         limination kinetics of thiacloprid in <em>G. pulex</em>. An incomplete elimi
         nation of thiacloprid, independent of elimination phase duration, exposure c
         oncentrations, and pulses, was observed. Additionally, the receptor-binding
         assays indicated irreversible binding of thiacloprid to the nAChRs. Accordin
         gly, a toxicokinetic-receptor model consisting of a structural and a membran
         e protein (including nAChRs) compartment was developed. The model successful
         ly predicted internal thiacloprid concentrations across various experiments.
          Our results help in understanding the delayed toxic and receptor-mediated e
         ffects toward arthropods caused by neonicotinoids. Furthermore, the results
         suggest that more awareness toward long-term toxic effects of irreversible r
         eceptor binding is needed in a regulatory context. The developed model suppo
         rts the future toxicokinetic assessment of receptor-binding contaminants.
' (1593 chars) serialnumber => protected'0013-936X' (9 chars) doi => protected'10.1021/acs.est.3c01891' (23 chars) uid => protected31058 (integer) _localizedUid => protected31058 (integer)modified _languageUid => protectedNULL _versionedUid => protected31058 (integer)modified pid => protected124 (integer)
Saboret, G.; Moccetti, C.; Wassenaar, L. I.; Matthews, B.; Aquino, N. J.; Janssen, D. J.; Brodersen, J.; Schubert, C. J. (2025) Impact of glaciers on trophic dynamics and polyunsaturated fat accumulation in Southern Greenland Fjord ecosystems, Global Change Biology, 31(1), e70044 (19 pp.), doi:10.1111/gcb.70044, Institutional Repository
Saboret, G.; Drost, B. J. W.; Kowarik, C.; Schubert, C. J.; Gossner, M. M.; Ilić, M. (2024) Quantifying the utilisation of blue, green and brown resources by riparian predators: a combined use of amino acid isotopes and fatty acids, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 15(8), 1450-1462, doi:10.1111/2041-210X.14371, Institutional Repository
Raths, J. (2023) Bioaccumulation of polar organic contaminants in aquatic invertebrates: impact of climate, uptake pathways and spatial distribution, 288 p, doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000641995, Institutional Repository
Raths, J.; Schinz, L.; Mangold-Döring, A.; Hollender, J. (2023) Elimination resistance: characterizing multi-compartment toxicokinetics of the neonicotinoid thiacloprid in the amphipod Gammarus pulex using bioconcentration and receptor-binding assays, Environmental Science and Technology, 57(24), 8890-8901, doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c01891, Institutional Repository


Photo de couverture : La fonte des glaciers modifie les réseaux alimentaires dans les eaux, comme ici au Groenland, mais aussi dans les régions alpines. (Photo : Coralie Moccetti)