From land plants to marine diatoms: the scientific journey of a plant eco-physiologist

摘要

During my career, mainly I have studied the interaction between environmental factors and the physiology of plants and algae. To cite only the most important, a plant of agronomic interest: Zea mays, then a halophyte: Halopeplis amplexicaulis (Vahl) Ung, brown macroalgae of the genera Fucus and Cystoseira and finally microalgae as Pavlova lutheri, but mostly diatom as Haslea ostrearia and Odontella aurita that have occupied my last 20 years of research at Le Mans University (France). Most of the time, numerous and varied physiological parameters such as growth, photosynthesis by oximetry and modulated fluorometry, metabolic pathways using 14C, enzymatic activities of the major enzymes of carbon fixation and of the antioxidant enzyme system, poly-insaturated fatty acids composition and metabolism in microalgae have been studied in conditions of stress. Currently approaching retirement, I finally conduct experiments with diatoms rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, supplied as a food supplement to high-fat fed rats having a metabolic syndrome