Marie came to the USGS in September 2002 as a postdoctoral fellow to study the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of metals in freshwater food webs. Her work focused on understanding how metals are transferred through food webs and how trophic position in a food web influences exposure to metals.
Marie used nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes to show that cadmium, in contrast to copper, could be magnified along certain freshwater food webs. This suggests that processes that drive Cd trophic transfer are more complex than that of organo-metals, metalloids and organic contaminants.
In addition to her work on metal trophic transfer, she refined an approach that involves the use stable metal isotopes (rather than radioisotopes) to describe accumulation and loss dynamics in freshwater invertebrates. Characterization of bioaccumulation dynamics is critical to understanding risks associated with contaminant exposure in organisms. For instance, this tracing technique allowed showing that a slow rate constant of loss for Cu likely explains the elevated levels of this toxic trace metal found in molluscs in nature, and that diet is an important bioaccumulation pathway for metals for several aquatic species.
She used biodynamic modeling and the enriched stable isotope tracers in novel ways to understand the fate and effects of nanosized metals in aquatic organisms as well as to investigate how the geochemical properties of mineral particles consumed by organisms affect their bioavailability.
Education and Certifications
PhD. 2002. Water and Environmental Sciences, University of Quebec (INRS-ETE), Canada
M.Sc. 1997. Water and Environmental Sciences, University of Quebec (INRS-ETE), Canada
Science and Products
Environmental Health-Minerals
Minerals Science Team
Study Reveals Processes that Control Uranium Bioavailability in a Freshwater Snail—Relevance to Aquatic Biota in the Grand Canyon Area
Data for laboratory experiments conducted with the caddisflies Hydropsyche californica and Arctopsyche grandis to derive copper and cadmium bioaccumulation parameters
Dissolved arsenic, copper, and lead concentrations in surface water within the Klamath Basin (ver. 3.0, October 2022)
Biogeochemical data of water, sediments, periphyton, and macroinvertebrates collected from springs in and near Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (ver. 4.0, October 2022)
Data acquired in laboratory experiments conducted with the stonefly Zapada sp. and the ephemerellid mayflies Drunella sp. and Ephemerella tibialis to characterize uptake and surface adsorption after short aqueous exposures to uranium, 2017-2019
Data acquired in laboratory experiments conducted with the crustacean Daphnia magna to characterize Ag bioaccumulation kinetics after exposures to AgNO3 or Ag nanoparticles, 2019-2020
Data for monitoring trace metal and benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay, California (ver 2.0, November 2022)
Laboratory data to assess the effect of nanoparticle size and natural organic matter composition on the bioavailability of platinum nanoparticles to a model freshwater invertebrate species
Aquatic insect accumulation of uranium at spring outflows in the Grand Canyon region as influenced by aqueous and sediment geochemistry and biological factors: Implications for monitoring
Near-field receiving-water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California—2020
Water chemistry, exposure routes and metal forms determine the bioaccumulation dynamics of silver (ionic and nanoparticulate) in Daphnia magna
Near-field receiving-water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California—2019
Effect of nanoparticle size and natural organic matter composition on the bioavailability of polyvinylpyrrolidone- coated platinum nanoparticles to a model freshwater invertebrate
Uranium bioaccumulation dynamics in the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer and application to site-specific prediction
Concentrations and size distribution of TiO2 and Ag engineered particles in five wastewater treatment plants in the United States
Competitive interactions among H, CU, and Zn ion moderate aqueous uptake of Cu and Zn by an aquatic insect
Three-layered silver nanoparticles to trace dissolution and association to a green alga
A biodynamic understanding of dietborne and waterborne Ag uptake from Ag NPs in the sediment-dwelling oligochaete, Tubifex tubifex
Nanomaterials in the environment: Behavior, fate, bioavailability, and effects—An updated review
Assessing the dietary bioavailability of metals associated with natural particles: Extending the use of the reverse labeling approach to zinc
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Science
Environmental Health-Minerals
This project provides scientific data about how contaminants, that might originate from mineral resource activities, are transported through the environment; their pathways of exposure; and where they ultimately end up. Contaminant exposures can originate from transportation, storage, extraction, and waste management mineral resource activities. This project distinguishes perceived health risks to...Minerals Science Team
The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are identified the science produced by this team can inform how to...Study Reveals Processes that Control Uranium Bioavailability in a Freshwater Snail—Relevance to Aquatic Biota in the Grand Canyon Area
Scientists refined an existing speciation model to identify key biogeochemical processes controlling dissolved uranium bioavailability to a freshwater snail. This information is important to advance current understanding and prediction of the ecological risk posed by uranium mining to freshwater ecosystems, including federally managed lands such as in the Grand Canyon area. - Data
Data for laboratory experiments conducted with the caddisflies Hydropsyche californica and Arctopsyche grandis to derive copper and cadmium bioaccumulation parameters
This USGS data release includes data from experiments conducted with two species of caddisflies (Hydropsyche californica and Arctopsyche grandis (Order: Trichoptera) to quantify copper and cadmium uptake and loss after dissolved and dietary exposures. Both Arctopsyche and Hydropsyche belong to the family Hydropsychidae (O: Trichoptera). They are relatively sessile, net-spinning filter feeders. DatDissolved arsenic, copper, and lead concentrations in surface water within the Klamath Basin (ver. 3.0, October 2022)
Arsenic (As) toxicity is a global environmental and health problem. There are both natural (eg volcanic activity) and anthropogenic sources of As (eg lead arsenate and copper arsenate were commonly used pesticides in the 1900's). Aqueous levels of arsenic in the Klamath Basin (CA, OR), which has a volcanic origin, can exceed at some locations both the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality humBiogeochemical data of water, sediments, periphyton, and macroinvertebrates collected from springs in and near Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (ver. 4.0, October 2022)
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying uranium and associated trace element bioaccumulation in aquatic invertebrates across a gradient of dissolved uranium concentrations in spring outflow pools and creeks in the Grand Canyon and adjacent watershed. This data release makes available data from sampling campaigns in April 2016, April 2017, and in April 2019. Data collected include: (1) major ion, trData acquired in laboratory experiments conducted with the stonefly Zapada sp. and the ephemerellid mayflies Drunella sp. and Ephemerella tibialis to characterize uptake and surface adsorption after short aqueous exposures to uranium, 2017-2019
Little is known about the underlying mechanisms governing uranium (U) bioaccumulation in aquatic insects, especially the influence of surface adsorption on the measured U concentrations (Henry et al. 2020). U.S. Geological Survey scientists are conducting experiments to parameterize conditional rate constants for aqueous U uptake and to quantify desorption of weakly bound U from insect's integumenData acquired in laboratory experiments conducted with the crustacean Daphnia magna to characterize Ag bioaccumulation kinetics after exposures to AgNO3 or Ag nanoparticles, 2019-2020
Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are one type of contaminant that can enter treatment wetlands (Wiesner 2006) and impact the overall treatment efficacy. Grazing by filter feeding zooplankton, such as Daphnia magna, is critical to treatment wetland functioning (Ismail 2019), but the effects of AgNP on zooplankton are not fully understood, especially at environmentally relevant concentrations. In this stData for monitoring trace metal and benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay, California (ver 2.0, November 2022)
Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Limecola petalum (World Register of Marine Species, 2020; formerly reported as Macoma balthica and M. petalum), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat located 1 kilometer south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in south San FranLaboratory data to assess the effect of nanoparticle size and natural organic matter composition on the bioavailability of platinum nanoparticles to a model freshwater invertebrate species
Data collected in a series of laboratory experiments conducted with juvenile freshwater snails (Lymnaea stagnalis) reared in the laboratory and exposed to dissolved platinum (Pt), or polyvinylpyrrolidone coated platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) of five different nominal hydrodynamic diameters in the presence (or absence) of natural organic matter (NOM) are presented in this data release. Files includ - Multimedia
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Filter Total Items: 42
Aquatic insect accumulation of uranium at spring outflows in the Grand Canyon region as influenced by aqueous and sediment geochemistry and biological factors: Implications for monitoring
Potential adverse ecological effects of expanded uranium (U) mining within the Grand Canyon region motivated studies to better understand U exposure and risk to endemic species. This study documents U exposures and analyzes geochemical and biological factors affecting U bioaccumulation at spring-fed systems within the Grand Canyon region. The principal objective was to determine if aqueous U was bAuthorsDaniel J. Cain, Marie-Noële Croteau, Christopher C. Fuller, David Barasch, Kimberly R. Beisner, Kate M. Campbell, Deborah Stoliker, Edward J. SchenkNear-field receiving-water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California—2020
Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Limecola petalum (World Register of Marine Species, 2020; formerly reported as Macoma balthica and M. petalum), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer (km) south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in south San FrancisAuthorsDaniel J. Cain, Marie-Noële Croteau, Janet K. Thompson, Francis Parchaso, Robin Stewart, Emily L. Zierdt Smith, Kelly H. Shrader, Le H. Kieu, Samuel N. LuomaWater chemistry, exposure routes and metal forms determine the bioaccumulation dynamics of silver (ionic and nanoparticulate) in Daphnia magna
Treatment wetlands utilize various physical and biological processes to reduce levels of organic contaminants, metals, bacteria, and suspended solids. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one type of contaminant that can enter treatment wetlands and impact the overall treatment efficacy. Grazing by filter-feeding zooplankton, such as Daphnia magna, is critical to treatment wetland functioning; but theAuthorsEmma Lesser, Fatima Noor Sheikh, Mithun Sikder, Marie-Noële Croteau, Natasha Franklin, Mohammed Baalousha, Niveen S. IsmailNear-field receiving-water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California—2019
Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Limecola petalum (formerly reported as Macoma balthica and M. petalum), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in south San Francisco Bay, Calif. This report includes the dataAuthorsDaniel J. Cain, Marie-Noële Croteau, Janet K. Thompson, Francis Parchaso, Robin Stewart, Kelly H. Shrader, Emily L. Zierdt Smith, Samuel N. LuomaEffect of nanoparticle size and natural organic matter composition on the bioavailability of polyvinylpyrrolidone- coated platinum nanoparticles to a model freshwater invertebrate
The bioavailability of dissolved Pt(IV) and polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) of five different nominal hydrodynamic diameters (20, 30, 50, 75, and 95 nm) was characterized in laboratory experiments using the model freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Dissolved Pt(IV) and all nanoparticle sizes were bioavailable to L. stagnalis. Platinum bioavailability, inferred from condiAuthorsMithun Sikder, Marie-Noële Croteau, Brett Poulin, Mohammed BaaloushaUranium bioaccumulation dynamics in the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer and application to site-specific prediction
Little is known about the underlying mechanisms governing the bioaccumulation of uranium (U) in aquatic insects. We experimentally parameterized conditional rate constants for aqueous U uptake, dietary U uptake, and U elimination for the aquatic baetid mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer. Results showed that this species accumulates U from both the surrounding water and diet, with waterborne uptake prevAuthorsBrianna L. Henry, Marie-Noële Croteau, David Walters, Janet L. Miller, Daniel J. Cain, Christopher C. FullerConcentrations and size distribution of TiO2 and Ag engineered particles in five wastewater treatment plants in the United States
The growing use of engineered particles (e.g., nanosized and pigment sized particles, 1 to 100 nm and 100 to 300 nm, respectively) in a variety of consumer products increases the likelihood of their release into the environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are an important pathways of introduction of engineered particles to the aquatic systems. This study reports the concentrations, removaAuthorsMd. Mahmudun Nabi, Jingjing Wang, Madeleine Meyer, Marie-Noële Croteau, Niveen Ismail, Mohammed BaaloushaCompetitive interactions among H, CU, and Zn ion moderate aqueous uptake of Cu and Zn by an aquatic insect
The absorption of aqueous copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) by aquatic insects, a group widely used to assess water quality, is unresolved. This study examined interactions among Cu, Zn, and protons that potentially moderate Cu and Zn uptake by the acid-tolerant stonefly Zapada sp. Saturation uptake kinetics was imposed to identify competitive mechanisms. Decreasing pH reduced the maximum transport capaciAuthorsDaniel J. Cain, Marie-Noële Croteau, Christopher C. FullerThree-layered silver nanoparticles to trace dissolution and association to a green alga
Core-shell silver nanoparticles (NPs) consisting of an inner Ag core and successive layers of Au and Ag (Ag@Au@Ag) were used to measure the simultaneous association of Ag NPs and ionic Ag by the green alga Chlamydomonas (C.) reinhardtii. Dissolution of the inner Ag core was prevented by a gold (Au) layer, while the outer Ag layer was free to dissolve. In short term experiments, we exposed C. reinhAuthorsDominic Ponton, Marie-Noële Croteau, Samuel N Luoma, Sahar Pourhoseini, Ruth Merrifield, Jamie LeadA biodynamic understanding of dietborne and waterborne Ag uptake from Ag NPs in the sediment-dwelling oligochaete, Tubifex tubifex
Metal nanoparticles (Me-NPs) are increasingly used in various products, such as inks and cosmetics, enhancing the likelihood of their release into aquatic environments. An understanding of the mechanisms controlling their bioaccumulation and ecotoxicity in aquatic biota will help support environmental risk assessment. Here we characterized unidirectional parameters for uptake and elimination of siAuthorsStine Rosendal Tangaa, Margrethe Winther-Nielsen, Henriette Selck, Marie-Noële CroteauNanomaterials in the environment: Behavior, fate, bioavailability, and effects—An updated review
The present review covers developments in studies of nanomaterials (NMs) in the environment since our much cited review in 2008. We discuss novel insights into fate and behavior, metrology, transformations, bioavailability, toxicity mechanisms, and environmental impacts, with a focus on terrestrial and aquatic systems. Overall, the findings were that: 1) despite substantial developments, criticalAuthorsJamie R. Lead, Graeme E. Batley, Pedro J.J. Alvarez, Marie-Noële Croteau, Richard D. Handy, Michael J. McLaughlin, Jonathon D. Judy, Kristin SchirmerAssessing the dietary bioavailability of metals associated with natural particles: Extending the use of the reverse labeling approach to zinc
We extend the use of a novel tracing technique to quantify the bioavailability of zinc (Zn) associated with natural particles using snails enriched with a less common Zn stable isotope. Lymnaea stagnalis is a model species that has relatively fast Zn uptake rates from the dissolved phase, enabling their rapid enrichment in 67Zn during the initial phase of labeling. Isotopically enriched snails werAuthorsMarie-Noële Croteau, Daniel J. Cain, Christopher C. FullerNon-USGS Publications**
Tangaa SR, Winther-Nielsen M, Selck H, Croteau MN. 2018. A biodynamic understanding of dietborne and waterborne Ag uptake from Ag NPs in the sediment-dwelling oligochaete, Tubifex tubifex. NanoImpact 11: 33-41.Lead, JR; Batley, GE; Alvarez, P; Croteau, MN; Handy, R; McLaughlin, M; Judy, J; Schirmer, K. 2018. Nanomaterials in the environment: behavior, fate, bioavailability, and effects. An updated review. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. accepted**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.