Marie Noele Croteau, Ph.D.
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
Mercury accumulation by lower trophic-level organisms in lentic systems within the Guadalupe River watershed, California
Delineating copper accumulation pathways for the freshwater bivalve Corbicula using stable copper isotopes
Trophic transfer of metals along freshwater food webs: Evidence of cadmium biomagnification in nature
Stable metal isotopes reveal copper accumulation and loss dynamics in the freshwater bivalve Corbucula
Difficulties in relating Cd concentrations in the predatory insect Chaoborus to those of its prey in nature
Feeding patterns of migratory and non-migratory fourth instar larvae of two coexisting Chaoborus species in an acidic and metal contaminated lake: Importance of prey ingestion rate in predicting metal bioaccumulation
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
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Filter Total Items: 42
Mercury accumulation by lower trophic-level organisms in lentic systems within the Guadalupe River watershed, California
The water columns of four reservoirs (Almaden, Calero, Guadalupe and Lexington Reservoirs) and an abandoned quarry pit filled by Alamitos Creek drainage for recreational purposes (Lake Almaden) were sampled on September 14 and 15, 2004 to provide the first measurements of mercury accumulation by phytoplankton and zooplankton in lentic systems (bodies of standing water, as in lakes and reservoirs)AuthorsJames S. Kuwabara, Brent R. Topping, Gerald E. Moon, Peter Husby, Andrew Lincoff, James L. Carter, Marie-Noële CroteauDelineating copper accumulation pathways for the freshwater bivalve Corbicula using stable copper isotopes
Delineation of metal uptake routes in aquatic invertebrates is critical for characterizing bioaccumulation dynamics and assessing risks associated with metal exposure. Here we demonstrate that Cu stable isotopic ratios can be manipulated in both exposure media and algae to determine the efflux rate constant (ke) and to estimate Cu assimilation efficiency (AE) from ingested food in a freshwater bivAuthorsM.-N. Croteau, S. N. LuomaTrophic transfer of metals along freshwater food webs: Evidence of cadmium biomagnification in nature
We conducted a study with cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) in the delta of San Francisco Bay, using nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes to identify trophic position and food web structure. Cadmium is progressively enriched among trophic levels in discrete epiphyte‐based food webs composed of macrophyte‐dwelling invertebrates (the first link being epiphytic algae) and fishes (the first link being gobieAuthorsM.-N. Croteau, S. N. Luoma, A.R. StewartStable metal isotopes reveal copper accumulation and loss dynamics in the freshwater bivalve Corbucula
Characterization of uptake and loss dynamics is critical to understanding risks associated with contaminant exposure in aquatic animals. Dynamics are especially important in addressing questions such as why coexisting species in nature accumulate different levels of a contaminant. Here we manipulated copper (Cu) stable isotopic ratios (as an alternative to radioisotopes) to describe for the firstAuthorsM.-N. Croteau, S. N. Luoma, B.R. Topping, C.B. LopezDifficulties in relating Cd concentrations in the predatory insect Chaoborus to those of its prey in nature
Because Chaoborus larvae take up most of their cadmium (Cd) from food, we tested the hypothesis that Cd concentrations in this insect are directly related to those in their planktonic prey. We measured Cd in Chaoborus and in Zooplankton collected from 24 eastern Canadian lakes varying widely in their Cd concentrations. Cd concentrations in the predator were not correlated with those in bulk zooplaAuthorsM.-N. Croteau, L. Hare, A. TessierFeeding patterns of migratory and non-migratory fourth instar larvae of two coexisting Chaoborus species in an acidic and metal contaminated lake: Importance of prey ingestion rate in predicting metal bioaccumulation
We studied diel variations in the feeding habits and migratory behaviors of two coexisting Chaoborus species in an acidic and metal contaminated lake (Lake Turcotte, QC, Canada). We found that although the zooplankton community was dominated by rotifers, both Chaoborus species fed mostly on chironomids and crustaceans despite the relatively low abundance of these prey types in the lake plankton. CAuthorsM.-N. Croteau, L. Hare, P. MarcouxNon-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.