Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda) and Hypoaspis aculeifer (Acari) as new ecotoxicological tools for the assessment of organic materials used in agriculture

Abstract : The modern society is always producing more and more wastes. Some of them, mainly organic ones, can be valued to be in accordance with sustainable practices. Among organic wastes, agricultural, municipal and industrial organic materials (AMIOM) are intended to be used in agriculture. According to the numerous origins of these materials, the input of undesirable pollutants can't be avoided. Therefore it has been found necessary to assess their potential deleterious effects on the environment prior to their use. For that purpose, ecotoxicological characterization of different AMIOM was set up using routine terrestrial and aquatic bio-assays. In addition, two new model organisms (the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the predaceous mite Hypoaspis aculeifer) were included in the test batteries in order to conclude on their relevance in comparison with routine tests. Further work should allow defining a battery of bio-assays for the a priori hazard assessment of AMIOM.