Cd-resistance in field Gammarus populations: genetic adaptation, transgenerational effect, or selection of phylogenetic cryptic lineages?

International audience; We have recently identified a field population of the crustacean Gammarus fossarum historically-exposed (geochemical background) to cadmium (Cd) that exhibits a resistance transmissible to offspring. This population constitutes a good case study to investigate mechanisms underlying population’s resistance to long-term exposure to contamination that are of deep concern for ERA, especially in the field. In order to gain insights into the determinism of the Cd-resistance observed in this historically-exposed population, we applied quantitative genetic protocols both in two Cd-naive populations and in the resistant one. In addition, because G. fossarum is known to consti…