Blanche GODDYN

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical commonly used in the manufacture of plastics. It is classified as an endocrine disruptor by the European Chemicals Agency and has been included on the list of substances of very high concern under the REACH regulation since 2017. In response to these concerns, other bisphenols, such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), have been proposed as potential substitutes for BPA. However, these substitutes have been shown to exhibit similar toxic effects on the environment.

The objective of this thesis is to study the extrapolation of BPS effects at three biological levels (biomarker, life-history trait, and population dynamics) in the model species, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). 

Controlled laboratory experiments will be conducted to explore and validate relationships between biomarkers and key life-history traits across biological levels of organization. These relationships will be compared to data from a mesocosm study simulating chronic BPS exposure, to assess effects on biomarkers, traits, and population dynamics in adults and their offspring. Short-term caging experiments will determine whether short exposures will reveal early signals of long-term effects, complementing chronic exposure data for biosurveillance. Finally, all results will be integrated into a DEB-IBM, to test whether the identified physiological responses can predict population-level impacts of BPS.