Sediments are known for their significant storage and releasing capacities of various contaminants, and for sheltering numerous invertebrate species. Studying such a complex compartment is essential for evaluating the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems. The bioavailability of trace metals in the sediment is function of many factors such as the targeted metal, its colloidal, dissolved and particulate partition, its speciation, sediment physico-chemical characteristics, Acid Volatile Sulphide (AVS) contents, and the physiological and ecological characteristics of the studied organisms. Traditionally, the assessment of metal bioavailability in sediments includes measurements of metals in dissolved and particulate phases, sequential extraction procedure and AVS determination. It was demonstrated that, in some cases, dissolved metal concentration in pore water is a better tool than particulate concentration to assess the bioavailability in sediment (Di Toro et al. 1992); however, metals concentrations in pore water did not reflect the supply of metals from the particulate phase when particles are ingested by benthic organisms. The Diffusive Gradient in Thin films (DGT), initially developed in the 1990's to measure labile metals in surface waters, has more recently been applied to soil and sediment (Zhang et al. 2001; Roulier et al. 2008). Metal accumulation in DGT and terrestrial plants has been successfully compared because it operates similarly to active transport across a cell membrane. The comparison is more difficult with benthic organisms since metal transfer pathways are more complex, involving dissolved, colloidal and particulate forms. In this study, led within the framework of the French project DIESE*, we present original data obtained by exposing simultaneously DGT and three macroinvertebrates species, (Chironomus riparius, insect; Potamopyrgus antipodarum, mollusk; Gammarus fossarum, crustacean) to a series of natural metal-contaminated sediments under controlled conditions. Our first results show that trace metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn) bound by DGT after 144 hours of exposure are well correlated to trace metal bioaccumulation in C. riparius, whereas no relationship could be established with trace metals concentrations in sediments or pore waters. Nevertheless, poor relationships were defined between metals trapped by DGT (whatever the time of deployment) and metals concentrations in the two others species. These results suggest that DGT is a good tool to predict bioaccumulated metals in C. riparius, while further studies are needed to improve the comprehension of metal accumulation in G. fossarum and P. antipodarum, both species living at the sediment-water interface. This study demonstrates the potential of DGT to reflect trace metal bioavailability for insect larvae like chironomids and that such a passive sampler will represent a useful tool to assess the potential hazard of sediments for aquatic ecosystems.