EECAR-Ecology, Ecotoxicology & Chemistry applied to Agroecology and Restoration

Presentation

Check out the latest news from the team!

Faced with the erosion of biodiversity due to global changes (land use, climate, biological invasions, pollution), theEECAR - Ecology, Ecotoxicology & Chemistry applied to Agroecology and Restoration - team aims to (i) develop approaches for diagnosing the state of health of ecosystems, and (ii) produce original results and innovations for ecological restoration or the sustainable management of natural and cultural heritage, as well as assessing their effects and legal prospects.

The team relies on ecotoxicological approaches (development of biomarkers, in particular)Chemicals (chemomarker research) and ecological to characterise populations and communities (vegetation, terrestrial invertebrates), in order to identify bioindicators and pinpoint the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

The approaches used stem from the ecological restorationtheecological engineeringtheagroecologythe nature protection law and the heritage chemistry. They enable EECAR to contribute to conservation-restoration of cultural heritagethe protecting and restoring ecosystems as well as the implementation of a sustainable management of agro-ecosystems and other socio-ecosystems. The team studies both the legal instruments for preventing damage to the natural environment and the systems for compensating for it.

Study areas : Mediterranean basin / Middle mountains - Causses / Prealps and southern Alps / Brazil / Central America

Key words Topics: Molecular archaeometry and heritage chemistry - chemical ecology - characterisation of natural chemodiversity - Agroecology - Global change - Plant ecology - Historical ecology - Animal ecology and ecophysiology - Biodiversity of arthropods and plants - Ecotoxicology - Nature protection and land-use planning law - Ecological engineering - Plant/insect interactions - Biological and integrated pest management - Ecological restoration.

Check out the latest news from the team!

équipe EECAR photo des membres

Research topics

The Team

Leader of the EECAR team
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Leader of the EECAR team
PR-Professor
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Pierre Baby
DC-Doctoring
Armin Bischoff
PR-Professor
Romane Blaya
DC-Doctoring
Olivier Blight
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Corinne Brouchoud
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Elise Buisson
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Marine Chambaud
ATER-Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant
Gérald Culioli
PR-Professor
Hazem Dib
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Thierry Dutoit
DR-Research Director
Delphine Jaymond
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Celine Joliot
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Arnaud Lechvien
DC-Doctoring
Marthe Lucas
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Lindsay Masnormand
DC-Doctoring
Carole Mathe De Souza
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Christophe Mazzia
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Emile Melloul
DC-Doctoring
Raphael Minguet
DC-Doctoring
Joffrey Moiroux
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Clémentine Mutillod
ATER-Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant
Matthieu Ménager
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Herve Ramone
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Magali Rault
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Léo Rocher
DC-Doctoring
Léa Saby
DC-Doctoring
Hugues Soumille
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Séverine Suchail
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Alain Thiery
PR-Professor
Noelline Tsafack
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Christel Vidaller
MCF-Maitre de Conferences

Collaborations

Agroecology and sustainable management of agroecosystems

Our research into agroecology aim to identify cultivation practices that will improve the ecosystem services and protect biodiversitywhile limiting the use of synthetic products. This theme focuses in particular on the levers that encourage action by i) natural enemies of pests for better biological control and ii) earthworms to improve soil functioning. It also takes into account the pollination. The contribution of non-cultivated habitats is being studied in particular. We are also developing reliable indicators for the sustainable management of agroecosystems, through work in bioacoustics in particular.

Ecosystem services are the benefits that humanity obtains from ecosystems. While many research studies have attempted to characterise and measure the ecosystem services provided by organic or agro-ecological farms, far fewer have focused on the services provided by conventionally farmed areas. Christel Vidaller and Thierry Dutoit speak about it here and here.

Through a literature review, they sought to find out what ecosystem services had already been identified in intensively farmed fields or grasslands. artificial. Our results have shown that it is the regulating services that are studied the most, followed by those of support and provisioning and, finally, the cultural services that receive the least attention in connection with the monotony of the landscapes generated by intensive agriculture. This research should help to better integrate ordinary nature into conservation-restoration mechanisms.

Une prairie de fauche dans le sud-ouest, un bel exemple de nature ordinaire. @Christel Vidaller
A hay meadow in the south-west, a fine example of ordinary nature. @Christel Vidaller

Ecotoxicology

The aim of our work in ecotoxicology is to develop biomarkers and bioindicators that can provide us with information on the state of health of agroecosystems. We use biochemical, molecular biological, physiological, behavioural and field approaches to determine the effect of pesticides on a wide range of crop beneficials (earthworms, predatory arthropods and parasites). We are also looking at the coupled effects of these products and temperature in order to predict the threats to biodiversity in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems in the context of global warming. 

Restoration ecology & Ecological engineering

Our research in restoration ecology and ecological engineering focuses on identifying the key processes that limit resilience natural and semi-natural habitats impacted by a wide range of human activities (industrial, military, agricultural). The target organisms of our research are plants and arthropods at the level of community and population organisation, including genetic structuring. We are particularly interested in restoring the biodiversity and functionality of terrestrial ecosystems by involving plant-arthropod interactions through the identification of key species or ecosystem engineers.

The operational aim of this research is to better guide, support and evaluate ecological restoration operations. implemented in terrestrial ecosystems in a variety of contexts (ecological compensation, impact reduction, etc.) while by producing new fundamental knowledge in ecology as well as innovations in the field of restoration and ecological engineering.

Example of current research - Re-wilding

Restoring ecosystems or rewilding, what is the best approach for restoring an ecosystem disturbed by human activities?

Both approaches aim to repair ecosystems that have been altered by human activity, but the ambitions and the methods used differ.. Rewilding encourages the free evolution of ecosystems without a totally defined objective, whereas ecological restoration focuses on steering natural processes towards objectives to be achieved, particularly in terms of biodiversity and the services provided by ecosystems. Clémentine Mutillod explains this research here and here

We also studied the impact of rewilding on lawn ecosystems in France. by comparing the impact on the environment of the introduction of a wild herbivorous mammal, in this case Przewalski's horse, with that of the presence of domesticated mammals such as sheep or horses. All three types of grazing help to maintain the desired grassland community (E1.51 - Mediterranean-mountain steppes). However, grazing by horses managed 'in the wild' results in a higher plant species richness and heterogeneity than with sheep grazing. Clémentine Mutillod explains this research here.

Les chevaux de Przewalski forment des groupes sociaux. Ici, on peut voir un groupe de mâles célibataires qui pâturent. (Causse Méjean, printemps 2023). @Clémentine Mutillod.
Przewalski's horses form social groups. Here we can see a group of single males grazing (Causse Méjean, spring 2023). @Clémentine Mutillod.
Le Causse Méjean hérite d’une longue tradition liée à l’élevage ovin. Cela a participé à la formation de pelouses sèches à haute valeur patrimoniale. @Clémentine Mutillod
The Causse Méjean has a long tradition of sheep farming. This has contributed to the formation of dry grasslands of great heritage value. @Clémentine Mutillod

Example of research in progress - Between concrete and bitumen, what room is there for nature to return?

While rewilding and free expression appear to be attractive solutions for restoring our ecosystems in a context of climate change and ecological transition, nature must be capable of "doing the job". when irreversibility thresholds have been crossed.

A threshold of irreversibility has been defined as a point beyond which an ecosystem has been so degraded that its resilience capacities no longer allow it to naturally repair itself and return to its initial state.. This is particularly the case with heavy damage caused by intensive military, industrial or agricultural use.

On the Crau plain, we are currently carrying out ecological restoration experiments to overcome these irreversibility thresholds in particular by loosening a concrete slab in an industrial building constructed in the 1970s. Listen to Thierry Dutoit talk about it. Our initial results show that while sealing the soil for 50 years has had a significant impact on most of the physico-chemical characteristics of the sub-steppe soil and its biodiversity (micro-organisms, soil fauna), resilience after unsealing should be faster than for soils polluted by heavy metals (ammunition burning) or destructured and over-fertilised (phosphorus, potassium) during intensive orcharding.

On the Crau plain, following an oil spill and the transfer of several tens of thousands of tonnes of soil, we tested the reintroduction of harvester ants (Messor barbarus L.) to speed up the restoration of the pre-existing steppe vegetation. After ten years or so, our results have shown the operation to be highly successful, with very favourable results where nests have formed following transplantation, particularly in terms of soil fertility, herbaceous biomass and the composition and species richness of the vegetation, which are now much closer to the reference steppe. Thierry Dutoit and Tania de Almeida explain this research.

Échantillonnage du sol après enlèvement d'une dalle de béton dans la Crau. @ Hervé Ramone
Soil sampling after removal of a concrete slab in the Crau. @ Hervé Ramone

Example of recent research - Restoring for and by nature using ecosystem engineers

Between restoring ecosystems using heavy civil engineering techniques or letting nature take its course, there is a third way: using species known as "ecosystem engineers". which are expected to play major roles at low economic and environmental cost.

An "ecosystem engineer" species is an organism that significantly modifies its environment. to the point of having a significant impact on other species, either directly through their mere presence, such as the trees in our forests, or through their activity without any link to their biomass, such as the action of beavers on our rivers. Here's what Thierry Dutoit has to say about it.

On the Crau plain, following an oil spill and the transfer of several tens of thousands of tonnes of soil, we tested the reintroduction of harvester ants (Messor barbarus L.) to speed up the restoration of the pre-existing steppe vegetation. After ten years or so, our results showed that the operation was a great success, with very favourable outcomesThis is particularly true of soil fertility, herbaceous biomass and the composition and species richness of the vegetation, which are much closer to the reference steppe. Thierry Dutoit and Tania de Almeida explain this research.

Fourmi du genre Messor transportant une graine. @Renaud Jaunatre
Réintroduction d'une reine de Messor barbarus. @Adeline Bulot
Reintroduction of a Messor barbarus queen @Adeline Bulot

Molecular Archaeometry & Heritage Chemistry

In this research theme, the links between natural and cultural ecosystems will be explored through studies on the ancestral use of biodiversity, with a particular focus on plant species that produce resins and natural dyes, mainly found around the Mediterranean or in Central America. The work carried out in this context will require a better understanding and characterisation of the ancestral use of biodiversity-chimiodiversity through multidisciplinary approaches combining not only an analytical chemistry component (archaeometry, chemistry of natural substances, chemometrics), using innovative methodologies in this field (environmental metabolomics), but also varied skills in biology (knowledge of past environments, taxonomy, population genetics, phylogeography, etc.) as well as archaeology and heritage chemistry. The originality of these approaches will make it possible to characterise the biological matrices used in the production of heritage objects (taxonomic chemomarkers), to understand the ancestral recipes used in their production and to better understand their evolution over time (degradation chemomarkers).

Example of recent research - A new contribution to our knowledge of embalming processes through the chemical analysis of balsams from ancient Egyptian animal mummies.

The study of animal mummification in ancient Egypt continues to attract the interest of the scientific community, as many parts of this part of ancient Egypt's funerary and religious history still contain many grey areas. As part of this workNine samples of embalming material were extracted from six gazelle mummies from the archaeological site of Kom Mereh (modern village of Komir, Egypt), dating from the Roman domination period of ancient Egypt. All samples were analysed for the presence of inorganic and organic matter using a multi-analyte approach based on Fourier Transfrom-Infra-Red spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

In addition, in order to identify more specific natural materials such as bitumen and beeswax in the balms studied, each sample was subjected to specific solid phase extraction (SPE) and chemical modification (saponification) protocols. The results revealed that the majority of the embalming substances analysed from these mummies were complex mixtures of vegetable oils, animal fats, conifer resins and beeswax. In this respect, this study was able to report on a practice not previously mentioned in the scientific literature, namely the use of cruciferous oil, derived from the seeds of plants in the Brassicaceae family, during the animal mummification process.

Ecology of plant and animal communities

In the ecology of plant and animal communities, our research aims to gain a better understanding of the assembly rules and coexistence processes that explain the high level of biodiversity in Mediterranean ecosystems and the factors behind the very low resilience of these communities following human disturbance, in particular through historical ecology approaches, including in particular the study of viable soil seed banks, the true seminal memory of plant communities. The vast majority of our approaches are experimental and linked to concrete ecological restoration operations that allow us to manipulate in situ and on a large scale of abiotic and biotic variables. They are also carried out ex situIn this way, we can better understand the specific causal links between plants and plants or arthropods and plants.

Relevé de végétation sur un coussouls (Plaine de la Crau) @Grégory Loucougaray
Vegetation survey on a cushion (Plaine de la Crau). @Grégory Loucougaray

Example of recent research - Is the human footprint on plant communities indelible?

Human activities are transforming and have transformed plant communities, but for how long will the influence of these disturbances be perceptible even after they have been abandoned?

Measuring the impact of human activity on ecosystems and their long-term consequences is one of the main areas of research in historical ecology. as a complement to palaeoecology. The aim is not only to identify the different types of past disturbance, but also to measure their possible consequences on the functioning of current ecosystems. Plant communities are in fact quite sensitive to very ancient disturbances and may still, in some cases, display specific compositions, richness and diversity today under the influence of past practices that were abandoned thousands of years ago. Thierry Dutoit explains here.

In this way, we measured the impact of the pastoral enclosures that have been present on the Crau plain (south-east France) since Roman times and which have been abandoned over the centuries. Our results have shown that these enclosures still influence soil fertility and the composition and richness of today's vegetation, even after more than 1,500 years of abandonment. The persistence of these effects is not linked to the long viability of the seeds of the vegetation in the old enclosures in the soil, but to a very slow change in soil fertility linked to a very large input of organic matter when the enclosures were used to concentrate the herds..

Ruines de bergeries dans la Crau, de nos jours à l'époque romaine. @Frédéric Henry
Ruins of sheepfolds in the Crau, from Roman times to the present day. @Frédéric Henry