POPCO – Populations, Ecosystems, Communities & Conservation

Presentation

Research topics

Team

Collaborations

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Publications

Presentation

Human/non-human interactions often result in direct and indirect damage to numerous populations and communities of organisms, affecting their abundance, functioning, spatio-temporal distribution and diversity.

Conservation and restoration measures are currently very limited compared with the scale of the fragmentation and loss of habitats, changes in use, pollution and the modification of biotic interactions. In addition, anthropogenic global warming may exacerbate the exposure of populations and communities of organisms to these threats.

Faced with this ecological crisis, the research developed within the POP'CO are designed to (i)assessing vulnerability of species, populations and communities in the face of the various components of global changeand monitor adaptive responses (ii) and understand the processes underlying changes in populations and communities at different spatial and temporal scales(iii) and finally co-constructing original conservation programmes with managers, taking into account the spatial nature of these vulnerabilities.

In order to meet these objectives, the POP'CO team is particularly committed to :

- Characterising remarkable, exotic or ordinary biodiversity

- Determine the impact of the environment on functional traits (life history, chemical, morphological, phenological, demographic, behavioural, microbial functions and diversity) and on biotic interactions.

- Understanding the role of biodiversity in regulating ecosystem functions.

The team is also developing co-construction projects, integrating solutions based on Nature, as part of a research/action approach to the conservation and adaptive management of biodiversity. This work is fuelled by exchanges of knowledge and interactions between team members, biodiversity managers and organisations working in the field of conservation.

The team's expertise enables it to meet these objectives using different models (animal, plant and microbial) in a wide range of biomes marked by a constrained water cycle (tropical sub-humid, Mediterranean, semi-arid and arid), in tropical (Senegal, New Caledonia, Brazil, etc.) or temperate systems and in different ecosystems: forests, grasslands, agrosystems, coastal systems, hydrosystems (mainly alpine lakes and rivers). This broad coverage enables the POP'CO team to deploy its expertise throughout France, Europe and the rest of the world.

POPCO Biodiversité

Research topics

Spatial ecology

Population and conservation biology

Community ecology

Functional ecology

Microbial ecology

Hydrobiology

The Team

Anne-Marie Farnet Da Silva
Leader of the POPCO team
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Arne Saatkamp
Leader of the POPCO team
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Yoann Pinguet
Leader of the POPCO team
CR-Research charge
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Laurence Affre
Laurence Affre
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Cecile Albert
Cecile Albert
DR-Research Director
Andrea Bagnon
Andrea Bagnon
DC-Doctoring
Celine Bertrand
Celine Bertrand
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Claire Bouchot
Claire Bouchot
DC-Doctoring
Manuel Cartereau
Manuel Cartereau
PD-Post Doctorant
Laurent Cavalli
Laurent Cavalli
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Milena Chateau
Milena Chateau
DC-Doctoring
Danielle Clake
Danielle Clake
PD-Post Doctorant
Cecile Claret
Cecile Claret
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Steven Criquet
Steven Criquet
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Helene De Meringo
Helene De Meringo
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Victorine Demiralp
Victorine Demiralp
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Estelle Dumas
Estelle Dumas
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Anne-marie Farnet Da Silva
Anne-marie Farnet Da Silva
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Stephanie Fayolle-Sanna
Stephanie Fayolle-Sanna
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Lisa Foli
Lisa Foli
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Evelyne Franquet
Evelyne Franquet
PR-Professor
Sophie Gachet
Sophie Gachet
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Amandine Gasc
Amandine Gasc
CR-Research charge
Benoit Geslin
Benoit Geslin
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Clement Guenier
Clement Guenier
DC-Doctoring
François Hamonic
François Hamonic
PD-Post Doctorant
Elisabeth Holtzer
Elisabeth Holtzer
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Julien Issartel
Julien Issartel
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Francesca Jaroszynska
Francesca Jaroszynska
ATER-Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant
Herve Jourdan
Herve Jourdan
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Nicolas Kaldonski
Nicolas Kaldonski
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Youssef Lamwati
Youssef Lamwati
DC-Doctoring
Laureline Leclerc
Laureline Leclerc
DC-Doctoring
Agathe Leriche
Agathe Leriche
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Eric Meineri
Eric Meineri
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Jean-yves Meunier
Jean-yves Meunier
ITA-Engineer Administrative Technician
Alexandre Millon
Alexandre Millon
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Romain Monassier
Romain Monassier
DC-Doctoring
Gabriel Neve
Gabriel Neve
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Jerome Orgeas
Jerome Orgeas
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Pauline Palmas
Pauline Palmas
CR-Research charge
Yoann Pinguet
Yoann Pinguet
CR-Research charge
Charlotte Rault
Charlotte Rault
DC-Doctoring
Valéria Romanodepaula
Valéria Romanodepaula
CR-Research charge
Arne Saatkamp
Arne Saatkamp
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Tonio Schaub
Tonio Schaub
PD-Post Doctorant
Thierry Tatoni
Thierry Tatoni
PR-Professor
Franck Torre
Franck Torre
MCF-Maitre de Conferences
Ian Vedeau
Ian Vedeau
DC-Doctoring
Marie Zakardjian
Marie Zakardjian
MCF-Maitre de Conferences

Collaborations

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The PopCo team is also developing research in landscape ecology. The loss and fragmentation of habitats is one of the major causes of the decline in biodiversity. It is therefore a priority to gain a better understanding of the effects of this and to develop the knowledge and tools needed to support land-use planning policies with a view to better integrating biodiversity issues. To this end, our research aims to understand the mechanisms (e.g. dispersal, biotic and social interactions) that drive population and community dynamics, as well as pathogen transmission dynamics, under the influence of structuring variables linked to the spatial layout of habitats (fragmentation and isolation). We are also developing methodological tools to help local authorities identify their conservation priorities as part of a forward-looking approach.

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The POPCO team is working to assess the effects of human disturbance and global change, including climate change, on the spatial and temporal dynamics of wild animal and plant populations in Mediterranean and tropical regions. To do this, the team is looking at demographic processes, particularly in terms of dispersal, regeneration, survival and growth, reproductive performance, but also phenological shifts, plant-pollinator-disperser, prey-predator or host-parasite interdependencies. These population signals are quantified on a local to regional scale in order to assess the state of conservation of the systems studied, to propose clear objectives in terms of restoration and to provide the various land managers with operational tools to monitor and evaluate the success of the conservation actions undertaken.

Key words: population dynamics; biotic interactions; plants; animals; Mediterranean region; tropical region

Example of research projects on the theme: Amsata Diop thesis in Senegal : Emerging pests associated with acacias in the Great Green Wall area of Senegal, in particular Isturgia pulinda subsp. deerraria (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)

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The POP'CO team brings together expertise in community ecology, focusing on the monitoring, understanding, and mitigation of the impacts of human activities and climate change on biodiversity.

Monitoring efforts include long-term permanent observation networks, employing non-invasive methods such as acoustic ecology and phenology. Our objectives include evaluating the vulnerability of communities to global changes and understanding the processes underlying ecological shifts across spatial and temporal scales. Research activities also focus on communities in complex landscapes and vegetation structures, aiming to understand the potential roles of micro-refuges. Emphasis is also placed on biotic interactions, particularly between plants and arthropod communities of pollinators, herbivores, and decomposer microorganisms, using a network-based approach. Our research further quantifies the ecosystem functions provided by these communities. The team studies biotic communities from Mediterranean, tropical, and mountain environments, from local to global scales.

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The POPCO team aims to explore how biodiversity and ecosystems respond to environmental change using functional approaches. By combining experimental methods, observational studies and modelling techniques, the team aims to predict how biological communities will respond to global changes. The range of characteristics studied is broad and includes morphological, physiological and behavioural responses within biodiversity and their effects on ecological processes. In addition, they are analysing how this diversity of traits influences the impact of environmental factors, such as climate (from the micro to the global scale) and habitat degradation, on the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Their research provides key elements for the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable management of natural resources, as well as tools for assessing the resilience of ecosystems.

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Global change is causing profound changes to habitats (changes in land use and management, deterioration in soil quality, fragmentation of landscapes through urbanisation, multiple forms of pollution, etc.) and the climate (rising temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns leading to erosion and even desertification). These far-reaching changes are upsetting existing balances and causing major dysfunctions in ecosystems. In this context, some members of the POPCO team are working to develop original hypotheses to understand the factors influencing the functioning of microbial communities at different spatial scales, in order to gain a better understanding of which control levers act at which scale.

More specifically, in the case of forest ecosystemsDo bioclimates, topography and the nature of the stands that modulate the functions of microbial communities in Mediterranean forest soils have hierarchical influences in space? Are the composition and structure of mixed stands (mixed forestry) factors influencing the quality of organic matter and the dynamics of the C cycle in forest soils, depending on the bioclimatic stage under consideration? In addition original proxies such as land use history has been taken into account in order to better identify the vulnerability of forests to climate change. This approach is particularly relevant in the Mediterranean region, where forests with different historical continuities (previous agricultural uses on terraces) coexist.

Other studies are looking at the functioning of highly anthropised ecosystems, and in particular the impact of various pollutants on the vulnerability of soil microbial communities, the ecosystem functions they support, and their ability to adapt to disturbances. The models used in these studies incorporate different types of pollutants, including trace metals and organic pollutants such as pesticides and hydrocarbons, as well as the reclassification of land use following the abandonment of industrial activities (e.g. steelmaking, mining, petrochemicals). From the point of view of the vulnerability of soil microbiological quality, this research forms part of a wider range of themes linked to socio-environmental issues at local level, concerning the future of areas marked by major anthropogenic events, past or present, the main characteristics of which are disturbances with very strong environmental, economic and social impacts. In addition to studying environmental impacts sensu strictoThis research is also aimed at proposing solutions for bioremediating/restoring severely disturbed soils through actions involving the construction of technosols and phytoremediation. Through circular economy and green chemistry approaches, it is also finding biotechnological applications aimed at enhancing microbial and/or plant biodiversity with a view to recovering substrates initially assimilated to waste (e.g. 'red sludge') in order to extract, through biomining, elements with very high added value, such as critical elements like rare earths.

POPCO members are also working on a number of themes aimed at develop new agricultural practices that respect human health and agrosystems based on a circular economy and involving socio-economic players (farmers) in changes to practices as part of a sustainable development approach. environmental transition  which requires a paradigm shift and the development of innovative solutions for our society. These approaches combine the skills of microbial biotechnology (fermentation in solid media for the production of cocktails of biocontrol molecules for plant pathogens) and microbial ecology (effects of new practices on the soil-plant continuum).

 

Integration into IMBE thematic areas All of these research activities will be expressed through the IMBE's various Thematic Areas (TA), which have been set up to aggregate and structure the Unit's skills and provide input for the main science fronts, in particular through TA 2 "Ecosystem Functioning", TA 3 "Assessing the responses of ecological systems to global change", and TA 4 "Developing nature-based solutions for socio-ecological sustainability".

 

Back to the company Agricultural practices for the ecological transition in agriculture, risk and microbiological bioindication of soil quality, bioremediation, biomining.

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The hydrobiologists of the Popco team aim to identify the effects of changes resulting from global change (climate change, atmospheric fallout) or local drivers (anthropogenic uses, etc.) on the biodiversity, functions, or uses of freshwater aquatic ecosystems. From urban rivers to high-altitude lakes and large rivers, the team—comprising algologists, zooplankton and benthic or hyporheic macroinvertebrates specialists,—is engaged with managers (national and regional parks, SEMM, EPAEM), artists (Lieux publics/collectif SAFI), and local residents (Gammares collectives) to develop research aimed at mitigating the effects of global constraints through tailored management of local pressures.

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