EcoDevo
InBioS-Eco Devo (Ecophysiology and Development) research teams are interested in understanding how living organisms interact with their environment and accordingly optimize their growth and development. Normal homeostatic responses are induced in a range of environmental changes whereas, as the environment deviates from the optimum, the organism is increasingly stressed and fitness declines. Environmental effects can thus be studied at two time scales. Short-term responses trigger molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms of tolerance, modification of developmental processes or acclimation to changing conditions. Long-term responses drive evolution and adaptation of the organisms to their habitats.
These two time scales are complementarily examined:
- The effects of the environment are studied on various aspects of primary metabolism, secondary metabolism and development of archae, bacteria, microalgae, plants and animals. For microalgae and plants, environmental factors under study are mainly abiotic (light, temperature, nutrients) and hence the research relies on growth facilities to create controlled environments. These facilities are managed by the CARE PhytoSystems. Some projects are also dealing with interactions between organisms (bacteria/bacteria; bacteria or fungi/plant) or environmental regulation of ecosystems.
- The mechanisms underlying the adaptation and evolution of microorganisms, animals and plants are studied using different approaches: population genetics, molecular ecology, biochemistry, comparative genomics, phylogeny and biogeography. In the context of global changes, understanding how past and current environmental constraints (e.g. habitat fragmentation, pollution, climate changes) impact the biodiversity is a topical issue. A large range of ecological niches are being studied, including extreme conditions such as Antarctic, caves or metal-polluted soils.
