INRAE ISPA EcoFun

ECOFUN team | ECOsystem FUNctioning across scales

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In 2013 the EcoFun team was created within the unit ISPA and has steadily grown over the past years into a very lively and dynamic group of young researchers bringing their talents to Bordeaux to conduct great research in ecosystem function and contributing to the educational program of future forest engineers.

The EcoFun team gathers competences in functional ecology, stable isotope geochemistry, eco-hydrology, forestry and agronomy. Our research aims are to understand better the physiological responses and short- and long-term adaptation of terrestrial ecosystems to environmental changes, management practices and extreme climatic events. We are also interested in understanding what the repercussions of management and environmental change will have on plant productivity as well as the water, CO₂ and energy budgets at the Earth’s surface.

In the past years our activities have been structured around a number of projects addressing some big questions:

1. Can we find new tracers to quantify photosynthesis and respiration at large scales and evaluate our models of the global carbon cycle?
2. How do trees dynamically use their carbon reserves for primary and secondary growth and how do they respond to environmental triggers?
3. What is the adaptation potential of plants to elevated CO₂ and temperature and/or changes in the precipitation regimes?
4. What is the feasibility and durability of innovative agro-forestry in terms of water use and biomass production?

Our team also actively contributes to teaching on the Masters courses conducted at Bordeaux Sciences Agro and at The University of Bordeaux. We also have an active programme for hosting, mentoring and training students from all over the world that have a passion to understand better ecosystem function and how to manage our environment more sensitively in the future.