Montpellier Scientific Community



Functional Ecology & Soil Biogeochemistry (ECO&SOLS)

Director: Jean-Luc Chotte

 
Research area
Our central objective is to elucidate the role of plants and soil organisms in the functioning of agro-ecosystems and especially in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients (with a special focus on nitrogen and phosphorus) in the context of low input agriculture and forest plantations of Mediterranean and tropical areas. The ultimate aim of our research is to translate this knowledge into innovative strategies of ecological engineering of such agroecosystems, while accounting for the major drivers that relate to global changes (climate and land use changes).
Research highlights
Unique, internationally recognized expertise in :
  • soil functional ecology
  • the biogeochemistry of hot spots of biological activities in soils, such as the rhizosphere, the drilosphere, the termitosphere
  • the sequestration of carbon in soils at various scales (from molecular, processes of protection of soil organic matter, to regional balances of soil C)
  • the cycles of nutrients and measuring/modelling of fluxes at the ecosystem level, as well as at the levels of a single plant or a single root
Staff profile
Research Org.ResearchersProfessors 

Research Eng.

Techn.&Admin. StaffPhD
Mtp SupAgro, IRD, INRA, Cirad
40
3

6
23
31
Research teams
  • Networks of biological interactions (ca 7 permanent staff)
  • Reactivity and fate of soil organic matter (ca 12 permanent staff)
  • Soil-plant fluxes of nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus) (ca 9 permanent staff)
  • Cycle of carbon and vulnerability (ca 8 permanent staff)
  • Ecological engineering and indicators of soil quality (ca 9 permanent)
Platforms and other tools
  • L2-Tropical Soils Platform: laboratory dedicated to manipulating live soils imported from third countries, including tropical countries (only two labs in France have the official agreement to conduct such research)
  • P2-Protein and soil biochemistry Platform: laboratory dedicated to measuring organic matter reactivity and soil-protein (incl. prions, Bt) interactions
  • Infra red (near and mid) spectroscopy expertise for the investigation of soil chemical, biological and physical properties
  • Mesocosm-Microcosm Platform: growth chambers and greenhouse facilities to conduct plant-based experiments in controlled conditions (however not suitable for manipulating live tropical soils)
  • Soil biology and molecular ecology Platform
  • Soil physico-chemistry Platform
Most important international partnerships
  • GSF, München, Germany (J.C. Munch et al.)
  • Univ. Western Australia, Perth (H. Lambers and Z. Rengel)
  • BOKU, Vienna, Austria (W.W. Wenzel)
  • Univ. Wales, Bangor, UK (D.L. Jones and D. Godbold)
  • University of Dakar (Sénégal), Biology department
Facts and figures
Publications in international ranking journals
2008: 44
2007: 49
2006: 40
2005: 32
Representative publications

1. Ali M.A., Louche J., Legname E., Duchemin M., Plassard C. 2009. Pinus pinaster seedlings and their fungal symbionts show high plasticity in phosphorus acquisition in acidic soils. Tree Physiology, 29, 1587-1597.
2. van Aarle I.M., Viennois G., Amenc L.K., Tatry M.V., Luu D.T., Plassard C. 2007. Fluorescent in situ RT-PCR to visualise the expression of a phosphate transporter gene from an ectomycorrhizal fungus. Mycorrhiza, 17, 487-494.
3. Louche, J., Ali M.A., Cloutier-Hurteau B., Sauvage F.-X., Quiquampoix H., Plassard C., 2010. Efficiency of acid phosphatases secreted from the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum to hydrolyse organic phosphorus in podzols. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 73: 323-335.
4. Beer C., Reichstein M., Tomelleri E., Ciais P., Jung M., Carvalhais N., Rodenbeck C., Arain M.A., Baldocchi D., Bonan G.B., Bondeau A., Cescatti A., Lasslop G., Lindroth A., Lomas M., Luyssaert S., Margolis H., Oleson K.W., Roupsard O., Veenendaal E., Viovy N., Williams C., Woodward F.I. and Papale D., 2010. Terrestrial gross carbon dioxide uptake: Global distribution and covariation with climate. Science, 329 : 834-838.
5. Bernard L., Mougel C., Maron P.A., Nowak V., Leveque J., Henault C., Haichar F.E.Z., Berge O., Marol C., Balesdent J., Gibiat, F. Lemanceau, P. & Ranjard L. 2007. Dynamics and identification of soil microbial populations actively assimilating carbon from C-13-labelled wheat residue as estimated by DNA- and RNA-SIP techniques. Environmental Microbiology, 9, 752-764.
6. Blanchart E., Marilleau N., Chotte J-L., Drogoul A., Perrier E. & Cambier C. 2009. Sworm : an agent based model to simulate the effect of earthworms on soil structure. European Journal of Soil Science, 60: 13-21.
7. Bonkowski M., Villenave C., Griffiths B. 2009. Rhizosphere fauna: the functional and structural diversity of intimate interactions of soil fauna with plant roots. Plant and soil, 321: 213-233.
8. Bouillet J.P., Laclau J.P., Gonçalves J.L.M., Moreira M.Z., Trivelin P., Jourdan C., Galiana A., 2008. Mixed-species plantations of Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus grandis in Brazil. 2. Nitrogen accumulation in the stands and biological N2 fixation. Forest Ecology and Management 255: 3918-393.
9. Bravin M.N., Tentscher P., Rose J. & Hinsinger P. 2009. Rhizosphere pH Gradient Controls Copper Availability in a Strongly Acidic Soil. Environmental Science & Technology, 43, 5686-5691.
10. Chapuis-Lardy L., Metay A., Martinet M., Rabenarivo M., Toucet J., Douzet J.M., Razafimbelo T, Rabeharisoa L. & Rakotoarisoa J. 2009. Nitrous oxide emissions from Malagasy agricultural soils. Geoderma, 148: 421-427.
11. Chapuis-Lardy L., Wrage N., Metay A., Chotte J.L., Bernoux M. 2007. Soils, a sink for N2O ? A review. Global Change Biology, 13, 1-17.
12. Devau N., Le Cadre E., Hinsinger P. & Gerard F. 2010. A mechanistic model for understanding root-induced chemical changes controlling phosphorus availability. Annals of Botany, 105, 1183-1197.
13. Epron D., Nouvellon Y., Deleporte P., Ifo S., Kazotti G., Thongo M'Bou A., Mouvondy W., Saint-Andre L., Roupsard 0., Jourdan C., Hamel O., 2006. Soil Carbon balance in a clonal Eucalyptus plantation in Congo: effects of logging on carbon inputs and soil CO2 efflux. Global Change Biology, 12: 1021-1031.
14. Hergoualc'h K., Skiba U., Harmand JM., Hénault C., 2008. Fluxes of greenhouse gases from Andosols under coffee in monoculture or shaded by Inga densiflora in Costa Rica. Biogeochemistry,89: 329-345.
15. Hinsinger P., Bengough A.G., Vetterlein D., Young I.M. 2009. Rhizosphere: biophysics, biogeochemistry and ecological relevance. Plant and Soil, 321: 117-152.
16. Jung, M., M. Reichstein, Ciais P., Seneviratne S.I., Sheffield J., Goulden M.L., Bonan G., Cescatti A., Chen J., de Jeu R., Dolman A.J., Eugster W., Gerten D., Gianelle D., Gobron N., Heinke J., Kimball J., Law B.E., Montagnani L., Mu Q., Mueller B., Oleson K., Papale D., Richardson A.D., Roupsard O., Running S., Tomelleri E., Viovy N., Weber U., Williams C., Wood E., Zaehle S., Zhang K., 2010 . Recent decline in the global land evapotranspiration trend due to limited moisture supply. Nature, 467 (7318): 951-954.
17. Luyssaert S., Jung M., Richardson A.D., Reichstein M., Papale D., Piao S.L., Schulze E.-D., Wingate L., G. Matteucci, L. Aragao, M. Aubinet, C. Beer, C. Bernhofer, K.G. Black, D. Bonal, J.-M. Bonnefond, J.Chambers, P. Ciais, B. Cook, K.J. Davis, A.J. Dolman, B. Gielen, M. Goulden, J. Grace, A. Granier, A. Grelle, T. Griffis, T. Grünwald, G. Guidolotti, P.J. Hanson, R. Harding, D.Y. Hollinger, L.R. Hutyra, P. Kolari, B. Kruijt, W., Kutsch, F. Lagergren, T. Laurila, B.E. Law, Le Maire G., A. Lindroth, D. Loustau, Y. Malhi, J. Mateus, M. Migliavacca, L. Misson, L. Montagnani, J. Moncrieff, E. Moors, J.W. Munger, E. Nikinmaa, Ollinger S.V., Pita G., Rebmann C., Roupsard O., Saigusa N., Sanz M.J., Seufert G., Sierra C., Smith M.-L., Tang J., Valentini R., Vesala T., Janssens I.A., 2007. The CO2-balance of boreal, temperate and tropical forests derived from a global database. Global Change Biology, 13: 2509-2537.
18. Marsden C., Nouvellon Y., Thongo M'Bou A., Saint-André L., Jourdan C., Kinana A., Epron D. 2008. Two independent estimations of stand-level root respiration on clonal Eucalyptus stands in Congo: up scaling of direct measurements on roots versus the trenched-plot technique. New Phytologist, 177: 676-687.
19. Raynaud X., Jaillard B., Leadley P.W. 2007. Can the change of nutrient bioavailability by plants in rhizosphere alter competition for resources? A modelling approach. American Naturalist, 171: 44-58.
20. Tatry M.V., El Kassis E., Lambilliotte R., Corratgé C., van Aarle I., Amenc L.K., Alary R., Zimmermann S., Sentenac H., Plassard C. 2009. Two differentially regulated phosphate transporters from the symbiotic fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum and phosphorus acquisition by ectomycorrhizal Pinus pinaster. The Plant Journal 57: 1092-1102.
Total annual budget (2008)
Total annual budget
2 998 433
External contracts
1 904 218