Parent institution: CNRS
Active since 2021
Active through All year
Blanchet, Simon
email: simon.blanchet@sete.cnrs.fr
Richard, Murielle
email: murielle.richard@sete.cnrs.fr
There are 3 research platforms at the facility.
Platform lentic 1) This includes 144 tanks, 2 m3 each. Tanks can be connected to each other to allow for the dispersal of aquatic organisms (i.e. aquatic corridors). A subset (currently 36) will be covered by an aerial mesh that will allow to connect/disconnect them via an aerial corridor. Another subset (36) has a cooling element that will allow for temperature manipulations. Heating can be used (potentially) in all the platform using portable heaters. This platform is connected to the supervision.
Platform lentic 2: This includes 150 tanks, 1.3 m3, and 72 small tanks, 350 liters each. These are not connected and no temperature regulation is provided yet at this site.
Platform lotic (3): This one includes research facilities for 12 rivers (4m long, 80cm depth, 45cm wide) with variable flow and water levels that can be regulated. Plants can de deployed at the margins (20 cm in each side along the river). All the platforms can use water derived from the river Lez, and this water can be used directly, filtered, and/or sterilised by UV.
Country: France
Latitude: 42.95838889
Longitude: 1.086556
Nearest town: Saint-Girons
Distance from neaerst town: 5 km
The interplay between spatial dynamics, evolutionary dynamics and biodiversity at all levels of organization is key to predict ecosystem functioning in both the short and long term research. This will be done in a global change context, allowing to simultaneously investigate the effects of warming (or cooling) and habitat fragmentation (reduced dispersal). This will be done in a meta-ecosystems framework, in which ecosystems can exchange fluxes and materials.
Lentic patches will be connected by aquatic and aerial corridors that can be flexibly open or closed which allow species to freely migrate from one environment to another. Climatic and chemical conditions will be recorded and manipulated. The simultaneous modification of both habitat structure and temperature is unique worldwide. The supervision of platforms 1 (and maybe 3) allows for continuous measurements of ecosystem-level properties.
Large aquatic organisms (big fish) cannot be used. Supervision can be improved. The main limitation is permanent staff. Currently, only one permanent research assistant is fully committed to the managing and organization of the platform. More permanent staff is required for an effective and profitable functioning of the 3 platforms.
Experiments duration: Weeks, Months, Years, Decades;
Total area: 0 m²
Available area: 0 m²
unit size: 0 m²
Replicates number: 0
The aerial, terrestrial and water ecosystems can be connected in the lotic and lentic mesocosms.
Electricity available on site.
Years measured:
Mean Temperature: °C
February Mean Temperature: °C
July Mean Temperature: °C
Mean Annual Speed: m/s
Max. Annual Speed: m/s
Dominant Direction: West
Precipitation type: Rain, Snow;
Total annual precipitation: mm
Mean snow cover duration: 0 days
| Variable | Ecosystem | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Warming | River | Planned |
| Hydro | River | Active |
| Soileutroph | River | Active |
| Management - Nutrients (levels or nutrient type) | River | Active |
| Management - tilling or other physical manipulation | River | Active |
| Management - grazing (pressure or animal species) | River | Active |
| Management - species and/or ecotype combinations | River | Active |
| Habitatfrag | River | Active |
| Biodiversity | River | Active |
| Warming | Lake | Active |
| Hydro | Lake | Active |
| Watereutroph | Lake | Active |
| Management - Nutrients (levels or nutrient type) | Lake | Active |
| Management - grazing (pressure or animal species) | Lake | Active |
| Management - species and/or ecotype combinations | Lake | Active |
| Management - traditional (or native) vs. new (or non-native) species | Lake | Active |
| Habitatfrag | Lake | Active |
| Biodiversity | Lake | Active |
Up to 100 people
Up to 60 people
No visitors allowed.
No beds on site
Showers on site
Laundry on site