Portail HAL Institut Agro Montpellier
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Multifunctionality of agroecological vineyards: Complex interactions between functional and taxonomic diversity of service crops and ecosystem services
No full textInternational audienceHighlights: • Agroecological practices shaped the taxonomic and functional diversity of service crops. • Service crops improved soil structure and natural enemies' abundance. • Service crops reduced soil fertility and limited grapevine growth and yield. • Adaptive management is needed to limit grapevine–service crop competition.Abstract: Agroecological practices in vineyards can enhance agroecosystems multifunctionality, by reducing pesticides use and their adverse effects on human health and the environment. However, growers remain concerned about potential negative impacts of plant diversification on grapevine performance, and existing literature report conflicting findings. This study employs both taxonomic and functional approaches to characterize weed communities in inter-rows of agroecological vineyards and assesses the effects of different plant diversification strategies-tillage (Tviti), service crop (Aviti), service crops and agroforestry (Dviti)- on soil quality, grapevine performance, and natural regulation processes over a two-year period in the south of France. Management practices shaped weed communities functional traits, with high tillage (Tviti) favoring acquisitive strategies plant communities. Those traits directly affected several of the indicators of services: service crops competed for soil resources, particularly nitrogen, affecting negatively grapevine yield and vigor. However, in 2023, more diverse systems (Aviti, Dviti) exhibited improved soil aggregate stability and increased natural enemy diversity. However, results varied significantly across years, highlighting the importance of environmental factors. Finally, no clear agroforestry effect was observed, likely due to the young age of the trees. A deeper understanding of the relationships between functional diversity and multiple ecosystem services in vineyards could help mitigate potential trade-offs associated with plant diversification. Furthermore, adapting management practices to local abiotic conditions and growers’ requirements is essential for optimizing both vineyard productivity and ecological sustainability
The Importance of Sleep in Animals and Its Potential Vulnerability to Climate Change
No full textInternational audienceSleep is a universal behavior across animals, critical for physiological homeostasis, cognitive function, and development. Throughout evolution, animals have adapted to environmental changes, but current rapid climate change may threaten sleep patterns adapted to specific ecological niches through rising temperatures, shifting precipitation, and extreme weather. Despite the importance of sleep, climate change–driven sleep disruptions are not well-considered. We introduce the importance of sleep and examine how climate change affects sleep in different biogeographical zones (polar, tropical, dry/arid, and marine and coastal regions), highlighting region-specific vulnerabilities. Furthermore, we discuss the cascading effects of sleep disruption on species interactions, population dynamics, and ecosystem functioning. We emphasize the need for long-term ecological studies, advances in sleep-measurement technologies in free-living animals, and the integration of sleep ecology into conservation strategies. Future priorities include assessing variability within and between individuals, the fitness costs of sleep loss, and the potential for evolutionary adaptation
Fallow land simulations to fight against soil degradation: Engaging stakeholders with model exploration
No full textSource Agritrop Cirad (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/616636/) * Autres projets (id;sigle;titre): AF 1802-001;DSCATT;(FRA) Dynamics of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Tropical and Temperate Agricultural systems//International audienceThis methodological paper forms part of a modelling approach conducted in the Senegalese groundnut basin. It addresses two key aspects: (1) the process of co-constructing the model with local stakeholders; and (2) the use of calibration to account for non-measurable elements, which stakeholders needed to describe and evaluate their system effectively. Thematically, the study examines the relationship between social solidarity and agro-pastoral systems in Diohine, a Senegalese village where communal fallow lands are a vital indicator of socio-ecological resilience. Using the co-constructed, agent-based "Me re Diam" model, we examine the dynamics of soil fertility, population growth and agricultural yields over a 25-year period, integrating local knowledge and ecological data. Our findings emphasise the pivotal role of social solidarity mechanisms, such as parcel lending and food sharing, in stabilising agro-pastoral systems amidst resource scarcity. Calibrating the model demonstrates its ability to reproduce historical dynamics and test alternative practices. Without these mechanisms, the system collapses, revealing their indispensable nature for long-term sustainability. This work emphasises the importance of collaborative modelling in bridging the gap between empirical data and local practices, providing actionable insights for addressing soil degradation and demographic pressures
Rétrospective DEFIBIO 2025
No full textDEFIBIO est un projet de recherche partenariale porté par Interbio Occitanie et une dizaine de chercheurs de quatre laboratoires INRAE de la région.Au cours de l’année 2025, les travaux ont été poursuivis dans les trois principaux volets de recherche du projet. Dans le premier, la question des chemins d’impact des filières biologiques territorialisées a été approfondie, notamment à travers deux stages, l’un de nature plus théorique et l’autre de nature plus appliquée, en appui au développement de la filière brassicole régionale. Dans le deuxième volet, un accomplissement notable concerne la quasi finalisation de la thèse de Axel Graner portant sur le rôle de la planification en maraichage circuits longs pour faire face aux multiples perturbations auxquelles sont confrontés les producteurs. Le troisième volet a poursuivi son exploration des modalités de coexistence territoriale entre exploitations bio et non-bio, avec un stage dans les Cévennes et un début d’analyse croisée sur trois territoires. Enfin, cette année 2025 a été marquée par le choix d’organiser un séminaire final commun avec le projet TETRAE TAI-OC en février 2027
Optimization of somatic embryogenesis protocol for Hevea brasiliensis clones RRIM 600 and REYAN 88-13
No full textInternational audienceHighlights: • Optimization of somatic embryogenesis protocol revealed the predominant role of balances in growth regulators. • This optimization should simultaneously control callus growth, tissue browning and embryogenic capacity of cells. • An optimized protocol for somatic embryogenesis facilitates the production of transgenic lines.Abstract: The challenges for the development of rubber cultivation are so agronomically significant in the face of climate change that it is crucial to introduce biotechnology into the clonal propagation of rubber trees. A protocol was developed on rubber clone PB 260. This protocol was used for two other clones, RRIM 600 and REYAN 88-13, which exhibited highly contrasting response to callus growth and embryogenic capacity. Optimization of somatic embryogenesis for these two clones led us to successful conduct genetic transformation trials. We discussed the in vitro behaviour of the calli considering the origin of the embryogenic callus and the endogenous redox status
Do large carnivores fare better in savannas when they get drier?
No full textInternational audienceBeyond rising temperatures, several parts of Africa are affected by aridification (more frequent and worsening droughts, lengthening dry seasons). Such drier conditions are likely to affect in several ways not only the many large herbivore species but also the rich carnivore guild that characterise African savannas, with consequences on the behavioural ecology of predator–prey interactions. Using data sets of exceptional quality on the feeding behaviour and the reproduction of leopards and lions covering 4 years of contrasting environmental conditions in a semi‐arid African savanna, Balme et al. analysed the effect of drought conditions on the carnivores' diet composition, kill rates, prey biomass acquisition but also cub production and survival. They showed that droughts led to a higher prey biomass consumption for the two carnivore species although the underlying mechanisms differed (higher kill rate for leopards and larger consumed prey for lionesses). Additionally, they revealed that the probability of cub survival was driven by factors other than drought‐driven food acquisition (such as intraguild predation by hyaenas for leopards and sarcoptic mange for lions). Balme et al. (2025) convincingly showed that droughts influence not only predator–prey interactions through several pathways, but also carnivore intraguild interactions. Altogether, their findings illustrate the difficulty to predict the impact of drier conditions on carnivore populations if we do not better unravel the mechanisms through which climate change affects both predator–prey and predator–predator interactions. Overall, this inspiring study invites us to conceptualise a larger framework to study interspecific interactions in African mammals in a context of a drier (and hotter) climate
Exploring the environmental performance of agricultural land planning scenarios over time in a context of climate change
No full textInternational audienceAgricultural areas are faced with the dual challenge of reducing their environmental impacts while adapting to climate change. Adaptations rely on strategies such as irrigation or cultivated crop diversification, whose environmental performance over time is affected by climate change. Such environmental performance can be studied by combining Territorial Life Cycle Assessment (T-LCA) with crop modeling. However, the identification of optimal planning scenarios within the multiplicity of adaptation possibilities that could be assessed hinder the use of classical scenario analyses that could be costly in computing time and not rigorous enough to cover every scenario. Therefore, a methodology coupling experimental design with T-LCA and crop modeling is conceived to investigate the environmental performance of various agricultural planning scenarios in a climate change context. The usefulness of this methodology is proven through a theoretical case study of an agricultural territory using different crop combinations, with or without irrigation, within the context of the worst-case IPCC scenario of climate change (SSP5-8.5). Environmental performance is quantified with eco-efficiency. Eco-efficiency means values and variabilities are calculated over the next 30 years to identify scenarios maintaining highest performance over time. The proposed innovative coupling enables a full investigation of the environmental performance of agricultural land management scenarios integrating different modalities. This study demonstrates that under low interannual variability of fertilisation practices, irrigation and crop diversity contribute to the stabilisation of environmental performance related to the impacts on climate change. Further developments are required for a more robust modelling of agro-ecosystem functioning for application to real-world cases