Main conference room — INRA Nancy-Lorraine Center, Champenoux
17 November 2015
08h30 – 18h00
The primary objective of this meeting will be to present a current overview of projects awarded funding from the 2012 LabEx call for proposals. It will aim to highlight key results and noteworthy achievements of research units working within the LabEx thematic areas (Research, Knowledge Transfer, Training-Dissemination).
For the detailed meeting agenda please click here – Programme
Henri Cuny, a post-doc in the D-Clim group at WSL, received word recently that an article of his had been accepted in Nature Plants. His paper is based on his PhD research at INRA Nancy quantifying the intra-annual dynamics of carbon allocation in tree stems. This work was subsequently extended to include Northern Hemisphere analysis, and has clearly demonstrated significant and widespread differences between increases in wood tissue size and mass. This finding poses significant consequences with regard to our understanding of the global carbon cycle, in particular its quantification using external tree measurements.
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Trees may grow and put on weight — but not necessarily at the same time
An international consortium led by scientists of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), in collaboration with AgroParisTech, has shown that mechanisms involved in tree growth are in action at different times. First, the tree gets bigger due to the production and enlargement of woody cells; then the cell walls are reinforced, which increases the tree’s mass. These results, published in Nature Plants on 26 October 2015, suggest that the effects of climate change may alter the second phase and in turn modify carbon sequestration in wood, a climate change issue.
Follow this link to read more — the full INRA press release
On Tuesday, 3 November, Nate McDowell, professor at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (US) will present his research on the survival mechanisms of trees subjected to drought. More specifically, he will address the following question: « Why do some trees survive drought will others die? ». The title of his conference is:
“Accelerating global forest mortality”
Tuesday 3 November
13h00 — main conference room
INRA Nancy-Lorraine Center
Champenoux
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McDowell Lab Research — Our group is focused on quantifying mechanisms that control the balance between carbon uptake and water lost at the leaf, whole plant, and ecosystem scales. This theme is applied to numerous questions that are of national and international consequence, including climate change and climate variability, forest management and disturbance impacts on ecosystems. We use numerous tools from the plant physiology and ecosystem ecology backgrounds, including water relations tools such as continuous sap flow and water potential measurements, hand-held photosynthesis measurements, and stable isotope measurements.
Read more about Nate McDowell’s research — Vegetation Dynamics Research Lab at LANL
AgroParisTech
Friday, 30 October
11h00 — Jacomon Hall
Jean-Pierre Saucier, D. Sc., Director of Forest Research (DRF) with the Quebec Ministry of Forests will give a lecture this coming Friday, 30 October at AgroParisTech in Nancy. His presentation will focus on the structure, mandates and thematic research currently being addressed by the Quebec Ministry of Forests. Mr. Saucier will discuss how ecological classification in Quebec has contributed to current knowledge about forests, growth models and impacts on policy decision making related to public forests. Join us for this special event.
A train is making its way across France this month in an effort to raise public awareness about climate change and to present issues that will be addressed during December’s climate summit in Paris. Starting with a grand send-off from Paris’ Gare de Lyon, the climate train pulled in to Nancy this Sunday, 24 October.
To mark the occasion, partner institutions from the Lorraine region gathered for a day to create a Climate Village. Participants included INRA, CNRS, the University of Lorraine as well as science centers (the Nancy Museum-Aquarium and Nancy Conservatory and Botanical Gardens), and associations (La Vigie l’Eau, Epinal Planetarium). The village was installed inside the Nancy trains station and consisted of interactive exhibits, animations, demonstrations and film projections. Several LabEx ARBRE laboratories also took part in this event where researchers were available on site to share their science with the public, and discuss issues related to climate change which affect us all.
A special feature during the day was a Survivors project presentation, which described work carried out by 80 middle-school students from the college of Einville-au-Jard who participated in an experiment together with project researchers. Another highlight were presentations by Pierre-Antoine Chuste and Maxime Burst, two doctoral students who presented their research in interactive workshops to the public, just as they did for the Experimentarium project.
To learn more, follow this link — Climate Village and the Climate Train, Nancy
Remember to sign up !
Philippe Delavault, a professor of plant biology and pathology at the University of Nantes, will give a conference this coming Friday entitled :
“Unveiling the wonders of parasitic plants — Biology and Genetics of Orobanche”
Friday 23 October
13h30 — Main conference room
INRA Nancy-Lorraine Center
Champenoux
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Abstract : Due to their forms and colors, parasitic plants are most often considered to be botanical curiosities. However, in some cases, these are proved to be also deadly pests with the capacity to exploit other plants. Among the obligate root parasitic weeds, the holoparasites that are devoid of chlorophyll and thus unable to carry out photosynthesis totally rely on their hosts for their water, mineral, and carbohydrate supplies. Members of the genus Orobanche and Phelipanche, belonging to the Orobanchaceae family (the broomrape family), are thus the final result of this evolutionary transition from autotrophism to heterotrophism. The underlying process of this trophic exploitation, governed by a finely-tuned molecular dialogue between both partners, is an extraordinary example of adaptive plant biology operated by these parasitic organisms in the course of evolution. This transition is associated with remarkable morphological and physiological adaptations, such as the requirement for the seeds to germinate to perceive molecules produced by host roots, the development of a novel organ, the haustorium, which invades host tissues and establishes a physiological continuum between the parasite and the host, the establishment of a sink strength required for translocation of host resources, the loss of photosynthesis, and a reduced leaf and root architecture.
Dr. Pierre Vollenweider
13 November — 14h30
Main conference room, INRA Champenoux
The third edition of the INRA-LabEx ARBRE seminars cycle began earlier this month and will go through to December. Joining the INRA Nancy-Lorraine Center and ARBRE in organization are partner institutes, the University of Lorraine and AgroParis Tech.
These seminars are an important addition to INRA’s scientific animation. On Friday afternoons (continuing on 16 October going through 4 December), each research unit will present their laboratory in an open forum for all agents, technicians, researchers and students alike. The subjects of these seminars relate directly to the research themes of both the INRA Nancy-Lorraine center and LabEx ARBRE: the forest, ecology and agriculture. These seminars have been planned grouping two seminars per location (the Faculty of Science Vandoevre, ENSAIA Vandoeuvre, AgroParis Tech Nancy and the INRA site in Champenoux).
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The seminar cycle continues — on site at INRA Champenoux
Friday 16 October – Main conference room
For full details about these seminars, follow this link — Program Seminar Cycle
