CONFERENCES-DEMO: STUDYING THE FORESTS OF OCCITANIE TO UNDERSTAND THEIR EVOLUTION FROM THE CARBONIFEROUS TO THE FUTURE

Amphitheater
Domaine Départemental Pierresvives
Montpellier
Saturday, October 17 at 3:30 PM

As part of the unexpected escapes from CNRS, attend demonstrations of research work.

~From fossil to landscape: reconstructing past forests to understand the evolution of ecosystems
With: Anne-Laure Decombeix, paleobotanist and Gaëlle Viennois, research engineer
Let’s travel back over 300 million years, long before the dinosaurs, to a period called the Carboniferous. We focus on Graissessac in the Geopark Terres d’Hérault, a site rich in plant fossils, some of which formed coal. At that time, the global climate of the planet was the same as today, but the position of the continents was very different, and Hérault was located in a tropical zone! The study of fossils will allow us to understand which plants grew in this region and to reconstruct ancient landscapes.

~What future for Mediterranean forests in the face of climate change? From the field to predictions
With: Nathalie Zeballos, post-doctoral researcher in Evolutionary Ecology and Léa Veuillen, technical manager of the experimental site of Puéchabon
In the face of global climate upheavals, forest ecosystems are undergoing major transformations: rising temperatures, increased duration and frequency of droughts, and a multiplication of extreme events. These changes disrupt the phenology of trees, promote a resurgence of fires, and the spread of diseases. As a consequence, vulnerable trees are exposed to irreversible damage, even among species known to be resistant. How can we study these phenomena to better adapt our forests to global changes?

Find all practical information and plan your visit.