Training structure
Faculty of Science
Program
Study of variability
4 creditsCHOICES1
2 creditsYour choice: 1 of 2
Advanced data processing
2 creditsDescription and inference
2 credits
Ecology 1: concepts, tools, and applications
8 creditsEvolution 1
8 creditsEnglish and professionalization
2 credits15hTropical plant biology
6 credits
M1 S2 internship
14 creditsCHOICES3
4 creditsYour choice: 1 of 2
Ecology and societies
4 creditsMacroecology / Biogeography
4 credits
Ethnoecology and biocultural interactions
4 creditsUE Project M1
4 creditsCHOICE2
4 creditsChoice of 1 of 3
Evolutionary genomics
4 creditsEXDIM: Multidimensional Data Mining
4 creditsIntegrative Ecophysiology
4 credits
Study of variability
ECTS
4 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
"General linear models with 1 or more explanatory random variables: from translating the figure that answers the biological question to the statistical model, i.e., taking into account many effects and knowing how to interpret them
general properties seen through regression and 1-factor ANOVA (R2, F, ddl, least squares, likelihood, diagnosis, validation, goodness of fit, interpretation of effect sizes); nested and cross-factor ANOVA, multiple regression (notion of parameter and effects, and interaction)
incorporation of the dependence of explanatory random variables, confounding of effects (quantitative for multiple regression, and unbalanced designs for ANOVA)".
Advanced data processing
ECTS
2 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
Generalized linear mixed models + methodology and experimental protocols to take into account a biological reality: non-normal law and pseudo-replication
Protocol optimization, power and uncontrolled 1st order risk: variable transformation, polynomial regression, link function, likelihood, model selection
Deviance analysis and goodness of fit
Incorporation of blocks, repeated measurements over time, taking into account spatial and temporal correlation, over-dispersion
Graphical representation of predictions.
Description and inference
ECTS
2 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
The objective of this course is to provide the necessary basis in statistics to follow all the more elaborate modules of the curriculum, so it is a general refresher. Descriptive statistics are reviewed (quantile, polygon of cumulative frequencies, estimators from samples), simple tests are presented, essential graphs for univariate and multivariate data are presented, the general principle of a statistical test, the hypothesis plan, the notion of p-value, first and second species risk are presented. In practical exercises, students are also brought up to speed in the R environment.
Ecology 1: concepts, tools, and applications
ECTS
8 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
The general objective is to consolidate the basic knowledge of ecology acquired by the students, and to give them the tools to mobilize it in an integrative way to interpret the functioning of ecological systems. The courses include: 1) lectures on the concepts of ecology from the population scale to macroecological scales, with examples of applications that place the discipline in the current ecological and societal context; 2) practical and directed work focused on tools (sampling strategies, modeling, data analysis); 3) field courses during which students are invited to ask themselves relevant scientific questions based on observation in a situation, and to mobilize their knowledge in order to respond to them in an argumentative manner.
Synthetic content of the EU :
- CM: History of the emergence of concepts in ecology; Population dynamics / metapopulations; Biotic interactions and food webs; Community ecology, meta-communities; Ecology of ecosystems / functional ecology; Notions of macroecology / biogeography; Global changes and ecosystem functioning;
- Field: Integrative Analysis of Ecosystem Functioning in Situations;
- TD/TP: sampling and experimental strategies in ecology; modeling in population/meta-population dynamics, community/meta-community ecology, food webs; biodiversity metrics (alpha, beta, etc)."
Evolution 1
ECTS
8 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
"The general objective is to consolidate the students' bases in evolutionary biology, by approaching both (i) macro-evolutionary phenomena, and the general methods used for their analysis and (ii) micro-evolutionary processes by insisting on the population genetic approach. The objective of this course is to provide a common base of solid knowledge in evolutionary biology and to illustrate the applications of the discipline to the students' future fields of specialization. The teaching includes: 1) lectures on evolutionary concepts; 2) practical work in two main forms: 2a. sessions focused on the use of tools (phylogeny) and on the mathematical formalization of evolutionary processes (population genetics) as well as 2b: sessions built around group work, allowing students, depending on their career path and professional objectives, to go deeper into a particular theme (fundamental question or application of evolutionary biology)."
English and professionalization
ECTS
2 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
Hourly volume
15h
English tutorials aimed at professional autonomy in the English language.
Tropical plant biology
ECTS
6 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the diversity of plants in tropical environments, from a botanical, morphological and functional point of view. Lessons include an introduction to tropical biodiversity and its observation, the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of the major tropical families, the life forms of tropical plants (morphology and anatomy, architecture), their ecophysiology (diversity of phenolic compounds, link with adaptation and distribution), functional ecology (general notions, responses to environmental gradients, specializations, plant succession), the diversity of biotic interactions, notions of coevolution (symbioses, reproductive systems, dispersion).
M1 S2 internship
ECTS
14 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
The individual internship in M1 lasts about three months and must be carried out, depending on the course, in a research laboratory or a structure in the non-academic sector. It allows the student to acquire professional experience in the field of biodiversity, evolution or ecology. It can be carried out in a local, national, or international structure, on a subject validated by the teaching staff in order to meet the objectives of the course followed by the student.
Evaluation: The preparation of the internship is a graded exercise based on a written document and a defense of the internship project. The internship work is evaluated during a public defense before a jury during which the content of the thesis and the quality of the answers to the jury's questions are evaluated. The behavior and dynamism of the student during the internship are evaluated by the internship supervisor.
Ecology and societies
ECTS
4 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
This teaching unit aims to link theoretical ecology, its operational implementation and the issues of territories as seen by society's actors. Built on a format combining theoretical courses recalling the elements necessary for the understanding of field issues (ecosystem dynamics, anthropization, resilience of socio-ecosystems, in situ conservation, etc.), this UE includes several field blocks (each consisting of a preparatory TD/TP and an "active" field trip). The territories visited will allow the students to meet actors from society (managers, elected officials, associations, shepherds, etc.) whose position allows them to understand how ecological issues govern their actions, and how in return their actions impact biodiversity, its dynamics and its distribution.
Macroecology / Biogeography
ECTS
4 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
How is biodiversity distributed on Earth? What ecological, evolutionary and historical factors determine these patterns of biodiversity distribution? What are the changes induced by human activities on the global distribution of biodiversity? In this course, we will study the role of spatio-temporal variations in the global environment on the dynamics of biodiversity. In particular, we will examine the influence of long-term climate cycles on the past and present diversity of organisms. We will also address the impact of human activities and global changes on biodiversity at the planetary scale.
Ethnoecology and biocultural interactions
ECTS
4 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
The teaching of this module is an introduction to ethnobotany and ethnoecology in order to understand the material and immaterial dimensions of the relationships between humans and their environment, with a particular focus on the plant world. We will be particularly interested in local systems of nomenclature and classification, perceptions and representations of nature, uses and management practices of resources, biocultural, ecological and evolutionary interactions. Ethnobotany and ethnoecology are disciplines at the interface of anthropology, botany and ecology, which can also borrow tools and concepts from linguistics, archaeology, geography and agronomy. This module complements the "Ethnoecology and Sustainable Development" module (Master 2) by providing the theoretical and methodological bases of ethnobotany.
UE Project M1
ECTS
4 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
"The objective of this course is to consolidate the students' knowledge of ecology and/or evolution by inviting them to define a research topic and question(s), by defining relevant hypotheses in an arguable manner, and by justifying a strategy for acquiring and analyzing data to test them.
Synthetic content of the EU:
- Independent tutored work: identification of a relevant scientific question; bibliographic synthesis allowing to realize the state of the art and to justify the scientific hypotheses; proposal and justification of a methodological approach (material and methods) to test the proposed hypotheses.
Type of topics:
The topics can be on any question identified by the students (in groups of 3/4), and validated by the teaching staff, and can be based on different approaches allowing to adjust to the expectations of the different courses. For example, students can propose a sampling strategy in the field or in experiments, a meta-analysis of data from the literature, an analysis of sequences retrieved from GenBank, an analysis of occurrence data retrieved from GBIF, etc.
In all cases, the projects must involve a real data acquisition strategy, identified, justified and described by the students in the material and method requested in M1S2, with a provisional timetable for the project and identification of the tasks that each student will carry out within each group as part of the implementation of the project in M2S3 The projects must also be financially realistic and propose a provisional budget, and must be able to be finalized in the time available in M2S3.
Methods of control of knowledge:
The teaching is based on a problem-based learning approach, and students are evaluated on the way they progress in building their approach (40% of CC), as well as on their ability to present and defend their project during a final oral (60% of the overall grade)."
Evolutionary genomics
ECTS
4 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
This EU has three objectives:
1) deepen knowledge of concepts in genetics and evolutionary genomics such as linkage disequilibrium, selection, coalescent theory, detection of natural selection and evolutionary forces acting on genome evolution and the process of genomic speciation.
2) To propose a panorama of research themes in evolutionary genomics in the form of pedagogical seminars: molecular evolution, evolutionary genomics of endosymbioses, chromosomal evolution and molecular evolution.
3) Finally, the EU proposes a project of bioanalysis of an empirical dataset to understand the analysis in evolutionary genomics and to rub shoulders with the bioinformatics aspects increasingly developed in the discipline.
EXDIM: Multidimensional Data Mining
ECTS
4 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
"This module presents table management and the link between multivariate and univariate: matrix manipulation and common operations; notion of projection and distance; translation of descriptive and univariate statistics with multiple regression/ACP/AFD as an example; (dis)similarity indices, distance; correlation"
Integrative Ecophysiology
ECTS
4 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
The aim of this course is to understand the adaptive biology of organisms by considering individual and population responses to environmental variation. Concrete examples in animal evolutionary ecophysiology will be discussed in the context of global change. The responses of organisms and populations to abiotic parameters (such as temperature, salinity, oxygen availability, pollutants) will be considered as well as their interactive effects. The course will show the implication of physiological mechanisms in ecology, from phenotypic and cognitive processes at the intra-individual level to functional variants between individuals and between species. Intraspecific variability, phenotypic plasticity and transgenerational effects will also be discussed. This course will be illustrated by examples of phenotypic trait analysis (including behavior) within populations. Links with genetic and epigenetic markers will also be discussed. Different approaches (-omics vs. target gene/protein), several experimental setups and various scales of organization of living organisms will be considered (molecule, gene, phenotype, individual, population, species).
Admission
How to register
Applications are made on the following platforms:
- French & European students: follow the "My Master" procedure from the website: https: //www.monmaster.gouv.fr/
- International students from outside the EU: follow the "Studies in France" procedure: https: //pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/etudesenfrance/dyn/public/authentification/login.html