M2 - Chrono-Environments and Paleo-ecology (CEPAGE)

The aim of this course is to implement the projects defined in the M1S2 project course.

Synthetic content of the EU:

- Independent tutored work by student groups: readjustment of project objectives and methodology if necessary, data acquisition, ecological and/or evolutionary analyses and interpretations according to the provisional timetable defined in M1S2, presentation of results at a symposium common to the different courses.

Assessment of knowledge:

As with the M1 Project UE, this UE is based on a problem-based learning approach. Students are therefore assessed as they go along on how they are progressing with their project (40% CC), then at the end of the semester on their ability to present and discuss the results of their project in an oral presentation at a general feedback conference (60% of the overall mark).

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This UE covers the analysis of man's impact on the climate and the environment.

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Present different methodological approaches in an applied approach, from data acquisition to interpretation. Each approach is covered over half a day (3h), covering data acquisition methods (1.5h TP) and interpretation of results (1.5h TD).

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"The aim of this UE is to present and explain the concepts, issues, operational approach in the field and laboratory, methodological and analytical strategies for inferring and reconstructing fluctuations in wild biodiversity and biodiversity exploited by man over time. It draws on empirical and modelled ecological, palaeoecological, palaeobiogeographical, archaeobiological, archaeological and palethnobiological data. Particular attention will be paid to :

- the functional role of ecological disturbances such as fires in the transformation of plant cover;

- the impact of human evolution on the dynamics of forest ecosystems;

- the exploitation, cultivation / breeding and domestication of plants and animals based on the study of modern and bioarchaeological data. "

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The aim of this course is to help students build their career plans and find internships, while beginning to prepare for their integration into professional life through a comprehensive and personal vision of possible career paths.

In concrete terms, a series of meetings with various participants introduces the doctoral thesis (presentation of the GAIA doctoral school, presentations by thesis students) and the professional environment targeted by the different career paths (research careers and the non-academic sector). Activities specific to each pathway then enable students to better target the scientific fields most closely aligned with their career plans. Finally, TD sessions are designed to prepare students to write scientific articles in English.

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In this course, we'll look at the main theoretical concepts of evolutionary processes through the fossil record. The aim is to reconcile microevolutionary mechanisms with macroevolution. Concepts covered include: species and intraspecific variability, speciation and evolutionary rhythms, adaptive radiation (ecological speciation) in the fossil record, targeted extinctions (migrant-autochthonous competition) or mass extinctions (major biological crises), evolutionary modalities (anagenesis and saltationism) observed in the fossil record, and a comprehensive review of microevolutionary mechanisms.

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The aim of this resolutely trans-disciplinary course is to provide the skills needed to effectively manage and exploit data of various origins and types, particularly those with a spatial component. The course is divided into three complementary sections. The first deals with the issues inherent in data compilation and the solutions provided by database management systems (DBMS): from database design to queries. The second covers geographic information systems (GIS): from cartographic representation to geoprocessing. Finally, the third axis presents the diversity of spatial analysis tools for quantitative exploitation of spatial data, from metrics to statistical tests.

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The pedagogical objective of this course is to reposition the main soil types on a global scale, explain their formation and identify the main mineral phases or abiotic factors likely to regulate soil biological activity. Based on this analysis, the different soil organisms (micro-organisms, micro-, meso- and macro-fauna) and their relationships will be presented in order to reposition the cycle of organic matter and mineral elements in the soil on different temporal and spatial scales. The notions of recycling, looping of biogeochemical cycles and community assembly rules will also be addressed. This course is organized around lectures and conferences, as well as fieldwork and practical work.

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"The aim is to analyze the phylogenetic, developmental and functional constraints likely to have governed the morphological changes perceptible in the fossil record. The phylogenetic approach will be approached using reconstruction methods applicable to fossils (parsimony; cladistic analysis). Developmental and functional approaches (mainly odontology) will be illustrated by different methodologies developed on the Montpellier campus (notably X-ray microtomography). The critical review of reference articles in the field in question will give rise to an oral presentation followed by questions."

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Land-use changes are responsible for around 10% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Tropical forest ecosystems can play a part in both the mitigation and adaptation aspects of global warming:

-Tropical forests and plantations are important potential carbon sinks, and their biomass can provide energy to replace fossil fuels, while reducing deforestation and forest degradation and improving forest management (REDD+) can significantly reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions.

-The ability of human societies, still essentially rural, to adapt to climate change depends in part on the state of available natural resources, while the necessary adaptation of tropical ecosystems to climate change can be facilitated by human intervention.

In the context of the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, mechanisms such as the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) and REDD+, and voluntary markets, as well as ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change, provide a new outlet for tropical forestry, as well as a potential lever for tropical forest protection or restoration. The module provides an understanding of the basic concepts of climate change, the role of tropical ecosystems in the global carbon cycle, and the technical, political and economic responses to the challenges of climate change.

Module content :

This module provides basic knowledge on topics such as the carbon cycle, the mechanisms and consequences of climate change, and the technical and political mechanisms for mitigating and adapting to this change. The potential of tropical agroecosystems is assessed on the basis of scientific studies and existing operational projects.

Teaching and learning methods :

-Course (18 hours)

-TD (3 hours).

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1. Bayesian inference: Motivation and simple example. 

2. The likelihood. 

3. A detour to explore priors. 

4. Markov chains Monte Carlo methods (MCMC)

5. Bayesian analyses in R with the Jags software.  

6. Contrast scientific hypotheses with model selection (WAIC).

7. Heterogeneity and multilevel models (aka mixed models. 

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1 "The way in which the modern West represents nature is the least shared thing in the world" (Descola, 2005, p. 56). According to anthropologist Philippe Descola, the category of "Nature", as a reality separate from the human world, was invented by Europeans, and is just one of the ways in which societies can account for the living and non-living beings that surround them.

While Philippe Descola is helping to renew questions concerning the relationship between society and the environment, he is also drawing on a long tradition in the human and social sciences. Numerous works have already explored the various forms of knowledge and social organization to which these relationships give rise: ethnoscience, anthropology of technology, economic anthropology, ethnoecology, sociology of science and technology, and so on.

This issue is far from being confined to the academic sphere. It is also of interest to those involved in conservation (biodiversity, natural resources, etc.) and industry (pharmacology). It is also mobilizing so-called "indigenous" populations who are demanding, both locally and internationally, access to resources and the preservation of an intangible heritage.

2. Situated at the crossroads of social sciences and life sciences, these disciplines analyze how human societies use plants, animals and other environmental components, and how their conceptions and representations of their environment(s) shape these uses. This research also explores how human societies organize themselves, perpetuate themselves, change to adapt to new contexts (globalization, global change) and transmit knowledge about their relationships with nature.

For a long time, these disciplines focused more specifically on the interrelations between so-called "traditional" societies and their immediate environment. Then, from the 1970s onwards, researchers reconsidered the distinction between "traditional" and "modern" societies, to better address the new environmental and social transformations taking place today.

On the one hand, even the most isolated local societies are affected by events that are decided and unfolding on different scales (international conventions, economic crises). Their immediate environment is also affected by global phenomena (climate change, erosion of biodiversity, etc.). In return, their actions can also have international ecological, social and economic repercussions, when, for example, these companies organize to bring their demands to international arenas.

On the other hand, the relationship that modern societies have with their environment is being reconfigured in the face of an increasingly "artificialized" planet threatened by serious disruptions and crises. The place of flora and fauna is being reconsidered, and their rights are the subject of controversy. Moreover, the entry into a new geological era, the Anthropocene, is being used to call on both the natural sciences and the human and social sciences to take a fresh look at the shared history of the environment and society.

3. The very work of scientists and engineers is apprehended in a new light. A new scientific project in the humanities and social sciences aims to reconsider the role of "non-humans", and calls for analytical categories other than Nature and Culture. New scales and methods of investigation are also envisaged to analyze global processes.

These recent changes in scale invite researchers in the humanities and social sciences to (re)consider their approach through a reflexive lens: they are no longer mere observers, but can also be genuine actors in processes, when they are not directly involved in a social movement.

4. The aim of this module is to introduce these different scientific and operational fields. The aim is to provide students with benchmarks and food for thought, enabling them to construct scientific questions on the relationship between society and the environment, and to reflect on the ways in which current environmental and social issues can be tackled. The speakers' varied geographical and disciplinary backgrounds will illustrate the approach across a wide range of ecosystem types, socio-cultural contexts and themes. In the time available, we cannot claim to cover all the themes, approaches and methods exhaustively. Any student wishing to delve deeper into this field will need to take a more in-depth training course.

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The aim of this course is to help students finalize their professional projects and prepare for the post-master's period.

The UE is organized on a pathway-wide basis, with regular discussion sessions between the teaching team and students.

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The individual M2 internship lasts approximately 5 to 6 months, and must be carried out in a research laboratory or a non-academic structure, depending on the course. It enables students to gain in-depth 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 team to fit in with the objectives of the course followed by the student.

Evaluation: The internship is evaluated at a public presentation before a jury, during which the content of the thesis and the quality of the answers to the jury's questions are assessed. The student's behavior and dynamism during the internship are evaluated by the internship supervisor.

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