Let us return to some of the highlights of 2016 for the Labex CEBA.
· Silver medal of the CNRS for Jérôme Chave, scientific director of the CEBA
Jérôme Chave, Scientific Director of the CEBA, received the silver medal from the Institute for Ecology and Environment (INEE) of the CNRS in 2016. This distinction is awarded every year to researchers from each institute of the National Centre for Scientific Research. It rewards researchers for the originality, quality and importance of their work nationally and internationally.
Research scientist in tropical ecology and deputy director of the laboratory of Evolution and Biological Diversity (EDB), member of the CEBA, Jérôme Chave studies community ecology and evolutionary ecology. His research aims at understanding the mechanisms of species coexistence across scales. It is a combination of field research and mathematical modeling to explore and compare the different mechanisms proposed to explain the rich biodiversity of tropical forests.
Jérôme Chave has also an interest in the biogeochemical cycling between the biosphere and the atmosphere. He is involved in a project aimed at providing biometric methods for measuring carbon stock and balance for tropical forests at a global scale.
· ERC scholarship for Frédéric Delsuc, head of the ISEM team in the CEBA
Frédéric Delsuc, head of the ISEM team in the CEBA, was awarded a “Consolidator” scholarship from the European Research Council (ERC). This scholarship is awarded to researchers of excellence, who have between 7 and 12 years of experience after their thesis, for an exploratory project. “ConvergeAnt”, the project concerned, is funded up to 1.8 million of euros for a period of 5 years and started in September 2016.
“ConvergeAnt” tackles the phenomenon of convergent evolution. The models studied are myrmecophagous mammals that feed on ants and/or termites. Examples of myrmecophagous are armadillos, anteaters and pangolins. This project wishes to take advantage of the set of convergent characters associated with the myrmecophagous diet to study the molecular mechanisms responsible for phenotypic adaptation. “ConvergeAnt” has the merit of being ambitious and is the first to apply such an integrative approach to study the complex interaction between morphology, genome and microbiome of mammals in a case of convergence associated with the adoption of a specialised food diet.
· CEBA Thematic School 2016
The CEBA Thematic School 2016 on “Functional Ecology of Tropical Forests in Climate Change Background: Observations of the Reliable Simulations (TropForClim)” took place in Kourou from the 21st to the 25th of March. 15 students from 13 different nationalities attended the training. The majority of them are thesis students. The aim of the thematic school was for education and training. A field trip to Paracou flux tower was organised.
The previous CEBA thematic schools focused on Biogeography, Biodiversity and Health and on the functioning of ecosystems.
· Official Sponsor of the 53rd ATBC Meeting
The CEBA was an official partner of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) in Montpellier in June 2016. This annual symposium brought together more than 700 national and international researchers in ecology and tropical conservation. The purpose of this meeting is to provide a platform for scientists from different disciplines to exchange ideas, concepts and approaches and to establish and promote innovation in the field of tropical ecosystem conservation.
A CEBA informative booth was set up during the symposium. Researches and PhD students from the CEBA network participated in the various workshops organised during the 5 days of this meeting.
