BIOADAPT - Adaptation: from genes to populations. Genetics and biology of adaptation to stresses and disturbances

Used and natural ecosystems sustainable management requests to consider the capacities of adaptation of living organisms to stresses and disturbances linked to global changes (climatic changes, biophysical and environmental conditions, social and economical drivers, etc.).

Adaptation of global changes may be described from global level (programme “Global Environnemental Changes and Societies”), through intermediate scale (programme “Viability and Adaptation of Productive Ecosystems, Territories and Resources Face to Global Changes: AGROBIOSPHERE”), to the scale of individual, populations and species covered by this programme BIOADAPT.

BIOADAPT aims to develop results allowing to go in the direction of more durability in management of natural and used ecosystems, biodiversity and biological resources. It should allow to improve the capital of knowledges useful for above programmes (CEPS, AGROBIOSPHERE). BIOADAPT supports research in genetics and biology on the comprehension and implementation of the mechanisms of biological adaptation at the levels of genes, individuals, populations and species and of their evolution facing global changes, stresses and disturbances.

In order to implement these acquired knowledges on the mechanisms of adaptability, BIOADAPT supports research on methods and tools for developing the capacities of adaptation and to resilience of species and communities on one side, but also on improvement of varieties or races to global changes. It will contribute to the preservation and to the use of biological resources in situ and ex situ. One important asset will be in the integration of these different levels of complexity from genes to species and in modeling to help effective implementation.