Welcome to the LEF!
Our vision is to advance the understanding, predicting, and mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss in natural and agricultural ecosystems. We focus on the complex relationships between plants, microbes, invertebrates, and vertebrates in the soil and above ground. We aim to deepen our understanding of these interactions through a combination of conceptual and experimental research, ranging from evolutionary adaptations to community dynamics and ecosystem processes. Our ultimate goal is to apply this knowledge to promote the sustainability of life on Earth.
We aim to address several unanswered questions concerning:
- The ecology and evolution of species interaction, with particular emphasis on plant-herbivore-predator interaction, community ecology along climatic gradients, and eco-metabolomics research
- Soil sciences, including aspects of soil formation (pedogenesis), soil ecology, humus forms, soil organisms, and organic matter recycling
- Agroecology, in particular, pest control through plant defense mechanisms and plant-microorganism interactions. In addition, our laboratory has established an international partnership with the Institute of Environmental Processes and Pollution Control (Jiangnan University, China) to study the beneficial effects of modified nanoparticles on crop yield and pest control.
- Conservation biology, with a particular focus on conservation approaches that combine monitoring and species interactions.
August 2025 – Publication Highlights
Congratulations to Lauréline Humair on her first publication in CABI Agriculture and Bioscience!
“Host selection of Lysathia cilliersae across increasing experimental complexity and ecological realism”
This study explores how the beetle Lysathia cilliersae selects its host plants under varying experimental conditions, offering valuable insights into biological control strategies.
A fantastic collaboration with researchers from Switzerland, South Africa, and the USA.
Read the full article
19.11.2025
A sunny November day, a cozy fondue lunch, and great company!
We enjoyed delicious melted cheese outdoors, shared laughter, and made the most of the unexpected autumn sunshine.
04.10.2025
We marked LEF’s 10th anniversary with a memorable day at La Sauge!
The celebration included a scenic hike, a delicious wild boar roasted on a spit, and plenty of great moments shared over fine wine.
02.06.2025
End of semester, lab clean-up day and barbecue. Have a great summer!
21.05.2025
BCN tour 2025: Jeanne and Sergio on the Ponts-de-martels (NE) run, all smiles!
23.04.2025
BNC tour : congratulations to Jeanne, Sergio, Emilie and Martino who ran the first leg of the BCN tour, carrying the lab’s colors across the finish line!
12.12.2024 Apéro et secret santa du LEF !
31.10.2024 First torée du LEF !
Welcome apéro: LEFies 2024 !
01.05.2025
Congratulations to Nora and Théo Steiner and welcome to little Céliana Eleanor
09.09.2024
Congratulations to Sarah Semeraro-Miévile who successfully defended her P.hD !
11.09.2024
Well done Jeanne Schütz for this fine piece of work, and for spreading the word about the EWL and the new Master’s degree in biodiversity conservation!
Determining the health of a peat bog using hoverflies
12.07.2024
Claire Le Bayon’s contribution to this episode on earthworms on RTS!
Master projects
Here, you’ll find proposals for master’s subjects developed in collaboration with the Functional Ecology Laboratory and other laboratories.
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