PLANAQUA is the National experimental platform in Aquatic Ecology . It consists of 3 levels of research platforms : Microcosms, from one to several litres of volume, can be used in the plankton-dedicated laboratory to set up continuous cultures experiments. They can also be used in the climatic chambers of the Ecotron IleDeFrance, a device that allows the precise conditioning of the environment and the detailed monitoring of states and activities of organisms and ecosystems. Microcosms allow studying plankton communities in marine or freshwater ecosystems under highly controlled environmental conditions such as temperature, irradiance, nutrients, and gas concentrations. A series of dedicated sensors enables monitoring of gas exchange (O2 and CO2) between the air and the water in the experimental system and to follow the related plankton metabolic activity. Mesocosms, with a volume of several cubic metres, have a high degree of replication. They are installed outdoors and equipped with devices for the experimental control of thermal gradients and water mixing. For example, twelve mesocosms are equipped with beaters that generate waves, making it possible to control the physical structure of the water column. These tools have been developed for studying the link between physical constraints and the functioning of aquatic systems. The large volume of these mesocosms (15 m3) makes it possible to house complex communities of organisms. Sixteen artificial lakes of 650 m3 have been conceived for incorporating the natural complexity of the environment and the spatially heterogeneous nature of ecological processes in natural ecosystems. These very large experimental systems, shaped with littoral, benthic and pelagic zones, will be inter-connected to each other by dispersal channels and equipped with automated sensors and data loggers. The artificial lakes will facilitate the studies on the functioning of complex communities with heterogeneous spatial distributions, and will allow understanding and managing the consequences of anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity, up to the species at the top of the food chains.

An experimental research infrastructure dedicated to the study of ecosystems, organisms and biodiversity in the context of environmental changes. The Ecotron is a laboratory of the Institute of Ecology and Environment (CNRS) open to national and international scientists’ consortia in the fields of ecology, population and community biology and agronomy. The Ecotron allows a precise conditioning of the environment and on line measurements of states and activities (fluxes) of organisms and ecosystems at various scales. This facility bridges the gap between the complexity of in natura studies and the simplicity of laboratory experiments. The research topics to be addressed in the Ecotron include fundamental questions about biogeochemical cycles and the role of biodiversity in ecosystem processes, but tests of ecological theories as well as the applied aspects of optimizing ecosystem services are also desirable projects. http://www.ecotron.cnrs.fr/index.php/en/

Together with the Ecotron de Montpellier, the Ecotron IleDeFrance is part of the distributed “Infrastructure de Recherche” (IR) managed and supported by CNRS and Ecole normale supérieure since 2010. Ecotrons enable highly controlled manipulation and measurement of terrestrial and aquatic organisms, communities and ecosystems with unprecedented power and quality. On a technological side, an Ecotron is defined as a device allowing the precise conditioning of the environment and the detailed monitoring of states and activities of organisms and ecosystems. Ecotrons allow studying a range of small to medium sized biological systems from relatively complex ecosystems (e.g., intact samples of grasslands) to model plant and animal species up to reconstructed ecosystems (e.g., artificial life support models). Ecotrons can thus be used to confine ecosystems from in natura sites and therefore conduct detailed, controlled experiments on natural ecosystems. The Ecotron IleDeFrance is based on technologies implemented in the Ecolab equipment and developed primarily in collaboration with the French private company Cesbron. The Ecolab is a modular structure coupling together three environmental chambers and one laboratory room. Each environmental chamber can be independently controlled accurately for realistic climate and atmospheric conditions (temperature, humidity, CO2 and O2 content, lighting) with unprecedented power and accuracy. A stainless steel lysimeter with temperature-control on three independent levels makes it possible to incubate both terrestrial and aquatic systems and simulate thermal gradients. Artificial light can be provided with several technologies to adapt to the needs and constraints of each project. The Ecotron IleDeFrance combines several Ecolabs into a network making it possible to run powerful, replicated experiments.

AnaEE France has brought together in an integrated network a unique collection of experimental platforms in controlled, semi-natural or natural environments, analysis platforms and shared instruments as well as modeling platforms and Database Information Systems, all devoted to the biology of continental ecosystems. The infrastructure is built around three main service offerings that provide access to a range of experimental facilities: the Très Grande Infrastructure de Recherche des Écotrons - Écotrons Very Large Research Infrastructure, four experimental platforms in semi-natural environments, and some 20 natural sites in metropolitan France and French Guiana where long-term experiments are conducted in forests, pastures, lakes and crops. In the field of environmental microbiology, AnaEE France is also investing in the shared instruments and analytical resources required for a detailed characterization of the environment and microorganisms. In a single integrated network it provides all the tools required to study, understand and model biological systems and conduct innovative biological research on gene - environment interactions, biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems.