SIFER 2015, International Doctoral Course “Stable Isotopes in Forest Ecosystem Research”
June 1st – 5th, 2015, INRA campus, Champenoux, France
3rd edition
University of Lorraine (Doctoral School RP2E) and the “Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique” (INRA) are organizing, in the frame of the Lab of Excellence “Advanced Research on the Biology of Tree and Forest Ecosystems” (ARBRE), an International Doctoral Course “Stable Isotopes in Forest Ecosystem Research” (SIFER) from February 1st to 5th, 2015 at the INRA Campus in Champenoux, France.
The main goal of SIFER is to offer a broad introduction to the use of stable isotopes in forest ecosystem research. Many ecological processes that occur in forest ecosystems produce a distinct isotopic footprint that can be used to trace the origin and the transfer of the major elements into ecological processes, to decipher the effects of environmental changes on several metabolic pathways and to understand complex interactions among ecosystem compartments and ecological processes occurring in trees and forest. Stable isotopes provide relevant information in forest ecosystem research, and they are thus powerful tools that still undergo very fast technological developments. The course is open to all PhD students working on stable isotopes, not exclusively on trees or forests.
Lectures will give an overview of the major stable isotopes (carbon, nitrogen, water) used in ecosystem research, of fractionation processes that affect isotope distribution in ecosystem pools, of their use as tracers using either natural abundance distribution or labelling experiments, and of modelling at temporal and spatial scales. Questions related to instrumentation, technology and measurement quality will also be addressed.
During the course, practical work and computing exercises will be conducted throughout the week in small groups, using the on-site isotope facilities of the “Plateforme Technologique d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle”.
The target audience of the course is PhD students coming from any institution worldwide. Applications will be launched during December. The selection of candidates will be done by an education committee based on the motivation letter of applicants and their research project involving the use of stable isotopes.
All interested candidates should fill in the online application form by January 31th, 2015. The decision will be notified before February 7th. The course will be held entirely in English. Participants do not need to speak French.There are no registration or tuition fees. Participants will only support their travel and accommodation costs.
