The Scientific Department “Continental and Environmental Dynamics” (C&ED), led by M. Jolivet, brings together five teams around research activities devoted to the (paleo)-dynamics of continental surfaces and the characterization of their (paleo)-environmental evolution.
In more details, the C&ED Department proposes to study: continental palaeolandscapes, including their ecological and environmental components in response to internal (plate tectonics) and external (global Earth climate) control factors (Paleoenvironment: evolution, disturbance and forcing factors team, S. Bourquin); endorheic systems, covering 20% of the current continental surface, these unique geo-environmental objects are extremely sensitive to global changes and anthropic activities (Endorheic Systems team, M. Jolivet); the faunistic and ecological characterization of the evolution of certain key organisms of biodiversity during critical stages of its evolution in a constrained paleobiogeographical framework (BIPE team, R. Vullo); all this requiring an ever more precise time frame allowing better characterization of the age, duration and speed of the geological processes involved by an innovative coupling of different geochronological and stratigraphic tools (CHRONOS team, P. Pitra) and, at the scale of short periods of time, work focusing on the evolution of these continental surfaces under anthropogenic influence, i.e. all research activities within the Geosciences Rennes Laboratory targeting the study of objects at the nanometric scale , their occurrence and impact in surface environments (Nanoscale team, M. Pedrot).
Team Biodiversity: Interactions, Preservation, Evolution (BIPE)
Team leader Romain Vullo
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The lines of research of the "BIPE" team are, on the one hand, the evolution and paleobiology of organisms (plants, first metazoans, arthropods, vertebrates) and, on the other hand, the reconstitution of ancient ecosystems (marine to continental environments, lagerstätten and exceptional preservation), via systematic, phylogenetic, ecomorphological and taphonomic approaches. |
Team Chronos
Team leader Marc Poujol
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The “Chronos” team focuses on the fields of chronostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, chronomagnetography, thermochronology, geochronology, petrochronology, chronomodelling, and archaeology. Its ambition is to develop, implement and combine the appropriate techniques and methods to obtain precise and accurate ages, from the Quaternary to the Archaean. |
Team Endoreic Systems
Team leader Olivier Dauteuil
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The “Endoreic Systems” team follows a multidisciplinary approach to documenting, describing and modeling the processes that govern the geo-environmental functioning of quaternary endorheic basins. We are particularly interested in the effects of climate change and anthropogenic impact on these closed systems, disconnected from the global ocean. . |
Team Nanoscale
Team leader Mathieu Pédrot
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The « Nanoscale » team studies the behaviour, trajectory and fate of emerging contaminants in surface environments, including their environmental impacts. These contaminants can be present in different forms: ions, molecules, clusters or nanoparticles. |
Team Paleoenvironment: evolution, disturbance and forcing factors
Responsable Sylvie Bourquin
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The “Paleoenvironment” team uses various disciplines in order to describe paleolandscapes and their dynamics through time. We mainly study the evolution of continental systems and their interactions with the marine environments from the evolution of sedimentary transfers and high-resolution climate change comparisons. The research is conducted around different periods, from the Phanerozoic to the end of the Proterozoic, around targeted objects or processes. |
