Ecotrons are highly instrumented* research platforms designed for ecosystem research under confined, controlled environment and replicated conditions which allow for manipulation and measurements of complex ecological processes.

The series of confinement units allows for large and precise environmental controls as well as for continuous on-line accurate measurements of various fluxes, allowing in particular to close biogeochemical cycles.

Research done in Ecotrons varies from realistic measurements of environmental changes on interacting ecosystem processes to test of ecological theories in artificial conditions.

 

ECOTRON INVOLVED IN ExpeER :

Montpellier Ecotron, France

*Highly Instrumented : Research sites/facilities with sufficient instrumentation and sampling to allow manipulation (in the case of Ecotrons and Experimental sites) and/or monitoring (in the case of HIOS) of environmental and ecological parameters, aiming to generate comprehensive data sets for model development, validation and mechanistic hypothesis testing.