Station alpine Joseph Fourier Unité Mixte de Services 2925 UJF CNRS

Quadrennial Report Scientific report over the period 2006-2009 Scientific Projects over the period 2011-2014

Lautaret alpine botanic garden Lautaret Chalet-Laboratory

Ruffier-Lanche Arboretum Research infrastructures (Col du Lautaret) 1

Scientific report over the period 2006-2009 3

I. Introduction/context 3 II. Research activities : summary of research carried out at the experimental 3 platform of the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station 1. General summary of the development of the platform 3 2. Physiology and metabolism of high altitude plants 4 3. Evolutionary ecology 5 4. Functional ecology of mountain ecosystems 7 5. Summary of scientific publications 9 III. Botanical activities 13 1. Botanical expertise 13 2. Development and management of the botanical collections 15 3. Botanical expeditions 19 4. The public, events and communication 21 IV. Public education 24 1. Guided visits 24 2. Brochures 24 3. Exhibitions 25 4. Publications 26 5. Presentations 27 6. Courses and workshops 28

Scientific Projects over the period 2011-2014 29

I. Research 29 1. Axis 1. Evaluation, monitoring and prediction of alpine biodiversity patterns 29 2. Axis 2. Manipulative approaches : Ecosystem experiments 30 3. Axis 3. Mechanisms of response to extreme conditions at the cellular and molecular scale 31 4. A critical assessment of the limits of the current platform infrastructures 32 II. Botanical activities and collections 32 1. Signposting 32 2. Management of the plant collections 32 3. New developments 32

III. Continued education and public education 34 1. Children’s educational programs 34 2. Botanical pathway at the Bastille (Grenoble) 34 3. Continuing education 34 4. The Saveurs des Cimes (Tastes of the Mountains) project 34 5. Publishing projects 34 6. Major exhibitions 36

IV. Construction projects 36 1. In progress (on the Grenoble University campus) 36 2. The Galerie de l’Alpe project at the Col du Lautaret 36

Annex: staff for the season 2009 39

2 Scientific report over the period 2006-2009

I. Introduction/context In 2005 the Joseph Fourier University [UJF] and the CNRS decided to create a Mixed Services Unit (Unité Mixte de Services [UMS]) called the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station (Station alpine Joseph Fourier [SAJF]). This unit brings together an ensemble unique in Europe comprising of the Alpine Botanic Garden (Jardin botanique alpin [JBAL]) and a Chalet-laboratory at the Col du Lautaret, as well as the Robert Ruffier-Lanche landscape arboretum and glasshouses to be constructed on the Grenoble university campus. The SAJF is developing at the Col du Lautaret, at 2100 m, a research platform to study the ecology and physiology of mountain plants, used by French and international laboratories. This platform is a site of botanical expertise and a place for the exchange of botanical knowledge, in partnership with The Conservatoire Botanique National Alpin de Gap-Charance and the Ecrins national park. It maintains and promotes diverse collections dealing with alpine botany : living plants from the world’s mountains, a seed bank, herbaria, a library, images, botanical illustrations. Despite the lack of sufficient space at the Lautaret site, the platform has developed as an educational resource for students studying biology, ecology, landscape management and horticulture. Finally, through guided visits of the alpine garden and the Robert Ruffier-Lanche arboretum and via the internet site http://sajf.ujf-grenoble.fr/ the station is involved in the communication of science to the public. The SAJF is a « field based » research unit, an important component of the scientific strategy of the UJF and the CNRS in the area of mountain studies. During the period 2006-2009 these organisations financed the creation of two new positions, a research engineer CNRS (2007) and a horticultural technician UJF (2008). The activities of the SAJF are financed through Pluri-Formation plans (1995-2005) from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, a federative structure program from the ministry and CNRS (2006-2009), by a grant form the Office of Museums and Scientific Heritage of the ministry (since 1999) and by specific grants from local administrations. The century old alpine botanical garden occupies a particularly important place. Since 1899, it has combined roles of research and public education by allowing people to discover the diversity of the world’s alpine flora and through contributing to its conservation. It is both a major tourist attraction in the Hautes-Alpes (15 to 20 000 visitors/year on average) and one of the few gardens in France associated with a university, and is today recognised as one of the most important alpine gardens in Europe. This success should not mask the limited recognition of botanical gardens in the French university system and the low level of funding that they are allocated. The Chalet-Laboratory built in 1989 is a base for high quality research at a range of different scales in plant physiology and ecology. It is a facility unique in Europe for the study, in the alpine environment, of the strategies that plants use to survive the extreme conditions at high altitude and to analyse the effects of changes in climate and land use on the dynamics and functioning of high altitude ecosystems. From May to September scientists from Grenoble and their colleagues from France and elsewhere collaborate at the Chalet-Laboratory (Some 800 days of use/season). The period 2006-2009 has been characterised by the development of field plots equipped with measurement sensors, a diversification of research themes and a major increase in the production of scientific articles (some forty publications) and theses (ten) for which at leas some part of the work was linked with the site. It should be stressed that the current level of utilisation of the site has reached saturation and greatly limits future possibilities for the further development of research activities. The dynamic nature of the activities of the SAJF was rewarded in 2007 by the awarding of the Grand Prize of the Louis de Polignac Foundation (French Institute Grand Prize). In order to continue these various efforts that have been now continuing for several years, we request that the UMS 2925 UJF-CNRS be renewed as a federated structure as part of the quadrennial development contract of the Joseph Fourier University. II. Research activities : summary of research carried out at the experimental platform of the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station 1. General summary of the development of the platform The experimental platform of the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station is a set of infrastructures and competences facilitating alpine ecological research under controlled conditions or in the field, from the plant scale to that of the landscape. The platform consists of : • The chalet-laboratory - A laboratory fully equipped for ecological and ecophysiological measures situated at an altitude of 2100m at the Col du Lautaret, permitting research and the accommodation of scientists and students in the heart of an alpine area of marked ecological significance. • A high altitude experimental area for controlled experiments on alpine plants at an altitude of 2100 m. • Experimental plots equipped with sensors for the measurement of climate and ecosystem parameters, allowing the quantification of fluxes of water and nutrients and manipulations of rainfall and temperature in communities of alpine plants subject to management treatments representative of the Lautaret site. • Equipment and competences for the measurement of a large range of climatic, ecological, ecophysiological and biochemical parameters. • A plant growth facility to be constructed in Grenoble with glasshouses and plant growth chambers with cold temperature capabilities to complement the research carried out at the Col du Lautaret on alpine plants, and also provide a powerful research tool to teams working on plant biology and biodiversity in Grenoble. The proceeding quadrennial has been notable for major increases in the range of scientific activity and carried out at the SAJF and numerous developments in its infrastructures : 1) The chalet-is subject to a high rate of utilisation with some 800 to 900 working days being cumulated each year between 2006-2008 and some forty distinct projects using this facility. This rate of use results in the number of people being accommodated or using the laboratory largely exceeding current capacity. There is also a major limitation in available space for scientific meetings, other presentations and interpretation activities for the public. Continued development in terms of 3 new scientific projects and greater European focus are not envisagable without an extension. Over the last few years, the station has proposed the construction of a building to accommodate scientists and the public, until now without success. During 2008, this project was again presented in the context of the “Opération Campus” of the Joseph Fourier University, and to the CNRS National Institute of Ecology and Environment. In practical terms, during the last quadrennial, we have instituted a formal system of user fees for those using the chalet- laboratory in order to finance the maintenance of the building and its equipment, numerous items of new equipment have been purchased for the laboratory (drying oven, precision balance), for the building (extra fridges/freezers and beds) and numerous small repairs and improvements have been carried out. 2) The high altitude experimental area also has a high rate of usage, which continues to increase in tandem with the establishment of experiments using mesocosms and the cultivation of reference collections for genetic and biochemical studies. An extension of this area was carried out in 2009, financed by the Alps Working Zone (Zone Atelier Alpes) which has doubled the surface area in order to cope with the increasing demand. 3) The last quadrennial witnessed major development in the establishment of plots equipped with microclimatic and environmental sensors at the Lautaret site. In 2008 the VALIDATE project established eight plots equipped with retractable rain shelters controlled by a weather station, and sensors for the measurement of microclimatic parameters, for field based manipulations of a rainfall and temperature. In 2007 the BIOCATCH project installed 80 mesocosm containing lysimeters in a number of areas around the Col du Lautaret to measure the effects of climatic changes and agricultural practices on plant functional diversity and fluxes of nutrients and water. These types of experiments allow investigation of the functioning of ecosystems (fluxes of water and nutrients) and have become central to the research questions being addressed at the SAJF.

Figure 1. Sensor equipped plots (left, project BIOCATCH ; centre, project VALIDATE ; right, the current experimental zone showing future extensions.

4) In parallel with the establishment of plots equipped with environmental sensors, the competences of the personnel of the SAJF has increased for these types of experiments and functional ecology techniques in general, while maintaining their traditional strong competences in botany, community ecology and ecophysiology. 5) The Region-State Planning Contract (CPER 2007-2010) of the Rhône-Alpes region and the CNRS is funding the construction of a plant growth facility (to be used by the SAJF and its partners) and the renovation of biology department university buildings (Building D), including the construction of an area of offices for the SAJF. In 2008 the planning document (dossier d’expertise) for this project was established and approved by the administration council of the UJF, and a detailed construction plan was developed by the company Profile in Paris. Based on these documents the project will commence, initially with tenders to be offered at the end of 2009 and a beginning of construction work expected in 2010. The following part of the document summarises the most important elements of the research strategy carried out at the SAJF during the period of the last quadrennial, and concentrates in particular on developments in methodologies and instrumentation. This summary is presented using the same structure of three major disciplinary areas proposed in the quadrennial projects of 2005. 2. Physiology and metabolism of high altitude plants At high altitude the above ground parts of plants are exposed to high variations in temperature, humidity and radiation. Plants living at high altitudes possess a wide range of adaptive strategies.

a) Metabolic adaptations to water stress in the lichen Xanthoria elegans (Link) The lichen X. elegans growing at more than 3000m, tolerates repeated cycles of dehydration / rehydration (fig. 2). It recovers a maximum rate of respiration and photosynthesis in the first few seconds following its rehydration. On the basis of RMN analyses carried out by the PCV laboratory in Grenoble, we have observed that this symbiotic organism retains the majority of its pool of triphosphate nucleotides due to a high concentration of polyols, and that it accumulates gluconate 6-P during phases of dehydration due to the increased demands for NADPH linked to the oxidative stresses accompanying dehydration. In contrast, the intermediaries of glycolosis and the carbon cycle of photosynthesis, with the exception of phosphglyceric acid, become undetectable. In the first seconds following rehydration, gluconate 6-P powers respiration and re-starts the metabolic activity of the lichen. In less than 5 minutes the different pools of phosphorylated compounds have been restored. The adaptation of this lichen to dehydration thus includes a metabolic system that allows it to take advantage of any addition of water, no-matter how brief, to reactivate its metabolism and maintain its growth.

b) The combined effetcs of high light and heat on the functioning of the chloroplast pathway synthesising isoprenoids in alpine plants Isoprenoids form a vast family of more than 30 000 molecules of essential oils (terpenes) which give plants their aromatic properties. We observed that 2-C-méthyl-D-érythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate (MEcDP), an intermediate in the chloroplast pathway of their synthesis accumulates in the leaves of different alpine plants (Table 2) when the temperature is greater than 30°C and the light intensity is greater than 1500 µE. This accumulation of MEcDP is linked to the fact that plants produce more volatile isoprenoids to cool leaves and to limit the excess reducing potential generated by photosynthesis and 4 that due to the turnover of the enzyme that metabolises MEcDP, called GcpE, which is not sufficiently rapid under conditions of oxidative stress to avoid the breakdown of its cluster [4Fe-4S]. We have shown that all of the factors which tend to reduce the turnover of GcpE, for example synthesis inhibitors of apo-GcpE, or cadmium which enters into competition with Fe and thus mobilises cellular sulphur through phytochelation, increase the accumulation of MEcDP.

before sunrise at 3pm in the afternoon Tussilago farfara L. nd 150 ± 15 Soldanella alpina L. nd 80 ± 8 Rubus saxatilis L. nd 40 ± 5 Thymus serpyllum L. nd 30 ± 4 Cornus mas L nd 165 ± 16 Juniperus oxycedrus L nd 65 ± 7 Pinus sylvestris L) nd 40 ± 4 Table 1. Natural leaf concentration of MEcDP (nmol g-1 PF) in a range of alpine plants. The leaves have been harvested close to the Co du Lautaret during July between 3 h and 4 h pm (light intensity, 1200-1500 µE ; temperature, 30-35°C) and before sunrise the next day. Abbreviations: nd, not detected (< 5 nmol g-1 PF). The values are means ± SD (n ≥ 3).

c) The role of malate and ascorbate in the freezing resistance of Soldanella alpina and Ranunculus glacialis The two alpine plants Soldanella alpina et Ranunculus glacialis (fig. 2) have strategies of winter survival atht are very different. R. glacialis looses its leaves in autumn but maintains on the soil surface its leaf bases within which are located the apical buds and roots arranged in concentric annual rings. Within these buried organs are stored the plants carbon and nitrogen reserves as well as large quantities of malate. In springtime, the emerging leaves are particularly rich in malate. In contrast, S. alpina keeps its green leaves over winter. For this plant, photosynthesis commences as soon as the snow disappears. The beginning of photosynthetic activity during a period with high light intensity but continuing cold temperatures may result in the development of photoinhibition (Streb et al. 1998, Planta 207 :313-324), which is counterbalanced by the presence of a high anti-oxidant capacity due to the presence of ascorbate. In Soldanella alpina, the concentration of ascorbate varies during the growth season : higher before winter and lower at the beginning of the season, but always quite elevated. Ascorbate contributes to the maintenance of the cytoplasm of leaf cells in a reduced state allowing, for example, the synthesis of new proteins, when cold temperatures create oxidative conditions in plant intracellular spaces.

Figure 2. Some model plants for the physiological studies of the metabolism of plants growing at high altitudes. From left to right : Xanthoria elegans (lichen), Soldanella alpina, Ranunculus glacialis.

3. Evolutionary ecology a) The comparative biogeography and phylogeography of alpine grasslands dominated by Carex curvula

Figure 3. (left) Grasslands dominated by Carex curvula in a subalpine area of the Romanian Carpathians and a detail of the canopy showing the presence of Hieracium alpinum (yellow flowers). (right) Genetic distance tree (Nei distance calculated for genome profiles) for 37 populations of Carex curvula distributed throughout the European Alps. The dashed line separates the chloroplast haplotypes identified in this species, one with an Eastern European distribution, the other with a Western European distribution.

The studies of the comparative biogeography and phylogeography of grasslands dominated by Carex curvula), initiated during the previous contract, have been continued through the thesis of Mihai Puscas. This work is situated at the interface of botany, ecology and evolutionary biology. Requiring a good knowledge of the European alpine flora, this work has greatly 5 benefited from the expertise of the SAJF in this field. The phylogeography of the Carex curvula complex is nevertheless well known at the scale of the European Alps. Novel inferences regarding the post-glacial history of Carex curvula as well as that of the alpine grasslands in which the species is a dominant have been proposed. In the Alps, genetic data suggests a major wave of east-west recolonisation after the last major glacial retreat originating from a primary refuge situated at the easternmost end of the mountain chain (the current Carinthia in Austria). A comparative study of the patterns of intra- specific diversity (i.e. genotypes of Carex curvula) and inter-specific diversity (species diversity of the grasslands) was also carried out. This study revealed the absence of spatial co-variation between these two levels of diversity at the European scale.

b) Long-term demography of Arabis alpina as a base for a demo-genetic study of local adaptation Our objective is to predict the evolution of the genetic diversity of populations as a function of their demography (demo- genetics). The biological model of Arabis alpina is being used as a model species for the study of local adaptation in the alpine environment, due to its widespread distribution and its phylogenetic proximity to Arabidopsis thaliana, a species for which the genome has been entirely sequenced. These characteristics make the species interesting from the perspective of a demo-genetic study. The long term aim of our study is to characterise the demography of A. alpina in relation to the habitats where the species is found. Eight study sites have been established along altitudinal gradients in three alpine massifs (Vercors, Chartreuse, Col du Lautaret - Galibier). The populations at each site are being measured all year around for life history traits using monitoring of the fate of individuals (survival, fecundity, growth of individuals) and for environmental variables (temperature, humidity, soil chemical composition, floristic structure and composition of the vegetation). This data is being used in demo-genetic models in order to investigate environmental adaptation. A methodological innovation in the field of plant demography is the use of i-Button sensors which measure temperature and humidity every two hours over the whole year, which allows a fine scale sampling (both temporally and spatially) of these climatic variables c) Functional mechanisms of plant-pollinator relations • Mutualistic and antagonistic traits in the interaction Trollius europaeus – Chiastocheta 1) Consequences of a globular morphology : Flower morphology was experimentally opened in order to measure the consequences in terms of the number of visits by chiastochetes and other insects, the export of fluorescent powder placed on the stamens, and seed production, measured after the drying and dissection of fruits. The major results is that opened flowers receive fewer visits by chiastochetes than closed globular flowers, produce slightly fewer seeds (4%) and most importantly, export less of the marked powder (85%). 2) Attraction of chiastochetes by volatile compounds : in order to identify the volatile compounds implicated in this interaction, sepals and stamens were placed in hexane camphor in order to extract the volatile compounds present in these organs. Six volatile compounds are physiologically active in chiastocheta, and their simultaneous and mixed presence increases the rate of attraction of chiastochetes. 3) Chemical defences against larvae : additional ovaries were removed so as to obtain one single ovary per fruit. In the laboratory, the fruits were dissected so as to count the number of seeds eaten by larvae, the number of damaged carpels, the ratio of seeds to ovules, and to extract the larvae for weighing. The concentration of a secondary compound in the wall of the carpels, adonivernith, was determined. The major result is that damage caused by larvae induces an accumulation of adonivernith, and that this accumulation limits further seed predation by larvae. Mutualist (chiastocheta attraction) and antagonistic (defence against larvae) traits co-exist in this mutualism, a coexistence which results in a co-evolutionary dynamic.

Figure 4. Trollius europaeus. a, dissection of a fruit ; b, fruit in a mesh bag ; c, chiastocheta egg on a carpel ; d, syrphid (Scaeva pyrastri) in a flower artificially opened by a plastic ring ; e, chiastocheta on the stamens of Trollius europaeus

• Species and functional diversity of plant-pollinator networks Insects visiting 30 types of entomophilic plants were observed in two mowed fields located on the southern facing slopes of Villar d’Arene. Between 1 to 5 individuals of each observed species were captured. Numerous traits for these insects (mass, length and width of the proboscis, length of the head, thorax, abdomen, the femur of the first pair of legs) and of the plants visited (the number of flowers, the length of the « landing area » the depth and width of the nectar reservoirs) were measured in the laboratory. The taxonomic identity of each insect was determined as precisely as possible, using entomological keys, internet databases and especially entomological professionals and amateurs. For 2009, the primary objective was to measure the ratio of seeds / ovules through the dissection of young fruits from 6 species (Laserpitium latifolium, Heracleum sphondylium, Tragopogon pratensis, Knautia arvensis, Trifolium pratense, Rhinanthus alectorolephus) and to carry out germination tests on the harvested seeds.

6 4. Functional ecology of mountain ecosystems a) Sampling plant diversity in mountain areas

In the mountains, the complex nature of the terrain imposes a sampling strategy that best allows an exploration of the sources of biodiversity variation that takes into account the pronounced abiotic gradients. In the context of the projects ANR Qdiv et DIVERSITALP, to determine the relations between species traits, functional diversity and environmental gradients and habitat quality, we established a sampling strategy for 16 species dominant in the valley of the Guisane, both herbaceous and woody (Fig. 5). These species belong to different plant families, and belong to three major types of environmental groupings (low altitude species, subalpine species and alpine species). Initially we stratified the environment into two orthogonal gradients (minimum winter temperature and solar radiation in August) and then we selected 165 study sites chosen on the basis of matches between the stratification and the presence of the chosen species. The sites were chosen to maximise environmental heterogeneity for each species. For each site we stratified the sampling strategy: location of individuals, the definition of three sub- sets of sampling in a zone of 50m*50m ; within each sub-set, a random selection of three individuals and for each individual / population 15 morphological traits (vegetative and reproductive height for herbaceous plants, diameter at 1.30 m for trees…). The analysis of these results using advanced statistical methods allows us determine the sources of trait variation : in particular environmental and inter-individual.. Figure 5. Strategy for the characterisation of biodiversity in the Guisane valley (Hautes-Alpes). b) Development of a database for the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station Recent research has accumulated a considerable quantity of data concerning the plant communities and the functioning of ecosystems in the area of the Col du Lautaret. This data has been obtained by a wide diversity of researchers, institutions and projects. The development of a database for the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station aims to : (i) Centralise these widely dispersed data ; (ii) link this data with necessary metadata to enable analyses between sites at Lautaret, or at a wider scale at the level of the Alps (location, taxon, treatment); (iii) Facilitate the development of generic tools to understand species responses that are transferable between sites, regions or mountain massifs ; (iv) Respond to the demands of scientists and local, national and international land managers (conservation, agriculture). In 2005 the project VISTA developed a database using Microsoft ACCESS® incorporating soil, floristic, functional trait and ecosystem function data gathered by this project from the southern slopes of Villar d’Arène. In 2007, in the context of a collaboration between the MNHN, the PNE and the CBNA, Amandine Sahl developed a prototype geo-referenced database containing trait / vegetation / environment information called DELTA. With the requirement for a flexible database not only from the Joseph Fourier alpine station, but also by the project ANR Biodiversity DIVERSITALP and the Zone Atelier Alps, a decision was made to hybridise the VISTA and DELTA databases to provide a platform for the storage of ecological data. After an initial period of consultation with users to define the structure of this new database and implement new developments, an initial version of the ANDROSACE database was produced. ANDROSACE is a database constructed using the software PostgreSQL with a client / server architecture (interrogation, manipulation and addition of data remotely via an internet connection), together with a module for the management of spatial data (PostGIS). The incorporated metadata are: (1) Site : Where was the data collected? Abiotic characteristics of the site. (2) Taxon: nomenclature and constant characters (e.g. Ellenberg indices). (3) Sources for the data and metadata: How was the data collected? By whom? The primary types of data incorporated are :(4) Trait data : ecosystem function data : an open and flexible list. (5) Plant floristic data (field data from projects, data from the conservatoire botanique national alpin). The structure has now been largely finalised and the majority of data present in the original VISTA database has now been transferred to ANDROSACE. Additional data has also been entered into ANDROSACE from the projects DIVERSITALP and DIVHERBE, and also via a major effort to structure the data of LECA, the CBNA, the PNE and other free access databases (BioFLOR, LEDA, Catminat). The SAJF had provided both original data, and also through the verification of life history traits . more than 60 life history traits for more than 3000 species have now been entered and verified. Future tasks that remain to be completed include : • Importation into ANDROSACE of data coming from other projects such as BIOCATCH or MICROALP and the development and implementation of access rights for this data. • Improvements in the procedures for the importation of data files, to reduce the amounts of time required for updating data. • An eventual public internet access to ANDROSACE with well defined access policies for varying types of users. • Continued importation of functional trait data pertaining to the Lautaret field sites of the SAJF, but also data originating from other free access databases.

c) Quantification of ecosystem services at the landscape scale A novel objective is to use plant functional traits to make the link between : the effects of management practices on grassland composition, the functioning of these ecosystems and the ecosystem services used by local stakeholders. The south facing slopes of the Villar d’Arène valley are being used as a pilot site for methodological research and for a first application of the mapping of plant functional diversity and ecological services over a whole landscape. The quantification of functional diversity requires the combination of two types of measures : the values of functional traits, at the level of the population in a particular environment of management type), and estimations of relative abundances for each species within a given patch. With data collected in 2003, 2004 and 2006 using different methods of abundance 7 measurements for both species and traits, we tested the sensitivity of different indexes used to quantify the functional diversity to the different measurement methods of these two components, and in particular the utility of “rapid” methods for the survey of large areas, and the repetition of these measures over the long-term. The vegetation of the south facing slopes of Villar d’Arène was mapped in 2006. A sample of 55 survey sites was selected to represent the differing types of vegetation communities, associated with different land use trajectories (developed through a historical analysis of land use on these slopes), and their distribution in the landscape (in particular altitudinal variation). In 2007 and 2008 we measured the dominant species composition and productivity at each of these sites using the BOTANAL method, quantified their fertility (N and P) and soil characteristics, and measured the functional traits of populations and species not already present in the VISTA trait database. The response of species diversity, community aggregated functional traits and ecosystem properties were analysed using statistical models (mixed linear and generalised models) incorporating the effects of the land use trajectories, altitude and fertility. These models were interpolated at the scale of the entire catchment using the GIS developed in 2004, to map the variation in community species diversity and ecosystem services linked to the measured ecosystem properties. They allow the mapping of the different ecological properties and to analyse their variations in terms of the simultaneous provision of several complimentary or antagonistic services by the grasslands depending on their position in the landscape and their land use history.

Figure 6. Mapping of the agronomic value of grasslands on the south facing slopes of Villar d’Arène (left) and a photo of the corresponding area (right). d) Effects of snow cover on the biodiversity and functioning of alpine ecosystems • This research aims to understand the relationships between the dynamics of snow cover, biodiversity (primarily plant functional diversity and microbial molecular diversity) and biogeochemical cycles (carbon and nitrogen) in alpine grasslands. The pluridisciplinary approach draws on functional ecology, ecophysiology, and environmental microbiology. The two principal axes that this research addresses are: • Measurements of the fluxes of carbon in alpine grasslands with short duration snow cover (on windblown ridges) and with long duration snow cover (in snow patch areas). Methodologicaly, this research includes in situ measurements of soil respiration and litter decomposition, manipulations of snow cover on blocks of alpine grassaland grown at the alpine botanic garden, and at the Chalet-laboratory, experiments using isotope markers (13C and 15N) on whole plants (dominant grassland species). • Characterising the phylogenetic diversity of microbial communities (archeabacteria, bacteria and fungi) of alpine soils and the role of this microflora in the mineralisation of organic matter. This work has required seasonal soil sampling (including in winter underneath the snow cover) in various plant communities in the Roche-Noire valley. In addition to these observations, mesocosm experiments have allowed the investigation of mechanisms of bio-mineralisation of recalcitrant carbon in alpine soils.

e) Experimental manipulation of environmental factors and the quantification of ecosystem fluxes The project BIOCATCH, being carried out at the SAJF, utilises an original experimental approach to predict modifications in water resources in alpine and subalpine rivers and the quality of this resource in response to global change by monitoring changes in water budgets in assemblages of soil and vegetation typical of subalpine regions and subject to differing treatments simulating climatic or management changes. The experimental apparatus of BIOCATCH consists of blocks of soil + vegetation originating from 5 differing types of agricultural plots from the southern slopes of the Villar d’Arène valley. These mesocosms are inserted into lysimeters (Ø 40 x 25 cm) and then transplanted into the soil in two receiving plots (1800m and 2100m in altitude) near the SAJF. Each mesocosm allows the regular retrieval of leachate water and each is equipped with continuously recording humidity sensors calibrated for each type of soil. A weather station is located in each receiving plot allowing the continuous recording of air temperature and relative humidity, photosynthetically active radiation, windspeed and rainfall. This experimental design involving transplantation at two altitudes allows testing of the effects of climatic variation on the behaviour of the mesocosms. Finally, effects of changes in management regimes are being tested on half of the mesocosms. The experiment was established during the 2007 season. During 2008, the first year of data collection allowed the confirmation of the utility of the site choices as credible simulations of climate change with measured differences in average temperatures of 2,026°C and rainfall of 44 mm over the measurement period (152 days). These climatic differences have repercussions on soil temperature and humidity in a manner modulated by the different soil + vegetation assemblages tested. f) Experimental analyses of the mechanisms of plant-plant interactions As a result of the long-term presence of the SAJF in the Lautaret area, significant links have been developed with local farmers. Thanks to this partnership, it has been possible to carry out experiments in situ to study the role of biotic interactions in species performance. It has been shown that these plant interactions can have important, and sometimes different, effects on the survival and biomass production of individuals. Depending on the situational context and the species considered, it is possible to observe phenomena of facilitation or competition. The role of biotic interactions in not the same depending on the life history stage (seed, seedling, adult) being considered.

8 The elucidation of plant-plant interactions depends on controlled experiments allowing the separation of the different mechanisms possible such as competition for water, nutrients, light, or facilitation by neighbouring species. The availability of a high-altitude experimental zone has allowed for the detailed study of the most influential environmental parameters as well as the variability of response of a species do different neighbours. The environmental gradients most commonly experienced by in situ communities, such as of soil fertility, solar radiation, humidity are able to be (partially) controlled, or recreated at scales ranging from the micro to the mesocosm. The majority of experiments have involved planting in the same pot species characterised by differing functional traits under variable densities and environmental conditions. This complementarity of approaches under field and controlled conditions allows a more integrative study of the role of biotic interactions in the structuring and functioning of plant communities. The elucidation of allelopathic phenomena represents an extreme example of methodological difficulties, as the implementation of an experimental design showing unequivocally such an interaction mediated via a biochemical mechanism remains difficult. In an effort to allow such separation of effects in herbaceous communities, various experiments have been established both directly at the experimental garden situated at the Joseph Fourier botanical garden, or in field plots nearby. The results have allowed the determination of the growth phases (recruitment, growth, senescence) and the vegetation components (above ground, below ground, litter) implicated in the different methods of interference between neighbouring species, as well as the key factors which regulate these interactions.

Figure 7. Detail of the lysimeters used in the project BIOCATCH (left), winter sampling of alpine microbial communities (centre), experimental setup for the study of allelopathic phenomena (SAJF experimental area at the alpine garden, right).

5. Summary of scientific publications (since 2006) a) Publications (37) • Leps, J., De Bello, F., Lavorel, S., & Berman, S. (2006) Quantifying and interpreting functional diversity of natural communities: practical considerations matter. Preslia, 78, 481-501. • Nogués, S., Tcherkez, G., Streb, P., Pardo, A., Baptist, F., Bligny, R., Gashghaie, J., Cornic, G. (2006) Respiratory carbon metabolism in the high mountain plant species Ranunculus glacialis. J. Exp. Bot. 57, 3837–3845 • Albert, C., Thuiller, W., Lavorel, S., Davies, I.D. & Garbolino, E. (2007). Land use change and sub-alpine tree dynamics: colonisation of Larix decidua in French sub-alpine grasslands. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45, 659–669 • Aubert, S., Juge, C., Boisson, A.-M., Gout, E., Bligny, R. (2007) Metabolic processes sustaining the reviviscence of lichen Xanthoria elegans (Link) in high mountain environments. Planta 226:1287-1297 • Díaz, S., Lavorel, S., De Bello, F., Quétier, F., Grigulis, K., & Robson, T.M. (2007) Incorporating plant functional diversity effects in ecosystem service assessments. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104: 20684-20689. • Gallet, C., Ibanez, S., Zinger L., Taravel, F.R., Trierwieler, M., Jeacomine, I., Després, L. (2007) Plant chemical defense induced by a seed eating pollinator mutualist, J. Chem. Ecol. 33:2078–2089 • Garnier, E., Lavorel, S., Ansquer, P., Castro, H., Cruz, P., Dolezal, J., Eriksson, O., Fortunel, C., Freitas, H., Golodets, C., Grigulis, K., Jouany, C., Kazakou, E., Kigel, J., Kleyer, M., Lehsten, V., Leps, J., Meier, T., Pakeman, R., Papadimitriou, M., Papanastasis, V., Quested, H., Quétier, F., Robson, T.M., Roumet, C., Rusch, G., Skarpe, C., Sternberg, M., Theau, J.P., Thébault, A., Vile, D., & Zarovali, M.P. (2007) A standardized methodology to assess the effects of land use change on plant traits, communities and ecosystem functioning in grasslands. Annals of Botany, 99, 967-965 • Gaucherand, S. & Lavorel, S. (2007) A new protocol for a quick survey of functional traits values in a plant community. Austral Ecology 32, 927-936 • Gross, N., Suding, K.N., & Lavorel, S. (2007) Leaf dry matter content and lateral spread predict response to land-use change factors for six dominant species in subalpine grasslands. Journal of Vegetation 18, 289-300 • Gross, N., Suding, K.N., Roumet, C., & Lavorel, S. (2007) Complementarity as a mechanism of coexistence among co- dominant functional groups of graminoids. Journal of Ecology 95 : 1296–1305 • Kammer, P.M., Schob, C., Choler, P. (2007) Increasing species richness on mountain summits : Upward migration due to anthropogenic climate change or re-colonisation ? Journal of Vegetation Science, 18, 301-306 • Quétier, F., Lavorel, S., Thuiller, W., & Davies, I.D. (2007) Plant traitbased assessment of ecosystem service sensitivity to land-use change in mountain grasslands. Ecological Applications, 17, 2377–2386 • Quétier, F., Thébault, A., & Lavorel, S. (2007) Linking vegetation and ecosystem response to complex past and present land use changes using plant traits and a multiple stable state framework. Ecological Monographs, 77, 33–52 • Robson, T.M., Lavorel, S., Clément, J.C., & Le Roux, X.(2007) Neglect of mowing and manuring leads to slower nitrogen cycling in subalpine grasslands. Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, 39, 930–941 • Baptist F, Choler P. (2008). A simulation on the importance of growing season length and canopy functional properties on the seasonal gross primary production of temperate alpine meadows. Annals of Botany 101: 549-559. 9 • Baptist F, Zinger L, Clement JC, Gallet C, Guillemin R, et al. (2008). Tannin impacts on microbial diversity and the functioning of alpine soils: A multidisciplinary approach. Environmental Microbiology 10(3): 799-809. • de Bello, F., Thuiller, W., Lepš, J., Choler, P., Clément, J.C., Macek, P., Sebastià, M.T., & Lavorel, S. (2008) The spatial components of functional trait diversity. Journal of Vegetation Science, sous presse. • de Bello, F., Thuiller, W., Leps, I., Choler, P., Clément, J.-C., Macek, P., Sebastia, M.T., Lavorel, S. (2008) Partitioning of functional diversity reveals the scale and extent of trait convergence and divergence. Journal of Vegetation Science, sous presse • de Bello, F., Lepš, J., Lavorel, S., & Moretti, M. (2008) Importance of species abundance for assessment of trait composition : an example based on pollinator communities. Community Ecology 8:163-170 • Fortunel, C. Garnier, E. Joffre, R. Kazakou, E. Quested, H. Grigulis, K. Lavorel, S and the VISTA Consortium (2008) Leaf traits capture the effects of land use changes and climate on litter decomposability of grasslands across Europe. Ecology, Sous presse. • Gross, N., Robson, T.M., Lavorel, S., Albert, C., Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Y., & Guillemin, R. (2008) Plant response traits mediate the effects of subalpine grasslands on soil moisture. New Phytologist 180: 652– 662. • Gury J, Zinger L, Gielly L, Taberlet P, Geremia RA. (2008). Exonuclease activity of proofreading DNA polymerases is at the origin of artifacts in molecular profiling studies. Electrophoresis 29:2437- 2444. • Lavorel, S., Grigulis, K., McIntyre, S., Garden, D., Williams, N., Dorrough, J., Berman, S., Quétier, F., Thébault, A., & Bonis, A. (2008) Assessing functional diversity in the field – methodology matters! Functional Ecology 22 : 134-147. • Pakeman, R.J., Garnier, E., Lavorel, S., Ansquer, P., Castro, H., Cruz, P., Doležal, J., Eriksson, O., Golodets, C., Kleyer, M., Lepš, J., Meier, T., Papadimitriou, M., Papanastasis, V.P., Quested, H., Quétier, F., Rusch, G., Sternberg, M., Theau, J.P., Thébault, A., & Vile, D. (2008) Impact of abundance weighting on the response of seed traits to climate and land use. Journal of Ecology 96 : 355-366. 32 • Puscas, M., Choler, P., Tribsch, A., Gielly, L., Rioux, D., Gaudeul, M. & Taberlet, P. (2008) Post-glacial history of the dominant alpine sedge Carex curvula in the European Alpine System inferred from nuclear and chloroplast markers. Molecular Ecology, 17, 2417-2429. • Puscas, M., Taberlet, P. & Choler, P. (2008) No positive correlation between species and genetic diversity in European alpine grasslands dominated by Carex curvula. Diversity and Distributions, 14, 852-861 • Quiroz, C, P. Choler, F. Baptist, M. Gonzales-Teuber, M.A. Molina-Montenegro and L.A. Cavieres (2008). "Alpine dandelions originated in the native and introduced range differ in their responses to environmental constraints." Ecological Research. DOI 10.1007/S11284-008-0498-9. • Rivasseau, C. Seemann, M. Boisson, A-M. Streb, P. Gout, E. Douce, R. Rohmer, M. Bligny, R (2008) Accumulation of 2-C- methyl-D-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate (MEcDP) in illuminated plant leaves at supraoptimal temperatures reveals a bottleneck of the prokaryotic methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis. Plant Cell & Environment, sous presse. • Wookey, P., R. Aerts, R. Bardgett, F. Baptist, K. Brathen, J. Cornelissen, L. Gough, I. Hartley, D. Hopkins, S. Lavorel and G. Shaver (2008) "Ecosystem feedbacks and cascade processes: understanding their role in the responses of arctic and alpine ecosystems to environmental change." Global Change Biology. In press. • Zinger L., Gury J., Alibeu O., Rioux D., Gielly L., Sage L., Pompanon F. & Geremia R.A. (2008) CE-SSCP and CE-FLA, simple and high throughput alternatives for fungal diversity studies. Journal of Microbiological Methods 72:42-53. • Baptist, F., G. Tcherkez, S. Aubert, J.Y. Pontailler, Ph. Choler. (2009) 13C and 15N allocation of two alpine species from early and late snowmelt locations reflect the different growth strategies. Journal of Experimental Botany. doi:10.1093/jxb/erp128. • Gross, N., Kunstler, G., Liancourt, P., de Bello, F., Suding, K.N. & Lavorel, S. (2009) Linking individual response to biotic interactions with community structure: a trait based framework. Functional Ecology, in press. • Gross, N., Liancourt, P., Choler, P., Suding, K.N. & Lavorel, S. (2009) Strain and vegetation effect on local limiting resources explain the outcome of biotic interactions. Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, in press. • Quétier, F., Lavorel, S., Daigney, S. & De Chazal, J. (2009) Assessing ecological and social uncertainty in the evaluation of land-use impacts on ecosystem services. Journal of Land Use Science, in press. • Quétier, F., Rivoal, F., Marty, P., De Chazal, J. & Lavorel, S. (2009) Exploring feed-backs between ecosystem change and land-use policies: Relating social representations of a mountain grassland landscape to dominant socio-political discourses on rural development. Regional Environmental Change, in press. • Viard-Crétat, F., Lefèbvre, M., Gallet, C. & Lavorel, S. (2009) A leachate a day keeps the seedlings away: mowing and the inhibitory effects of Festuca paniculata in subalpine grasslands. Annals of Botany, in press. • Zinger L., B. Shahnavaz, F. Baptist, R. Geremia and Ph. Choler. (2009) Spatial and seasonal variations of soil microbial diversity in snow-covered ecosystems. ISME journal. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2009.20. b) Theses carried out totally or partially at the Col du Lautaret (6) • Quétier F. (soutenue le 6 avril 2006, dir. S. Lavorel) Vulnérabilité des paysages agricoles traditionnels en Europe : application à un paysage agropastoral de haute montagne, Villar d’Arène, Hautes Alpes. Thèse UJF • Gross N. (soutenue le 14 septembre 2007, dir. S. Lavorel) Mécanisme d'interactions entre espèces dominantes des prairies subalpines. Thèse UJF • Baptist F. (soutenue le 23 mai 2008, dir. S. Aubert & Ph. Choler) Impact de l’enneigement sur le fonctionnement biogéochimique des pelouses alpines. Thèse UJF

10 • Puscas M. (soutenue le 19 mai 2008, dir. V. Cristea/S. Aubert-Ph. Choler) Phytoécologie et phylogéographie des pelouses alpines à Carex curvula des montagnes carpatiques. Comparaison avec les autres montagnes du Système Alpin.. Fourier, Grenoble I) Thèse en co-tutelle UJF/Université Babes-Bolaii, Cluj, ROUMANIE • Viard-Cretat F. (soutenue le 15 juillet 2008, dir. S. Lavorel) Mécanismes de régénération des espèces végétales dans les prairies subalpines sur un gradient d’extensification des pratiques agricoles. Thèse Université Montpellier II • Ibanez S. (soutenue le 28 mai 2009, dir. L. Després) - Evolution des interactions mutulistes : aspects théoriques et expérimentaux ; exemple de l’interaction Trollius europaeus - Chiastocheta spp. Thèse UJF c) Current theses , carried out totally or partially at the Col du Lautaret (9) • Abbate J. (Dir. J. Antonovics) Effet de la génétique de l’hôte et l’environnement sur la distribution d’une maladie dans un système hôte –pathogène naturelle (Microbotryum/Silene vulgaris), Thèse Univ.de Virginie, USA. • Albert C. (Dir. W. Thuiller & S. Lavorel) Variations et convergences fonctionnelles de la végétation des Alpes sur les gradients environnementaux – prédictions et perspectives face aux changements climatiques. Thèse UJF • Andrello M. (Dir. I Till-Bottraud & O Gaggiotti) Modèles démogénétiques. Application à Arabis alpina, Thèse UJF • Grassein F. (Dir. I Till-Bottraud & S Lavorel) Quels sont les mécanismes responsables des variations de traits fonctionnels dans les prairies alpines?, Thèse UJF • Lamarque P. (Dir. S. Lavorel) Couplage écosystème–système socio-économique appliqué aux prairies de montagne via les services écologiques : mécanismes et dynamique, Thèse UJF • Laureau C. (Dir. P Streb) Le rôle de PTOX (plastid terminal oxydase) dans la résistance au stress chez les plantes alpines. Thèse Université Paris XI • Lochet J. (Dir. S. Lavorel & J.-C. Clément) Dynamique spatio-temporelle des services écologiques fournis par les prairies subalpines, Thèse UJF • Shahnavaz B. (Dir. R. Gérémia) Diversité phylogénétique des microorganismes des sols alpins. Thèse UJF • Zinger L. (Dir. R. Gérémia & C. Gallet) Variation spatio-temporelle de la microflore alpine. Thèse UJF d) Book chapters (3) • Garnier, E., Lavorel, S., Ansquer, P., Cruz, P., Louault, F., Navas, M.L., Quétier, F., Theau, J.P., Thébault, A., & Soussana, J.F. (2008).Conséquences de la déprise agricole sur la végétation: Vers une approche fonctionnelle. In Outils pour la gestion des prairies permanentes (eds P. Cruz, C. Jouany & J.P. Theau), pp. 127-150. INRA Editions, Toulouse. • Lavorel, S., Gachet, S., Sahl, A., Gaucherand, S., & Bonet, R. (2008). A plant functional traits data base for the Alps – Understanding functional effects of changed grassland management In Georeferenced biological databases as a tool for Understanding Mountain Biodiversity (eds C. Körner & E. Spehn), pp. 106-123. CRC Press. • Lavorel, S., Gachet, S., Sahl, A., Gaucherand, S. & Bonet, R. (2009) A plant functional traits data base for the Alps - Understanding functional effects of changed grassland management Data mining for global trends in mountain biodiversity (eds C. Körner & E. Spehn), pp. 107-123. CRC Press / /Taylor and Francis, Boca Raton. e) Peer reviewed conference proceedings (2) • Lavorel, S., Quétier, F., Thébault, A., Daigney, S., Davies, I.D., De Chazal, J., & consortium VISTA (2006) Vulnerability to land use change of services provided by alpine landscapes. In Global Change in Mountain Regions (ed M.F. Price), pp. 215- 216. Sapiens Publishing, Perth, Scotland. • Garnier, E., Lavorel, S., Ansquer, P., Cruz, P., Louault, F., Navas, M.L., Quétier, F., Theau, J.P., Thébault, A., & Soussana, J.F. (2007) Conséquences de la déprise agricole sur la végétation: Vers une approche fonctionnelle. In : Symposium VISTA WP5: Des outils pour la gestion des prairies naturelles’ (ed. P. Cruz). INRA Editions, Toulouse f) Conference and poster presentations (28) • De Bello, F., Lavorel, S., Leps, J., Grigulis, K., & Sebastiá, T. (2006) Functional plant differentiations Functional plant differentiations with land use along regional and continental climatic gradients. Annual Meeting of the British Ecological Society, Oxford, UK (poster) • Gross, N., Suding, K.N., Roumet, C., & Lavorel, S. (2006) Complementarity as a mechanism of coexistence among co- dominant functional groups of graminoids. Annual Meeting of the British Ecological Society, Oxford, UK • Lavorel, S. (2006) Feedbacks between climate and land use change, and ecosystems: Plant functional traits as linkages. In Earth System Science Partnership Open Science Conference, Beijing, China. (Conférence invitée) • Robson, T.M. & Lavorel, S. (2006) 15N-pulse chase demonstrates nitrogen partitioning among the plant functional types and soil microbes in subalpine-grassland fields under contrasting land-management practices. Annual Meeting of the British Ecological Society, Oxford, UK • Viard-Crétat, F. & Lavorel, S. (2006) Biotic effect on recruitment of plants along a management intensity gradient in subalpine grasslands. Annual Meeting of the British Ecological Society, Oxford, UK • Guillemin R., J.C. Clément, T.M. Robson & S. Lavorel. Déposition atmosphérique et dynamique de l’azote dans les écosystèmes subalpins. March 6-9, 2006. VIIIèmes Journées d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle. Nouan-le-Fuzier, France. • Viard-Crétat F., Gallet C., Lavorel S. Impact de la fauche et de la litière sur les stratégies de régénération en prairies subalpines. 2ème congrès d’écologie des communautés végétales (ECOVEG), 5-7 Avril 2006, Avignon, France • Viard-Crétat, F., Gallet, C. Apports de l’expérimentation « in natura » pour la mise en évidence d’une interaction allélopathique par Festuca paniculata dans des prairies subalpines. Réunion du GDR Ecologie chimique, Grenoble, 26-27 octobre 2006. (Présentation orale) 11 • Viard-Crétat, F., Lavorel, S. Perturbation et interactions biotiques : quel est le rôle de la litière ? Colloque du GDR ComEvol, 13-15 novembre 2006, Montpellier (Poster) • Baptist, F., Flahaut, C., Choler, Ph. (2007) The interplay of temperature and organic matter quality on alpine soil respiration along a snow cover gradient. Workshop on ‘Disentangling abiotic and biotic effects on soil respiration’. ESF programme “Stable Isotopes in Biospheric- Atmospheric Exchange (SIBAE)”. March 12-13, 2007, Innsbruck, Austria. Poster • Baptist, F., Noguès, S., Choler, Ph. (2007) Carbon metabolism of alpine plants along a snowmelt gradient. SIBAE Spring School, Stable Isotopes in Ecology, April 2-13, 2007, Vienna, Austria. Communication • Clément, J.C., Robson, T.M., & Lavorel, S. 15N natural abundances highlight mechanisms behind changes in functional composition of plant communities in adjacent subalpine grasslands under contrasting management regimes. British Ecological Society Annual symposium, University of Glasgow, U.K., 10-12 septembre (poster) • Grassein, F. Les plantes et les changements environnementaux : quels avenirs possibles pour les communautés végétales face à un changement de leur environnement ? Journée de l’école doctorale Chimie Science du vivant, Grenoble, 12 juin 2007 (poster) • Grassein, F. Conséquences des changements environnementaux sur les communautés végétales alpine. Journée « Environnement en Rhône- Alpes », Vaux en Velin, 29 mai 2007 (poster) • Lavorel, S. (2007) Functional approaches to quantifying the response to land use change of multiple ecosystem service delivery. Third LaSys conference, Tune Kursuscenter, Greve, Danemark, 25-26 octobre. Conférence invitee • Lavorel, S., Bigot, S., Choler, P., Kunstler, G., Spiegelberger, T., Sardat, N., & Aubert, S. (2007) Zone Atelier Alpes: Dynamiques couplées des écosystèmes alpins, de leurs usages et du climat. Consequences of climate change for alpine protected areas (ALPARC), Stelvio National Park, Italy, 18-19 octobre. Poster • Lavorel, S., Gachet, S., Sahl, A., Gaucherand, S., & Bonet, R. (2007) A plant functional traits data base for the Alps - Understanding functional effects of changed grassland management. GBA workshop: Georeferenced biological databases as a tool for Understanding Mountain Biodiversity (eds C. Körner & E. Spehn), Copenhagen, Denmark, 26-27 sepembre. Conférence invitée. • Lavorel, S. & Quétier, F. (2007) Effects of changing climate and land use on the functional diversity and ecosystem services provided by subalpine grasslands at Villar d’Arène, France. Consequences of climate change for alpine protected areas (ALPARC), Stelvio National Park, Italy, 18-19 octobre. • Ibanez S., Domanget F., Baudino S., Caissard J.-C., Gallet C., Després L. Traits mutualistes et antagonistes dans l’interaction Trollius- Chiastocheta. Réunion annuelle du GDR « Ecologie chimique » Rennes, 29-30 Octobre 2007 • Rivasseau, C., Seemann, M., Boisson, A.-M., Maître, A., Mongélard, G., Martin, J.-B., Gout, E., Streb, P., Douce, R., Rohmer, M., Bligny, R. TERPNET, 8th International Meeting on Biosynthesis and Function of Isoprenoids, Strasbourg, 30 avril-5 mai • Viard-Crétat, F., Gallet, C. & Lavorel, S. Competitive effect of Festuca paniculata in subalpine grasslands through chemical compounds: a new method to investigate allelopathy. International Association for Vegetation Science 50th symposium, 22-27 juillet 2007 (poster, 1er prix) • Viard-Crétat, F., Lavorel, S. Plant regeneration strategies through land use change in subalpine grasslands. International Association for Vegetation Science 50th symposium, 22-27 juillet 2007 • Abbate. J. Ecological and Evolutionary determinants of Disease Distribution in a natural host-pathogen system. University of Georgia; Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease Conference (2009). • Albert, CH., Thuiller, W., Lavorel, S. Influence of the environment on PFT/species demography. Annual Qdiv Meeting. 11 Feb. 2008. Paris, France. • Albert, CH., Thuiller, W. Lavorel., S. 2008. In situ quantification of intra-specific functional variability and inclusion in a landscape model. EURECO-GFOE – 11th European Ecological Conference of the European Ecological Federation, September 15-19, 2008, Leipzig, Germany • Boulangeat, I., Thuiller, W., & Lavergne, Plant community structure of the French Alps - specialist versus generalist. EURECO-GFOE – 11th European Ecological Conference of the European Ecological Federation, September 15-19, 2008, Leipzig, Germany ([Poster]) • Lamarque, P., Lavorel, S., Grigulis, K., Orcel, A., & Lembke, M. (2008) Provision of multiple services by mountain grasslands as determined by land use history. In ACES 2008 - A conference on ecosystem services, Naples, Florida, U.S.A. • Lavorel, S., Quétier, F., Thuiller, W., & Albert, C. (2008) Changement climatique et fonctionnement des écosystèmes herbacés : quelles perspectives et quelles incertitudes? In Pastoralismes, Biodiversités, Paysages dans les espaces montagnards (ed P.N. du Mercantour), Valdeblore. (Conférence invitée) g) Masters or engineering school reports (31) • Albert C. (M2 INA-PG, 2006) Etude théorique de la colonisation des prairies subalpines par les espèces ligneuses • Berman S. (M2 EBE, INAPG-PARIS VI-ENS-PARIX XI, 2006) Méthodes de mesure de la diversité fonctionnelle : exploration des indices de Mason et application au col du Lautaret • Buffet M. (M2 BEE – UJF, 2006) Impact des polyphénols sur la diversité microbienne et le fonctionnement de sols alpins • Dujardin G. (M1 BOP – Rouen, 2006) Spécialisation et stabilité évolutive des interactions mutualistes, exemple de l’interaction Trollius europaeus-Chiastocheta ssp • Flahaut C. (Mémoire de fin d’études ENITA - Clermont-Ferrand, 2006) Etude des facteurs de variation de la respiration du sol en milieu alpin : mesures in situ, en conditions contrôlées et modélisation • Guillemin R. (M2 BEE - UJF, 2006) déposition atmosphérique et dynamique de l’azote au cours de la fonte des neiges sur les terrasses subalpines sous le col du Lautaret 12 • Giffard B. (M1 BOP – Rouen, 2006) Caractérisation de la réponse compétitive des espèces dominantes des prairies subalpines • Doublier L. (M1BEE – UJF, 2006) Recrutement dans les prairies subalpines • Laurreau C. (M1, Univ. Paris XI, 2006) Le rôle de PTOX et de malate dans la résistance au stress chez Ranunculus glacialis • Lefevbre M. (L3 Univ. Montréal, 2006) Participation au projet Processus de régénération et gradients d’extensification de l’utilisation des terres • Rolland G. (M1, Univ. Paris XI, 2006) Le rôle d’ascorbate, sa synthèse et sa dégradation chez Soldanella alpina • Denoits R. (M2 Pro, ENITA Clermont-Ferrand, 2007) Impacts des changements climatiques et des changements de pratiques agricoles sur la diversité végétale fonctionnelle et sur la ressource en eau en zone subalpine • Grebenstein C. (M2 BEE – UJF, 2007) Variabilité phénotypique des graminées en fonction de l’altitude • Sahl A. (M2 - Montpellier II, 2007) - Traits biologiques de la flore de l’Arc Alpin • Vivant L.-M. (M2 – ESA Angers, 2007) Impact de l’évolution climatique sur les pratiques touristiques en milieu montagnard - Vallée de la Haute- Romanche, Pays de la Meije • Orcel A. (M1 UJF-IGA, 2007) L’utilisation de l’outil SIG dans la compréhension des interactions biodiversité – paysages – histoire de l’utilisation des sols. • Soudant A. (M1 - Univ. Bordeaux 1, 2007) Variations et convergences fonctionnelles de la végétation des Alpes le long d’un gradient environnemental • Periquet S. (L3 - ENS Lyon, 2007) - Quantification et analyse de la phénologie des prairies de l’adret de Villar d’Arène en fonction de leur gestion, de leur fertilité minérale et de leur localisation dans le paysage • Lirard G. (stage libre L1 – UJF, 2007) Etude de la survie et de la biomasse d’individus issus d’une transplantation réciproque au col du Lautaret • Bobier N. (Univ. Savoie, stage volontaire, 2007) Projet GESTALP. Perceptions et représentations de la biodiversité, attentes des utilisateurs. • Boucher F. (M1 – Polytechnique Paris, 2008) Réponse de la végétation aux changements climatiques et aux changements d’utilisation des terres dans la vallée de la Guisane (05): paramétrage et test de sensibilité d’un modèle de paysage (LAMOS) • Boulangeat I. (M2 BEE – UJF & INSA Lyon, 2008) Stratégies écologiques des plantes des Alpes Françaises : généralistes et spécialistes d’habitats • Chalmandrier L. (L3 ENS Paris, 2008) Conservatisme phylogénétique des traits fonctionnels végétaux - Un test utilisant un échantillon de la Flore alpine • Faure M. (M1 BEE – UJF, 2008) Critique du protocole de calibration de sonde de mesure de l’humidité du sol appliqué aux sols complexes de montagne • Fourel G. (M1 BEE – UJF, 2008) : Estimation de l’évapotranspiration des parcelles herbacées subalpines du projet BioCatch • Imbert M. ((Univ. Paris XI, 2008) Résistance au froid chez les plantes alpines • Landeau R. (L3 Univ. Chambery, 2008) Comparaison de la diversité spécifique intra et inter-habitat et observation de la distribution des taxons le long des gradients environnementaux significatifs • Mazel F. (L3 ENS Paris, 2008) Influence de l’environnement sur la structure des communautés végétales en milieu alpin • Piseri B. (BTS Analyses, 2008) : optimisation des protocoles d’analyses chimiques sur la chaîne colorimétrique • Salvi M. (2008) Projet DIVHERBE - Influence de la gestion agricole et des facteurs environnementaux sur la phénologie - Cas de l’adret de Villar d’Arène • Thymen B. (L3 ENS Lyon, 2008) Mise en place d’un suivi démographique pour deux plantes alpines : Arabis alpina et Eryngium alpinum III. Botanical activities 1. Botanical expertise a) Research in systematics • Research programmes at the SAJF Numerous research programmes presented in section II. have benefited from the botanical expertise of the alpine garden. Such botanical expertise is indispensable in the context of ecological research in a region of high biodiversity, with more than 1500 species growing naturally in the Col du Lautaret area. This expertise concerns the identification of species as well a help in the choice of experimental plots and in the species studied. • Other research programmes Table 2 presents the 32 projects for which seed or plant samples have been provided during the period 2005-2009. The expertise consists of (1) the provision of seed listed in the index seminum of the garden, (2) the collection of plant samples in the Col du Lautaret area, and (3) the collection of plants during botanical expeditions organised by the garden (see later).

Scientist Organisation Genus/species (sample) Research project Abbate J. Univ. Virginia (USA) Silene vulgaris and S. prostrata from the Thesis on the parasites of anthers of species of Lauatert region (seeds) the genus Silene Albert B. UMR 8079, Orsay Cuttings of Tofieldia calyculata Pollen study Archambault A. McGill University (Canada) Oxytropis. campestris, O. foetida, O. pilosa Genetics of arctic-alpine Oxytropis (seeds) Simson B. Univ. Texas, Austin (USA) Perezia lanigera (leaves in silica collected in Phylogeny of the genus Perezia in South Patagonia) America Beatrtye G. Belfast University, Ireland Orthillia secunda (plant) Phylogeny of Pyrolacées/ Monotropaceae 13 Bouchette A. INRAP (Archeology) Some 15 species from the French flora Seed Collection Bronken P. Univ Tromso, Norway Empetrum rubrum (leaves collected in Tierra A genetic comparison of arctic and sub- del Fuego) Antarctic populations Busch J. Univ. Mc Gill, Montreal Antennaria dioica (seeds) Phylogeny of the genus Antennaria Cabanis M. INRAP Thurial (35) Divers Carex (seeds) Archeobotany Chauveau O. Univ. Paris south - Orsay Various Sisyrinchium collected in Patagonia Diversity and geography of the genus (leaves in silica and dried) Sisyrinchium De los Mozos Pascual Centro de investigación Agraria, Crocus vernus (bulbs) Collections for the project Crocus (European M. Albacetre (Spain) project) Ekänas C. Univ. Uppsala, Sweden Arnica montana (seeds and plants) Thesis on the genus Arnica Facey P. Univ. Swansea (Wales) Coincya richeri (seeds) Phylogeny of the genus Coincya Fernandez C. IMEP Univ. Marseille/CNRS Various species of Hypericum (seeds) Phylogeny of the genus Hypericum Gaudeul M. National Natural history Museum Odontites from the Lautaret region : O. luteus, Phylogeny of the genus Odontites O. viscosus, O. glutinosus, O. lanceolatus Girard M. CEPAM Sophia Antipolis (06) Valeriana montana; V. celtica (seeds) Study of the genus Valeriana (palynology) Giraud T. UMR 8079, Orsay Caryophyllaceae (leaves of some 100 species Comparative evolution in Caryophyllaceae and from France and Patagonia) the parasitic fungi Microbotryum Jabbour F. INRA Gif sur Yvette Alpine and Himalayan Rannunculaceae Phylogeny of the Rannunculaceae Jacques F. Kunning Inst. Botany (Yunnan) Samples of Scutellaria alpina and Aruncus Phylogeny dioicus Jehlikova J. Acad. Sci. Rép. Czech Republic Rhodiola kirilowii, R. rosea, R. semenovii Phylogeny of the genus Rhodiola (seeds) Gustafsson S. Univ. Uppsala, Sweden Gymnadenia conopsea (plants) Genetics of phenobiology Hidalgo O Univ. Barcelona Artemisia and Stipa of the Lautaret region Phylogeny of two genera (seeds) Kiczka M. Ecology Institute, Zurich Trifolium pallescens and Agrostis rupestris Thesis (seeds) Marcussen T. Dept of biology, Oslo Viola tridentata Phylogeny of the genus Viola Mathez J. Univ. Montpellier Various species of Valeriana (leaves in silica Phylogeny of the genus Valeriana collected in Patagonia) Mattera V. Univ. Compiègne (CRAVO) Various species linked to human activities Archeobotanical studies (seeds) Mraz P. Univ. Cosice, Slovakia Hieracium Rhizomes, leaves in silica collected Phylogeny of the genus Hieracium. in Patagonia Santonja M Univ. Aix-Marseille III (IMEP) Various French species (seeds) Allelopathy in Pinus halepensis Schmidt J. Univ. Nantes, laboratory LBPV Different species of Orobanche (seeds) Laboratory seed collection Stöklin J. Bâle University (Switzerland) Campanula thyrsoides, C. barbata, Geum Population genetics of the alpine arc reptans, G. montanum (seeds, plants and occurrence information) Suita A. Krakow University, Poland 5 species of Viola (seeds) Thesis on the genus Viola sect. melanium Treier U. Univ. Fribourg, Switzerland Various Centaurea (seeds) Study of the genus Centaurea Turcat S. J. Bot. Lyon, France Various Artemisia (seeds) Study of the genus Artemisia Van Rossum F. National Botanic Garden of Sempervivum montanum, S. arachnoideum and Study of the Jourbarbe d’Aywaille (S. funckii Belgium their hybrid (rosettes) var aqualiense) Table 2. Provision of samples for research programmes other than those occurring at the SAJF (since 2005). b) for local administrations and management bodies in the context of regional development strategies O. Manneville, lecturer and member of the SAJF, is participating in an inventory of bryophytes at two cold mountain scree slope sites in the Chartreuse and Belledonne ranges for the ONF and the company AVENIR. This project involves fieldwork, identifications, report writing etc. In addition he is involved in the following activities : regional heritage meetings « atlases and inventories » (December 2007; Grenoble Museum); general assembly of AVENIR, Isere Departmental Conservatory of Natural Areas (May 2008); field day of technical exchanges concerning the management of forest bogs (Saint Siméon de Bressieux, 38) with AVENIR and the ONF (June 2008); conference « Wetlands and winter sports » (November 2008, Cemagref). In addition, he has participated in the writing and editing of technical documents for managers of natural wetland areas in the National Pole Besançon wetlands: and for the CREN Rhône-Alpes, concerning dry alluvial grasslands and alpine newts. His expertise has also been solicited for an environmental impact statement for construction works along a river in the Haute- Tarentaise region (for the company Gay-Environnement) and work with various other organisations such as the ONF, for the Luitel National Natural Reserve, the company AVENIR, the Grand-Lemps Natural Reserve and the Montfort wetland in Crolles. In addition, staff of the SAJF are members of a number of advisory and scientific committees : • Ecrins National Park (S. Aubert since 2008); Vanoise National Park (O. Manneville); • CCVS (S. Aubert since 2008); Launay Botanical Park – Orsay (S. Aubert since 2007); • Community of the Grenoble urban area Metro - Climate Plan (S. Aubert, since 2007); • National Pole Besançon wetlands (O. Manneville, president since 2001); • Luitel RNN (O. Manneville, president since 2008); Marais de Lavours RNN (O. Manneville); • Isere department Pole for biodiversity research (O. Manneville); • National alpine botanical conservatory Gap-Charance (R. Bligny, since 1997 and president since 2007); • Lyon botanical garden – Parc de la Tête d’Or (R. Bligny, president since 2008); • Foundation for Biodiversity (S. Lavorel) ; Diversitas (S. Lavorel) ; Global Land Project (S. Lavorel); • SNRI, National Strategy for Research and Innovation NRI (S. Lavorel); CDC Biodiversity (S. Lavorel). 2. Development and management of the botanical collections a) The plant collections of the JBAL The alpine plant collection of the JBAL is one of the richest and most beautiful in Europe. The quality of the collections and their presentation has led to the renewal of the following three quality assurances : CCVS, Botanical Garden of France and French Speaking Countries, Remarkable Garden. The plant collections have multiple values, aesthetic (landscaping managed by the chief of horticulture of the JBAL), educational (a presentation of the concept of biodiversity and of the vulnerability / adaptation of plants to their environment), conservation (in the case of endangered species) and scientific (material for scientific research).

14 • Evolution of the collection The collections of the JBAL have increased by some 250 species between 2005 and 2008, reaching 2300 species by the 2008 inventory. This increase is the result of the balance between added new species and species lost due to climatic conditions or other factors. The new species have been sourced through exchanges between botanic gardens (the work of R. Douzet), collaborations with J-L Latil, a nursery owner at Lazer (Hautes-Alpes) specialising in plants from the dry regions of North America, collaborations with Aline Mercan, a medical ethnologist who studies the medicinal plants of Tibet, and from the botanical expeditions organised by the JBAL (see III.4.). As in previous years, these introductions have been made possible through collaboration with J. Sarreil-Baron, a nursery owner at St. Vérand (Isère), in whose nursery the plants are sown. It should be noted that since 2006 a new method using larger pots (some 2000 each year) has been used in order to avoid a stage of re-potting prior to the plants being established in the rockeries. The rate of germination is greater than 60%, an excellent result for alpine plants.

Figure 8. Examples of new species recently introduced to JBAL. From left to right, Ajania tenuifolia (medicinal plant provided by A. Mercan), Deschampsia antarctica (one of two Antarctic species from Tierra del Fuego); Tradescantia ohiensis (North American species obtained through a collaboration with the nursery owner J-L Latil).

The increase in collections is less than during the period 2002-2005 (700 species). This is due to the difficulties in maintaining more than 2000 species with the low number of available personnel and a choice to favour the quality rather than the quantity of species present. In particular, efforts have been made to acclimatise species difficult to cultivate or not present in other gardens. The recruitment in 2008 of a new horticultural technician with competences in the cultivation of plants in botanic gardens will allow the continuation of this operation. A duplication of the rarest species was also begun during the summer of 2009 (see the projects section). As of this moment, only the plant collection « Andes/Patagonia » has been duplicated. This duplication has become urgent due to the threat posed by an increase in vole populations in the Villar d’Arene area, only a few kilometres from the JBAL, a significant danger for the plant collections. An effort to better manage the collections has been underway since 2006 : • A better knowledge of the species at the JBAL. The JBAL contains numerous willows (Betula) introduced to Lautaret by Robert Ruffier-Lanche, the chief gardener during the years 1950-70. He introduced some ten species to the JBAL, that are currently non-identified. We have requested help from a French expert (A. Le Sturm) to attempt to identify them. • The beginning of electronic archiving of inventory sheets from prior to 2000. This work, which began with the arrival in January 2009 of E. Charpentier, consists of entering the contents of hundreds of archived documents allowing the reconstitution of the history of the current collections at the JBAL. It is then possible to access the origin of plants (year of introduction, source of the plant, whether from cuttings or seeds, etc.) as well as information relative to their success, or otherwise, of establishment, their growth, etc. The next stage consists to carry out the same procedure for the inventory sheets (several thousands) prepared by R. Ruffier-Lanche (years 1950-72) who collected a large amount of valuable information. • The start of operation to label the plants in the JBAL with engraved aluminium labels. In contrast to the resin labels aimed at the public, which are re-installed each season, these discrete labels are not meant to be read by the public and will remain in place over the winter. They will allow the location of species from season to season and during weeding. This work was begun by P. Salze in January 2009 (fig. 12). • The plan of JBAL In order to manage the collections, a more precise plan was needed, showing the different rockeries and their geometry, as well as the position of the species within these rockeries. The plan used for the annual inventories was drawn in 2000 by R. Douzet. The plan was re-drawn in 2007 by R. Hurstel and S. Aubert from aerial photos and prepared using the vectorial drawing software Adobe Illustrator®. This plan was used for the new brochure for the JBAL and today is a major tool for the planning and further development of the JBAL. At a finer scale, the various rockeries of the JBAL have also been mapped with the localisation of the plants within them. These maps are currently being digitalised. These detailed plans of each rockery will then be used during the end of season inventories and for the localisation of plants newly introduced. These maps will complement the files kept up to date by R. Douzet.

15

Figure 9. Aerial view of the Lautaret site (photo J-L Latil) and the new map of the JBAL.

• Development work The new developments put into place since 2005 are beginning to approach the reality of the natural environment, both in terms of appearance as well as in environmental conditions (soil and rock types). In addition, in a number of instances (rockeries « Andes/Patagonia », « Spanish mountains », « Subalpine screes of the Lautaret area », « Screes of the Apennines », « Dry zone of North America ») large quantities of additional material have been brought to the site, and the access pathways have been filled with the same material as the rockeries themselves. In this way visitors walk on a surface of pozzolana, schist or scree, increasing the impression of being in the actual corresponding environment. These developments have been greatly facilitated by the purchase of a motorised wheelbarrow which allows the transport of up to 500 kg of material, from the entry of the garden to the garden beds.

Figure 10. Examples of developments since. In each case, the aim is to better simulate the ecological conditions experienced by the plants. From upper left to right : rockery « Andes/Patagonia » (with a guided tour), rockery « Dry North America ». Below, rockery « Spanish mountains », « tufa wall » and the establishment of a pathway for handicapped people.

In addition, since 2007, we have begun the development of a wheelchair accessible pathway (fig. 10). Within three or four years we are planning to make 40-50% of the garden accessible. Currently a circuit taking in the areas « Pyrenees / Massif Central », « Siberia », « Caucasus » has been established with a 70cm wide pathway. A new surface has been tested, with a mix similar to that used for road surfaces (sand, lime and compressed gravel). This mix is then covered with white gravel which facilitates the movement of wheelchairs. A rockery named « wall of tufa » was also begun in 2008. The aim of this rockery is to cultivate plants which grow on rocks (plants that are very difficult to grow elsewhere than on a porous substrate). A notable event is the posting on the site FLICK® of images corresponding to the stages of the construction of the various rockeries in the garden. These images, with labels by R. Hurstel constitute a visual resource of the techniques used, a resource rarely made available by botanic gardens.

16 • Signposting The SIGAL project (Signalétique et culture scientifiques au Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret) is financed by the Rhône- Alpes and PACA regions for the period 2008-2012. It consists of establishing a system of signage for the garden using a common template. The signs will describe the gardens collections, and in particular mountain environments (current signs in poor condition and without colour or illustrations) ; the mountain ranges of the world, a description of modern botany and a presentation of the Lautaret arboretum (which is currently without signage)). This signage project is in complement to other educational projects undertaken over the last few years concerning the individual labelling of plants, the publication of an illustrated guide of 100 (in French, English and Italian), the establishment of thrice daily guided visits, and the development of an internet site dealing with the flora of the worlds mountains. A three month internship (Julie Krier, IUT Nancy) consisted of detailed analysis of the requirements of the garden, and then the creation of model signs, in collaboration with the staff of the garden Philippe Danton, scientific advisor and artistic director of the project. A common format has been defined (55 x 30 cm) as well as a common graphical template which will be used for the different types of signs. A first phase of the installation of geographical signs was begun in 2009 (installation of 19 signs, fig 11).

Figure 11. An example of one of the 19 new signs, the « Middle East » garden bed of the Lautaret alpine botanic garden. • Formalisation of collaborations with nursery owners Since 2007, a formal agreement has officialised the collaboration underway for a number of years with two nursery owners : • Jean-Louis Latil (company Lewisia) who has a national recognised expertise in the cultivation of plant from cold and dry environments, in particular from North America. He is accredited by the CCVS for his botanical collections of Iris and Penstemon (North American plants) and is a member of the nursery owner’s collection association. The agreement concerns the reciprocal duplication of collections, the exchange of competences and the right to sell plants at the entry of the garden; • Joseph Sarreil-Baron who has national recognised expertise in the cultivation of plants. The agreement concerns the establishment of plants from seeds from the JBAL, in exchange for advice from the garden and the right to sell plants at the garden entry. • The Lautaret arboretum This arboretum was created in the 1970’s by the CEMAGREF of Grenoble (P. Mullenbach), in the upper part of the JBAL near the Scott memorial cairn. This arboretum, located at the upper limit of forest growth, aimed at studying the growth potential of certain conifers under limiting conditions, in order to determine their suitability for mountain reforestation. Abandoned during the 1990’s, it is today being used as a potential study site for the impact of climate change on tree growth at high altitudes. It also has potential as a scientific demonstration on the theme of the influence of climate on the development of forests at high altitude. Two internships, in 2006 and 2008 have analysed the archives of this arboretum, drawn a precise plan of all of the trees (almost 800 belonging to 12 species) which will serve as a baseline for monitoring the arboretum (a re-survey is planned every 5 years). An attempt to analyse tree cores by densitometry was carried out in collaboration with the CEMAGREF, but these proved to be unusable due to the extreme growth conditions experienced by the trees. b) The plant collection of the Robert Ruffier-Lanche arboretum In the middle of the 1960’s, a new campus was created for the Scientific and Medical University of Grenoble (the future Joseph Fourier-University Grenoble 1). During this period, the chief horticulturalist of the Lautaret alpine garden Robert Ruffier-Lanche, began to introduce into this area a large variety of trees and shrubs. After a great deal of effort, he quickly established an arboretum without an equal in the Isere region. Unfortunately subsequently neglected for many years, it was only in 1999 that the arboretum began to be restored through a collaboration between the Biology department, the SIGDU (Service Interuniversitaire de Gestion du Domaine Universitaire, now the Service Aménagement de Grenoble Universités) and the Lautaret Alpine Station (now Joseph Fourier Alpine Station). A considerable amount of rehabilitation work has been carried out and an ambitious restoration programme has been funded with 90 k€ by local government bodies (community of the urban area METRO, Isere department, Rhône-Alpes region). This project includes the rehabilitation of the arboretum and the associated planetary pathway. A part of this project was carried out during the period 2002-2005 (see the preceding quadrennial contract). The project has continued over the period 2006-2009, with : • the establishment of a partnership with the St-Ismier horticultural school (Isère), where the pruning of trees in the arboretum is carried out by students as part of their studies; • visits to the arboretum. The arboretum has regularly participated over a number of years in two events « Gardens Rendez-Vous» (since its beginning in 2004) and the « Science Festival (La Fête de la Science) » (since 2003). In addition, regular guided visits of the arboretum (Mondays at 14h or on demand) have been running since 2006, organised by Joëlle Leplan-Roux; • the elimination of trees infected by Armillaria, a parasitic fungus (operation carried out by the ONF); • the planting of trees to limit the exposure to the sun of the models of the planets on the planetary pathway (protection of the recently redone painting) and of shrubs to prevent children from climbing on the model of the sun; 17 • the renovation of the pathway that follows the boundary of the arboretum and the installation of a barrier; • the installation of a second group of information signs (105) presenting the trees. The delivery delay for these signs (3 years after the first group) is due primarily to the time necessary to complete the drawings which accompany the species common and Latin names; • the restoration of a pond, with the replacement in 2008 of the rubber base after the one installed in 2004 was damaged by vandalism, and the establishment of a collection of aquatic plants donated by the Botanic Garden at the Parc de la Tête d’Or in Lyon. Today, the Robert Ruffier-Lanche arboretum contains more than 200 species of trees and shrubs and it is one of the major arboretums in Rhône-Alpes region. Franklin Picard, a botanist specialising in the collection of French parks and gardens identified a number of trees of significant value during his visits in 2005 and 2007, that he listed in his book « A Guide to French Botanical Heritage (Guide du patrimoine botanique en France) », these include, in particular the only examples in France of the Mexican Oak Quercus rugosa, du noisetier asiatique, Himalayan Hazelnut, and of Paulownia tomentosa var. tsinlingensis. In addition, an experimental area has been established (a fenced area with a gravel surface). This area is used by partner laboratories of the SAJF, in particular LECA (Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine). The zone allows the carrying out of experiments under semi-controlled conditions (pots) that are complementary to studies being carried out at the Lautaret site. The zone has been recently used by two Phd thesis projects : F. Grassein (LECA, in 2007) and J. Abbate (University of Virginia, USA, 2008 & 2009). As access is free, it is difficult to quantify the number of visitors to the arboretum. It is nevertheless possible to estimate a number of some 100 daily visitors from spring until autumn. The increasing number of visits by school groups combing a visit to the arboretum with that of the planetary pathway, both present on the same site and easily accessible by public transport, is particularly notable. The establishment of guided visits (Monday at 14h) by Joëlle Leplan-Roux, has been important in increasing the public visibility of the arboretum. c) Seed collections Since the year 2000, when R. Douzet became its manager, the index seminum and the number of seed exchanges has not ceased to grow. The seed collection of the JBAL today comprises of almost 1800 species of seeds harvested from within the JBAL (around 250), in the Lautaret region (around 750) and from other regions (around 800 species). The index seminum of the garden is one of the most extensive amongst French botanic gardens, whether they are alpine or lowland ; and it contributes to the reputation and scientific value of the JBAL. The printed version is distributed to almost 300 gardens and other institution in some 50 countries. Seed exchanges between other gardens and scientists (see table 2 and fig. 12) represent, on average, some 2000 to 2400 seed samples each year. For example, exchanges occurring during the winter of 2009 (seeds collected in 2008) concerned 147 institutions (botanical gardens, museums) in 32 countries. Since 2004 we have initiated the purchase of refrigerators and glass jars in order to store the seed collection under appropriate conditions. Today the JBAL posses 5 refrigerators devoted to seed storage (2 new purchases in 2006 and 2007).

Figure 12. Exchanges of seeds with gardens and institutions throughout the entire world (147 in 32 countries for 2008/2009):storage refrigerator and seed jars and a map of seed exchanges in Europe (prepared by: C. Lagaye). Right, aluminium labels. d) Herbaria From the beginnings of the study of botany at the University of Grenoble an the end of the 19th century, herbaria have been prepared with specimens of plants collected in the Alps, in France, in other countries or obtained via exchanges with scientists or scientific institutions. Due to a lack of storage space and maintenance, a large number of these specimens have been donated to the Natural History museum in Grenoble or Montpellier University. The remaining herbaria represent a general collection, including in particular the herbarium of Robert Ruffier-Lanche which contains numerous specimens from the Lautaret region. This herbier had not been maintained due to a lack of time or personnel able to carry out this task. In October 2007 Ch. Perrier, manager of this herbarium (employed on a part-time contract), carried out an initial inventory in order to evaluate the usefulness and amount of time that would be required for its complete rehabilitation (reclassification, restoration, remounting of specimens, data basing, etc.). Currently, the herbarium consists of 363 boxes and 20 to 25 000 specimens. In the context of the Lautaret Flora project, the usefulness of this herbarium became obvious during this pre-inventory. We also re-discovered a herbarium specimen of the species Berardia subacaulis collected in 1903 in the scree slopes near the Grand Galibier by Jules Offner, a well known botanist at the Grenoble University. This information resulted in botanists re-visiting these sites to search for this emblematic species that is currently known only from lower elevations in the Guisane valley. The re-classification of the herbarium began at the beginning of 2008. A visit by Vincent Poncet, manager of the herbarium at the Grenoble Museum of Natural History, allowed us to refine the methodology used and better define the material needed. The SAJF herbarium will be divided into two sections. The first will comprise those specimens collected from the Col du Lautaret region (Villar d’Arène, La Grave, Monêtier-les-Bains). This section will be highly useful for research projects being carried out at the SAJF and for the Lautaret Flora project (see section §III.2.d). The second section will comprise a “general” herbarium. In this section the classification will be by family and genus, beginning with difficult groups such as 18 Hieracium, Salix, Rosa and diverse families such as the Poaceae. Each specimen will be placed in a protective paper satchel and will be indexed electronically in order to allow rapid searching and retrieval. The herbarium is indexed in both national inventories (Rhône-Alpes and PACA regions) and internationally (Kew in England e) The image bank The image bank of the JBAL currently contains some 50 000 images illustrating the collections of the JBAL, the collection of the Robert Ruffier-Lanche arboretum, the activities of the SAJF (research, management and development of the garden, etc.), the natural flora of France (with a particular emphasis on the alpine flora of the Lautaret region), the flora of the worlds mountains visited during the botanical expeditions, etc. Amongst these images, 11 492 have been made publically available at the image database FLICK® (as of the 1st June 2009). This system contains some 3 billion photos on the internet each of which can be tagged (keywords), which allows the dynamic generation of image galleries and provides the possibility of indexing photos. The preparation of photos before their loading into FLICK® required an inventory of the totality of the photos present on the previous SAJF website as well as modifying their sizes and the attribution of keywords allowing the generation of galleries based on searches. A selection of these images has been used for the publication of postcards and posters publicising the SAJF and for SAJF brochures. In addition numerous other uses have been made of these photos : • by the Joseph Fourier University : for example for the 2009 greeting card, for a brochure marking the centenary of the Alpine Geography Institute ; for various brochures aimed at university personnel, for brochures presenting the masters courses in biology, for various communications of the Doctoral school of Chemistry and Life Sciences as well as the Biology faculty; • For the CNRS, the photo collection of the CNRS contains some twenty images used by permission of the SAJF. The EDD department has used two of these images in its various communications (a document folder and a brochure presenting its activities in 2008). Numerous other documents of the CNRS have also used SAJF images, as for example the guide for new recruits. The French Institute for Biodiversity has also used some of these images. In addition, numerous images have been used in the production of a brochure presenting the Alps Working Area (Zone Atelier Alpes) of which the SAJF is a part. • For the Institute of France : a photo of a Himalayan poppy figures amongst the images used on the internet site of the Academy of Sciences. • For the Ecology Ministry : a series of images of the Kerguelen islands illustrating a report on the effects of global warming on these sub-Antarctic islands carried out by the National Observatory of the effects of Global Warming. • For the exhibitions : « Darwin’s Garden » At the Neuchatel botanical garden (F. Felber); « Sub Antarctic House » at the Palmengarten in Frankfurt am Main (C. Bayer) : some fifteen images of Patagonia, new Zealand and Australia ; • For other internet sites. Numerous requests have come from other universities in order to illustrate their research. Two examples include : - Dr Dan Nickrent (Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale) who is developing a site dedicated to parasitic plants. He is using images of three species ; - Dr. José L. Panero (University of Texas, Austin), a specialist of the Asteraceae family, in particular the ancestral groups found in South America. To illustrate his internet site dedicated to the phylogeny of the family, he requested from us a series of some 20 photos. Other images have also been contributed to the on-line botanical encyclopaedia (http://nature.jardin.free.fr/).

Figure 13. Images from the SAJF image bank used for publications by the UJF (left), the Academy of Sciences (centre) and the CNRS (right). f) The library Since 2003, the purchase of books has been re-established as a priority, in order to obtain up to date floras for plants of the world’s mountain regions. During 2008 a start was made on updating the inventory of the SAJF library, initially by Ch. Perrier and then by F. Alexandre. Once completed, an inventory will also be made of old reprints. These inventories will allow the SAJF library to be accessed by other institutional libraries and the identification of the primary gaps (priority books to buy). A strategy for the conservation / restoration of old books and the definition of the modalities for access to the library will also be defined. The inventory, which has recorded some 50% of the works in the library, reached 1000 records in March 2008. Amongst the acquisitions made during the period 2006-2009 are in particular the regular purchase of new volumes of several floras. Amongst the world’s mountain regions, the areas of the Andes and Patagonia are particularly important. Today the library is faced with a problem of a lack of storage space with its current location being in the drawers of an office. Newly obtained books cannot be stored satisfactorily and numerous more fragile works cannot be stored in satisfactory conditions. This problem should be resolved in the future rehabilitation of building D (see section IV.1.). 3. Botanical expeditions The world’s major botanical gardens have long organised botanical expeditions as an integral part of increasing their international visibility, as a method for enriching their collections and increasing their contribution to botany at the 19 worldwide scale. It is quite an unusual activity for a small botanic garden such as ours, but since 2003 we have decided to privilege this activity for the benefits it brings to the garden. These expeditions are financed through the entry fees of the garden, and a particular effort is made to present the results of the expeditions to the public. The primary objectives are (1) the collection of seeds to add to the collection of the JBAL, (2) contribute to the understanding of the flora of a region (3) sampling for research programmes and the development of contacts with Argentine and Chilean scientists and botanists (4) the presentation of images and results from the expeditions via photos and conferences. During the years 2005-2008 these expeditions have begun to concentrate in the area of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego in the south of Chile and Argentina. This region is dominated by the cold, wind and dryness and harbours a rich flora (some 2500 species), coloured and very different to the flora of the mountains of the northern hemisphere which is rarely presented in botanic gardens – largely due to the absence of a Chilean or Argentine botanic gardens susceptible to exchange seeds. The four annual expeditions in general last for two to three weeks during the southern spring (flowering period in southern steppes) or the southern summer (flowering period in southern mountains). These expeditions are also an opportunity to make contacts with Argentine or Chilean botanists.

Cumulative days in the field 70 Kilometres driven 18 000

Species collected for the JBAL 250 Species established at the JBAL 38 Images taken (flora and vegetation) 10 000

Images available via the internet 2300 Species presented via the internet 800

Collaborations with research programmes 5 Exhibitions 2 Presentations 11

Figure 14. Botanical expeditions in Patagonia (2005-2008). left, statistical summary. Centre, image of the collection made during the expedition of January 2008 (seed satchels, herbaria, leaves in silica). Right, examples of contributions made to knowledge of the Patagonian flora : above, Bowlesia ruiz-lealii, a new species record for Chile, below, Hieracium ziziana, a new invasive species recorded on the American continent.

a) The collection of seeds for the JBAL Some 250 species have been collected, essentially as seeds. These are mountain plants or plants from cold steppes. In each case rare species have not been collected as the aim is to present some of the common species of the southern Andes and from Patagonia / Tierra del Fuego, and in particular specifically South American genera such Azorella, Calceolaria, Perezia or Nassauvia. These plants have formed the basis form the development, beginning in 2005, of an « Andes / Patagonia »rockery (see fig. 10). This rockery, which is visually spectacular, is also a valuable educational resource to illustrate the South American flora. Some forty species have been successfully acclimatised. In particular, the two vascular plant species found in Antarctica (Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis) have been successfully established from seeds collected in Tierra del Fuego where these species also grow. b) Contributions to the understanding of the Patagonian flora Numerous discoveries have been made during these expeditions. • A new species in Chile, until now considered endemic to Argentina: Bowlesia ruiz-lealii (fig. 14). This discovery was made in collaboration with Pr. O. Anibal Prina (Univ. La Pampa, Argentina) who identified the species via internet in the image bank that we have been developing; • A new naturalised species: Hieracium ziziana (fig. 14). This discovery was made in collaboration with P. Mráz (Univ. Kosice, Slovakia), specialist of the genus Hieracium. This is the first recorded occurrence of this European species in the American continent; • New species recorded for the Santa Cruz province (southern Patagonia, Argentina) : Prosopidastrum globosum (indigenous species known from the north and centre of Patagonia); Chenopodium bonus-henricus (European species). c) The establishment of an image database Some 10 000 images have been collected during the expeditions (slides and digital images) illustrating the diversity of the flora and vegetation of the visited regions. A selection of these images has been placed on the internet as part of the SAJF FLICK® image database (see further). These images are tagged with keywords which allow the generation of dynamic image galleries, and allow an optimal indexation of the images. Currently some 2300 images are available, illustrating almost 800 plant species, some 30% of the flora of the region. Currently it is one of the largest sources of images of the flora of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Access statistics show that during the period of one year, the number of times these images have been accessed approaches 50 000. Amongst the users of this image bank, some have contributed to the identification of certain groups of species (Cactaceae, etc.). Of particular note is Dr. José L. Panero (University of Texas, Austin), a specialist of the family Asteraceae, and especially the ancestral groups found in South America. To illustrate his internet site dedicated to the phylogeny of the family, he has requested the rights to use some twenty images (www.tolweb.org). He has also participated in the identification of numerous species illustrated on our web site d) Exhibitions and presentations Two exhibitions have been organised at the JBAL and at the Natural History museum in Grenoble as well as some II presentations. e) Future projects The current objective is to complete our knowledge of the region (in particular the north-west) and to write a natural history book aimed at the public, in particular those who visit these regions (see further in the section « project »).

20 4. The public, events and communication a) Visits to the JBAL The garden opens its doors from the first weekend of June until the last weekend of September. Depending on the amount of flowering, the entry fee is adjusted to free entry or a reduced tariff (generally until mid-June and after the first week of September). It should be noted that the entry fee has not increased over the period 2006-2009, with the idea being to make the garden accessible to the greatest number of people. In addition, garden entry is free for children under 12 years of age, staff of the Joseph Fourier University and people with disabilities (such entries represent some 15% of the total number of entries).

Figure 15 presents a summary of visitor numbers to the JBAL since 2002. It 25000 shows a major decrease in visitor numbers over the period 2005-2007. This decrease is worrying, especially in light of the major efforts in public communication that were undertaken during this period. Unfavourable 20000 weather conditions are, in part, responsible for this decrease, but it should also be noted that there has been an overall decrease in visitor numbers to the whole region and mountain areas in general. A general reassessment needs to be undertaken by tourism operators and managers to understand the 15000 reasons for this decrease in visitor numbers to the mountains. One of the issues in particular for the JBAL and the canton of La Grave, is the poor signposting present at the Col du Lautaret. Larger signposts, co-financed by 10000 the Hautes-Alpes Department, the PACA region and the SAJF were installed in June 2009. These probably contributed to the greater visitor numbers seen in 2009, a season also notable for good weather conditions and considerable media coverage. 5000 The JBAL has a significant media presence at the regional scale (some thirty press articles, some fifteen interviews for local radio of television) and the national scale (some twelve press articles, a visit by the 20h news of the chain 0 TF& in July and August 2009, and a visit by France Inter in August 2009). 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Figure 15. Changes in paid entries to the JBAL since 2002

Figure 16. Examples of the presence of the SAJF in the national press : Point de Vue, Journal du CNRS and Rustica. b) Events • Conference organisation Alpine and Arctic Botanic Gardens Congress (September 2007) This congress was held at Villar d’Arène and the Col du Lautaret from the 6 to 9 September. It brought together some thirty participants from 8 European countries. The two first congresses were held in Switzerland in 1904 and 1906. This third congress was an opportunity to bring up to date information on the activities of alpine and arctic gardens in terms of public facilities and relations, the management of plant collections, conservation, and research and to develop networks. The congress highlighted the different specificities of each alpine garden, with the JBAL appearing to be one of the most dynamic. In particular it is the only alpine garden which links, with reciprocal benefits, the roles of public education and research. The congress also put in place an informal network which produced a map of the alpine gardens of Europe and which will develop an intranet site with a page presenting each garden allowing the exchange of lists of plants, seed, methods of cultivation, etc. The proceedings of the congress were published as a paperback book and are available on the SAJF internet site. The 2nd congress was organised in Munich (Schachen alpine garden) in April 2009. The 141st extraordinary session of the French Botanical Society in July 2007 During two sessions, 75 participants were able to view more than 500 species in the Lautaret-Briancon region, under the guidance of staff from the SAJF and botanists from the Ecrins National Park and National Alpine Botanical Conservatory in Gap. The 10th Hieracium workshop (31 July to 5 August 2007) This workshop brought together some twelve specialists from France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. The objective was to study the highly diverse species of the Hieracium genus in the area of Lautaret-Briancon (more than 500 taxa cited in the literature). • 20 July 2007 : remembrance of the creator of the garden and the celebration for the awarding of the Prince Louis de Polignac Foundation prize This day was a commemorated 100 years since the death of Jean-Paul Lachmann, creator of the JBAL. This Botany professor at the University of Grenoble was the first in Europe to explore the different ways in which a botanic garden could be used. 21 He envisaged an alpine garden as a « high altitude natural laboratory » to study and protect alpine flora, to carry out research on the possible acclimation of vegetables for alpine communities, to educate the public as to the richness and conservation of the alpine flora. A plaque was unveiled in the presence of some 100 people, including Farid Ouabdesselam, president of the Joseph Fourier, Bernard Delay, scientific director of the CNRS Department of Ecology and Sustainable Development, and Younis Hermès, CNRS regional delegate for the Alps region. For this occasion, a special brochure was produced and a number of articles appeared in the press.

Figure 17. Image of the Arctic and Alpine Gardens Congress, September 2006 (left), the extraordinary session of the French Botanical Society, July 2007 (centre) and the remembrance for J-P Lachmann, 20 July 2009.

The day was also an occasion to celebrate the awarding to the Lautaret alpine botanic garden of the Louis de Polignac Foundation grand prize for its contribution to alpine biology. This prize was awarded after a proposal by the academy of sciences, following the meeting of a jury comprised Monsieur Jean-François Bach, Christian Amatore, André Capron, Roland Douce, Michel Le Moal, Michel Pouchard, Bernard Roques and Alain Valleron, members of the academy of sciences. This prize, with a value of 25 k€ rewards a century of passion and work in the areas of public education and research, the two missions outlined Jean-Paul Lachmann at the creation of the garden. The prize ceremony took place the 12 of November at the foundation headquarters in Paris in the presence of Monsieur Gabriel de Broglie, Chancellor of the Institute of France and honorary president of the foundation, his royal highness Prince Laurent of Belgium, president of the honours committee and the judge Madame Irène Daurelle, co-founding president and member of the administration council.

Figure 18. Visit of a delegation from the Academy of Sciences to Lautaret (7 July 2006), and awarding of the Prince Louis de Polignac Foundation grand prize by Mme Irène Daurelle (12 November 2007, left). Centre, image of the medal.

This prize, the first of its type awarded to a botanical garden, is an honour for the ensemble of those involved with the SAJF and is a motivating factor to continue with the missions of public education and research. The prize money is to be used in priority for the financing of otherwise unfunded projects, such as the installation of high quality and homogenous information signs throughout the garden and the production of portfolio of botanical drawings (see below). • Botanical illustration residence at the Lautaret Alpine Garden This artists residence was begun at the JBAL in 2006, after an idea from Philippe Danton, botanist and illustrator. This residence aims to affirm the existence and importance of dynamic and high quality botanical drawing, a crossroads between art and science. It consists of creating a collection linked to the Lautaret Alpine Botanic Garden and do promote current botanical illustration, through the publication of drawing and exhibitions.

Figure 19. Five of the 12 drawings from the botanical illustration residence at the Lautaret Alpine Garden. From left to right : Evolutionary trends in the architecture of Saxifrage (F. Hallé, 2006); dwarf willows of the alps (D. Dellas, 2007); plants from the tuff deposit of the Lautaret Alpine Garden (Ph. Danton, 2007); Iris pallida (J-L Castillo 2008) ; Berardia subacaulis (Ch. Perrier 2008).

This initiative is based on the observation that in the world of art, that of museums, galleries, exhibitions, prizes and awards, documentary drawing is almost absent despite interest from the public. In the context of this residence, the public 22 Dominique Villars collection was also initiated, comprising of drawings linked to the JBAL. This collection is dedicated to the doctor and botanist Dominique Villars (1745-1814) from the Dauphine region who was the first to recognise the remarkable biodiversity of the Col du Lautaret region. Each year, two botanical illustrators are selected by a committee and are invited to spend a week at the Col du Lautaret in order to draw plants in the garden. In exchange for the residence, each of the illustrators donates two drawings (A3 format, in black or white or in colour) which, after acceptance by the committee, become part of the Dominique Villars collection. Every three years, a catalogue is published. The first botanical illustrator’s catalogue of the Dominique Villars collection was produced in 2009. It consists of a presentation of the residence and of the SAJF, biographies of the illustrators as well as high quality reproductions of the drawing of the five first illustrators : Juan Luis Castillo, David Dellas, Philippe Danton, Francis Hallé and Christophe Perrier. This catalogue has been distributed to various botanical institutions in France and overseas. The catalogue also serves to promote the residence and the garden and to attract sponsors, so as to provide an international perspective to the project and provide a different perspective in looking at the alpine flora. In 2009, the illustrators Enrico Cangini and Anne Eldredge Maury took part in the residence programme. c) Multimedia activities • The adopted strategy The SAJF has always been quick to take advantage of the possibilities offered by the internet in terms of the transfer of information to the public. Already in 1999, an internet site was established. The contents of this site were enriched over subsequent years, but its basic structure failed to evolve to take advantage of new technical possibilities (dynamic pages, image databases, etc.). In addition, another site (VEGA) was developed over 2002-2003 to present the flora of the Alps (the project GreCO managed by Ph. Choler). This dynamic site (MySQL/PHP database) was not able to fulfil its function, due both to an absence of time and technical assistance to enter the information. The presence of the SAJF in amongst these different sites was difficult to discern, as well as posing problems in the updating of information. In 2006, a scoping study was carried out by Elodie Terret and Tim Catinat, engineers at the Information Systems Pole (DSI) at the Grenoble University. The preferred solution was to develop a website combining the information contained in the previous sites in a structure based on four themes : Garden, Arboretum, Research, and Botany. This last category combines the previous «botany» section of the old SAJF site and the VEGA site. The technical specifications retained were the following : • the publication system SPIP, a free software that allows the easy management of the contents of an internet site in a database (without the need to learn the languages PHP and MySQL) ; • the image storage/sharing service FLICK®, a system already containing some 3 billion photos with the ability to tag photos, which allows for the dynamic generation of image galleries and the indexation of images. Preparing images for uploading to FLICK® has required reworking the entirety of images form the previous SAJF website (numerous thousands of images : size optimisation, tagging of images with keywords allowing the generation of galleries) ; • the online service Google Maps® to generate geographical maps of the site. Today the SAJF possesses a website of professional quality both in its presentation and content which facilitates greater public visibility for the activities of the SAJF, user friendly ergonomics, powerful indexation capabilities for the documents and images online (more than 6000 images currently on line), web optimised information distribution more easily accessible to users, the possibility for rapid updating by staff of the SAJF through the use of dynamic technologies, easy internal navigation using an integrated search engine. This internet site places the SAJF in a good position in terms of the diffusion of information via the internet. In particular, the JBAL is one of the only other alpine gardens in the world to have such a web site. The statistics shown in table 3 illustrate the success of this strategy. • Contents of the web site http://sajf.ujf-grenoble.fr/ - The « Garden » section contains a news sub-section ; a virtual visit giving access to the collection of photos of plants from the JBAL, practical information (admission prices, opening dates, contacts) ; the index seminum; plant sales (in collaboration with partner nurseries ; current exhibitions ; employment opportunities ; current projects : the natural environment ; the history of the JBAL, press releases, awards and distinctions, other links.

Figure 20. Some web pages from the SAJF web site.

- The section « Research » is composed of the following sub-sections : news; research themes and descriptions of current projects ; infrastructure ; publications (an exhaustive list of publications from the beginnings of research at the Lautaret site from the 1900’s until today including theses and internship reports) ; partner laboratories ; a history of research at Lautaret ; and other links. - The section « Botany » is composed of the sub-sections : the flora of Lautaret (with links to an image bank, bibliographical references, teaching resources (family descriptions, floral diagrams, a glossary, the flora and vegetation of Mt Ventoux)); flora of the worlds mountains (a bibliography and links to an image bank); biographies of the botanists of the Grenoble University ; Arctic and alpine botanic gardens (a network established in 2006 during a conference held at the Cold du Lautaret); bibliography and other links.

23 - The section « Arboretum » is composed of the following sub-sections : practical information, an interactive list of tree and shrub species, history, projects and images (links to an image bank).

Internet site 65 365 visitors, some 5000/month and 150 to 200 per day http://sajf.ujf-grenoble.fr/ 218 849 page views, with an average of 3.34 pages/visit ; 58% return rate; 2 min average page time Visits from a search engine (64%), from links via other sites (27%), direct access (9%) Geographic origin of visitors (10 most common countries from 158 total): France (40166), Chile (5320), Canada (2297), Belgium (2129), Algeria (1427), USA (1267), Morocco (1202), Switzerland (1157), Hungary (968), Italy (764). FLICK® image bank 11 492 images http://www.FLICK® .com/photos/ 415 000 images viewed as of the 1st April 2009 (since January 2008) stationalpinejosephfourier/ 850 daily views on average Table 3. Statistics summarizing visits to SAJF web sites.

• Contents of the FLICK® image bank The image bank is structured into « albums » in the following manner : - Flora and vegetation indigenous to the Lautaret region : classification by ecological zones, vegetation stages, plant types (trees, shrubs) and colour (herbaceous plants) ; - Collections of the JBAL : classification by rockery (geographical origin), with images that are also used for the internet based virtual garden visit. The current coverage of the JBAL collection (about 2300 species) by these images is around 70%. A series of images also illustrates the development work undertaken at the JBAL ; - Flora and vegetation of the Lautaret region (project in progress) : classification of images by zone and vegetation stage. The images form the botanical and ecological workshop organised by the SAJF were included in 2009. ; - Flora and vegetation of Patagonia and Tierra de Fuego : classification by geographical sites, ecological zones, types of plants (trees, shrubs) and colours ; - Flora and vegetation of other world mountains : Andes (other than Patagonia), Australian mountains, New Zealand mountains : presentation by geographical site ; Spitzberg and Kerguelen ; - History of the JBAL ; - Images of research undertaken at the Col du Lautaret ; - Insects and other animals of the Lautaret region ; - Images for printing : high quality images for use by the press ; - The Robert Ruffier-Lanche Arboretum : species of trees and shrubs, seasons ; - Flora and vegetation of sites visited during fieldtrips for ecology and botany courses at the Joseph Fourier University : Mount Ventoux, Mediterranean vegetation of the Mornas region, The Vouillands forest near Grenoble; Cross-theme albums presenting plants by family of by particularly interesting biological types (e.g. cushion plants). IV. Public education 1. Guided visits The visits of the JBAL, guided by students from the Joseph Fourier University, are one of the original and important aspects of this university affiliated botanic garden. Since 2003, we have been offering these free guided visits that today are scheduled three times a day (10h30 ; 14h30 and 16h00) during July and August. A survey carried out in 2005 showed a great degree of satisfaction by the public regarding these visits. The students who carry out these visits are chosen during the university year by the teaching staff of the SAJF, they receive a guide book for the SAJF, and complete a two day instructional course before beginning the visits. Each year, the JBAL recruits in this manner 8 students (2 in June, 3 in July and 3 in August) which allows visitors to learn more about botany, the history of the garden, the alpine environment and the Col du Lautaret region and its vulnerability to global changes (agriculture, global warming), the research carried out at Lautaret as the guided tour passed close to the experimental infrastructures installed at the garden. The guided visits also allow exchanges in regards to societal questions such as genetically modified organisms. The students that carry out the guided visits are in general very happy with the experience as it allows them to expand their knowledge of botany and alpine ecology, to meet other personnel of the SAJF (botanists, university lecturers, horticulturalists etc.), to refine their career plans and to increase their skills in public communication. In addition, Mme Marguerite Marchal, a specialist in the etymology of plant names, has offered since 2005 guided visits of the JBAL based on this theme. These visits are an opportunity to gain from the knowledge of M. Marchal and experience a different perspective on the plants in the garden. In addition to these visits a brochure has been published by the SAJF : Marchal M. (2006) Des racines et des plantes (Of roots and plants). Illustrations: S. Aubert. Ed. SAJF; 16 p. 2. Brochures An 8 page brochure is distributed for free with the entry ticket to the JBAL. Since 2002 this is available in five languages : French, English, Italian, Dutch and German. In 2007, a new version of the French brochure was edited. This version integrates the new map of the JBAL as well as updating current projects. This brochure is also available on the internet in some additional languages. Versions in Norwegian, Romanian and Spanish (available since 2005) have been joined by version in Arabic, Chinese and Turkish (translated by students). In addition, the publication of a longer educational guidebook for the public, in both French and English, was a major activity during the period 2002-2005. During the period 2006-2009, this booklet was translated into Italian. The French version, out of stock since the summer of 2008, was reprinted during the spring of 2009, in the expectation of a revised and improved version being developed for 2010 (see the projects section).

24 3. Exhibitions A list of the 12 exhibitions held at the SAJF since 2005 is given below, with comments in italics. The number of exhibitions should not hide the fact that the facilities for such activities are severely limited at the Lautaret site. A project for the expansion of exhibition space is presented in the projects section. • « Flora of New Zealand» (Aubert S., R. Douzet). Exhibition at the JBAL (summer 2005) after the botanical expedition in January 2004 ; • « Flora of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego » (S. Aubert, R. Douzet). Exhibition at the JBAL (summer 2006) and also at the Duhtérian cafeteria in the University campus of Saint Martin d’Hères (autumn/winter 2006). This exhibition was held subsequent to the botanical expedition in January 2005 ; • « The museum of domestic economy at Lautaret – an initiative of Hippolyte Müller in 1920 » (S. Aubert, A. Bignon & the Dauphinois museum. Exhibition at the JBAL (summer 2006), with some exhibits also presented at the town hall of Villar d’Arène (autumn/winter 2006). This exhibition was presented during the summer at the JBAL in the exact same location as the small ethnographic museum that existed between 1919 and 1930, this being the first floor of the Chalet Mirande at the alpine garden. This museum was created by H. Müller, also creator of the Dauphinois Museum in Grenoble in 1906, at the request of the Touring Club of France, also organisation responsible for the transfer of the JBAL to its actual location in 1919. The museum was abandoned in the 1930’s and its objects integrated into the collections of the Dauphinois museum. Reproductions of images by H. Müller were exhibited : images of the museum, images of the JBAL during the 1920’s, images of the region of Villar d’Arene and of its inhabitants. The Dauphinois museum also donated a number of its objects, of which some had been present in the previous museum ; • « Flora of the mountains and cold regions of the southern hemisphere : Andes, Patagonia, New Zealand, Australia, Kerguelen » (S. Aubert, R. Douzet). Exhibition in the glasshouses of the Grenoble Natural History Museum, in the context of the event « An autumn of plants ». This exhibition brought together images doming from numerous botanical expeditions as well as a research program based on the island of Kerguelen ; • « The sun, history and importance for plants (The Astroguindaine astronomy association and the JBAL) » Exhibition at the Villar d’Arène town hall (June-September). This exhibition presented a multi-disciplinary approach to the sun. Numerous posters were presented explaining both the importance of the sun for photosynthesis, and the risks of oxidative stresses linked to excess sunlight at high altitude ; • « Mountain landscapes, landscapes in transformation – Studies in the Lautaret region » (Alpine Ecology Laboratory, Joseph Fourier Alpine Station, UJF communication services), Exhibition at the JBAL (summer 2007) after an exhibition from the 13 March to the 24 May at the inter-university science library (university campus of St Martin d’Heres) and at the Villar d’Arene town hall (June-September 2006). Above the altitude of the forests, mountain landscapes are a natural and cultural heritage that are both vulnerable and in constant change. The altitude and landform modify the effect of climate and agro- pastoral activities on the vegetation. Consequently there exists a mosaic of environments distributed in space : the ecological landscape. In the face of global climate change and changes in agricultural activities, what will be their future? Using the Col du Lautaret region as an example, the exhibition explores the past, the present and future of these landscapes ; • « Flora of the Australian mountains » (S. Aubert, R. Douzet) Exhibition at the JBAL (summer 2007) after a botanical exhibition in 2005 ; • « Giant macro photographs exhibited outdoors » (M. Noël, La cité de l’Image and the JBAL). An exhibition presented on the walls of the ruin of the old PLM hotel near the entry of the JBAL (summers 2006, 2007 and 2008) and then during the Science Festival at Créteil (Socio-cultural centre Madeleine Rebérioux). This exhibition presented macro photographs of insects and flowers printed in a very large format (80 x 120 cm) on plastic sheets ; • « The Lautaret Alpine Botanic Garden » (S. Aubert) Exhibition during the summer of 2007 in the Zanskar valley (village of Tangsoe, 80 inhabitants – 4200 m), in the context of a collaboration initiated with the association Alps-Himalaya for the creation of a medicinal garden. • « Lautaret and the south pole : a century since the visits of Scott and Charcot to Lautaret, S. Aubert, A. Bignon (JBAL, summer 2008). This exhibition retraces the history of the testing of motorised sleds at the Col du Lautaret before the South Pole expedition where Scott died. Through this exhibition, visitors were able to understand the history of the cairn present within the Lautaret garden in homage to Scott and his visit to Lautaret; • « Tibetan medicinal plants, a heritage in danger » (Aline Mercan – Jardins du Monde ; Elisabeth Dodinet – Nomad RSI ; S. Aubert – SAJF) Exhibition at JBAL (summer 2008). Tibetan medicine, as with most traditional medicines, uses medicinal plants for its pharmacopeia. It covers a wide variety of cultures in Asia and utilises a vast variety of plants. It has now been exported throughout the entire world due to the effects of globalisation and the popularity of Tibetan culture, especially in the west. However, major ecological, economic and social changes today menace this highly fragile cultural and natural heritage. Only well informed consumers can act in order to protect its values. This exhibition illustrates these challenges. • « The botanical illustration residence at the Lautaret alpine garden » (Ph. Danton, S. Aubert) Exhibition at the JBAL (summer 2009). This exhibition presents the botanical illustrators residence that has been organised at the JBAL since 2006, as well as the catalogue published in 2009 (see p. 26). Other events involving participation in national or regional events : • Garden rendezvous (first weekend in June, since 2003). Participation in this event, which is managed by the regional organisations for culture : in the context of the DRAC Rhône-Alpes for the Robert Ruffier-Lanche arboretum (guided visits) and in the context of the DRAC PACA for the JBAL; • Days for plants at Courson (12-15 October 2006). For its first participation, the JBAL was invited by the organisers to present talk explaining the university affiliated character of the Lautaret garden. We were also invited by the association CCVS (Specialised plant collection conservatory (Conservatoire des Collections Végétales Spécialisées)), of which we are members) to include a presentation of the JBAL on their stand : posters and exhibition of macro photographs (M. Noël); • « Science Festival » since 2002 the alpine station participates in this event through the presentation of posters and the organisation of visits to the Robert Ruffier-Lanche arboretum. • National day of « flowering »towns at Gières (Isère). Participation by R. Douzet each year since; • « Protection and living heritage» (Nice, summer 2006) Presentation of a poster describing the SAJF. 25

Figure 21. Different aspects of public education : exhibition showing the evolution of landscapes (JBAL, 2007, left), class of 2008 of the Master M2 BEE at the SAJF at the Col du Lautaret (centre), botany and alpine ecology workshop for students from Grenoble and other French universities (one week at the beginning of July).

4. Publications • Aubert S., Bignon A., Bligny R., Choler Ph., Douzet R. (2005) « Livret guide du Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret ». Une version en anglais a également été éditée (traduction M. Robson, S. Aubert). Ce livret-guide a eu du succès auprès du public, avec près de 500 exemplaires vendus. Une traduction en italien a été éditée en 2006 ; 100p. • Aubert S., Choler Ph., Douzet R., Till-Bottraud I. (2006) Les stratégies de reproduction des plantes alpines en haute altitude. Hommes & Plantes 57 : 34-39 • Marchal M. (2006) Des racines et des plantes. Illustrations: S. Aubert. Ed. SAJF; 16 p. • Aubert S., Bignon A., Bligny R., Choler Ph., Douzet R. (2006) Il libretto-guida/giardino botanico alpino del Lautaret. Ed. Station Alpine Joseph Fourier ; 100 p. Cette version italienne du livret-guide vient compléter les versions en français (depuis 2004) et en anglais (depuis 2005). • Aubert S. (2007) La reproduction des plantes alpines (dessins de M. Delamarre) Bulletin d’altitude du CREA 17 : 3-14 • Aubert S., Danton P ; Perrier C, Wulser G. (2007) Le Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret – une passion centenaire pour la biologie alpine. 8p. Ed. SAJF • Collectif (2007) Zone Atelier Alpes (plaquettes de présentation pour le grand public et pour les institutions. • Aubert S. (2007) Research activities at the Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret In “Proceedings of the International Congress of Alpine and Arctic Botanical Gardens Which future for the Alpine and Arctic Botanical Gardens ? Villar d’Arène-Col du Lautaret; 6-9 September 2006 pp 40-44 • Aubert S. (2007) The Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret : roots and branches In “Proceedings of the International Congress of Alpine and Arctic Botanical Gardens Which future for the Alpine and Arctic Botanical Gardens ? Villar d’Arène-Col du Lautaret; 6-9 September 2006 pp 15-19 • R. Douzet, R. Hurstel, Aubert S. (2007) Towards a collection of plants from South America In “Proceedings of the International Congress of Alpine and Arctic Botanical Gardens Which future for the Alpine and Arctic Botanical Gardens ? Villar d’Arène-Col du Lautaret; 6-9 September 2006 pp 86-91 • Desplanque C. & Manneville O. (2007) Le problème de la pollution par le sel de déneigement dans le lac-tourbière du Luitel (Isère). L’écho des tourbières, Pôle-relais Tourbières, Besançon ; 14 : 6-8 • Douzet R., Aubert S., Choler Ph., Michalet R. (2007) Eléments pour le stage de botanique et d’écologie alpine (Lautaret- Briançonnais). Ed. SAJF, 25 p. • Girel J. & Manneville O. (2007) L’origine de la turfigenèse dans la plaine alluviale de l’Isère (Alpes du Nord). In Cubizolle H (ed) Origine, fonctionnement et conservation des tourbières. Actes du colloque du château de Goutelas (42), octobre 2005. Publications de l’Université de Saint-Etienne (381 p.) p. 183-199 • Manneville O. (2007) Clé de terrain pour la détermination des bryophytes des tourbières et des marais (France, Suisse et Belgique). Cahiers Scient. & Techn. Du Pôle relais Tourbières, n°5, p. 1-40. [Traduction et compléments de Muller N, Schnyder N & Schubiger C, 2002. Feldschlüssel für die Bestimmung der Moose in Mooren. Meylania, n°25, p. 1-36 • Manneville O. (2007) Relecture et rédaction de la postface de : Crassous C & Karas F. Guide de gestion des tourbières et marais alcalins des vallées alluviales de France septentrionale. Fédération des Conservatoires des Espaces Naturels & Pôle- relais Tourbières, 203 p. • Aubert S. (2008) Les végétaux et le froid. In «Aux Origines des plantes – Tome 1, Des plantes anciennes à la botanique du XXIème siècle. Coordinateur, F. Hallé» Ed. Fayard pp 298-307 • Aubert S & A. Bignon (2008) Scott et Charcot au Lautaret en mars 1908 In Alpes et Midi N°4291/10491 pp 10-11 & N° 4292/10492 pp 12-13 • Collectif dont O. Manneville (2008) Conservatoire National Botanique de Brest : Atlas de la flore du Finistère. Editions SILOE, environ 600 p. • Delhaye C., Aubert S., J.-M. Fourvel (2008) Froid, moi jamais. In « Pour nos jardins N° 263 février 2008» p 33 • Manneville O. (2008) Compléments sur les principaux lichens et bryophytes observés au cours de certaines sorties dans les Causses en mai 2006. Bulletin SBCO, 38, p. 465-471 (comptes rendus session de terrain des Causses 2006). • Manneville O. (2008) Diversité et particularités des tourbières des Alpes dauphinoises et savoyardes. Actes des 1ères rencontres pour la conservation des tourbières des Alpes (Chamrousse, septembre 2007), p. 11-14. • Manneville O. (2008) Caractérisation phytoécologique et origine de deux stations littorales de Geranium sanguineum du Nord-Finistère. E.R.I.C.A., CBN de Brest, 21, p. 35-40. • Manneville O. (2008) Les facteurs climatiques, p. 17-20. In « GENTIANA, ouvrage collectif, 2008. Atlas des plantes protégées de l’Isère ». Biotope-Parthénope, 320 p. • Thuiller W. & S. Aubert (2008) Des écosystèmes perturbés In « Les dossiers de demain – agence d’urbanisme de la région grenobloise » N°6 (janvier 2008) 26 • Aubert S. (2008) Notice philatélique de Galium antarcticum Hook. f. Cette notice accompagne l’édition d’un timbre des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF) qui présente cette espèce subantarctique rencontrée sur les îles Kerguelen et Crozet. Elle fait suite à celle rédigée en 2002 sur le Chou de Kerguelen (S. Aubert & F. Hennion). • Aubert S., Douzet R., Hurstel R. (2008) « Les collections du Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret, un outil pour la recherche » In Actes du Colloque de l’AFCEV à Nice 28-30 novembre 2007 « Les collections végétales vivantes : place et rôles dans la conservation » (sous la direction de R. Pierrel). • Girel J, Aubert S, Quetier F (2009) Histoire de l’utilisation des terres dans la Haute Romanche (exemple de la communauté de Villar d’Arène, Hautes-Alpes). 42p.

5. Presentations • « La flore du Chili » (11 mars 2005 ; R. Douzet) Association botanique dauphinoise Gentiana; • « La flore d'Essaouira, entre diversité et fragilité » (mardi 23 avril 2005 ; R. Douzet) Conférence à l’alliance française d’Essaouira, Maroc, suivie le 24 avril d’une sortie botanique sur le terrain ; • « Le Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret : localisation, histoire, et missions » (18 mai 2005 ; S. Aubert) Conférence du Club Alpin Français (maison du tourisme de Grenoble) ; • « Recherches en écologie alpine à la station du Lautaret: une contribution à l'étude des changements climatiques » (20 mai 2005 ; S. Aubert) Conférence au Lycée P. Neruda dans le cadre des échanges Universités/Lycées, organisé par le Service de l'action culturelle du Rectorat de l’Académie de Grenoble ; • « Le Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret : localisation, histoire, et missions » (4 juin 2005 ; R. Douzet) Conférence à Gières dans le cadre des villes fleuries 2005 ; • « La Station Alpine du Lautaret : lieu de découverte et de recherche sur la biodiversité alpine » (10 août 2005 ; S. Aubert) Conférence à Valloire, dans le cadre des activités culturelles de l’Association d’Education Populaire. Cette conférence faisait suite à une visite commentée détaillée du Jardin (20 personnes) orientée sur la biodiversité et le développement durable, à l’initiative de Dominique LEVAT, secrétaire général de l’Institut Européen du Développement Durable. • « Collections and their use in research. Example of abundant compounds in certain alpine plants » (6-9 septembre 2006; S. Aubert, Ph. Choler, R. Douzet, R. Bligny) International Congress of Mountain and Arctic Botanical Gardens Villar d’Arène – Col du Lautaret, France) • « Research activities at the Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret » (6-9 September 2006; R. Bligny, S. Aubert, S. Lavorel) International Congress of Mountain and Arctic Botanical Gardens (, Villar d’Arène – Col du Lautaret, France); • « Towards a collection of plants from South America » (6-9 September 2006; R. Douzet, R. Hurstel, S. Aubert) International Congress of Mountain and Arctic Botanical Gardens, Villar d’Arène – Col du Lautaret, France); • « La flore subantarctique » (6 septembre 2006, R. Douzet & S. Aubert). Congrès des jardins alpins et arctiques à Villar d’Arène/Lautaret • « La flore des Andes : Chili, Pérou, Equateur » (8 septembre 2006, S. Aubert) Congrès des jardins alpins et arctiques à Villar d’Arène/Lautaret • « Paysages au naturel – Paysages de montagne, paysages en mutation » (10 octobre 2006, S. Aubert) Cycles de conférences « Midisciences » de l’Université Joseph Fourier • « Le Jardin alpin du Lautaret : un jardin botanique universitaire » (15 octobre 2006, S. Aubert) Courson (Journées des plantes, automne 2006) • « La flore subantarctique » (17 octobre 2006, R. Douzet) Muséum d’Histoire naturelle de Grenoble (manifestation « Un automne végétal ») • « Evolution des paysages de montagne en relation avec les changements de l’agriculture et du climat » (28 novembre 2006, S. Aubert) Cycle de conférences de l’Université Inter-Age du Dauphiné • « Les plantes alpines : une vie en milieu extrême » (20 avril 2007, S. Aubert) Conférence au lycée Emile Loubet de Valence dans le cadre des échanges Université/Lycées. Cette conférence a été accompagnée d’activités pratiques en lien avec le sujet et d’une visite au JBAL • « La flore du Chili » (11 juillet 2007, S. Aubert) 141ème session de la Société Botanique de France (Villar d’Arène) • « The Lautaret Alpine Garden » (12 juillet 2007, S. Aubert) Conférence présentée pour «Chanousia, 110ème anniversaire» • « Climate & land-use changes impacts on water resources & plant diversity in mountains » (22-24 octobre 2007, Clément J.C., S. Aubert, S. Lavorel). US-France Young Engineering Scientists Symposium 2007. Washington D.C., USA. • « La flore subantarctique » (18 juillet 2007, R. Douzet) 141ème session de la Société Botanique de France (Villar d’Arène) • « Flore du Chili » (6 octobre 2007, R. Douzet) Conférence au Domaine du Rayol (Var) dans le cadre du programme « Gondwana : le Chili à l’honneur » • « La Station Alpine Joseph Fourier : activités de recherche et de formation au col du Lautaret » (8 novembre 2007, S. Aubert) Conférence lors de la Journée recherche de l’UFR de Biologie • « Histoire de la botanique et des jardins alpins à l’Université de Grenoble » (16 novembre 2007, S. Aubert) Conférence à la Société des Amateurs de Jardins Alpins de Grenoble • « Les collections du Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret, un outil pour la recherche » (28 novembre 2007, S. Aubert, R. Douzet, R. Hurstel) Conférence donnée au Colloque de l’AFCEV à Nice « Les collections végétales vivantes : place et rôles dans la conservation » • « La Station Alpine Joseph Fourier et ses activités » (20 décembre 2007, S. Aubert) Séminaire d’ouverture du laboratoire de chimie DCM (Grenoble). • « La flore subantarctique » (S. Aubert & R. Douzet, 23 février 2008) Journée d’étude de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon à l’ENS Lyon ; • « La flore des Andes » » (S. Aubert & R. Douzet, 23 février 2008) Journée d’étude de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon à l’ENS Lyon ; • « Le jardin alpin du Lautaret : un siècle de passion pour la biologie alpine » (S. Aubert, 23 février 2008) Journée d’étude de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon à l’ENS Lyon; 27 • « La flore de la Patagonie et de la Terre de Feu » (S. Aubert & R. Douzet, 16 janvier 2009) Société des Amateurs de Jardins Alpins de Grenoble ; • « Le Jardin alpin du Lautaret et l’histoire de la botanique à l’université de Grenoble » Patchwork d’histoire des sciences (S. Aubert, 12 mars 2008 et 20 mars 2009) Module du collège doctoral UJF ; • « Education through the new website of the Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret » (S. Aubert, 23 avril 2009) 2nd International Congress of Alpine and Arctic Botanical Gardens, Munich • « Mountain floras in situ: Patagonia » (R. Douzet & S. Aubert, 24 avril 2009) 2nd International Congress of Alpine and Arctic Botanical Gardens, Munich

6. Courses and workshops The personnel of the SAJF are involved in various aspects of teaching in the area of plant biology, both in the context of their statutory functions or their activities with the SAJF. In terms of teaching carried out at the Col du Lautaret site, the primary problem is the absence of a teaching / meeting room allowing for groups of people greater than 15-20 (see the future projects section) • Numerous plant biology and ecology courses at the Joseph Fourier University rely largely on the university lecturers of the SAJF, in particular the courses « general biology», « BEE masters », « examination preparation ». The maintenance in Grenoble of botany courses integrating both traditional and modern aspects was one of the primary motivations for retaining the JBAL as a university affiliated garden during the period of debate regarding its future during the year 2000. In terms of ecological and botanical fieldtrips, we have begun to develop on the SAJF website (Botany section) a presentation of the local vegetation as well as other documents and a bibliography. The first area to be presented is the Mount Ventoux, with an altitudinal transect including 4 sites (the halts made during the fieldtrip) : Mediterranean vegetation (col de la Chaîne, 470 m), the windswept ridges at Genêt de Villars (700 m), the beech-pine forests (1300 m), the mountain pine forests and the summit vegetation (1800-1909 m). Images from these sites have been placed in the FLICK® image bank. Consequently, this educational information is available for students as well as the wider public. • The SAJF is continuing a long tradition of botanical workshops in the Lautaret region. Each year, some thirty students, half from the UJF and half from other universities take part in a week long botanical workshop at the end of June / early July under the direction of R. Douzet and with the participation of other university lecturers from the Joseph Fourier University. Teaching materials for this workshop were updated for the meeting of the French Botanical Society in July of 2007; • A three day course (early September) for students undertaking Masters courses in Ecology, Biology and Environment (Master Biologie Ecologie et Environnement (BEE)) at the Joseph Fourier University (since 2003). This course aims to introduce students to the Lautaret site, and is an interesting case study in terms of its biological richness, the diversity of stakeholders (Ecrins National Park, SAJF, farmer’s organisations) and activities (agriculture, tourism, research etc.). Teaching of this course is carried out by personnel of the SAJF, the Alpine Ecology Laboratory and the Ecrins National Park (E. Vannard) ; • Courses by R. Douzet « Origin and diversity of the alpine flora and medicinal and toxic alpine plants » at the nursing school of Briancon as part of the optional module « Mountains », including a visit to the Lautaret garden (since 2002) ; • Botanical history course (2h) offered by R. Douzet in the context of the option « ethnobotany » of the M2 BEE masters course of the UJF (since 2008); • A presentation of his personal career experience, and opportunities for careers in the horticultural sector together with a presentation of the activities of the JBAL for students undertaking a Bac Pro, second year at the Saint-Ismier horticultural school(1st February 2006, by R. Hurstel) ; • Various presentations have also been organised at Lautaret for the personnel and students : « Endangered flora of the Robinson Crusoe Islands » (Ph. Danton & C. Perrier); a presentation of the TV programme « Ushuaia nature » (TF1) on the Robinson Crusoe Islands (Ph Danton & C. Perrier) ; « Flora of Chile and Patagonia » (S. Aubert, R. Douzet) ; « Botanical drawing » (Ph. Danton).

28

Scientific Projects over the period 2011-2014

I. Research The experimental platform of the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station, consisting of the Lautaret site and the plant growth facility project in Grenoble, will continue during the next quadrennial play a key role in ambitious projects in the field of alpine ecology and biology. The general theme of these projects concerns the responses of alpine ecosystems to global changes. The presence of a high altitude research station and plant growth facilities allowing the reproduction of environmental conditions found at high altitude offer possibilities unique in France. The researches being carried out at the Lautaret- Galibier site are also the pillars of Alps Working Zone (Zone Atelier Alpes). Three major complementary axes can be distinguished based on the type of approach being used : (1) approaches based on the observation and monitoring of biodiversity, (2) field based manipulative approaches and measures of environmental conditions, (3) fine scale analytical approaches of the mechanisms of adaptation of organisms (plants and soil microbes) to high altitude conditions. The platform also allows for the on site preparation of field sampling and experimentation, to prepare or pre-treat collected samples, to analyse and present results, and to accommodate researchers during long-term experiments or those requiring repeated intensive measurements. Here we present the principal challenges of these projects, with an emphasis on the manner in which they are based on the infrastructures of the Joseph Fourier alpine station, as well as the current limitations imposed by the existing infrastructure. 1. Axis 1. Evaluation, monitoring and prediction of alpine biodiversity patterns The SAJF is an active partner in numerous projects for which the long-term objective is the monitoring and evaluation of alpine biodiversity and the prediction of the impacts of global change on this biodiversity. This work concerns three different scales : (i) studies of spatial distributions and production of biodiversity scenarios for the French Alps, (ii) the monitoring of alpine and subalpine grassland ecosystems in the Lautaret-Galibier zone, and (iii) studies of the demographic and evolutionary responses of plant populations along gradients of abiotic constraints.

a) Spatial distribution and biodiversity scenarios for the French Alps The SAJF is involved in three multi-disciplinary projects, DIVERSITALP, PHYLOALPS and BARCODE, for which the objectives are to understand and simulate the dynamics of differing levels of plant diversity (specific, functional and phylogenetic). For the project DIVERSITALP, the SAJF is participating in the development of the plant functional trait Androsace (see summary). The botanical expertise and infrastructure of the SAJF play a key role in the projects PHYLOALPS and BARCODE, two projects based on a systematic sampling of all of the species of the flora of the French Alps (~3000 species), with the objective of constructing a complete phylogeny for this geographical zone and to produce ‘barcoding’ references for alpine species

Figure 22. Left, sampling expedition in the Mediterranean Alps (April 2009, project PHYLOALPS), with staff of the SAJF and LECA ; right, permanent study plots located on the south facing slopes of the Villar d’Arène valley. b) Monitoring of plant diversity and the functioning of grassland ecosystems in the Lautaret-Galibier zone The work carried out on the south facing slopes of Villar d’Arène since 2003 have allowed for the establishment of a network of 55 permanent plots distributed throughout differing types of alpine grasslands, enriched in 2009 by the addition of some 15 sites in the alpine pastures at Chaillol, with the integration of these alpine grasslands into the experimental design. Long term data that has been collected includes : a history of land use, botanical composition, the physical and chemical composition of soils and their fertility, an annual measurement of biomass production and forage quality (since 2004 for the first plots). A major objective is to discern the effects of changes in agricultural practices and climate on the dynamics of ecosystems in the valley, in collaboration with the LTHE, the Ecrins National Park and the CERPAM. This work, financed by the program GICC will allow the elaboration of a long term monitoring protocol with spatial protocols and sampling frequencies adapted for different variables, as well as the development and transfer to partners of methodologies for the analysis of data to detect long term changes in the resilience of the system, including that to extreme events. In conjunction with these studies, other studies of systems of animal husbandry and their changes, for example in response to increasing frequencies of drought (a collaboration with the Grenoble CEMAGREF), as well as quantifications of ecosystem services (forage production, cultural values, fertility…). This work is possible due to the long term working relationships established by the SAJF with local partners and stakeholders in the domains of agriculture, environmental management and tourism. In addition to these experimental setups, there exists also a network of some 30 sites in the Roche-Noire valley (Commune of Monêtier-les-Bains) along an altitude gradient (subalpine-alpine ecotone). The instruments established along this gradient allow the measurement of edaphic and climatic parameters (temperature and water). Research at these sites involves 29 principally the dynamics of soil microbial communities in relation to snow cover (the project ANR MicroAlpes) and the dynamics of organic matter (also see Axis 3). Over the whole of the Lautaret-Galibier zone, the use of remote sensing for the monitoring of snow cover and of phenology will be a major activity over the coming contract period.

c) Demographic and evolutionary responses of plant populations along gradients of abiotic constraints Long term studies of the dynamics of alpine plant species populations are indispensable to understand their responses to environmental factors, to analyse the relationships between genetic factors and demographic parameters of populations, and ultimately to apply this understanding to biological conservation and the management of endangered species in the context of global change. The SAJF is implicated in such research through the provision of experimental areas and infrastructure support for common garden experiments and field based artificial selection methods using individuals from differing natural populations. The biological models involved include Arabis alpina, an alpine species with a wide ranging distribution, and two rare alpine species, Eryngium alpinum and Androsace lactea. The quantification of the plasticity and evolutionary responses of different species to abiotic gradients has important implications for the prediction concerning the fate of rare alpine species under projected global changes. In addition, the establishment of a reference collection of individuals of the dominant grasses of alpine and subalpine grasslands originating from different trajectories of land uses will allow the : (i) quantification of the functional variability of a wide range of species in terms of functional characteristics ; (ii) quantify under semi controlled conditions the role that this interspecific functional diversity plays in the functioning of alpine ecosystems, and in their resilience to extreme events (see Axis 2). 2. Axis 2. Manipulative approaches : Ecosystem experiments Experimental approaches, in situ, remain important for the development of mechanistic understanding and the validation of hypotheses concerning the responses of ecosystems, their functioning and characteristics, to different natural or anthropogenic variables. The goal of such research is a finer understanding of the mechanisms of response of mountain grassland ecosystems to changes in the physical environment and to changes in agricultural practices. The preferred approach is an experimental one, which is carried out either in field directly in situ, or under semi-controlled conditions in the experimental area of the Alpine Garden using pots and mesocosms. The experimental sites equipped with environmental sensors near the field station allow the monitoring of numerous environmental variables (climatic and microclimatic, soil physical and chemical characteristics and those of soil leachates) coupled with monitoring of biological parameters (botanical composition, soil microorganisms). The experimental area offers the capacity to manipulate the composition of plant and animal communities (e.g. insects) in order to understand the mechanisms determining biotic interactions and biogeochemical cycles. It should be emphasised that similar studies are being carried out in other associated sites in France (For example the Alps Working Zone, the project VALIDATE) and in Europe (projects BIOCATCH and VITAL), and that the ensemble of these experiments will help in the development of a global vision of the dynamics of alpine grassland ecosystems and their functioning in a changing world. After a rapid comparison with the previous quadrennial project, two major elements are apparent: (1) A marked increase in the number of experiments being carried out in subalpine grasslands. This is largely due to the activity of LECA and its TDE group, and a series of projects that will largely structure the research at the alpine station over the next 4-5 years, in particular the European projects BIOCATCH and VITAL, the ANR project VALIDATE and the project NEVE. The experiments in progress and those in planning give us the capacity to modify water balances (by modifying summer rainfall in the project VALIDATE and modifying the duration of snow cover in the project NEVE), to control the functional composition of the grasslands (projects VITAL and Orthoptera), to simulate the effects of different agricultural practices (fertility, mowing, and of different climates on the water balance of grassland ecosystems (project BIOCATCH) and to manipulate communities of insect herbivores (project Orthoptera). (2) A diversification of research themes with in particular the development of studies of the physical environment (snow, water balances), studies of multi-trophic interactions (plant-insect and plant-soil microorganisms) which have greatly increased the initial range of expertise of the Chalet-laboratory in plant-plant interactions, and finally, more detailed studies of biogeochemical cycles and their couplings. This diversification has is the consequence of increasing collaborations with environmental physicists (in particular hydrologists and glaciologists) and with animal ecology specialists. Medium term perspectives for the continued development of the platform concern the development and application of competences in modern techniques for the in situ study of ecosystems, such as: - An expansion of the techniques for the investigation of ecosystems : a generalisation of the use of isotopic markers, geochemical analyses to characterise soil organic matter (concentrations of recalcitrant molecules such as lignin, polyphenols and tannins, adsorption during the mineral phase), lysimeters, further developments in micro-meteorology, the use of remote sensing. - Studies of the impacts of the deposition of atmospheric nitrogen on subalpine vegetation communities and on nitrogen cycling dynamics at the scale of alpine water catchments, in particular via the monitoring of the nature of aerosols and the installation of stream gauges and the monitoring of water quality in a number of watercourses close to the field station (project NATEAU submitted to the ANR CEP 2009).

30

Figure 23. Field experiments for the measurement of physical properties of snow and its consequences for the cycling of elements (NEVE, left), the quantification of the effects of climate and grassland management on the water cycle (BIOCATCH, centre), and evaluations of the resilience of subalpine grasslands to drought (VALIDATE, right) 3. Axis 3. Mechanisms of response to extreme conditions at the cellular and molecular scale This research aims to understand the adaptations of alpine plants and microorganisms in alpine soils to the conditions experienced in the mountain environment (cold, UV, long snow covered periods, the presence of recalcitrant organic components in the soil). Research on the ecophysiology of alpine plants was one of the first fields to be developed at the chalet-laboratory (at the beginning of the 1990’s). In contrast, research concerning the microbiology of alpine soils is a very recently developed aspect of research at Lautaret. In both cases, the emphasis is placed on the metabolic particularities of organisms living at high altitude. The equipment at the chalet-laboratory (centrifuge, spectrophotometer, electrophoresis material) allows either experiments to be carried out entirely on site, or more frequently, the preparation of samples for further, more detailed, analyses elsewhere (sequencing, RMN, isotopic measurements). For example, the isolation and purification of organelles (plasts, mitochondria) is possible at the chalet-laboratory. The favourable geographical location of the chalet-laboratory also allows (1) the transport of equipment in situ to carry out measurements (for example measures of chlorophyll fluorescence), (2) to minimise the time between the collection of samples and any experiments or analyses (in particular for the study of enzyme activity), or finally (3) to carry out sampling using liquid nitrogen (to fix the metabolism of a sample in a defined state). a) Physiological mechanisms of alpine plant adaptation to high altitude stress Alpine plants are adapted to contrasting climatic conditions consisting of, in particular, exposure to intense light rich in UV and temperatures that alternate from low to high. Over a number of years, research carried out at Lautaret has aimed at measuring the quantities of energy absorbed by chlorophyll containing tissues of alpine species and identifying the metabolic pathways allowing for the dissipation of excess energy. Previous work has indicated that some alpine species such as Soldanella alpina and Ranunculus glacialis contain a particular protein (PTOX) and very high quantities of anti-oxidants and anti-oxidant enzymes. A subject of research has been to characterise the role of the protein PTOX, the anti-oxidants and anti-oxidant enzymes in the tolerance of alpine plants to extreme conditions. This work is concentrated on the analysis of two metabolic processes : (1) the role of PTOX (Plastid Terminal Oxydase) in stress resistance in alpine plants, and (2) the role of the anti-oxidants ascorbate and glutathione in stress resistance in S. alpina and R. glacialis. The in vitro analysis of oxygen production by purified chloroplasts, chlorophyll fluorescence and the oxidation / reduction of the pool of NADP(H) are helping the development of a better understanding of the role of PTOX in the chloroplast and its contribution to adaptations to oxidative stresses to which alpine plants are particularly subject.

b) Towards the identification of adaptive genes in Arabis alpina to extreme climatic conditions As a consequence of climatic change, understanding the genetic and physiological mechanisms that regulate the adaptation of plants to abiotic stresses has become a major question for plant science at a worldwide scale. The objective of this project is to understand the genetic bases associated with adaptation to / or tolerance of cold temperatures and drought in Arabis alpina, a perennial cruciferaceae of mountain areas (500 à 3000m) phylogenetically close to Arabidopsis thaliana. The originality of this project lies in the association of ecophysiological and population genetics components. A number of molecular markers (AFLP) potentially under selection and correlated with the frequency of days with frost, have been recently identified by the LECA on the basis of genotyping of populations sampled in the French and Swiss Alps. Future work will allow (1)to identify the candidate genes localised by their presence close to AFLP markers, by targeting the BAC bank (collaboration with G. Coupland and M. Alpbani, MPI-Cologne), (ii) to compare the transcriptase and the metabolites’ of lineages that are cold tolerant possessing these markers cultivated at different temperatures (collaboration Génoscope-Evry and Bouchereau, INRA-Rennes), (iii) to compare the phenotypes of different populations and / or lineages of Arabis alpina with those of Arabidopsis thaliana with mutations in the candidate genes. A major part of this project, carried out in collaboration with scientists from the Max-Planck Institute in Cologne, in the context of a project submitted to the Eurocores programme of the European Science Foundation, is based on the establishment of field experiments (transplants, acclimatisation ; at the Lautaret alpine garden) and glasshouse experiments (Grenoble Campus).

c) Environmental microbiology This research is aimed at studying the structure and functioning of soil microbial communities in relation to the cycles of organic materials in mountain grassland ecosystems. Three major axes can be distinguished: (1) the development of tools for the characterisation of the phylogenetic and functional diversity of communities of microorganisms present in the soils of mountain grasslands, (2) characterise the spatial and seasonal variation of these microbial communities, particularly in relation to the dynamics of snow cover, and finally (3) better understand the role of these micro-organisms in biogeochemical cycles, with a particular emphasis on the mineralisation of organic material (carbon biogeochemical cycle). An important aspect of this work involves the extraction and characterisation of soil RNA (a metatranscriptomique approach). The use of this method relies on rapid treatment of soil samples after their collection (to reduce the degradation of RNA messengers). Here again, the facility of the chalet-laboratory is important in the preparation of samples, including during the winter.

31 4. A critical assessment of the limits of the current platform infrastructures The entirety of the projects covered by the axes 1 and 2 require skills and competences in: (1) sytematics and botany, (2) in the plant growth facilities (3) and meteorology. The temporary and permanent staff of the Alpine Garden have considerable skills in the first two points, despite the lack of staff numbers. In contrast, a major limitation of the current platform is the absence of personnel qualified in the development, construction, programming and maintenance of the varying electronic sensors and data loggers installed in the experimental zone and in the field plots (engineer level). Amongst the urgent developments of this type that needs to be installed is a system of telecommunication between the remote data loggers and the laboratory (Grenoble or Lautaret). Finally, as indicated in other parts of this document, the size of the current infrastructures (laboratory and work spaces, storage areas) and the limited area of land available for experiments limit the size of projects that can be established to address the research questions investigated at the SAJF despite their major importance. The primary limitation for the further development of research in axis 3 (plant aspects) is the absence of controlled condition plant growth facilities. It is important that the construction of the plant growth facilities and glasshouse on the Grenoble campus, with the option to grow plants under simulated extreme conditions (including genetically modified plants) can be completed during the next quadrennial period so as to address this major constraint. II. Botanical activities and collections 1. Signposting The Le SIGAL project (Signalétique et culture scientifiques au Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret (Signposting and scientific information at the Lautaret alpine botanical garden) is financed by Rhône-Alpes and PACA regions over the period 2008-2012. This project involves the installation of information signs with the same graphic theme. These signs describe the gardens collections, and in particular the different types of environments found in the mountains (the current signs are today in poor conditions and have neither images nor any colour) ; the world’s mountain areas, botanical education signs and a presentation of the Lautaret arboretum (currently without signs). This signage initiative complements other educational projects that have been put in place over the last few years concerning the individual labelling of plants, the publication of a guidebook, the establishment of thrice daily guided tours and the development of an internet site presenting the flora of the world’s mountains. The first 18 signs, describing geographical areas, were installed in 2009. Figure 24 presents the examples of three series of signs (some fifty signs in total) that will soon be installed and which will complete the project.

Figure 24. Examples of future interpretive signs to be installed at the JBAL. From left to right, a sign for the arboretum, one describing a botanical family and one describing a type of mountain environment. 2. Management of the plant collections a) An inventory of the collections of the JBAL The electronic data basing (before 2000) of the plant collections of the JBAL was begun in 2009 with the arrival of E. Charpentier. This major exercise (some 5000 written documents to be entered into EXCEL spreadsheets) will probably require some two the three years. With this database, we will be able to access important information such as the origin of plants (year of introduction, exchanges with other institutions, grown from seeds or plant parts and from where these were collected, etc.), the success of their establishment, their growth, etc. In addition, the engraving and installation of aluminium labels with the names of the plant species present in the garden will continue. This work, begun by P. Salze upon his recruitment in January 2009 should continue for another two years. The duplication of the rare or difficult to obtain plants present in the JBAL has not been able to be carried out until now due to a lack of personnel, other than those plants form the Andes and Patagonia. This important task, carried out by most botanic gardens, has become possible with the recruitment of a horticulturalist in charge of the collections (P. Salze, December 2008). Finally, the menace of a population explosion of European water voles has made the completion of this work even more vital for the future of the JBAL. b) The herbarium The recruitment of a second horticultural technician will allow the botanist / gardener (currently employed at 50%) to advance the inventory of the herbarium, underway since 2007. The herbarium, once inventoried, will be housed in the new offices of the SAJF, in an area of greater surface area than in which it is currently stored, which is too small to allow the herbarium to be accessed comfortably. c) Botanical drawing The artists in residence program initiated in 2006 is coupled with a collection of the drawing made by the artists, the Dominique Villars collection. With the publication of a first catalogue in 2009, this residence will continue to develop, with invitations to be made to both French and foreign illustrators with differing ways of seeing the alpine flora. 3. New developments a) A botanical school This project was proposed in the preceding quadrennial report. It is based on the role of the JBAL in presenting to the public educational scientific material of high quality and of an advanced nature. The university links of the JBAL and its links with the world of research make it particularly well equipped for such an educational role. Fundamentally, this concept revisits the concept of the botanical school which was well developed during the 1900’s. These schools consisted of presenting in an 32 organised manner based on systematic classifications. Today, we prefer not to organise plants according to their classification, but based on major aspects of their biology: (1) interspecific relationships: parasitism, symbiosis, competition and facilitation; (2) the distribution of alpine vegetation (types of distributions, speciation an vicariance, etc.) ; (3) the structure of plants (general description of a plant, diversity, biological and functional types) ; (4) reproduction (structure and role of the flower, seed dispersal, clonal reproduction) ; (5) alpine plants (diversity, adaptations to extreme conditions) ; (6) botanical classification. This educational approach will complement the presentation of plants based on their ecological specificities (« ecological garden beds ») and their geographical origin (« geographical garden beds »). From a practical point of view, this botanical school will be located in the south-east sector of the garden (see the garden map), in an area well separated from the main collections such that its visit can be carried out separately from the classic visitor circuit. A first bed was constructed in 2007. It is slightly elevated using a system of rock walls, which also serve to support the interpretive signs which are placed lower down in a manner so as not to dominate the landscape. In conclusion, this project aims to be a link between the world of the university and research and the wider public, in complement to the guided visits and the interpretative signs placed near the scientific research projects being carried out in and near the garden. b) The Lautaret arboretum The redevelopment of this high altitude arboretum was proposed in the preceding quadrennial document. The first stage consists of carrying out a complete inventory of the trees in the arboretum and preparing a pre-project planning document (walking trail and interpretive signs). Based on this work, today we wish to (1) continue the growth trials of the various tree species and continue with the measurement of their growth parameters; (2) open the arboretum and the protected alpine grassland around it to visits by the public. A botanical walking trail with interpretive signs will be established (financed by the project SIGAL) and will be integrated into the daily guided visits run by students and the personnel of the SAJF. The Lautaret arboretum is an excellent scientific and educational tool for the study of climate warming, which could lead to an elevation of the upper limits of tree growth by hundreds of meters over the next 50 years. Since the spring of 2009, this high altitude arboretum has been part of a French network of arboretums, which allows the centralisation at a national level of the tree species present. c) Re-development of the garden beds The garden beds presenting the flora of the Alps by ecological environment (called « ecological » garden beds) have not benefited from any redevelopments for many years. These garden beds are of considerable educational interest as they allow visitors to discover the principal alpine plants (and in particular of the Lautaret region) in a reconstruction of their natural environment: grasslands, rocky areas, wetlands, etc. Large areas of reconstructed scree slopes and rocky areas have already been constructed, but considerable work remains to be done, both aesthetically and educationally, to properly present the flora of grasslands and of very high altitudes. The project aims to construct two walls made of rock of limestone or containing silica (such walls, developed in particular in the Czech Republic, are particularly appropriate for growing high altitude, rocky area plants) and a large sized hill / valley allowing the presentation of the contrasting floras of windswept ridgelines and more protected snow patch areas. The constructed hill will need to be of sufficient size to remains free of snow during a significant part of the winter, as occurs in the real natural environment (this development will allow for a presentation of this major influence on the composition of alpine grasslands which has been the subject of considerable study by the Laboratory of Alpine >Ecology, in particular Ph. Choler, see the research section). d) Other developments The principal developments concern : • the redevelopment of the nursery area situated close to the JBAL. This area allows for the acclimation of plants before their installation in the garden beds. The surface area of this nursery is today insufficient to house, in particular, the collections to be duplicated by the new horticulturalist. In addition, the poorly designed supporting wall is close to collapsing. The project aims to reorganise this area into three terraces, work which will require considerable earthworks to achieve.; • the redevelopment of the garden entry, as the current historically valuable gate does not allow access by fire engines or other emergency equipment. The project aims to create a new vehicle access next to the existing gateway, and to develop a zone for the storage of materials required for the maintenance of the garden (rocks, sand, soil, etc.). This operation will require the relocation of the « Atlas Mountains » rockery, which will be reinstalled next to the « Massif Central » rockery.

III. Continued education and public education 1. Children’s educational programs The JBAL does not have an educational program aimed at children, despite the fact that flowers and associated insects provide an ideal basis for education children about the environment, and in particular alpine environments. This is largely due to the absence of any qualified staff. Even through the summer opening period is not the most adapted for visits by schools, children nevertheless represent some 15-20% of the number of visitors. The project consists of developing a small booklet aimed at children aged from 8-12 years based on games / puzzles to be solved while following a walking path within the JBAL. Successfully solving these puzzles would be rewarded with a small prize, such as a set of post cards. This project was proposed in the preceding quadrennial report, and has resulted in the production of a prototype booklet, written by a student horticulturalist, who was also otherwise involved in guiding groups of children. The booklet was published in small quantities in 2005, and tested during the season 2006. The results were not particularly satisfying for two main reasons, the poor quality of the graphic presentation and the lack of qualified staff to supervise children during their visit. To succeed with this project will require: • interaction with a person qualified in the preparation of educational material for children to rework the material in the booklet in the light of the results if the initial tests in 2006; • a professional to produce the graphics for the booklet; 33 • the employment of a children’s supervisor for 6 months or 50% of the year. The funding request associated with this project includes this recruitment. With the same aim of presenting the garden to children, a contract was signed in 2009 with the administration of the Hautes- Alpes region. This contract involves according free entry to the garden for school visits and young people living in the department upon presentation of their youth card. A similar contract is being negotiated with the administration of the Isere department and rector of the Grenoble University, including the JBAL and the Robert Ruffier-Lanche arboretum. 2. Botanical pathway at the Bastille (Grenoble) The Bastille site, located at the entry to the city of Grenoble, has been known for a long time for the richness of its flora and also its fauna, in particular due to Mediterranean climatic influences. O. Manneville is involved as scientific director in a number of initiatives aiming to protect and present this botanical richness, in particular a project for a geological walkway in association with the city of Grenoble, the SIPAVAG, the Grenoble natural history museum, the SAJF and numerous other associations. This project involves the supervision of a number of master’s students and will result in the establishment of a botanical pathway with numerous interpretive signs as well as an explanatory leaflet. 3. Continuing education The Joseph Fourier University accords great importance to continued education, apprenticeships and alternate working arrangements. Similarly, the UJF favours « life-long » educational programs, and in particular those put in place via programmes and laws such as the « individual right to education” (droit individuel à la formation (DIF)). The limited capacities and budget of the garden have limited, until now, welcoming students of this type. The demand for education programs of this type in the area of environmental sciences is likely to considerably increase. The construction of a new building at the Col du Lautaret and the employment of a new botanist would allow the establishment of such educational programs, with teaching in the field being supplemented by face to face teaching and distance teaching (see above for the efforts being made to provide educational materials by internet). Jean-Gabriel Valay is in charge of the development of these activities at the SAJF in interaction with the university services for the development of continuing education (de Formation Continue Alternance Apprentissage (SFCAA)). 4. The Saveurs des Cimes (Tastes of the Mountains) project This project associates the JBAL and the owner of the restaurant « Brasserie 18-36 (Fantin Latour) » in Grenoble, Stéphane Froidevaux, who specialises in preparing dishes based on mountain plants. The aim is to combine knowledge about alpine plants with that of their utilisation as foods. Activities include guided tours of the garden for small groups oriented around the theme of edible and medicinal plants, the collection of edible plants in the Lautaret region and picnics in which mountain plants are used as ingredients. 5. Publishing projects a) A new guidebook The first edition of the JBAL guidebook was published in 2002-2003. It was structured around the major themes relevant to the alpine botanic garden, these being the alpine flora and the alpine environment. The second edition which is the current one, was been significantly modified including sections dealing with the history of Lautaret and the interactions between man and the alpine environment. 1500 copies of this edition were printed. Today a new edition is necessary so as to include: • the modifications carried out at the garden over the last few years; • a presentation of the « ecological » garden beds, in a manner coherent with the newly installed interpretive signs, and a presentation of the mountain areas of the world and their floras; • recently established projects, such as the artists in residence programme ; • a professionally produced graphical presentation b) A history of Lautaret The 100 year long history of the Lautaret garden remains to be written. A first stage (in progress) consists of collecting and organising the archives of the JBAL. In parallel, information is also being collected from national and regional institutions, from passionate amateur enthusiasts of the history of the Lautaret region (A. Bignon) and from the families or previous colleagues of people who played major roles in the history of the garden. The period 2005-2008 has already allowed for the preparation of a first synthesis of the collected material, with eth writing of some 200 pages of biographical information for the principal persons having played a role in the history of the JBAL together with elements of the history of the garden during these corresponding periods, in particular J-P Lachmann (creator of the JBAL in 1899) and his successor M. Mirande (responsible for the current location of the JBAL), and L. Kofler and R. Ruffier-Lanche (responsible for the renewal of the JBAL after the second world war). This preliminary work has confirmed the diversity and excellence of the activities carried out at Lautaret since the beginnings of the garden. In particular, research, conservation and public education have always been closely linked and these activities have been of world class when appropriate infrastructure has been available. In this way, after the construction of the Chalet Mirande in 1919, the activities of the garden in terms of the richness of the collections, research activities (botany, cartography and physiology) and public visitation experienced a major leap forward. This historical perspective was important in resolving the conflicts of interest regarding the future of the garden in 2000 and is interesting in view of the more recent increase in the activities of the JBAL (and its expertise in botany and its collections) and research at a wide range of scales, which resulted in the creation of a mixed unit between the university and the CNRS (in 2005) and the awarding of the Louis de Polignac Foundation grand Prize (in 2007). The current objective is to write a book for the public at large describing the history of botany and botanic gardens at the University of Grenoble. c) A flora of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego The botanical expeditions organised since 2006 to the south of Chile and Argentina have allowed a familiarisation with the majority of the major environments of the region : the different types of steppes, the forests, the mountain vegetations, wetland areas. This flora will present the vegetation of these environments, with an emphasis on the landscapes in which they are found and the adaptations of the plants to cold and drought. An introduction will describe the geography, climate, botanical history and 34 interactions between man and the environment in this region. A major exhibition is also envisaged upon the completion of this project. d) A flora of Lautaret This project consists of producing an illustrated flora for the two cantons of La Grave and Monêtier-les-Bains that make up the regions of the Col du Lautaret. With more than 1500 species present, this region is a « hot-spot » of biodiversity both at the scales of France and of the Alps. The work combines an intense activity of exploration of the region, the compilation of a reference herbarium, the consultation of existing herbaria and of writing. The systematic description of the totality of the species has been begun by R. Douzet, after the definition of a base model (fig. 25). A particular attention will be accorded to genera noted for their taxonomic complexity. An example is the case of the genus Hieracium, for which a multitude of taxons have been cited (almost 500) in the Lautaret region. In this context, a collaboration has been established with the Grenoble Natural History Museum for access to herbaria corresponding to these taxa. A collaboration has also been established with Jean-Marc Tison, one of the best specialists of this genus in France and who has developed an identification key to be used in the Flora of France project being undertaken by the French botanical society. The advancement of this project also benefited from the organisation at the Col du Lautaret of a session of the French Botanical Society (July 2007) and the 10th Hieracium workshop (August 2007). As of spring 2009, the following families had been written-up (descriptions of genera and species in the same format, identification keys) : Adoxaceae, Alliaceae, Amaranthaceae, Apiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae, Poaceae. These texts now need to be field tested in order to assess the robustness of the keys and to identify any errors in the descriptions. A number of botanical discoveries have been made during the period 2006-2008, in particular the discovery of new occurrences of more than ten species within the studied zone (Fig. 25). In parallel with the species descriptions, a number of other activities have also been proceeding: • The establishment of a reference herbarium (since 2006); • The beginnings of an internet site presenting the flora on the basis of environments, altitudinal vegetation belts and the colour of flowers. The aim of this site will be to present the plants of the studied region and to serve as a pilot site for the iconography of the work. These images will also be used in the development of the database ANDROSACE which is synthesising the traits of plants of the alpine arc and of which the SAJF is a partner (see the research section). • The provision of public access via the internet to old publications dealing with the flora and vegetation of the region.

Figure 25. The Flora of Lautaret project. Left, and example of the scientific description of species in the future Flora of Lautaret (the case of a species in the genus Allium). Right, the discovery of a new occurrence of the Dauphine Potentilla (Potentilla delphinensis), a species that is protected both at the national and international scales (UICN).

This work will describe all of the species present in the Lautaret region : identification keys, descriptions, images. The production of a regional flora is a work that requires numerous years. Its advancement is necessarily slowed down by the multiple activities of R. Douzet in terms of teaching and the functioning of the JBAL. e) A second catalogue of botanical drawings The second catalogue of drawings from the Dominique Villars Collection will be published in 2012, after the artists in residence programmes organised for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011.

f) A publication series, Les cahiers de la Station alpine Joseph Fourier This series of publications is aimed at the public and students. Its aim is to provide access to a number of documents stemming from work carried out at the SAJF. Contents of the first editions will include : • « A history of land-use in the upper Romanche valley (the example of the community of Villar d’Arène, Hautes- Alpes) » J. Girel, F. Quétier & S. Aubert • « Elements of botany and alpine ecology (The Lautaret/Briancon region) » Douzet et al. • « A vegetation map of the south facing slopes of the Villar d’Arène valley » G. Pellet 6. Major exhibitions a) A major exhibition at the Col du Lautaret This exhibition will be devoted to a presentation of the Col du Lautaret : its biological richness, its scientific dimensions since the 18th century, its history, its future. This exhibition will be inaugurated as of the summer of 2011 at the Col du Lautaret, within the Napoleonic hostel (Main building of the Ecrins National Park). The partners involved in this project are the SAJF, the Ecrins National Park, and the National Alpine Botanic Conservatory of Gap-Charance. The administration of the Hautes-Alpes and PACA regions will contribute to the financing of the exhibition. b) Participation in an international scale project : the project 45P North This project for the promotion of science « 45 P » is an initiative of the organisation « Kasciopé Science & Culture / Innovation, Centre de Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle (CCSTI) of the Drome region, and aims to develop an innovative initiative to publicise science from different domains, notably those of health, the environment and sustainable 35 development from scientific, cultural and societal perspectives. The project will involve institutions from various countries situated on the 45th parallels both North and South. The SAJF and the Alpine Ecology Laboratory in Grenoble will be involved in the context of their expertise in the areas of vegetation and the modelling of impacts of global changes (climate and agricultural practices).

IV. Construction projects 1. In progress (on the Grenoble University campus) The Nation-Region Contracts (CPER 2007-2012) for the Rhône-Alpes region includes plans for the construction of a plant growth facility as well as the renovation of the Building D on the Grenoble University campus which houses the SAJF and the Alpine Ecology Laboratory (LECA). A construction programme was developed in 2008 by the company Profile (Paris). • A plant growth facility for research is an infrastructure that is sorely missing in Grenoble, and a particular problem is the inability to reproduce alpine conditions under controlled conditions. The construction of this facility will complement the platform at the Col du Lautaret and will be used by the SAJF, and its partner laboratories involved in plant research in Grenoble. This facility will, in particular, (1) allow the cultivation in Grenoble of alpine plants that have, up until now, been limited to growing at Lautaret and thus poorly accessible to laboratories working on plant physiology / ecophysiology; (2) to cultivate laboratory model plants (Arabidopsis, tomato, corn, etc.) under optimal conditions of homogeneity in order to limit the effects of phenotypic dispersion due to growth conditions themselves. The tender for the project was published in the autumn of 2009, with a projected beginning of construction in 2010. Funding for the construction is being provided by the University Joseph Fourier via the CPER 2007-2012 (project Envirhônalp : 614 k€) and for the facility equipment by the CNRS (CPER institute INEE, a budget of 350 k€ for 2010) • The biology Building D, which dates from 1965, will be renovated in terms of its energy conservation (the current building has no insulation), its security norms and its general condition. The ground floor will be reconstructed to accommodate the SAJF: offices, storage areas for herbaria, the library and seeds, work areas and a meeting room. As well as allowing a regrouping of the personnel of the SAJF, this reconstruction will allow the storage and utilisation of the herbarium and library under better conditions. Funding for this work from the project CPER 2007-2012 (project Envirhônalp 1335 k€) will follow after the construction of the plant growth facility, as a consequence of delays in the commencement of projects funded by the CPER. 2. The Galerie de l’Alpe project at the Col du Lautaret For a number of years we have been proposing the construction of a new building both for research and public education at the Col du Lautaret. The existing Chalet-Laboratory is saturated both in terms of its capacity to accommodate students and scientists as well as in terms of laboratory space. The development of new scientific projects and integration into European level research will be limited without the construction of an extension. Similarly the capacities of the Lautaret site for the public are limited in the context of the large number of actual visitors : there is very little space to present exhibitions, the absence of an auditorium / lecture theatre limits opportunities for workshops and scientific meetings, the existing Chalet Mirande requires considerable rehabilitation in order to meet current safety norms. During 2008, this project was proposed to the Joseph Fourier University in the context of the « Opération Campus », to the new National Institute of Ecology and Environment (Institut national de l’Ecologie et de l’Environnement (INEE)) of the CNRS and to the president of the administration of the Hautes-Alpes region. A pre-construction project was prepared by the company Profile (Paris). At the level of the UJF, the objective is to include the project within the larger project BISY, which will define the future centre of systemic and integrative biology and which will have significant funding in order to regroup a number of laboratories on the Grenoble campus. In this context, the platform at Lautaret should be considered as a natural and necessary complement to the research carried out in Grenoble, particularly by the Alpine Ecology Laboratory (LECA). On the 7 of July 2009, the UJF announced, and with validation by its scientific council, that it would support the project at Lautaret with funding of 0.5 M€ (Fig. 26). At the level of the CNRS, the objective is that, the Lautaret platform, which is already integrated into the Alps Working Zone (Zone Atelier Alpes), be also part of the network of experimental platforms / experimental stations of the INEE which will be regrouped into a structure called “Very Large Equipment (Très Grand Equipement (TGE)). Inclusion in this structure may allow for investment by CNRS in the “Galerie de l’Alpe” project. The Lautaret project may also be integrated into the project « Partnerships in Ecology and Environment (DIspositifs de Partenariat en Ecologie et Environnement (DIPEE)) of the INEE institute. This project aims to integrate analysis, experimental and modelling infrastructures of the INEE with its research units and to regionally organise, mutualise and regroup such infrastructures (ecotrons, working zones, environmental observatories, experimental platforms, sensor equipped sites, etc.). Nationally, an aim is to allow for a better strategic use of these equipments. The DIPEE projects will support locally developed initiatives and organise them in a national context. In more detail, the missions of the DIPEE are to (1) propose to the concerned scientific communities, in partnership with the research infrastructures, access to the services provided by the research infrastructures of the INEE in the context of a national network ; (2) contribute to the training of students and research personnel through the use the opportunities for training present in these research infrastructures, their associated scientific competences and in the research units; (3) contribute to the development of knowledge by developing these infrastructures and publicising their results; (4) contribute to the formulation of responses to societal demands.

36

Figure 26. Images of the 7th July at the Col du Lautaret. From left to right : Laurent Daudeville, vice-president of the scientific council of the UJF announcing funding for the Lautaret project of 0.5 M€ ; Jean-Marc Guarini, responsible for experimental platforms at the Ecology and Environment Institute of the CNRS ; visiting the site with Farid Ouabdesselam, president of the UJF and members of the council of the UJF. a) New research capabilities The current saturation of the capacities of the current Chalet-Laboratory, a building unique in the Alps, requires the development of a new, larger building in order to allow the continued development of research. Any reduction in the research effort being carried out at Lautaret would be unfortunate given the : • status of the station as a UMS; • the establishment of the Alps Working Zone (Zone Atelier Alpes) ; • the expansion of the research activities of the Alpine Ecology Laboratory in Grenoble (LECA, the principal partner of the SAJF); • the increases in scientific production and publications over the last few years; • the societal demand for information regarding the impacts of climate and land use change on alpine vegetation; • the uniqueness of a site combining the roles of public education, botanical expertise and scientific research and different scales, from that of the molecule to that of ecosystems and landscapes. b) A site for public education Sites where the public can interact with scientists, such as at the Cité des Sciences in Paris, are very rare. Each year, the festival of science (Fête de la Science) attempts to create such an interface. In this context, and in the light of its 100 year history, the Col du Lautaret represents an important site which combines the presence of an interested public, especially during holiday periods, and the presence of scientists in the context of the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station and the Ecrins National Park. The natural beauty of the site is also favourable for the discussion and presentation of environmental issues, while the altitude of the site at more than 2000 meters provides an opportunity to educate the public regarding the fragility of the alpine environment to changes in climate and agriculture (including other mountains of the world such as the Himalaya, the Andes, the polar areas Educational areas in the new building would include : • An auditorium / lecture theatre able to accommodate not only scientific meetings and student lectures, but also conferences and presentations aimed at the public. Potential topics linked to the alpine environment are many and varied, particularly in the context of the concentration of such research in Grenoble (Alpine Ecology Laboratory, glaciology laboratories, studies of the history of mountain land use, of trends in tourism, etc.) ; • An exhibition area which could present varied themes such as the history of the Col du Lautaret, botany in its diverse facets (scientific, aesthetic, cultural), current research, presentations of other alpine environments throughout the world. The unifying theme of such exhibitions would be the topics of plants and mountains, without excluding other aspects such as the artistic or cultural aspects associated with plants ; • Educational facilities associated with the garden, such as demonstration areas equipped with microscopes, a media centre, a gift shop specialising in the themes developed at the site (books, films, artistic productions), a modern presentation of the plants in the garden, an expanded website offering a complement to the visit to Lautaret. c) A site for teaching These new infrastructures will also allow the development of teaching courses for more specialised groups: • Courses for students and also for teachers. Currently organised teaching courses at Lautaret are greatly limited by the impossibility of conducting indoor teaching sessions (seminars, workshops) due to the lack of a lecture theatre, as is done at other biological field stations such as Foljuif (UMS 3194 CEREEP-Ecotron Ile de France), Roscoff, Paimpont, Villefranche or Banyuls. • Courses dealing with environmental issues and sustainable development issues for land managers and political representatives. d) The cost A pre-program (prepared by the company Profile, Paris) has estimated the construction costs at 2.5 M€, given that the commune of Villar d’Arène has decided to offer the land corresponding to the ruin of the PLM hotel freely for the construction of the project. An amount of 0.5 M€ has been promised by the University Joseph Fourier (decision of the scientific council, 10 July 2009).

37 e) Potential partners • Regional administrations : Community of communes of the Briancon region, Conseil Général of the Hautes-Alpes, The PACA and Rhône-Alpes regions; • Public and government organisations: the Joseph Fourier University of Grenoble, CNRS, Ministry of National Education Research and Higher Education, Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development ; • Local scientific partners: The Ecrins National Park, the National Alpine Botanic Conservatory Gap-Charance, the Dauphinois museum and the Grenoble Natural History Museum; • The European Union (funding for scientific infrastructures at the European scale ; • Private sector partners, in particular those with links to growing plants or environmental management. f) The site The available site upon which to construct the project corresponds to the ruins of the PLM hotel, in green on figure 27. This building was a major and popular tourist attraction in the years between the two world wars. (Fig. 28). Today, the reconstruction / rehabilitation of these ruins which are currently both dangerous and un-aesthetic would complement and give new life to the existing structure.

Figure 27. A view of the proposed construction projects at the Lautaret site (in green, the ruins of the PLM hotel) and developments at the JBAL (in red : 1, extension of the experimental zone; 2, redevelopment of the entrance to the JBAL with a car accessible gate and a technical zone; 3, nursery; 4, redevelopment of the ecological garden beds (flora of the Alps: fissured walls and hill for simulated windswept ridgeline).

Figure 28. A natural potential site for the construction of a new research/public building at the Col du Lautaret. The PLM hotel (left) burnt in 1944 is today in a state of ruin that is both dangerous and un-aesthetic, centre, proximity of the site to the Chalet- (1) and the JBAL (2). See also the aerial photo (fig. 27). Right, a section of the building to be constructed (Architects Charmettant).

38 Annex: staff for the season 2009

Personnel permanent SAJF Nom Statut Temps Directeur AUBERT Serge MC UJF 40% Responsables Recherches BLIGNY Richard & LAVOREL Sandra DR CNRS 10% Responsable Botanique DOUZET Rolland PRAG UJF 50% Responsable des plateformes de recherche GRIGULIS Karl IR CNRS 100 % Chef de cultures HURSTEL Richard Tech. UJF 100% Responsable horticole SALZE Pascal (depuis le 1er décembre 2008) Tech. UJF 100% Adjointe aux cultures LEPLAN-ROUX Joëlle Adj. Adm. Pr. UJF 80% GARCIA Marie-José/VISCONTI Jocelyne/RUPIED Jérôme Adj. Adm./Tech UJF 10% Gestion financière CLEMENT Gwenaëlle/ PLA Kim Tech. CNRS/contr CNRS 10% Expertise botanique/ écologique MANNEVILLE Olivier MC UJF 50 % Responsable informatique LONTIN Olivier Tech CNRS 10 % Personnel saisonnier contractuel du JBAL • Assistant ingénieur botaniste-animateur scientifique : PERRIER Christophe (contractuel UJF, 50%) • Hôtesses d’accueil : CUGNOD Christelle/GIRARD Isabelle (contractuelles UJF, 3 mois 1/2) Stagiaires du JBAL (statut de stagiaires ou de collaborateurs bénévoles) • Stages horticoles Barba Gomez Eduardo (jardinier, Madrid), CYRENNE BLANCHARD Charline (Institut de Technologie Agroalimentaire de Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada), BOURGEOIS Michel (STAV, Bourges), BOGERMAN Geoffrey (STAV, Bourges), COLLEU Marc-Antoine (STAV, Rheu, 35), PIERRISNARD Romain (STAV, Saint- Ismier), PALLECHA Hélène (STAV, Saint-Ismier), LUCET Lisa (STAV, Saint-Ismier), COLLET Delphine (Ecole des jardiniers botanistes, Châteaufarine), DENOTS Claude (jardinier en retraite, Caen), GIRAUD David (Pôle emploi), SARDANO Joan (Ecole des jardiniers botanistes, Châteaufarine) • Stages visites guidées ALEXANDRE Marlène (L2 UJF), AVELLAN Astrid (L3 UJF), BLOT Eléonore (L3 UJF), CHABERT Chloé (L3 UJF), DURUFLE Harold (L3 Univ. Montpellier), GONNET Perrine (L3 UJF), LEBERRE Maëlle (L3 UJF), TERRIN Eléonore (L3 UJF) • Stage signalétique : SAILLARD Amélie (M1 BEE UJF) • Formation permanente: ARAKAWA Yoko (Jardin Botanique de Longwood, USA), Giguère René (responsable de l’Alpinum du Jardin Botanique de Montréal) Résidence d’artistes MAURY ELDREDGE Anne (Illustratrice en botanique à Florence) CANGINI Enrico (Botaniste et illustrateur)

Personnels permanents et postdocs accueillis au Chalet-laboratoire (hors personnel SAJF) • Recherches en biologie/physiologie/écologie végétale ADAM Ali (Univ. Montpellier II); ANTONOVICS Janis (Univ. de Virginie); BAPTIST Florence (Univ. Barcelone); BEC Stéphane (UFR Biologie); BONNEVILLE Jean- Marc (LECA); CARCAILLET Christopher (Univ. Montpellier II); CLEMENT Jean-Christophe (LECA); COLACE Marie-Pascale (LECA); DE BELLO Francesco (LECA); FALCIMAGNE Robert (INRA Clermont); GALLET Christiane (LECA); GEREMIA Roberto (LECA); LAVERGNE Sebastian (LECA); MORIN Samuel (LGGE); MÜNKEMÜLLER Tamara (LECA); QUETIER Fabian (LECA); ROIRON Paul (Univ. Montpellier II); ROQUET Christina (LECA); SACONNE Patrick (LECA); SECHER- FROMELL Hanna (LECA): STREB Peter (Univ. Orsay); THUILLER Wilfried (LECA) • Autres recherches BADEAU Vincent (INRA Nancy), ROSE Christophe (INRA Nancy) Stagiaires recherche • Thèses ABBATE Jessie (Univ. de Virginie); ALBERT Cécile (LECA); ANDRELLO Marco (LECA); BOULANGEAT Isabelle (LECA); GALLIEN Laure (LECA); IBANEZ Sébastien (LECA); LAMARQUE Pénélope (LECA); LAUREAU Constance (Univ. Orsay); LEGAY Nicolas (LECA); LOCHET Jonathan (LECA); MONTEIL Caroline (INRA Avignon) • Stages L3, M1, M2, Ecoles d’ingénieurs BYZCEK Coline (M1 ENS Lyon); CAUBET Simon (M2 Univ. Montpellier II); COON Kerri (BSc Univ. Virginie, USA); CRÈME Alexandra (M1 Univ. Orsay); DEBOEUF Eric (M2 Pro ENITA Clermont); DELORME Sandrine (M1 BEE UJF); JONES Hayley (M1 BEE Univ. York (UK) et UJF); JULLIEN Elsa (L3 UJF); LUPANO Valentina (M1 BEE UJF); MORE-OLLE Nuria (L3 Erasmus); PETEY Martina (M1 UJF); QUETEL Clément (stage de césure M1-M2); REYDET Emmanuelle (M1 INH Angers); ROME Maxime (M2 Univ. Saint Étienne); SANZ Thomas (L3 IMM Univ. de Savoie Chambéry); WINSTEAD-DERLEGA Chris (Master Public Health / Univ. Virginie, USA) Conseillers techniques du JBAL SARREIL-BARON Joseph (entreprise EARL Pépinière Sarreil-Baron), LATIL Jean-Louis (entreprise pépinièriste Lewisia) Conseil scientifique (depuis 2006) En plus du personnel de direction de la SAJF qui est invité permanent, les membres du Conseil Scientifique sont les suivants: CHOLER Philippe (Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine), CORTOT Hervé (responsable scientifique au Parc National des Ecrins), DANTON Philippe (botaniste attaché au Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle), DELMAS Maïté (présidente de l’association des Jardins Botaniques de France et des pays francophones, chargée des relations extérieures au département des Jardins botaniques et zoologiques du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle), DOUCE Roland (Académie des Sciences), DUMAS Christian (Académie des Sciences), FORT Noémie (responsable de la conservation au Conservatoire Botanique National Alpin de Gap-Charance), ROBERT-NICOUD Michel (dir. UFR de Biologie), Occupation des chalets du Lautaret: Chalet Mirande # 1400 journées cumulées / Chalet-laboratoire # 851 journées cumulées

39 MeilleursMeilleurs vvœœuxux pourpour 20102010 –– BestBest wisheswishes

ABBATE Jessie ADAM Ali ALBERT Cécile ALEXANDRE Marlène ANDRELLO Marco ANTONOVICS Janis ARAKAWA Yoko AUBERT Serge AVELLAN Astrid BADEAU Vincent

BAPTIST Florence BARBA-GOMEZ Eduardo BEC Stéphane BELIARD Corentin BLIGNY Richard BLOT Eléonore BOGERMAN Geoffrey BONNEVILLE Jean-Marc BOULANGEAT Isabelle BOURGEOIS Michel

BYZCEK Coline CANGINI Enrico CARCAILLET Christopher CAUBET Simon CHABERT Chloé CHAPENTIER Eliane CHAUVIN Camille CLEMENT Jean-Christophe COLACE Marie-Pascale COLLET Delphine

COLLEU Marc-Antoine COON Kerri CRÈME Alexandra CUGNOD Christelle CYRENNE-BLANCHRD Charline DANTON Philippe DE BELLO Francesco DEBOEUF Eric DELORME Sandrine DENOITS Claude

DOUZET Rolland DURUFLE Harold ELDREDGE MAURY Anne FALCIMAGNE Robert GALLET Christiane GALLIEN Laure GEREMIA Roberto GIGUERE René GIRARD Isabelle GUIRO David

GONET Perrine GRIGULIS Karl JONES Hayley HURSTEL Richard IBANEZ Sébastien JULIEN Elsa LAMARQUE Pénélope LATIL Jean-Louis LAUREAU Constance LAVERGNE Sebastian

LAVOREL Sandra LEBERRE Maëlle LEGAY Nicolas LEPLAN ROUX Joëlle LOCHET Jonathan LONTIN Olivier LUCET Lisa LUPANO Valentina MANNEVILLE Olivier MONTEIL Caroline

MORE-OLLE Nuria MORIN Samuel PELLECHA Hélène MÜNKEMÜLLER Tamara PELLET Giles PERRIER Christophe PETEY Martina PIERRISMARD Romain QUETEL Clément QUETIER Fabian

REYDET Emmanuelle ROIRON Paul ROME Maxime ROQUET Christina SACONNE Patrick SAILLARD Amélie SALZE Pascal SANZ Thomas SARDANO Joan SARREIL BARON Joseph Saison 2009 au col du Lautaret Station alpine Joseph Fourier SECHER-FROMELL Hanna Stagiaire inconnu STREB Peter ROSE Christophe (LU)

Jardin alpin Chalet-laboratoire (chalet Mirande)

SYRE Thibault TERRIN Eléonore THUILLER Wilfried WINSTEAD-DERLEGA Chris