The annual Biodiversity and Ecosystems Chair is supported by the Jean-François and Marie-Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre Foundation.

Plant-pollinator interactions : an ancient co-evolution in the midst of transformation

The living world is under threat from humans, whose expansion across the planet has led to the extinction of species, reduced the abundance of wild populations, and altered the interactions between living beings, interactions that make biodiversity the " living fabric of the planet ". Among these, mutualisms between flowering plants and the animals that pollinate them play a central role in the functioning of natural systems. Indeed, flowering plants are at the base of most terrestrial food chains, including those in which humans are involved (agriculture) ; yet they are largely dependent on pollinators for their reproduction.

This course will present plant-pollinator interactions, from their first appearance over one hundred million years ago to the way they function today. It will show how the co-evolution of plants with their pollinators has produced a tremendous diversification of flower shapes, colors and scents, as well as complex interaction networks. He will study the current changes undergone by plants and their pollinators, and their consequences for pollination and agricultural production. Finally, it will look at ways to better understand and protect these essential links in our planet.