The main objective of the PHARE team’s research is to understand the mechanisms by which trees acclimatise and adapt to a changing environment. The environmental factors studied are drought (atmospheric and edaphic), air pollution (ozone), light regime, high temperatures and the physical heterogeneity of the soil (water, stones, impedance).
We are interested in both the physiological processes (signalling, cellular detoxification, gas exchange, growth, water relations, etc.) involved in the response to environmental changes and the diversity of these responses at the inter- and intra-specific levels. We employ mechanistic and integrative approaches by combining different disciplines (ecophysiology, physiology, anatomy, biomechanics, functional genomics, etc.) across the various plant organs. The study of phenotypic plasticity at the individual level is complemented by the study of genetic diversity -differences between genotypes, populations and species- and is linked to ecological questions.
To carry out this research, the team uses a wide range of specific techniques and instruments: measurements of leaf gas exchange, water status and hydraulics, biochemistry, isotope ratio mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, growth kinematics via time-lapse imaging, and gene expression (qPCR, transcriptomics). We make use of various facilities: temperature-controlled greenhouses with irrigation robots and phenotyping cameras, an automated root system imaging robot (ROSI), phytotrons with ozone and CO₂ fumigation systems, imaging drones as well as facilities in nurseries and forests.
Our various research topics and ongoing research projects are presented here.
Bibliography
2026
Cinti, E. et al. (2026). The role of mesophyll conductance in the estimation of Vcmax and Jmax in four European oaks under moderate drought and warming Environmental and Experimental Botany, 247, 106384, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2026.106384
Cohen, D. et al. (2026). Gene network analysis predicts the primary regulators of ABA-dependent transcriptional activation and repression in Populus roots PLOS GENETICS, 22, (8), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1012256
Ding, L. et al. (2026). Cell-specific transcriptomics and knockout reveal aquaporin function in grass stomatal movements NEW PHYTOLOGIST, 250, (3), 1569–1584, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71004
Dong, T. et al. (2026). Partial coordination of leaf water relations with the leaf economics spectrum across diverse forest types PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 201, (3), https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiag342
Ferguson, J. N. et al. (2026). MYB59 is Linked to Natural Variation of Water-Use Associated With Warmer Temperatures in Arabidopsis thaliana Plant-Environment Interactions, 7, (4), e70199, https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.70199
Gundesli, Y. et al. (2026). Shade and Drought Shape Stomatal Kinetics in Beech Saplings Physiologia Plantarum, 178, (2), e70856, https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.70856
Martins, T. S. et al. (2026). Young sugarcane plants exhibit higher photosynthetic tolerance to acute ozone exposure than energy cane THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 38, (1), https://doi.org/10.1007/s40626-026-00398-3
Moure, M. et al. (2026). Mapping of a field: A systematic review of reviews on forestry and the forest-based sector in Europe Forest Policy and Economics, 183, 103693, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103693
Rubio, B. et al. (2026). Sympatric European white oaks species display contrasting epigenetic response to soil water availability Tree Physiology, 46, (10), tpag134, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpag134
Turc, B. et al. (2026). The leaf transcriptome response to ozone mainly involves genes regulated during development in hybrid poplar PLANT STRESS, 21, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stress.2026.101425
Woning, N. et al. (2026). Revisiting the relationship between stomatal size and speed across species - a meta-analysis NEW PHYTOLOGIST, 249, (5), 2338–2354, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70842
2025
Arricastres, V. et al. (2025). The addition of chemical compounds extracted from leaf litter leachates enhances short term methane uptake by forest soils Geoderma, 459, 117347, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117347
Loupit, G. et al. (2025). Graft union formation involves interactions among bud signals, carbon availability, dormancy release, wound responses and non-self-communication in grapevine PLANT JOURNAL, 122, (5), https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70244
Nadal, M. et al. (2025). Comparison of different methods to evaluate tissue damage in response to leaf dehydration in Quercus ilex L. and Q. faginea Lam PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, 177, (2), https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.70178
Simoes, A. L. T. et al. (2025). Damage to guava plants by multiple infections of Austropuccinia psidii TROPICAL PLANT PATHOLOGY, 50, (1), https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-025-00778-1
Traboulsi, L. et al. (2025). Plasticity of the poplar root system in response to a localized constraint by high gravel content PLANT AND SOIL, 508, (1–2), 293–309, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06799-0
2024
Ghouil, H. et al. (2024). Do leaf lignin content or leaf mass-to-area bias the estimation of intrinsic water use efficiency from leaf bulk δ<SUP>13</SUP>C? A test with seedlings from five oak species ANNALS OF FOREST SCIENCE, 81, (1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-024-01247-6
Joffe, R. et al. (2024). Reduced mesophyll conductance under chronic O3 exposure in poplar reflects thicker cell walls and increased subcellular diffusion pathway lengths according to the anatomical model PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT, 47, (12), 4815–4832, https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.15049
2023
Alonso-Forn, D. et al. (2023). Disentangling leaf structural and material properties in relationship to their anatomical and chemical compositional traits in oaks (Quercus L.) ANNALS OF BOTANY, 131, (5), 789–800, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcad030
Dreyer, E. et al. (2023). Annals of Forest Science promotes multidisciplinary research devoted to forests and wood in a changing world Annals of Forest Science, 80, (1), 8, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-023-01177-9
Maillard, F. et al. (2023). Functional genomics gives new insights into the ectomycorrhizal degradation of chitin NEW PHYTOLOGIST, 238, (2), 845–858, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18773
Nadal, M. et al. (2023). Incorporating pressure-volume traits into the leaf economics spectrum ECOLOGY LETTERS, 26, (4), 549–562, https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14176
Pereira, M. de F. et al. (2023). Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis prepares its host locally and systemically for abiotic cue signaling PLANT JOURNAL, 116, (6), 1784–1803, https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16465
Turc, B. et al. (2023). Ante- and post-mortem cellular injury dynamics in hybrid poplar foliage as a function of phytotoxic O3 dose PLOS ONE, 18, (3), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282006
2022
Brendel, O. et al. (2022). Are differences among forest tree populations in carbon isotope composition an indication of adaptation to drought? Tree Physiology, 42, (1), 26–31, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpab143
Csilléry, K. et al. (2022). Recovery of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) seedlings from ungulate browsing mirrors soil nitrogen availability Tree Physiology, 42, (2), 273–288, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpab105
Joffe, R. et al. (2022). The response of mesophyll conductance to ozone-induced oxidative stress is genotype-dependent in poplar JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, 73, (14), 4850–4866, https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac154
Le Provost, G. et al. (2022). Molecular plasticity to soil water deficit differs between sessile oak (Quercus Petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) high- and low-water use efficiency genotypes TREE PHYSIOLOGY, 42, (12), 2546–2562, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpac087
Quiros, M. et al. (2022). Plant root growth against a mechanical obstacle: the early growth response of a maize root facing an axial resistance is consistent with the Lockhart model JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE, 19, (193), https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0266
Rabarijaona, A. et al. (2022). Provenance Differences in Water-Use Efficiency Among Sessile Oak Populations Grown in a Mesic Common Garden FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE, 5, https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.914199
Xue, W. et al. (2022). Quantitative expression of mesophyll conductance temperature response in the FvCB model and impacts on plant gas exchange estimations AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY, 325, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2022.109153
