XPO: eXPerimentation and Observation on Aquatic Ecosystems

Introduction

XPO (Platform for eXPerimentation and Observation on Aquatic Ecosystems) is a component of INRAE's LIFE Research Infrastructure, which is a Collective Scientific Infrastructure (CSI) aimed at characterizing biodiversity and understanding the functioning of continental aquatic ecosystems in a context of global change. It was created and is supported by the EABX - Aquatic Ecosystems and Global Change research unit (INRAE, UR 1454). Research carried out within this unit aims to acquire knowledge, build methods and develop tools to characterize and understand the state and dynamics of continental aquatic ecosystems (estuaries, lakes, rivers), by assessing the responses of these ecosystems or their species (amphihaline migratory fish and aquatic plants) to anthropogenic pressures (fishing, fragmentation of environments, contamination, climate change).

The various platforms and tools made available by ISC XPO enable research to be carried out on different groups of organisms (e.g. fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants) in freshwater, estuarine or marine environments. This may involve work in ecology, ethology and ecotoxicology, potentially targeting different levels of organization, from the individual to the community.