At the Jardin botanique, both fundamental and applied research are carried out according to the highest standards of scientific rigour. These activities enhance the institution’s international reputation and contribute to its global recognition. Research spans a wide range of disciplines, from molecular biology to ecology, including biological control.
Ecology of human-modified environments and phytotechnologies
More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, and urbanization brings with it a host of environmental challenges. Our research seeks to better understand how urbanization affects plant life and to assess its impacts, particularly on biodiversity.
This research helps develop management plans and actions to preserve biodiversity, while advancing techniques that use plants to counter environmental impacts. These approaches make it possible to propose solutions to issues such as urban heat islands and pollution from agricultural or industrial sources.
Research team:
Marie-Hélène Brice, Simon Joly, Michel Labrecque, Joan Laur, Stéphanie Pellerin et Frédéric Pitre.
Understanding the origins and evolution of biodiversity to better protect it
Biodiversity encompasses the full range of biological variation, from genes to species to ecosystems. It represents a major global challenge, largely because of the pressure humans exert on it. This pressure has led to an unprecedented rate of species extinction in the history of life on Earth.
Our research seeks to understand the origins of biodiversity, its evolution across space and time, and its relationship with humans. The goal is to identify ways to better protect it.
Research team:
Marie-Hélène Brice, Alain Cuerrier, Simon Joly, Michel Labrecque et Frédéric Pitre.
How plants interact with one another and with their environment
Plants are essential to both humans and the functioning of ecosystems. They provide many vital services, such as producing oxygen and improving soil quality.
Our research aims to understand how plants function and interact with their environment, whether in wetlands, forests, or urban areas.
We also study plant health, with a particular focus on interactions with microorganisms. These microorganisms can cause disease, but they can also be beneficial, promoting growth and enhancing resistance to pathogens.
Research team:
Marie-Hélène Brice, Alain Cuerrier, Simon Joly, Michel Labrecque, Joan Laur, Stéphanie Pellerin, Frédéric Pitre et Antoine Zboralski.
The importance of plants for humans
Plants hold a central place in human life, be it for food, health, or culture. At the Jardin botanique, ethnobotanical research explores the traditional knowledge of Indigenous and local communities that maintain deep relationships with the plants of their territories.
Drawing on approaches from ethnobiology, biology, and ecology, this research examines the many connections between humans and plants. The goal is to understand how these relationships can help guide the ecological transition and shape a more sustainable society. They also offer valuable insights for promoting biodiversity, developing phytotechnologies, rethinking agricultural production systems, and addressing the challenges of climate change.
Research team:
Alain Cuerrier et Joan Laur