Microcosms

The Microcosms platform, available since the spring of 2014, includes 13 identical and independent climate-controlled chambers, custom-made to meet the needs of the Ecotron. Each chamber allows for work on broad research topics including arthropod populations, potted plant-soil systems, or samples of intact ecosystems (monoliths).

The climatic chambers have a volume of 2m³ and a work surface of 1m². One of their particularities is having an external light compartment that allows for the installation of different types of lamps (plasma lamps, LED lamps with adjustable spectrum, etc.) according to experimental requirements.

In each of the chambers, the climatic conditions (temperature, humidity, atmospheric CO2 concentration ranging from the pre-industrial era to several times the ambient level, and 13C labelling) are finely regulated. As on the Macrocosms and Mesocosms experimental platforms, measurements of gas exchanges (in open or closed systems) can be carried out as well as experiments involving isotopic labelling.