The IX conference of the French-speaking Association for Microbial Ecology (AFEM) brought together microbiologists working in environments and on organisms which vary greatly! It took place this year in the Grand Est, in Büssang, from 5 to 8 November and was an opportunity for FARE scientists to exchange ideas, results and tools with this community.

Ludovic Besaury, AFERE chair lecturer at FARE and Gwenaëlle Lashermes, INRA research fellow at FARE, presented their work in the session "Ecological engineering and biotechnological applications". Ludovic presented a poster entitled "Bottom-up and top-down approaches to fractionate and valorize lignocellulose" while Gwenaëlle gave an oral presentation on "Ground retting of fiber plants for industrial applications: modelling a biodegradation process".

The main themes addressed during this conference focused on biotic interactions and the concept of the holobiont, biogeochemical cycles, the diversity and role of microorganisms in the environment, the impact of environmental disturbances, as well as adaptation, evolution and genomic plasticity. This conference enabled Ludovic and Gwenaëlle to deepen their knowledge in these different fields and to discuss with French-speaking scientists.

Contacts: Dr. Gwenaëlle Lashermes
Dr. Ludovic Besaury