Objectives

Using a unique database compiled by the French National Botanical Conservatories, the thesis will characterize the temporal dynamics of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of permanent grassland plants at different spatial scales (from plot to national territory) over the last decades. By combining these data with cartographic and statistical data, it will then assess the causes of these dynamics, particularly in terms of land use and climate changes. Finally, by mobilizing remote sensing data, it will assess their consequences from a functional point of view, particularly in terms of the resilience of grasslands to climatic hazards. 
This thesis thus aims to address the major scientific challenge of understanding the temporal dynamics of biodiversity in response to multiple factors of global change and its consequences on the functioning of ecosystems. It also aims to provide actionable knowledge to improve the conservation of permanent grasslands and promote the agroecological transition of the livestock sector and its adaptation to climate change.