I work at the crossroads of plant ecology, physiology, and evolutionary biology and my current researches are focusing on tree main topics:

Impacts of climate change on mountain forests: My primary research interest is the understanding of plant ecophysiological responses to environment changes. I am investigating the plasticity of functional traits (morphology, physiology and phenology) of trees along altitudinal gradients. Quantitative genetic analysis of natural populations and evolution of plant ecophysiological traits.

Tree hydraulic and drought resistance: My research interest also involves understanding of hydraulic and water transport in trees and especially cavitation resistance in conifer trees. What are the macroevolutionary patterns in hydraulic traits?

Invasion biology: I am interested in how invasive species thrive and spread aggressively outside its natural range. I am working on invasive maple trees using a biogeographical approach between France and Canada.

http://sylvain-delzon.com

http://sylvain-delzon.com

Current Research

Here is a list of some of our current project

Tree phenology and Climate change

The aim is to characterise leaf phenological responses of mountain  forests along altitudinal gradients in the Pyrénées Mountains

sylvain delzon

sylvain delzon

Invasive species

Acer negundo (Manitoba maple) is a woody riparian exotic plant from North America that has heavily invaded many riparian areas in the south of France. Our study seeks to determine whether there are consistent differences of performance between this invasive specie and native species

sylvain delzon

Cavitation resistance

Water-Stress Induced Cavitation in Conifers.

Genetic variability of cavitation resistance in conifer trees

sylvain delzo

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sylvain delzon

Reproduction cost

Size-related hydraulic constraints, carbon assimilation, nutrient dynamics and reproduction in whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), a keystone species in the Rocky Mountains

sylvain delzon

sylvain delzon

NPP decline and Hydraulic constraints

Hydraulic responses to height growth in maritime pine trees

sylvain delzon

sylvain delzon

Stand water use

Sapflow and transpiration in a maritime pine chronosequence