DIADE-Research

DIADE:plant Diversity Adaptation and Develompment - Research Unit

Research projects at UMR DIADE (Plant Diversity Adaptation and Development) are aimed at understanding the nature and role of various mechanisms underlying:

the structural and functional diversification of the genome of tropical plants,
the diversity and structure of their populations during the speciation process
the adaptation to environmental or human-driven changes.

Research activities involves multidisciplinary approaches including genetics, epigenetics, developmental biology, physiology, systematic, evolution. They will involve, when necessary, many other approaches including modeling, remote sensing, ecology … Studies will also benefit from parallels between model plants (rice, Arabidposis, tomato, poplar) and plants of agricultural or ecological interest (coffee trees, filao, yam, maize, palms, millets).

Various levels of analysis are under consideration, from the single cell to complex of species. Thus we will tackle:

the precise regulation of the expression of key developmental genes;
the control of developmental transitions;
the history of genes families in the light of evolution;
molecular determinants (genes or gene networks) of phenotypic variation of characters of agricultural or ecological interest;
dynamics and plasticity of genomes, dynamics and diversity of populations in response to ecological, human factors (organization of genetic diversity, adaptation to environmental changes, domestication) or biological (genomic shocks).

Our research deals with the domains of functional and evolutionary biology. They integrate the expertise acquired by research groups in various biological models with new tools and concepts from modern genomics. Indeed, the emergence of genomics has deeply modified our understanding of the functioning of genomes, the mechanisms of heredity and our interpretation of the contribution of the genotype to the elaboration of the phenotype.

UMR DIADE is a Joint Research Unit, which structure relies on 8 different research groups, under the principal tutorship of IRD and UM2 and secondary tutorship of CIRAD. Associated organizations are INRA and CRNS. On January 1st, 2012, DIADE permanent staff reached 79 people, including 57 research officers, 4 researchers-lecturers and 18 technical staff. To date, 21 members of UMR DIADE are qualified as HDR (Habilité à Diriger les Recherches: French Research Director Diploma), thus meaning that the Unit has an important capacity for training in the North, in collaboration with the University of Montpellier as in the South.

The figure hereafter shows that more than 70 people from various different geographical origins have been trained in our Montpellier facilities in 2011.

Distribution of trainees and visitors in 2011 shows that 60% are from the South: 19% are from Africa-Madagascar, 15% are from Asia, 12% are from Central America and Latin America ad 15% are from Northern Africa and the Middle-East.

Besides, 47% of non permanent staff are 39% European students (mainly at Master level, from Montpellier University, France).

The Ph.D.account is 25% of the trainees.