Climate Change Ecology — from Populations to Ecosystems
Master in Life Science, ENS
UNBIO1-110 | CEPE - Climate Change Ecology — from Populations to Ecoystems
Level | Semester : M2 | S1
Where : Biology department, ENS, room 321
Duration : 1 week
Dates : September 15th-19th 2025
Maximum class size : 20 students
—2025-2026 program & syllabus—
Coordination
Primary instructor : Dr. Regis Ferriere (he/his), Biology department, ENS
Teaching Assistant : Elisa Richard (she/her)
Credits
3 ECTS
Keywords
Biodiversity | climate change | acclimation | adaptation | niche modeling | trait-based analysis | plant-pollinator interactions, | tropical forests | carbon cycling | resilience | tipping points | ecological forecasting | ecological conservation | ecosystem services | nature-based solutions | sustainability
Course prerequisites
Undergraduate level in population, community, and ecosystem ecology.
Students are expected to have received introductory training on the topics of population dynamics, species interactions, community diversity and stability, biogeography, ecosystem function and biogeochemical cycles.
Course objectives and description
Rapid changes to Earth’s climate and biosphere influence how natural and managed ecosystems function and alter the services ecosystems provide. To address issues from conservation biology to sustainability, a thorough understanding of the responses and feedbacks of biodiversity and ecosystems to climate change is needed.
In this class, students will learn the basics of climate change ecology ; they will then be exposed to current topics and cutting-edge research, though a series of presentations and discussion with research experts.
Specific topics will address the physiological responses of organisms of multiple climate stressors ; the effects of climate acting in combination with other global changes ; integrative and multiscale approaches to document and predict ecological responses to climate change ; the societal challenges and opportunities of climate change ecology.
The course is intended primarily to M2 students in the IMaLiS Master program.
External students can attend and credit the class by prior arrangement with the primary instructor.
Please see contact information below. External students with attendance confirmed by primary instructor should register here at least one week before the start date of the class.
The class is taught in English.
Course Format and Teaching Methods
The course will include a combination of lectures by the primary instructor, hands-on activities (modeling, programming) with the co-instructor, and research presentations by guest speakers.
The course will take place in a classroom with in-house computer technology. However, students are strongly encouraged to bring their own laptop with needed software packages and libraries properly installed prior to class.
The objectives of the course are :
Expected Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course students will be able to :
• read, analyze, and present current research articles in Climate Change Ecology.
• connect climate and ecological processes.
• access and research ecological and climate data sets.
• develop quantitative models to formulate and evaluate hypotheses pertaining to the responses and feedbacks of ecological systems to climate change.
• study and relate ecological responses at different structural, temporal, and spatial scales.
• connect knowledge about ecological processes and function to conservation and sustainability challenges.
Assessment
There will be one homework assignment (25% of final grade) and one final assignment (75% of final grade).
The homework assignment consists in reading an assigned research paper and preparing a “reading write-up” by answering a set of questions designed to assess the understanding of the paper and its implications.
The final assignment consists in writing a mini-review on a prescribed topic. The mini-review will be five-page, single-spaced (references not included), due three weeks after the last day of the class.
There will be no re-take of the homework assignment or final assignment.
Absence and Class Participation Policies
Students are expected to be regular and punctual in class attendance and to fully participate in the course. Students themselves are primarily responsible for attendance and class participation.
Course material
Course material and announcements are posted on Moodle.
Specific instructions and resources will be provided regarding programming packages and libraries used for hands-on activities.
No special activities planned in this class.
Suggested readings in relation with the module content
No specific textbook is assigned to the class. Readings related to each lecture will be provided and made available on Moodle.
Classroom Behavior Policy
To foster a positive learning environment, students and instructors have a shared responsibility. We want a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all of us feel comfortable with each other and where we can challenge ourselves to succeed. To that end, our focus is on the tasks at hand and not on extraneous activities (e.g., chatting, texting, chatting, web surfing, etc.).
Subject to Change Notice
Information contained in the course syllabus may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the primary instructor of this course.