Rennes-Le Rheu - PEARL

The PEARL facilities are spread over two sites : Rennes and Le Rheu.

- In Rennes, an experimental complex that includes basins, greenhouses, halls and a mesocosm platform, is located on the campus of Institut Agro.

- In Le Rheu, an experimental station contains approximately 20 ponds.

The PEARL facilities are used to conduct research on continental lotic or lentic aquatic environments (streams, smaller ponds, larger ponds, etc.), as well as on the organisms, populations or communities that inhabit them.

The tools and know-how developed at PEARL allow researchers to  study contexts of increasing complexity (from crystallising dishes to natural environments in aquariums, mesocosms or ponds) at different scales along the continuum of individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems.

The set of tools (mesocosms, channels, artificial spawning grounds, air-conditioned chambers, etc.) favours an experimental approach to certain phases of the life cycle of the organisms studied. It allows researchers to address the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and assess impacts of human changes on these environments. Some of the facilities are particularly suitable for ecotoxicology research.

See website of U3E