We are an international research group based in the Microbial Ecology Laboratory (LEM) at Lyon 1 University, a member of the University of Lyon, which brings together higher education and research institutions across Lyon and Saint-Étienne. Within LEM, we are part of the Functional Diversity and Nitrogen Cycle Team (Dive-N).

We investigate the diversity, ecophysiology, and ecology of key soil microorganisms and their viruses to better understand their roles in biogeochemical cycling. Our work aims to contribute to the development of strategies that reduce microbial contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental nitrogen pollution, while also harnessing beneficial microbial and viral functions to improve soil and plant health

Our research focuses on functional groups involved in nitrogen, methane, and carbon cycling, with particular interest in nitrifiers, methanotrophs & methanogens, mycorrhizal fungi, and soil viruses. Together, these microorganisms and biological agents regulate key ecosystem processes: nitrifiers transform nitrogen and influence nitrous oxide emissions, methanotrophs & methanogens mediate methane fluxes, mycorrhizal fungi shape plant carbon allocation and nutrient uptake, and viruses modulate microbial community dynamics and nutrient release through host interactions.

We use state-of-the-art approaches, including meta-omics, to characterize soil microbial and viral communities taxonomically and functionally. We also quantify functional process rates in soil using stable isotope probing, gas analyses, and colorimetric assays. In addition, we use cultivation-based approaches to develop and exploit model systems, and combine plant and soil microcosm experiments with field studies.