The Department of Chemical Ecology
This department was born out of an observation: Man has developed and, in order to optimise his actions, Man has sought to bend his environment to his requirements. A clumsy maneuver that today leads to unprecedented consequences.
Any intrusion into the natural balance leads to considerable upheavals, the cost is often higher than that of the phenomenon that led to the intervention.
Since 1995, IRSEA has been trying to find new ways to interact and influence living processes so that man can maintain his physiological balance while respecting the balance of the other living beings: absolute conditions for a real sustainability of our development on Earth.
Chemical ecology is the discipline that studies the chemical interactions between living organisms and their environment, but also the mechanisms underlying these interactions and the effects they may have on the behaviour of animals. DEC's mission is therefore to study these interactions in order to find applications that can promote cohabitation between different species in their natural environment.
First of all, we seek to understand the species, their way of life and communication in order to be able to propose appropriate solutions. We advocate natural interactions and we wish to find a natural balance where cohesion, harmonization and cohabitation are the key words.
Our studies are mainly focused on host-parasite or prey-predator interactions. We try to understand how chemical communication is involved in these exchanges in order to find semiochemicals that can help in the fight against some species of pests for humans and animals. We are developing sustainable strategies with no impact on the environment.
Among our projects, one of them is to solve the problem of the presence of wolves and the attacks on sheep. We are also interested in pests that attack agricultural structures, crops and our animals. For example, we are also studying ticks and looking for a way to prevent them from clinging to their host.
